While the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season has technically passed, a new storm system is developing in the western Caribbean that has the potential to impact a number of cruises in the coming days.
Rather than wait until the last minute for potential changes, MSC Cruises has already adapted the current sailing for MSC Seascape to ensure the best possible cruise experience. Most of the ports have been changed to keep the ship well out of the potential storm’s area of influence.
“We regret to inform you that we must revise our itinerary due to the overnight development of a tropical depression in the Western Caribbean Sea, which has a high probability for gradual development during the next several days,” the letter delivered to guests’ staterooms explained.
“For safety reasons, due to the adverse weather conditions that are forecasted in the ports of call of our original itinerary … we have changed the itinerary.”
MSC Seascape departed Miami, Florida on Saturday, September 21, 2024 for her 7-night Caribbean and Bahamas sailing. The ship was to have visited Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, as well as Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, the cruise line’s private island in the Bahamas.
Ocean Cay is the only port of call to remain the same on the revised itinerary, and the ship will still be there for her last stop of the sailing on Friday, September 27.
Now, MSC Seascape will be in Grand Turk from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, September 23 (the day originally planned for Jamaica), then in Puerto Plata from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24 (which was to have been the day in Grand Cayman).
Wednesday, the ship was supposed to visit Cozumel, but that day, it will now be a day at sea. On Thursday, September 26, MSC Seascape will dock in Nassau from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. On the original itinerary, that day was to have been at sea.
Guests were informed of these changes on the first full day of the sailing, a day at sea. While some travelers will understandably be upset that all but one of the original ports of call are now cancelled, safety is always the first consideration.
“We have had to implement this itinerary change due to reasons that are beyond our control and to ensure your comfort, safety, and wellbeing, which is our number one priority,” the letter concluded.
All pre-booked excursions arranged through MSC Cruises will be automatically refunded to travelers’ onboard accounts, and new tours through the ship’s Shore Excursions desk on Deck 6 in the ship’s Atrium.
Tropical Depression Update
The tropical depression, which was upgraded to Potential Tropical Cyclone 9 on Monday morning, has been developing between Belize and Jamaica for several days. Maximum sustained winds are now recorded at 30 miles per hour, just 9 miles per hour beneath the threshold for an official tropical storm.
The storm is expected to continue strengthening and is likely to become a tropical storm by Tuesday morning, and a hurricane by Wednesday morning as it passes the Yucatan Peninsula.
The projected track has the storm heading first northwest and then north, gradually turning slightly northeast as it moves into the northern part of the Gulf of Mexico.
The storm – which will likely become Hurricane Helene – may be as strong as a Category 3 hurricane when it makes landfall later this week, probably on Thursday, September 26.
Read Also: The 10 Roughest Seas in the World for Cruise Ships
While there is great uncertainty in storm predictions several days away, various models are agreeing more and more that landfall is likely to be made somewhere in the Florida panhandle.
In the meantime, other Western Caribbean cruises are likely to be impacted over the next few days, and the homeport of Mobile, Alabama, may also be affected depending on the storm’s exact track and size as it makes landfall.
Travelers booked on any Western Caribbean sailing this week should stay in close contact with their cruise line for potential itinerary changes, delays, and other updates.
