Cruise ships are adjusting and informing guests as a tropical cyclone heads for the Sunshine Coast in Australia.

Unfortunately for P&O Cruises’ Pacific Encounter, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Sun, and Cunard’s all-new Queen Anne, the Port of Brisbane has closed due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

The good news for two of these ships is that they can simply reroute — while the other remains at port.

Norwegian Sun has rerouted to Cairns — while Queen Anne is heading to Airlie Beach where it will arrive March 4, shifting its schedule on its 111-night inaugural world cruise.

Meanwhile, the 108,865 gross ton Pacific Encounter spent several days dodging the tropical cyclone while out at sea on its March 1, 3-night sailing.

The vessel was forced to end this cruise early — and after getting special permission to dock in Brisbane, where the port is currently closed, 2,600 passengers disembarked.

The Pacific Encounter is set to depart for its next cruise on March 4, 2025 — with P&O Cruises’ even releasing a statement that the cruise would go on as planned.

The cruise line said in a communication to guests, “Guests should arrive at the terminal based on their check-in time selected in Cruise Control. All guests will need to complete check-in and board Pacific Encounter by 2pm.”

It continues, “as you would be aware, the southern Queensland coast is currently being impacted by Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Our highest priority is the safety and comfort of our guests and crew, and although we will remain clear of this weather system, there may be some residual impact as we first depart.“

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is currently impacting the southern Queensland coast — which happens to be exactly where this cruise is departing and heading through. No other ships are docked or sailing in this area at this time.

Worth Reading: Severe Cyclone Forces More Royal Caribbean Itinerary Changes

The quick 4-night round-trip out of Brisbane is heading north to its one stop in Airlie Beach on March 6 — returning on March 8.

Brisbane City Council issued a warning on Monday, March 3, at 10:45 am, urging residents to prepare their property for the storm.

Along Pacific Encounter’s route up to Airlie Beach are several counties that are all under level 3 advisories — which are telling residents to prepare now before things get bad.

“At this stage, based on the current weather forecast, we expect to make our call to Airlie Beach on Thursday 6 March, however we will keep guests updated if this changes,” P&O added in its communication.

P&O Cruises does expect that there will be some residual impact on the ship during departure — but insists the crew’s top priority is to keep passengers both safe and comfortable.

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Further detailed by the update provided by P&O Cruises was a decision to also still visit Airlie Beach on March 6 — though they would keep guests updated.

Currently, Brisbane’s port remains closed — yet P&O Cruises has made no further changes to Pacific Encounter’s March 4 cruise. As the cyclone has been updated to a Category 2 storm, this cruise may be in jeopardy of not happening.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred Details

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the storm intensified to a Category 2 system as early as the morning of March 4, promising to be one of the most destructive storms Australia has seen in decades.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred will make landfall between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast late Thursday or early Friday. While it may be upsetting to miss a port you were excited for, a cyclone like Alfred is worth avoiding.

Byron Bay, which is more southern than Brisbane, is already starting to feel the effect of cyclone Alfred — with the region expecting up to 11 inches of rain, which is 25% of the annual rainfall.

Other reports are now expecting damaging winds and rain to begin as early as Wednesday, March 5 — lasting through the early weekend.

Concerns are pouring in about flooding and power outages, as the dams in Queensland are not built to mitigate such intense storms.

Flooding is typical when this area gets about 7-11 inches of rain in less than 48 hours, and in many areas about to be hit by Alfred, they are expecting 15 inches.

If the Pacific Encounter is still departing on March 4, it should expect low attendance — as passengers could be facing cancelled flights and flooded roads.

A passenger packing more than sunscreen was arrested in Oranjestad, Aruba, after trying to board a Royal Caribbean cruise with a revolver in his possession.

The incident unfolded on February 26, 2025, during the 5,602-guest Oasis of the Seas’ call in the Caribbean nation’s capital city.

According to reports from a local news outlet, the ship’s security crew discovered the firearm during a routine screening process.

The unidentified male passenger was immediately detained with police arresting the would-be cowboy and escorting him off the ship. He was transported to the local precinct for questioning.

Key inquiries will likely focus on whether the guest had been carrying the gun since the ship’s February 22 departure from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, or whether he purchased the item during the vessel’s 14-hour call in Aruba.

While details remain unclear, firearms are on Royal Caribbean’s prohibited list. This includes rifles, shotguns, pistols, revolvers, and other dangerous items.

“For security reasons, our company policy does not permit guests to carry firearms onboard during their voyage or otherwise secure weapons for anyone on our vessels or at the pier,” says Royal Caribbean.

But it’s not just policy, it’s the law. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) specifically says weapons are a no-go when cruising and passengers sailing to Aruba with a firearm, or even purchasing one in the country, can take a lot of heat for packing heat.

“If you are traveling to the Caribbean, know that it is illegal to import or export firearms or ammunition to or from any CARICOM (Caribbean community) member states unless you have a firearm import license or a firearm export license granted by the appropriate authority (such as the Commissioner of Police),” the ATF states.

The minimum civil fine for bringing a firearm through security when arriving in Aruba is $1,500. If loaded, the passenger faces a minimum $3,000 fine. The passenger could also face jail time for his mistake.

The 226,838-gross-ton Oasis of the Seas was sailing on an 8-night roundtrip voyage from Fort Lauderdale, and on its second call when the arrest was made.

It is unknown whether the man was able to reboard the ship or if he was detained in Aruba.

Additional passengers were not affected by the incident, continuing on to the cruise line’s Perfect Day at Coco Cay in the Bahamas on March 1 and returning to homeport on March 2, 2025.

A Case of Déjà vu?

Unfortunately, passengers sailing with prohibited items seems to be a repeat offense on Royal Caribbean vessels.

Last April 2024, a male guest from Virginia sailing on the cruise line’s 4,375-passenger Independence of the Seas was arrested during a call in Turks and Caicos for possession of ammunition.

Tyler Wenrich had been on a bachelor party with friends when a routine security search during a call on the island uncovered two bullets. 

He claims they were mistakenly left in his bag and had passed through airport security in Virginia, as well as initial security checks when he first boarded the ship in Florida.

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Regardless, he served three weeks in jail in Turks and Caicos, narrowly avoiding the country’s mandatory minimum 12-year prison sentence after his congressman advocated for his release. He also paid a $9,000 fine.

The US government makes it very clear on its Turks and Caicos travel advisory page that passengers need to “carefully check their luggage for stray ammunition or forgotten weapons before departing from the United States.”

Although a similar warning isn’t in place on the Aruba page, claiming a forgotten revolver in a pocket might not pass muster.