Major Hurricane Irma is heading towards the Eastern Caribbean and it has now impacted the first cruise ship.
Royal Caribbean has been the first cruise line affected by Hurricane Irma as it gains strength and becomes a powerful Hurricane. The cruise line has altered the itinerary for Allure of the Seas which is an Oasis-class vessel and among the largest in the world carrying 5,400 guests at double occupancy.
Allure of the Seas September 3 sailing from Port Everglades Florida will no longer be an Eastern Caribbean cruise. The vessel will change to a Western Caribbean cruise with calls in Cozumel, Falmouth, and Labadee.
The ship will sail the following itinerary on its September 3 sailing:
3 Sep: Sunday – Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Departure at 4:30 PM)
4 Sep: Monday – Sea Day
5 Sep: Tuesday – Cozumel, Mexico (8:00 AM – 7:00 PM)
6 Sep: Wednesday – Sea Day
7 Sep: Thursday – Falmouth, Jamaica (8:00 AM Â – 3:00 PM)
8 Sep: Friday –Â Labadee, Haiti (10:30 AM – 6:30 PM)
9 Sep: Saturday – Sea Day
10 Sep: Sunday – For Lauderdale (Arrival at 6:00 AM)
Royal Caribbean stated:
We know this change may be disappointing and please know we did not make it lightly. We want to ensure we can deliver an exceptional Caribbean cruise to our guests, and this change will allow us to do just that.
We currently do not expect to modify the itinerary any further, but hurricanes can change course. If this happens, we will alter our course accordingly to ensure a safe and fun vacation for all onboard.
Pre-booked shore excursions for our previous ports of call will be cancelled and refunded to the guest’s original form of payment while onboard. Guests will also have the ability to book shore excursions for our new ports of call at the Shore Excursions desk onboard Allure of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean will refund any cancelled shore excursions booked for the Eastern Caribbean sailing. The cruise line has apologized for the itinerary change but it is very important to always keep guests and crew safe and away from hurricane Irma.
Hurricane Irma is a major Hurricane and is expected to reach category 5 on Thursday. At the moment the Hurricane has maximum sustained winds of 115 MPH and is moving west towards the northern parts of the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean.This Hurricane is set to be extremely dangerous and cruise lines are closely
This Hurricane is set to be extremely dangerous and cruise lines are closely monitoring its track to see if any more cruise ships need to alter sailings. it is too early to see if the Hurrican Irma will hit Florida, Central parts of the Caribbean or further north on the east coast.
Cruise Hive will keep track and post any new developments affecting the cruise industry. This comes off as the State of Texas is struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey which hit the state earlier in the week and forced port of Galveston to close.
