Hurricane Milton, which transformed from a tropical storm into a hurricane on October 6, 2024, is now barreling down on Florida as a Category 4 hurricane today, October 7, and wreaking havoc on cruise itineraries. The latest to update its schedule is Celebrity Cruises.
The cruise line has adjusted the itinerary for the 126,000-gross-ton Celebrity Reflection, which departs on a 4-night voyage today from Fort Lauderdaleโs Port Everglades.
Scheduled to travel to Key West for an 8-hour call on October 8, Celebrity Reflection will instead head east, away from Florida, to visit Nassau, Bahamas. The 10-hour call will give passengers more time in port.
Itโs following call, at Perfect Day at CocoCay, owned by Royal Caribbean Group, its parent company, is also located in the Bahamas.
The cruise line hopes the new itinerary will keep passengers and the ship away from Milton, expected to hit the west coast of Florida late on October 9 or the early morning hours of October 10.
โOur Captain, along with our Chief Meteorologist, Craig Setzer, has been monitoring active weather along our path, which is preventing us from a safe arrival into Key West, Florida,โ Celebrity Cruises announced to guests.
It then apologized for the last-minute change, stating, โYour safety is always our top priority. Being onboard is one of the safest places to be, as we can avoid inclement weather.โ
Shore excursions originally planned for Key West will automatically be refunded, with Celebrity Cruises touting the options available in Nassau, from a visit to Junkanoo Beach to a boat ride to Pearl Island and to playing on inflatable water obstacles.
For guests who booked independent tours, the cruise line is offering a complimentary call aboard the 3,046-passenger ship to contact tour operators to cancel.
Celebrity Reflection will spend a day at sea and return to Port Everglades on October 11, 2024.
Hurricane Milton Intensifies
The National Hurricane Center, which first reported Tropical Storm Milton on October 5, 2024, said the now-Hurricane Milton in the Gulf of Mexico is strengthening due to the Gulfโs warm waters, recorded at 85 degrees Fahrenheit. It is currently 735 miles west-southwest of Tampa.
On October 7, the National Weather Service issued a hurricane watch for the Gulf Coast of Florida, extending to the Dry Tortugas, which includes Key West, where Celebrity Reflection was expected to call.
As a Category 4 hurricane, Milton is recording wind speeds of up to 156 miles per hour. If the storm intensifies into a Category 5, wind speeds can exceed 157 miles per hour.
Milton could also bring dangerous storm surges of up to 5 feet and heavy rainfall of up to 15 inches to areas already hard-hit from Hurricane Helene.
That storm, which arrived in Florida on September 12, 2024, as a Category 3, brought storm surges of 7 feet to parts of the state.
Read Also: Port Everglades Terminals: What You Need to Know
As a result of this new storm, Floridaโs governor has declared a state of emergency for 35 counties, including Broward County, where Port Everglades is located.
Hurricane Miltonโs path is currently taking the storm across the state of Florida, north of the Bahamas, and expected to be in the Atlantic, away from cruise ports, by the wee hours of the morning on October 11, not impacting Celebrity Reflectionโs adjusted route.
Unfortunately, guests aboard Celebrity Reflection may still experience some rain during their voyage.