Star of the Seas was officially named in an evening ceremony at Port Canaveral on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.
Cruise line executives, Chief Dog Officer Sailor, and godmother Kellie Gerardi were just some of the stars onboard.
More than 1,300 Royal Caribbean fans tuned in to the livestream to watch the ceremony as it officially “launched” the ship.
It was a night for the stars at Port Canaveral as the world’s newest Icon-class ship was officially christened on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.
The star-studded event was also livestreamed on social media so Royal Caribbean fans around the world could be a part of the momentous occasion.
Cruise ship naming ceremonies are filled with tradition, and tonight was no different.
The “godmother procession” began the event at 7:30 p.m. as the City of Mt. Dora Pipe Band brought in the evening’s special guests.
Cruise line stars in attendance included the President and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, Jason Liberty, along with Star of the Seas’ godmother, Kellie Gerardi, and Royal Caribbean president Michael Bayley.
Speakers blessed the ship, thanked those responsible for bringing her to life, and brought recognition to everyone who is part of the vessel. More than 27 million man-hours have been necessary to bring Star of the Seas to her naming ceremony.
Bayley and Liberty both thanked those behind the scenes who make the cruise line such a success. This included more than 100 Pinnacle members in the audience for the ship’s official naming.
Pinnacle is the highest level of Royal Caribbean’s Crown and Anchor Society loyalty program. To reach that level, guests must accrue at least 700 points with the cruise line.
Star of the Seas in Port Canaveral (Photo Credit: Melissa Mayntz / Cruise Hive)
Bayley also noted that the crew members onboard the ship are the true “stars of the show.”
A very special crew member was recognized, Melton Baxter, one of the ship’s bread and pastry chefs (thank you for those wonderful cheese rolls!). He has been with the cruise line for more than 38 years, since February 1987.
A new crew member was also highlighted, Chief Dog Officer Sailor, who received her official three officer stripes earlier in the day. She walked by guests, stopping for pets and mugging for the cameras in the front row.
Both a rabbi and a pastor offered traditional blessings, including thoughts for the ship’s safe passage and wondrous journeys guided by the stars above.
“May she shine like a star and sail in peace across the waters of the world,”Rabbi Melissa Stolman said.
Live performances from musicians, divers, and aerialists were also part of the special occasion.
Finally, Gerardi officially “launched” the ship. A star-shaped button triggered the ceremonial champagne bottle break across the bow as star-shaped confetti rained down on attendees to conclude the event.
Star of the Seas Naming Ceremony
The livestream included a “ready to launch” intro sequence with fun remarks from key departments onboard, including the popular washy-washy team at the Windjammer Cafe and the headline roles of Dr. Brown and Marty McFly from “Back to the Future: The Musical.”
“Today is the day. Star of the Seas to Port Canaveral, we are ready to launch,”Captain Rob Hempstead announced for the recorded intro.
The ceremony was held in the ship’s AquaDome, a signature neighborhood space on the Icon-class ships.
More than 1,300 Royal Caribbean fans tuned in to the livestream video, spreading the joy of the occasion far beyond just the lucky attendees at Port Canaveral.
Up Next for Star of the Seas
While the past few weeks have been filled with celebratory milestones for Star of the Seas, her rise to the heavens is not yet finished.
The ship has already made headlines with her stellar performance in her sea trials and her early delivery to Royal Caribbean. She still has three more short “showcase” sailings before her official maiden voyage departs on August 31.
Star of the Seas will be offering 7-night cruises with both Eastern Caribbean and Western Caribbean routes. Each voyage will also include a stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private Bahamian island.
An unidentified passenger has gone overboard and is currently missing from Sun Princess.
The ship has doubled back to aid in search and rescue efforts, which are currently underway.
No impact to the itinerary has been announced at this point, but changes could be possible depending on when the Sphere-class vessel resumes her journey.
For the first time since entering service at the beginning of 2024, Sun Princess is dealing with a man overboard crisis.
In the late-night hours of Wednesday, August 20, 2025, an unidentified person went overboard as the first Sphere-class vessel was sailing through the Dardanelles Strait on her way to Istanbul, Turkey.
She is operating a 14-night sailing from Barcelona, Spain, to Athens, Greece, that embarked on August 9, 2025.
The man overboard announcement was made onboard at around 11 p.m. local time andcruise tracking data shows that the 4,300-guest ship doubled back to the presumed location of the incident around the same time.
