Strong winds affect several cruise ship calls to the Bahamas this Saturday morning. So much that Mariner of the Seas was forced to cancel its call to Nassau, while Disney Dream needed assistance from tugboats to get to the pier.
The winds are sustained at some 30 mph, with gusts up to 46 mph and more. Royal Caribbean meteorologist James Van Fleet reports heavy winds as well at Royal Caribbean International’s Perfect Day at CocoCay, forcing Harmony of the Seas’ day in port to be canceled.
Mariner of the Seas Nassau Call Canceled
A strong Northeasterly storm stretching from Cuba to the Eastern part of Canada is causing issues for several cruise ships in the Bahamas. Mariner of the Seas was due for a call in Nassau today, but that call has now been canceled due to the heavy winds involved with the storm.
Guests will be able to enjoy a day at sea to explore Mariner of the Seas further. In a letter to guests, the cruise line stated the following:
“Along with our Chief Meteorologist, James Van Fleet, we’ve been monitoring some adverse weather along our planned route. After careful review of the weather, we’ve made the decision to revise our itinerary to maintain a comfortable cruise experience and avoid any inclement weather. As a result, our visit to Nassau tomorrow has been replaced with a sea day.”
Guests onboard will be refunded any shore excursions that had been pre-purchased as well as the port fees for Nassau. The further itinerary means Mariner of the Seas will spend two days at sea before arriving in Falmouth, Jamaica. After that, the cruise liner will set a course to Labadee in Haiti, which re-opened earlier this week. The ship will be returning to Port Canaveral this Thursday, February 3.
More Ships Affected By Strong Winds
Mariner of the Seas is not the only vessel that has been affected by the strong winds this weekend. Harmony of the Seas, sailing a 7-day Western Caribbean and Perfect Day at Cococay voyage, did not make it into CocoCay.
While disappointing for guests onboard, the current weather conditions and the expected worsening over the coming hours will make it understandable for the guests onboard.
Royal Caribbean’s James van Fleet reported sustained winds are 37 MPH, gusting winds up to 40 MPH, and these will be increasing to 50 MPH later today. With that, the North-easterly direction of the winds means that temperatures will be dropping all day to a chilly 58°F.
Harmony of the Seas is coming to the end of her voyage and is currently sailing along the Northern coast of Cuba. The ship visited Nassau, Falmouth, Jamaica, and was the first ship back in Labadee, Haiti, on Thursday.
Labadee closed in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and remained closed after the troubles seen in Haiti in the last six months. On Thursday, January 27, the port welcomed the first 2,896 passengers.
While some ships did not make it into Nassau today, the port is not closed. Currently, there are four cruise ships docked. These are Carnival Liberty, Carnival Sunshine, and Freedom of the Seas. Disney Dream did have some problems coming into port this morning; she needed the help of a tugboat to bring her alongside in the heavy winds.
The stormy weather is expected to last through the day and will be calming down in the evening and through the night. The colder temperatures will be affecting cruise passengers sailing to the Bahamas until Monday when temperatures are expected to get back up to the high 60’s.
