With Tropical Cyclone Alfred shaping up to be one of Australia’s most severe storms in decades, it’s much safer (and more comfortable for all onboard) to stay out at sea and out of its path.
Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line have now joined brands like P&O Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Cunard Line to alter itineraries to keep their ships – and the passengers onboard – far away from the inclement weather.
Currently, Quantum of the Seas is in the middle of a 7-day South Pacific sailing that embarked on February 28, 2025.
But, due to poor weather conditions caused by Tropical Cyclone Alfred, passengers will now be onboard the Royal Caribbean ship for an extra three days – meaning disembarkation has moved from March 7 to March 10.
The round-trip voyage is based out of the Port of Brisbane, which is located in Queensland Australia and is serving as Quantum-class vessel’s homeport through early April.
However, the intense weather system – which is currently a Category 2 storm with wind gusts of up to 102 miles per hour – has forced the cruise port to temporarily close.
“Due to the development of the storm, and the closure of the Port of Brisbane, we have decided to remain at sea and safely away from the storm until it moves ashore by week’s end. We will return to Brisbane on Monday, March 10, instead of Friday,” Royal Caribbean wrote to current guests.
“We’re terribly sorry for the last-minute change caused by the weather – your safety is our top priority. Please know, being onboard is one of the safest places because our ship can quickly move out of the way of any inclement weather,” continued the letter.
The 4,180-guest ship’s initial schedule would have had her returning to Brisbane right around the same time Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall – which is predicted to be the night of March 6 or early on March 7.
As part of the itinerary change, the 168,666-gross ton vessel will also revisit Noumea, New Caledonia, on March 7 – which guests previously had the chance to explore on March 3.
As a show of good faith, Royal Caribbean is doing its best to support its passengers through the inconveniences caused by the last-minute change.
First, all flights booked through the Air2Sea Team will be automatically adjusted without passengers needing to lift a finger.
Guests who booked directly with an airline, meanwhile, will be reimbursed up to $200 for domestic change fees and up to $400 for change fees on international flights.
Passengers were also given the option to extend their beverage and VOOM internet packages to last through the remainder of the sailing – and those that didn’t invest in a WI-FI plan were given a voucher for an hour of free internet to work out their new travel details.
Royal Caribbean Ship’s Subsequent Voyage Cancelled
Unfortunately, guests who were just days away from embarking on Quantum of the Seas’ weekend getaway cruise on March 7, 2025, got the short end of the stick.
The current sailing will get the three days that would have been used for the weekend cruise – not that the 3-day voyage would have been able to go ahead either way with the severity of Tropical Cyclone Alfred, which may yet intensity to become a Category 3 storm.
If the mini cruise had gone ahead, it would have only consisted of sea days and no port calls.
“Due to the development of the storm and the closure of the Port of Brisbane, the previous Quantum of the Seas sailing has been delayed returning to port, and as a result, our 3-night sailing has unfortunately been cancelled,” Royal Caribbean sent in a letter to booked guests.
“We’re truly sorry for the impact that this has on your vacation plans,” the Miami-based brand added.
Guests who were booked on the now-cancelled voyage will receive a full refund of their cruise fare and deposit. They will also be provided with a future cruise credit, although that amount will vary based on their stateroom category.
More likely than not, the 2014-launched ship will resume its operations out of Brisbane with the 4-night Queensland Cruise scheduled to embark on March 10 – which features a single port call to Airlie Beach.
Carnival Sailings Also Impacted
They say misery loves company, and Royal Caribbean passengers will have plenty from the up to 2,826 guests who just learned that their upcoming cruise onboard Carnival Luminosa has also been cancelled due to the storm.
As with Quantum of the Seas, Carnival Luminosa is currently homeporting in Brisbane – which she will continue to do until early April.
In a story that will sound rather similar, the Spirit-class ship’s current sailing that embarked on February 23, 2025 – which is an 11-night voyage to destinations throughout Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia – has also been extended because of the weather and port closure.
While the ship was supposed to disembark on March 6, Carnival is now thinking that this won’t be able to happen until Saturday, March 8, 2025, at the soonest.
As a result, the subsequent voyage, which was another 3-day getaway cruise to nowhere embarking on March 6, has been cancelled.
Read Also: What to Do Onboard a Cruise Ship in Bad Weather
“Regrettably, we have no option but to cancel Carnival Luminosa’s 3-day cruise departing tomorrow, 6 March.” Carnival Cruise Line Australia shared on Facebook.
“As the safety of our guests and crew is the priority, Carnival Luminosa’s current voyage will be delayed coming back from the South Pacific until it is safe to return to Brisbane, the earliest being Saturday morning,” the post continued.
Guests on the cancelled sailing will receive a full refund of their cruise fare and any pre-purchased packages – but it’s unclear what compensation may have been provided to the passengers currently onboard.
Depending on when the 92,720-gross ton vessel can safely return to Brisbane, she will likely resume normal operations with her 4-day sailing to Airlie Beach on March 9 or with the subsequent 3-day getaway cruise on March 13.
If additional sailings are impacted, Carnival will certainly notify guests of the changes as soon as possible.