It is currently floating not far off the coast of Cinarli Koyu Beach on the Marmara Adasi Island in Turkey as crew members helped search the water in tender boats.
Current passengers have reported that at least five Turkish rescue boats had also responded to the scene by the early morning hours on August 21.
“Princess Cruises can confirm that a person has been reported to have gone overboard on Sun Princess this evening on route to Istanbul. Our ship’s emergency response team immediately initiated search and rescue procedures, which are actively underway at this time.”
“We are working in coordination with local maritime authorities to support the operation.The safety and well-being of our guests and crew remains our highest priority. We will provide further information as it becomes available.”
This is a developing situation and search and rescue efforts are still underway. Cruise Hive will continue to update as more details come to light.
Will the Cruiser Be Okay?
At this time, it’s too early to tell if the person who went overboard will be okay, as they thus far have not been found. It’s not even known at this stage if they are a guest or a crew member.
The circumstances behind the overboard, such as how far they fell and if they have any pre-existing health conditions, are also unclear – but do play a role in how likely a successful rescue will be.
Of course, local authorities and the highly trained crew members working onboard Sun Princess will do everything they can to bring the passenger back onboard safe and sound.
Sun Princess Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: GEORGE STAMATIS)
The 177,882-gross ton vessel will likely remain in the area to aid in the search and rescue efforts until emergency responders give them the all clear to resume their voyage.
At this point, no itinerary changes have been announced. However, the ship is due in Istanbul, Turkey, at 7 a.m. local time – which is just over five hours away as of the time of publication.
She is also scheduled to call on Mykonos, Greece, on August 22, before disembarking in Athens on August 23.
Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed which ships are already serving Coca-Cola products following the company’s switch from Pepsi products.
To date, half the Carnival fleet has already converted to Coke products. The remainder of the fleet will be serving Coke no later than the week after Labor Day.
All guests can continue to bring a 12-pack of their favorite soda onboard at embarkation and can replenish their supply at each port of call.
Coca-Cola fans are eagerly awaiting their favorite soft drinks on Carnival cruise ships, but which ships are still serving Pepsi and which have completed the switch to Coke?
Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, John Heald, gets asked every day about upcoming sailings and what brand of soda will be available onboard for different departure dates.
To ease the thirst for Coca-Cola, Heald has confirmed the list of ships that are already fully converted to a certain fizzy beverage.
“A lot of you keep asking me about the ships that already have changed from Pepsi to Coca-Cola products,”Heald said.
To date, the following Carnival cruise ships have already begun serving Coke products:
Carnival Breeze
Carnival Celebration
Carnival Conquest
Carnival Dream
Carnival Elation
Carnival Horizon
Carnival Liberty
Carnival Luminosa
Carnival Magic
Carnival Paradise
Carnival Radiance
Carnival Sunrise
Carnival Panorama
Carnival Valor
This means that as of mid-August, half of the Carnival fleet has now fully converted to Coca-Cola brands.
“If you’re on a ship that is not mentioned there, we expect all the ships to be done by the week after Labor Day,”Heald noted.
Labor Day is Monday, September 1. By September 8, then, all Carnival ships should be serving Coca-Cola products.
Heald goes on to note that, following guest feedback and requests, Dr. Pepper is also being added to the soda menu, but only from select homeports.
At the moment, Dr. Pepper is available for Carnival ships sailing from Galveston, New Orleans, and Mobile.
Carnival Cola (Photo Credit: Carnival & Myllac)
From Texas, this means that Carnival Dream, Carnival Breeze, and Carnival Jubilee are now offering Dr. Pepper, while from Louisiana, Carnival Liberty and Carnival Valor have the popular beverage.
While no Carnival ships are currently homeported from Alabama, Carnival Spirit will return to Mobile following her season in Alaska. Guests will be able to toast that return with a cool Dr. Pepper.
Why So Long to Switch Brands?
Carnival first announced the soda switchover in late June. It takes time, however, for adequate supplies to be provided to each vessel as well as for already purchased Pepsi products to be used up enough for a more efficient brand change.
In addition to just being sure the correct soda is onboard, any branded signage or equipment would also need to be switched out.
Soda machines would also need thorough cleaning and sanitizing to eliminate any residual taste from Pepsi products that might linger. Undoubtedly, such cleaning happens regularly, but it can be a challenge to ensure simultaneous cleaning of all equipment onboard a ship in every bar, kitchen, and restaurant.
