Key Aspects:
- Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam will no longer visit St. Johns in Canada due to unsafe weather conditions related to Hurricane Erin.
- The skipped port call will be replaced with an overnight visit to Halifax, Canada.
- Hurricane Erin won’t directly hit the US, but will bring inclement weather and rough seas to the US East Coast and Canada’s Atlantic Coast by the middle of this week.
Hurricane Erin is not done wreaking havoc on cruise itineraries. This time, the Category 4 storm has thrown Zuiderdam’s planned visit to Canada out of whack.
Indeed, the Holland America ship is now the latest vessel to alter course in an effort to steer clear of the Category 4 storm.
The 1,964-guest ship embarked from Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, on a one-way sailing to Boston, Massachusetts, on August 5, 2025 – well before Erin first formed as a tropical storm on August 11.
The cruise ship has already successfully visited multiple destinations across Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, and Greenland, but the final leg of the 18-night voyage will be disrupted by the bad weather.
Current guests have reported that a decision was made to cancel the overnight call in St. Johns (Newfoundland-Labrador), Canada, on August 19 and 20, out of an abundance of caution.
Instead, the ship will sail to Halifax (Nova Scotia), Canada, for an extended call that lasts from August 20 to 21.
“The Captain just told us that he has cancelled the Tues/Wed port call at St John’s NF. Instead, we are going to Halifax NS on Wednesday afternoon and staying until late afternoon Thursday,” a current passenger shared.
“He feels there is too much risk in St. John’s port because of sea conditions from Erin,” he continued.
While Hurricane Erin is not expected to directly hit the US, the National Hurricane Center (NOAA) shows that it will be passing by Boston and moving in the direction of Halifax on Thursday, August 22.
This timing does coincide with when the 82,318-gross ton ship should be on her way to Boston to disembark on the morning of August 23, but the expert bridge team will surely do their best to avoid the worst of the rough seas.
At this time, there is no known impact on disembarkation or embarkation for the next sailing, which is a 7-day cruise to New England and Canada.
Where is Hurricane Erin Now?
Over the weekend, Hurricane Erin temporarily became a Category 5 level storm while North of Puerto Rico, with winds of 160 miles per hour.
Notably, this is the most intense classification on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Erin has since been downgraded to a (still dangerous) Category 4 storm system with sustained winds of 140 miles per hour and even stronger gusts.
As of NOAA’s most recent update at 5 p.m. EST on August 18, Erin is approximately 110 miles northeast of Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos, and is moving northwest at speeds of 10 miles per hour. Maximum sustained winds are 140 MPH.
Erin will make her way past the Bahamas on August 18, and will reposition to between Bermuda and the US East Coast by the middle of this week – and has the potential to strengthen into an even stronger storm once again.
“Erin is expected to produce life-threatening surf and rip currents along the beaches of the Bahamas, much of the east coast of the US, Bermuda, and Atlantic Canada during the next several days,” NOAA advised.
“Tropical storm conditions and coastal flooding are possible in the North Carolina Outer Banks beginning late Wednesday and a Tropical Storm and Storm Surge Watch may be required later today.”
NOAA’s forecasts are currently predicting that Erin will be off of Florida’s southeastern coast on August 19; Florida’s northern coast, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina on August 20; and the Mid-Atlantic Coast by August 21.
