As Hurricane Milton impacts continue across Florida and the Sunshine State’s homeports, MSC Cruises has made the difficult decision to completely cancel the Thursday, October 11, 2024 departure of MSC Seashore.
This cruise was to have been a 3-night itinerary departing from Port Canaveral, but as of Wednesday evening, the port is at Condition Zulu and closed to all marine traffic.
“In consultation with the U.S. Coast Guard and Port Authorities, and due to the uncertainty of the reopening of Port Canaveral, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this sailing,” MSC Cruises confirmed in their latest hurricane update.
While the port will be thoroughly assessed as soon as it is safe to do so, the storm’s influence is expected to extend well into Thursday and it is unlikely that Port Canaveral will reopen on that day.
The now-cancelled sailing for the 170,412-gross-ton, Seaside EVO-class ship was to have visited Nassau and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. A full refund will be issued to all booked guests – up to 4,540 travelers at double occupancy, or as many as 5,632 guests if the ship has been fully booked.
The ship’s next cruise, a 7-night Western Caribbean itinerary to Ocean Cay, Costa Maya, and Cozumel, is planned to depart Port Canaveral on Sunday, October 13, without any changes or disruptions.
In addition to the cancellation for MSC Seashore, MSC Magnifica‘s October 7, 2024 sailing has also been disrupted. The ship is on a 4-night cruise that left PortMiami on Monday and was to have visited Ocean Cay and Nassau.
Instead, the ship was rerouted to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic to steer clear of the hurricane’s influence. MSC Magnifica‘s return to Miami on Friday, October 11 is not expected to be affected and there are no changes for the next sailing’s embarkation time or itinerary at this time.
As storm conditions can change, guests should still remain in contact with MSC Cruises for further updates as they are made available.
Other Cruise Cancellations Due to Milton
MSC Cruises is not the only cruise line forced to cancel itineraries due to the storm’s influence. Three other vessels from three other cruise lines have also made the preemptive decision to cancel full sailings due to the timing, location, and impact of Hurricane Milton.
Read Also: List of All Cruise Ships Impacted by Hurricane Milton
With uncertainty about when homeports may reopen, Carnival Cruise Line has also cancelled the October 10 departure of Carnival Paradise from Port Tampa Bay, a 4-night Western Caribbean itinerary. The unique geography of Tampa Bay and the heavy impact the region is experiencing makes this the most logical and safest decision for the cruise line.
Disney Cruise Line has cancelled the next voyage for their newest ship, Disney Wish, a 3-night Bahamas “Halloween on the High Seas” itinerary that was to have sailed from Port Canaveral on Friday, October 11.
Likewise, Margaritaville at Sea has cancelled the next sailing for their Palm Beach-based ship, Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, which was to have left on a 2-night Bahamas getaway to Freeport on Wednesday, October 9.
Many other vessels, including ships from Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Princess Cruises, are also experiencing severe itinerary adjustments with port cancellations or time adjustments.
Cruise Hive will continue to provide storm-related updates as they are confirmed, and all cruise travelers should stay in close contact with their respective cruise lines for notifications on delays, itinerary changes, and other adjustments to their upcoming sailings.