Heald goes on to remind guests, especially Pepsi lovers like myself, that everyone can bring a 12-pack of their favorite soft drink onboard at embarkation. Additional 12-packs can also be brought onboard at any port of call.
This ensures that no matter what guests prefer to drink, they can still toast their cruise vacation with their favorite fizzy drink, whether it is Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, 7Up, or any other soda.
Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald confirmed Carnival Sunrise proceeded with its scheduled call in Grand Turk on August 20, 2025.
Captain Mario Epifani told guests the island sustained only minor damage with some sand erosion on beaches.
Hurricane Erin forced other Carnival ships, including Carnival Conquest, Carnival Elation, and Carnival Venezia, to adjust their itineraries during the storm.
The Turks & Caicos Islands in the Caribbean are breathing a sigh of relief after avoiding a direct hit from then-Category 4 Hurricane Erin on August 18.
However, Grand Turk did sustain some damage from the storm’s 10- to 13-foot storm surges, prompting guests heading to the island aboard Carnival Sunrise to be worried about whether the destination would be ready for visitors.
According to Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald, passengers began reaching out with reports of seeing early images of debris, prompting clarification from the cruise line.
He used a video update to reassure passengers that the 2,984-guest vessel would keep its scheduled call in Grand Turk on August 20, 2025, despite concerns.
“Hurricane Erin is something we have definitely been working very hard on, and when I say ‘we’ I mean the people at the fleet operation center,”Heald said.
“It’s been a busy time. We’ve added changes to our itineraries on the Carnival Conquest, Carnival Elation, and the Carnival Venezia and a big and sincere thank you to all of those that have been so understand through the changes.”
He then revealed the good news from aboard Carnival Sunrise, which came directly from Captain Mario Epifani.
“Although Hurricane Erin did not directly pass over Grand Turk, the island was impacted by tropical storm conditions,”Captain Epifani shared with guests.“Some cleanup of debris has already occurred, and the destination will be ready for our visit.”
The captain went on to say that there was no major damage to the island’s local infrastructure and only some sand erosion on beaches took place.
Governor Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, Honourable Premier Charles Washington Misick, and Permanent Secretary for National Security Tito Lightbourne assess damage in the Turks & Caicos. (Photo Credit: Turks and Caicos Islands, Governor’s Office)
“Enjoying the beaches are part of the Grand Turk experience and you will still be able to take advantage of the sections that are in good shape,” he said, promising to let guests know if there are any specific tours that will not be able to operate.
Jack’s Shack, one of the most popular beach bars on the island, is closed on August 20 as staff work to clean up from the storm.
“We’re moving as quickly as possible to get everything back in order so we can welcome you again very soon. Thank you for your understanding, support, and good vibes, it means the world to us,” it shared.
Hurricane Erin Damages Turks & Caicos
Hurricane Erin, which officially became a hurricane on August 15, was a Category 4 storm on August 18 with sustained winds of up to 130 miles an hour as it traveled northeast of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
At that time, the governor’s office issued an immediate shutdown of Grand Turk, South Caicos, and Salt Cay from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“All services on these islands are suspended. Residents must remain indoors and are instructed to comply with all emergency directives,”stated the Governor’s Office.
Carnival Sunrise (Photo Credit: Just dance)
A shelter-in-place was also put into effect for Providenciales, North Caicos, and Middle Caicos.
The next day, Governor Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, accompanied by other island officials, traveled by helicopter to assess the storm’s damage and praised the preparedness of residents and responders as cleanup began.
The cleanup, thankfully, took place ahead of the arrival of the 101,509-gross-ton Carnival Sunrise, which currently homeports in Miami, Florida. The ship had departed on a 5-night Eastern Caribbean cruise per its normal summer schedule on August 18, 2025.
After a sea day on August 19, keeping clear of the storm, the ship arrived in Grand Turks at 7 a.m. for 7.5-hour call.
It will sail to Carnival Corporation’s private destinations of Half Moon Cay and the newly opened Celebration Key in the Bahamas on the 21st and 22nd, respectively, before returning to Miami on August 23.
At press time, Hurricane Erin has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm and is off the coast of the southeastern US.
David J. Herrera has exited Norwegian Cruise Line after serving as president since April 2023.
Harry Sommer, president and CEO of parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, has stepped in as interim president of the brand.
The change comes as Norwegian Cruise Line is poised to launch its 21st ship and expand and enhance its private island in the Bahamas, Great Stirrup Cay.
