As Hurricane Milton sweeps into the Atlantic Ocean after a devastating full day of destruction across the state of Florida, relief has washed over the passengers and crew aboard Princess Cruises’ Sun Princess.
After departing from Southampton, England, on September 23, 2024, on its first transatlantic cruise, the newest – and largest – ship in the Princess Cruises fleet was expected to arrive in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on October 9 after enjoying calls in the Canary Islands.
No one anticipated Milton’s arrival on the same day. On October 8, 2024, the cruise line informed guests that it would not be able to arrive in port, as scheduled.
“As a result of our inability to access the port, the ship now will remain safely at sea well away from the storm. We will continue to monitor the storm’s path closely and ensure that we remain well away from any dangerous weather, prioritizing guests’ safety and comfort,” the cruise line said.
Now, as the skies begin to clear following the fast-moving Category 3 hurricane, Sun Princess has been given the all-clear to make her much-anticipated arrival. The ship will sail into Fort Lauderdale on Friday, October 11, 2024, after 10 full days at sea.
According to the Port Everglades ship schedule, as of publication, Sun Princess is scheduled to arrive at the pilot pick-up point at 3 a.m. This will be welcome news for passengers who did not expect to remain at sea even longer. The ship will then make its way to the terminal for disembarkation.
The 177,882-gross-ton, 4,300-passenger Sun Princess initially debuted as Princess Cruises’ first Sphere-class vessel in Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, on February 29, 2024. After a season in the Mediterranean, Sun Princess has been repositioning to its new homeport in Port Everglades to spend a winter season in the Caribbean.
With her arrival now set, Sun Princess will spend a few days in port for media events to introduce the Carnival Corporation ship to the Americas and then depart on her first voyage from Port Everglades on October 14, 2024.
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The sailing will be a 5-night roundtrip voyage to Carnival’s private destination in the Dominican Republic, Amber Cove, and Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos.
Sun Princess will offer various Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries through March 2025, including calls in the Bahamas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Belize, Honduras, and Mexico. After this, the ship will enjoy a second summer season in Europe.
Port Everglades Is Open
Hurricane Milton, which formed in the Gulf of Mexico on October 5, 2024, beelined toward Florida with peak wind speeds of 180 miles per hour, forcing several Florida-based cruise ships to alter their itineraries to avoid the storm.
Ahead of the storm’s landfall on October 9, 2024, Port Tampa Bay, JAXPORT, Port Canaveral, Port Palm Beach, Port Everglades, and PortMiami closed to sea traffic. This shuttered cruises in Florida, forced cancellations, and left some passengers onboard delayed ships like the Sun Princess.
However, the Coast Guard has given Port Everglades the go-ahead to resume operations, and the port is fully operational as of October 10, 2024. The Port of Palm Beach and PortMiami have also been reopened.
JAXPORT in Jacksonville, Port Canaveral near Orlando, and Port Tampa Bay, which lost power, remain closed. These ports are assessing damage from the storm and will reopen when channel surveys are conducted and completed.
