Tropical Storm Florence which is in the Atlantic has so far impacted two cruise ships operated by Norwegian Cruise Line. The cruise line has altered itineraries to keep both ships away from the Hurricane.
NCL Ship Itinerary Changes
Norwegian Cruise Line has adjusted the itineraries for Norwegian Escape which is based out of New York City and Norwegian Dawn based out of Boston. Both NCL ships are on the U.S. East Coast and the cruise line is making sure guests and crew stay safe by keeping away from the oncoming Tropical Storm Florence which is set to become a Hurricane again.
Norwegian Escape Itinerary Change
Norwegian Escape’s scheduled cruise which begins from New York on September 9 will be altered. The port of call in Bermuda which was set for September 12 has now been canceled. Instead, the Breakaway-Plus class cruise ship will call in Port Canaveral, Florida, Nassau and the Norwegian Cruise Line private island of Great Stirrup Cay located in the Bahamas. The cruise will still last for 7-nights and is expected to arrive back in New York as normal on September on September 16.
Norwegian Dawn Itinerary Change
Norwegian Dawn is also being impacted by Florence. The ship will also cancel its scheduled port of call in Bermuda on September 9. The entire itinerary has been altered and instead of sailing south the ship’s September 7 itinerary will be making calls in Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia; St. John, New Brunswick; and Bar Harbor, Maine. The ship’s next scheduled cruise departing Boston on September 14 is still set to go ahead.
Also Read:Â 20 Essential Things to Do in Bermuda on a Cruise
Norwegian Cruise Line stated that they will continue to monitor Tropical Storm Florence closely and will keep any guests updated as the storm develops in the Atlantic.
Pride of America Could be Impacted
Pride of America which is also an NCL ship and based in Hawaii is under threat from Hurricane Olivia which is currently in the Pacific and heading towards the Hawaii islands. At the moment Norwegian Cruise Line has not made any changes to the September 8 7-night sailing from Honolulu but this could change as the Hurricane gets closer. Cruise Hive will keep readers updated if this changes. The ship was also forced to make itinerary changes in August due to Hurricane Lane, you can read about that right here.
Hurricane Olivia currently has maximum sustained winds of 125 mph an is moving west towards Hawaii at 15 mph. Olivia is at a category 3 and is expected to weaken slightly over the weekend.
Tropical Storm Florence Status
At the moment according to the National Hurricane Center (NOAA), Florence has lost some strength and as of writing, this has maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. However, the storm is expected to gain strength once again and will become a major Hurricane. Bermuda is already feeling the effects of Florence with high swells and winds.
Related:Â How a Hurricane Could Affect Your Cruise
We’ll keep updating readers on any new developments as Hurricane season is now getting busy. There are also two more storm disturbances in the Atlantic so do check with your cruise line before heading off.