After serving just over two years as president of Norwegian Cruise Line, David J. Herrera has exited the brand.
The surprise announcement on August 20, 2025 disclosed that Harry Sommer, president and CEO of parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) , will temporarily run the cruise line on an interim basis.
Sommer knows how to do the job. He is a former president of Norwegian Cruise Line and was promoted to the top post at NCLH in July 2023, after longtime president and CEO Frank Del Rio retired. Herrera was appointed president of the cruise line in April 2023.
In the company statement, Sommer called Herrera a dedicated member of the Norwegian Cruise Line team and wished him well. His departure from the brand was effective on August 20, 2025, and an executive search already is underway for a successor.
“Aligned with our continued strategic evolution and focus on our Charting the Course Strategy and 2026 targets, NCL is entering a transformative chapter in its nearly 60-year history that will elevate the guest experience even further,” said Harry Sommer, interim president of Norwegian Cruise Line.
“I am excited to work closer with the team at NCL to capitalize on the many opportunities ahead as we embark on our search for the next leader who will guide the brand into the future,” added Sommer.
Sommer pointed to the brand’s seven cruise ships ships on order along with the substantial changes on the horizon at Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian’s private island in the Caribbean as indicators of the brand’s future growth strategy.
For his part, Herrera, who joined Norwegian Cruise Line in 2012, had a strong background with the brand, having served as senior vice president of finance, strategy, and consumer research, and senior vice president of corporate development and strategy for the parent company.
Former President Oversaw Launches of Two New-Builds
As president of the 20-ship Norwegian Cruise Line, Herrera oversaw the launch of two mega-ships, the 3,200-guest Norwegian Viva in 2023 and the 3,500-guest Norwegian Aqua in 2025. He would have been intricately involved with the line’s next new-build — Norwegian Luna, which will launch in 2026.
It was also on his watch that extensive dry-dock renovations were made to Norwegian Epic and Pride of America earlier this year. The brand’s financial outlook was bright, too, by all accounts.
In NCLH’s second-quarter earnings report issued on July 31, 2025, its three brands — Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, set a second-quarter revenue record of $2.52 billion, an increase of 6% year over year.
Photo Courtesy: Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line’s revenues were not listed separately in the report, but the three brands combined enjoyed an occupancy level that reached 103.9% for the quarter.
Looking ahead to 2026, the new president of Norwegian Cruise Line — or interim president Harry Sommer — will take the leading role in the launch of Norwegian Luna, the second ship in the line’s Prima Plus class and sister to Norwegian Aqua.
The 3,550-guest ship is under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, and is scheduled to enter service in April 2026 from PortMiami.
Also in 2026, the expansion and enhancement plan at Great Stirrup Cay will be unveiled. The reimagined private island destination will feature a 6-acre Great Tides Waterpark with 19 waterslides, an 800-foot lazy river, tube slides, and a cliff-jumping experience — a first for the cruise industry. Multiple thrilling waterslides will be contained in a 170-foot-tall Tidal Tower.
A total of 21 cruise ships across nine cruise lines have now changed their itineraries to avoid Hurricane Erin.
Impacts range from complete itinerary changes to port reversals and alternative port visits.
This list will be updated as additional changes from different cruise lines are confirmed.
Even though Hurricane Erin is not making any landfall, the impact it’s having on cruise itineraries continues to increase due to ocean swells and sea conditions. Here are all the latest cruise ship impacts due to the category 2 storm.
While additional changes are possible over the next few days, so far, ships from Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Holland America Line, Celebrity Cruises, Virgin Voyages, and Norwegian Cruise Line have confirmed changes.
Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas (Photo Credit: StudioPortoSabbia)
Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas was the first ship to change her route, cancelling a stop in Bermuda and instead heading for the Bahamas to avoid the hurricane’s projected track.
Even early in the storm’s formation, the shift toward Bermuda was a high probability, and Royal Caribbean made this change for the 9-night sailing several days before Erin became an official hurricane.
Instead, Vision of the Seas added Port Canaveral to her schedule and extended her time in Nassau. The visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay is unaffected, and the ship will return to Baltimore on August 23.
Liberty of the Seas
Liberty of the Seas at Sea (Photo Credit: Debbie Ann Powell)
Liberty of the Seas’ sailing from Bayonne, New Jersey, opted to completely skip Bermuda and head in the opposite direction. The ship is instead enjoying an overnight visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
This is a 5-night sailing with just a single port visit, and so will likely be very disappointing to guests who had hoped to visit Bermuda. Liberty of the Seas will return to Bayonne on Thursday, August 21.
