As Hurricane Beryl rapidly strengthens and approaches the Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises has opted to adjust the week’s itinerary for Celebrity Beyond to keep the ship further from the storm’s impact. The good news for guests is that they will still enjoy all their ports of call, just in a different order than originally planned.
The 141,420-gross-ton, Edge-class Celebrity Beyond is currently sailing a coveted A-B-C (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) itinerary in the southern Caribbean. The ship left Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Saturday, June 29, 2024 for the 8-night sailing.
After two days at sea, Celebrity Beyond was to have visited Bonaire – the easternmost of the islands – on Tuesday, July 2, followed by Curacao and Aruba on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Unfortunately, Hurricane Beryl is also scheduled to be closest to Bonaire on Tuesday.
Guests aboard Celebrity Beyond were notified of their itinerary change onboard the vessel. To keep better distance from the storm, the itinerary will be reversed with the ship visiting Aruba first, followed by Curacao and then Bonaire last.
“Our Captain along with our Chief Meteorologist, Craig Setzer, have been closely monitoring the path of Hurricane Beryl,” the letter delivered to guests’ staterooms read. “To ensure that we increase the distance & stay clear from the Hurricane Beryl offering comfortable sailing conditions we’ll swap Kralendijk, Bonaire with Oranjestad, Aruba on July 2nd and move Kralendijk, Bonaire to July 4th.”
Pre-paid Celebrity Cruises shore tours for both Bonaire and Aruba will be automatically updated to their new days. The time in each port – 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Aruba and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Bonaire – are unchanged.
Guests have have arranged independent tours will need to contact their tour operators to make changes, and Celebrity Cruises is offering a complimentary phone call to each guest to make such changes.
While at this time Celebrity Beyond will still be visiting all three ports of call for her full port time as planned, the notification letter does note that further changes may yet be necessary.
“This situation remains very fluid, and we are committed to keeping you informed every step of the way,” the letter read. “Please know being onboard is one of the safest places as we can avoid inclement weather.”
Celebrity Beyond can welcome 3,260 guests at double occupancy, or as many as 3,937 passengers when fully booked with all berths filled. Also onboard are approximately 1,400 international crew members to ensure everyone has a cruise vacation that truly goes beyond.
How Close Will the Ship Be to the Hurricane?
Guests aboard Celebrity Beyond may be concerned that they will not be leaving the region entirely, but instead will stay nearby as Hurricane Beryl moves through the southern Caribbean.
The storm is a strong one that currently has maximum sustained winds of around 130 miles per hour, making it a major and extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane. Further strengthening is also possible as Hurricane Beryl continues to move west-northwest at 18 miles per hour.
“Fluctuations in strength are common in major hurricanes in conducive environments, and it is expected that Beryl will also fluctuate in strength for the next day or so,” NHC Forecaster Cangialosi said in the latest update discussion.
The overall impact of the storm is fairly compact, however, with hurricane-force winds extending only up to 30 miles from the enter, and tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 115 miles.
Read Also: Beryl Forces Icon of the Seas to Change Itinerary
Because the storm’s track is well north of the ABC islands, it is likely that impacts felt on the islands will be minimal. In fact, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is predicting just a 5-10% chance of tropical storm winds impacting those islands in the coming days, and no watches or warnings have yet been issued. If the storm’s track shifts south, however, those odds could increase.
By Wednesday morning, Hurricane Beryl will be past the ABC islands and approaching Jamaica, well away from Celebrity Beyond. It is likely that additional cruise lines will make itinerary adjustments throughout the week, either for Jamaica or for Thursday and Friday as the storm passes close to Cozumel.