Royal Caribbean is providing up to $400 of onboard credit as compensation for the very dramatic itinerary change. The total onboard credit depends on stateroom category.
Freedom of the Seas
Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas in Miami (Photo Credit: EQRoy)
Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas has also been impacted by Hurricane Erin, with the ship unable to make its call to Nassau, Bahamas, on August 17 and headed straight back to Miami with an earlier arrival.
For the ship’s August 18 departure out of Miami, a day at sea was replaced with a call at Nassau, instead of making that port visit a day later on August 20. At the moment, there are no other adjustments, and the 4-night Bahamas sailing is still scheduled to return home as normal on August 22.
Harmony of the Seas
During the ship’s 8-night Caribbean voyage that departed Galveston, Texas, on August 16, the ship was forced to cancel its call to Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas on August 19.
Symphony of the Seas
The vessel’s 7-night August 17 sailing out of New York has been affected by Hurricane Erin. The ship has cancelled its scheduled call to Nassau, Bahamas, on August 20 and is instead spending a day at sea.
Utopia of the Seas
The newest Oasis-class cruise ship had to cancel its scheduled visit to Nassau in the Bahamas on August 19. The ship spent a day at sea instead during the 4-night Bahamas cruise that departed Port Canaveral on August 18.
Celebrity Beyond
At the moment, the Celebrity Beyond is the only cruise ship from Celebrity Cruises that has been impacted by the hurricane. On the ship’s 7-night sailing that departed Miami on August 17, the call to Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas was cancelled on August 19.
Princess Cruises is another cruise line that has been forced to make adjustments for its Enchanted Princess. The ship’s 14-night Caribbean sailing out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has cancelled its call to Dominica on August 17 and St. Maarten on August 18.
The vessel instead made a call to Martinique and St. Kitts. In a more recent update, the Enchanted Princess’s return to New York has been delayed from August 23 to August 25. This also means that the originally scheduled August 23 departure has been revised.
Island Princess
Island Princess Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Andres Felipe Perez)
Island Princess is also impacted as Hurricane Erin impacts New York operations. The cruise line has communicated to guests on the August 19 10-night Caribbean and Bermuda sailing that the ship will remain docked in Brooklyn, New York, through August 22.
To make up for the delayed departure, the vessel will spend an extra day docked in Bermuda. However, the calls to Grand Turk, Amber Cove, and San Juan are cancelled.
Disney Treasure
Disney Treasure Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: MartinLueke)
The brand new Disney Treasure completely shifted her planned 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary to avoid Hurricane Erin. Instead, the ship is sailing a Western Caribbean route this week.
This includes visits to Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Falmouth, Jamaica. The Wish-class ship will still visit Castaway Cay, one of Disney Cruise Line’s private islands in the Bahamas, on Friday, August 22, well after Hurricane Erin has passed.
The ship is homeported from Port Canaveral and will return on schedule on Saturday, August 23.
Sailing from Norfolk, Virginia, on Sunday, August 17, Carnival Sunshine has cancelled her Bermuda visit and is instead visiting the Bahamas for her 6-night cruise.
Rather than the planned overnight in Bermuda, the ship will now enjoy visits to both Celebration Key, Carnival Cruise Line’s new private destination on Grand Bahama Island, as well as Nassau.
Carnival Sunshine will be at Celebration Key on Tuesday, August 19 and in Nassau on Wednesday, August 20 before returning to Virginia on Saturday, August 23 as planned.
Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras set sail from Port Canaveral on Saturday, August 16 for a 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary. While the ship will still be sailing that region, the cruise line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, confirmed the port order has changed.
“She has an itinerary reversal,”he noted.“They are just swapping a couple of the ports, same ports, and putting them in reverse order to avoid any particularly bad weather.”
The ports on Mardi Gras’ original itinerary include Grand Turk, Amber Cove, Nassau, and Celebration Key. Guests onboard will be notified if there is any further change to their schedule.
Carnival Vista
Carnival Vista in Port Canaveral (Photo Credit: Joni Hanebutt)
Carnival Vista is another Carnival Cruise Line ship that has been forced to adjust its itinerary due to Hurricane Erin. The vessel was unable to make its scheduled call to the cruise line’s private island of Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas due to ocean swells.
The ship has instead made a call to Nassau, Bahamas. The rest of the August 17 sailing has remained as normal. The vessel is still set to complete its 6-night Caribbean cruise back in Port Canaveral on August 23.
Carnival Elation
Carnival Elation Cruise Ship in the Bahamas (Photo Credit: Dennis MacDonald)
On her 5-night Bahamas cruise that departed from Jacksonville, Florida on Monday, August 18, Carnival Elation will be unable to visit Half Moon Cay on Wednesday, August 20.
Instead, the Fantasy-class ship will visit Freeport, where dock facilities make it safer for guests to debark the ship. It is not possible to use tender boats at Half Moon Cay due to swells from Hurricane Erin.
Carnival Elation will return to Jacksonville as planned on Saturday, August 23.
Carnival Venezia
Carnival Venezia in New York (Photo Credit: Maksim Toome)
The Italian-style Carnival Venezia departed New York on a 9-night Eastern Caribbean cruise on Monday, August 19. While the ship will still be able to sail in the region, the visits to St. Thomas (August 23) and San Juan (August 24) have been cancelled.
Carnival Venezia will instead visit Celebration Key on Saturday, August 23. The visit to Grand Turk on August 25 will go ahead as planned.
The ship will return to the Big Apple on schedule on Thursday, August 28.
MSC World America
MSC World America (Photo Credit: Just dance)
The new MSC World America, which just debuted from Miami in April, has shifted from her planned Eastern Caribbean itinerary to a Western Caribbean route instead.
Rather than visiting Puerto Plata and San Juan, the ship will instead be found at Costa Maya and Cozumel. Her visit to MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reserve remains as planned for Friday, August 22.
MSC World America will return to Miami on Sunday, August 23, without any disruption.
Norwegian Gem’s August 22 sailing out of Boston has been pushed back due to the impact of Hurricane Erin. What is a themed “On the Blue Forever Autumn” sailing, embarkation for the voyage will now commence on August 24 instead. The call in Sydney, Nova Scotia, has also been cancelled on August 25.
On her first sailing from New York following the end of her deployment from Port Canaveral, Norwegian Aquacannot go to Bermuda as planned.
The 4-night sailing is departing Monday, August 18, and will head to Saint John, New Brunswick, rather than the Royal Naval Dockyard on Wednesday, August 20. The time in port will be from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., rather than the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. originally scheduled in Bermuda.
Norwegian Aqua will return to the Big Apple on Friday, August 22. The Prima-plus-class ship is offering a short deployment of just eight sailings from New York, all to Bermuda if there is no further weather interference.
Norwegian Jewel
Norwegian Jewel in Bermuda (Photo Credit: The Hungarian Sailor)
Unlike most ships skipping Bermuda early this week, Norwegian Jewel was able to visit as planned beginning on Sunday, August 17.
Instead of remaining at King’s Wharf into Tuesday, August 19, however, the ship departed in the late afternoon Monday in order to head back to Boston, Massachusetts and away from Hurricane Erin’s impact.
No substitute port is planned but Norwegian Jewel will return to her homeport on schedule on Friday, August 22.
Zuiderdam
Holland America’s Zuiderdam (Photo Credit: Gelu Popa)
Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam is finishing a transatlantic sailing from Rotterdam to Boston, having departed on August 5. Unfortunately, the ship will be unable to make her last port of call, St. Johns in Newfoundland due to Hurricane Erin.
Instead, the ship will make an overnight visit to Halifax, in order to be more protected from the rough weather the storm is generating.
Zuiderdam should still make her planned debarkation in Boston on Saturday, August 23, without difficulty.
Valiant Lady
This is the only Virgin Voyages cruise ship currently impacted by Hurricane Erin. The vessel’s 5-night August 15 cruise out of Miami has swapped its call at Puerto Plata with Cozumel.
Cruise Hive will continue to update this list of cruise ships impacted by Hurricane Erin as such changes are confirmed. Booked guests should stay in close contact with their cruise line for updates to their sailings.
Hurricane Erin strikes again, this time delaying Norwegian Gem’s arrival into Boston, Massachusetts.
The Gem-class ship was supposed to embark on a chartered music-themed sailing on August 22, but this has been pushed back to August 24.
At least one port call, which was on Sydney in Nova Scotia, Canada, has been cancelled as a result of the delay.
Hurricane Erin continues to upend itineraries, and this time, the Category 2 storm will have future guests of Norwegian Gem singing the blues.
The NCL shipis supposed to host a themed “On the Blue Forever Autumn” music cruise from August 22 to August 29, 2025.
Unfortunately, the special sailing is based out of Boston, Massachusetts, which will be hit with strong winds, flooding, big waves, and deadly rip currents, courtesy of Hurricane Erin, on August 22 and August 23.
The check-in process will take place from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. that morning, with terminal doors shutting at 12 p.m. local time. The new departure is planned for 1:00 p.m.
“We are reaching out with an important update regarding our upcoming charter. Due to hurricane Erin, NCL has just informed us that the Norwegian Gem is unable to arrive in Boston as originally planned,”On the Blue Cruise updated on social media.
“Because of this, our embarkation is expected to take place on Sunday, August 24, 2025 with check-in estimated to begin at 8:00 am and ending at 11:00 am.”
Luckily, embarkation can launch first thing because current passengers will not need to disembark.
The Jewel-class ship disembarked a 4-night sailing to the Bahamas in Miami, Florida, on August 19, and will not be operating another sailing before arriving in Boston for the themed cruise.
An Unavoidable Itinerary Change
As you likely already suspected, a delayed start does mean that the itinerary will have to change for the now 5-night sailing to New England and Canada.
Originally, the 2,394-guest ship was slated to call on Halifax and Sydney in Nova Scotia; Saint John, New Brunswick; and Portland, Maine.
But now, the call in Sydney on August 25 has been cancelled. Shore excursions booked for Sydney will be automatically cancelled and refunded.
Additionally, any pre-purchased Wi-Fi packages and drink packages that are charged at a daily rate have been updated to reflect the new length of the voyage.
It’s unclear at this time if the visit to Halifax that was planned for August 24 has been rescheduled, but in theory, it could now slot into the August 25 spot or the sea day on August 26.
While the unavoidable itinerary change may be disappointing, the organizers behind the themed sailing want to reassure passengers that the experience onboard won’t be any less fun or musical.
“Even with this update, our team is working diligently to ensure your experience is nothing short of spectacular,” the event organizers reassured guests.
“Your comfort, experience, and peace of mind are at the center of every decision, and we are committed to making sure that the time we spend on board together is a vacation filled with music, community, and connection.”
A new music-filled schedule is being created to pack every moment with performances and jam sessions, with the tunes expected to fill the ship early on embarkation day.
It’s also hard not to have fun with an impressive line-up of musical legends onboard, featuring names like Alan Parsons, Starship, Ambrosia, The Orchestra, and more.
Island Princess will stay safely docked in Brooklyn, New York, until Hurricane Erin passes through – which disrupts her 10-night sailing to the Caribbean and Bermuda.
At the same time, Enchanted Princess has had to delay her return to New York from August 23 to August 25 because of the dangerous weather conditions.
Enchanted Princess’s delay will carry over to the subsequent 7-night cruise to New England and Canada, which will now have to be shortened.
Because of Hurricane Erin, Island Princess is stuck in New York and Enchanted Princess is stuck at sea as she tries to return to New York. Either way, cruisers won’t be happy.
Starting with Island Princess, the 2,210-guest ship was supposed to depart fromthe Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in New York today, August 19, to operate a 10-night sailing to the Caribbean and Bermuda.
But with Hurricane Erin bringing potentially life-threatening rip currents, strong winds, and waves of up to 20-feet tall to the US East Coast over the next few days, Princess Cruises had to make the decision to keep the ship safely docked in Brooklyn.
“We have learned that our originally planned passage to the Caribbean would be impacted by the predicted path of the storm, and as the safety of our guests and crew is always our highest priority, we have made necessary adjustments to our scheduled itinerary,” Princess Cruises wrote in a letter, which a current guest emailed to Cruise Hive.
“In order to avoid the worst of the weather, we will now remain in Brooklyn Cruise Terminal for three nights and will commence our journey on Friday, August 22, once conditions have improved.”
The Coral-class vessel will stay put through Friday, August 22, before heading straight to King’s Wharf, Bermuda, which was supposed to be an overnight call from August 26-27.
Guests will now get to spend an extra day exploring Bermuda with an early arrival on August 25, but the destinations that were supposed to be visited along the way will be skipped.
“Due to this delay, regretfully we no longer have the required time to make our passage to the Caribbean. As a result, we will no longer call to Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos: Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; or San Juan, Puerto Rico,” the letter continued.
“Instead, after our departure from New York, we will proceed to Bermuda, and we are happy to share that we have arranged an additional day and night for you to enjoy the island.”
Island Princess Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Brian Logan Photography)
While in New York, guests are able to go ashore to explore, with Princess Cruises providing free shuttle services to and from Manhattan.
However, those who would rather throw in the towel are allowed to disembark early and receive a full refund.
Enchanted Princess Delays Return to New York
While Island Princess rides out the storm from Brooklyn, Enchanted Princess is too far away to make it safely back to New York as planned on August 23, 2025.
The Royal-class vessel is now expected to sail back into New York on August 25, 2025.
She is currently in the middle of a one-way Caribbean voyage from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to New York that embarked on August 9.
The 3,660-guest ship has already had to skip planned callsto Dominica on August 17 and St. Maarten on August 18 to avoid the Category 2 Hurricane, and is now stuck on the other side of the weather as Erin looms closer to the US East Coast.
Cruise tracking data currently shows the vessel sailing northwest away from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The 145,281-gross ton vessel will not make it back to New York until August 25, but she will return to Fort Lauderdale on August 22 where guests may disembark early if they wish.
“We are on Enchanted now. We are stopping in FLL on the 22nd, and you have the option to get off early. Or, you can stay until the 25th and go to NYC. The next cruise will be shortened,”a current guest reported.
As they pointed out, this means that the subsequent sailing that would have embarked on August 23 will now be shortened.
The next voyage was supposed to be a 7-night sailing to New England and Canada, although it’s unclear how the new itinerary will shake out at this point.
In both cases, compensation will almost certainly be provided, but what that looks like is not publicly known – although Princess Cruises is surely communicating with impacted guests.
Instead of trying her luck at sea, Norwegian Escape will stay within the safety of the Manhattan Cruise Terminal until Hurricane Erin passes.
Because of this necessary change, ports have been removed and replaced from the 10-night sailing to the Caribbean and Bermuda that was supposed to set sail on August 20, 2025.
Hurricane Erin is expected to bring strong winds, flooding, and dangerous rip currents to New York and much of the East Coast during the second half of this week.
In the past few days, more than a dozen cruise ships have altered course to stay away from Hurricane Erin. Norwegian Escape, however, is taking a different tactic.
Instead of heading out to sea or pivoting to visit a different part of the world as other ships have done, she will stay put at New York’s Manhattan Cruise Terminal for two extra days.
The sailing that will be impacted by this is a 10-night cruise to the Caribbean and Bermuda that was supposed to depart New York tomorrow, on August 20, 2025.
The Breakaway Plus-class vesselwill stay docked in Manhattan through August 21, and will anchor in the harbor through Friday, August 22.
Those two days were originally supposed to be sea days, before the NCL ship called on Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, on August 23 and 24, respectively.
Because of the delayed start, neither of these port calls will be possible anymore. That might be for the best, as Erin brought heavy winds and rain that left more than 150,000 people in Puerto Rico without power.
These days will now be spent at sea instead of in port.
In a domino effect, this means that the visit to Philipsburg, St. Maarten on August 25, and Tortola, British Virgin Islands, on August 26 will also need to be scrapped.
As a more practical alternative, those dates will be spent in Nassau, Bahamas, and Great Stirrup Cay, which is Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas and the future home of the Great Tides Waterpark.
The only port call on the itinerary that has been left untouched is the planned visit to King’s Wharf, Bermuda, on August 28.
Even so, many of the up to 4,266 guests booked on this sailing are disappointed by the change, potentially leading to some stormy attitudes onboard.
As a good-will gesture, Norwegian Cruise Line has offered a 20% refund and a $200 onboard credit.
Norwegian Escape in New York (Photo Credit: Mariusz Lopusiewicz / Shutterstock)
“They sent out an email stating itinerary changed due to hurricane Erin potential impact. Severe downgrade if you ask me and they’re only giving 20% refund and $200 credit per stateroom,” one impacted passenger shared.
While cruise guests could use this as an opportunity to explore New York more deeply, they likely will have to contend with some windy or rainy weather during their extended stay.
Although Erin has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm as of August 19, the hurricane is still quite intense with wind speeds of 105 miles per hour.
According to theNational Hurricane Center’s (NOAA) latest update at 5 p.m. EST on August 19, Erin will be running parallel to the US East Coast and is expected to be present from the night of August 20 (Wednesday) through at least all day August 21 (Thursday).
Although the hurricane will not make landfall, Erin may still bring storm surges and waves as high as 20 feet tall, potentially deadly rip currents, coastal flooding, and strong wind gusts.
