With the powerful Hurricane Polo Churning off Mexico’s Pacific coast, Royal Caribbean is taking no chances and has informed booked guests about an itinerary change. Navigator of the Seas‘ September 25 sailing out of Los Angeles, California, has been impacted.
Royal Caribbean stated in a letter that was sent to booked guests on September 23, “Due to inclement weather from Hurricane Polo near Western Mexico, we’ll now enjoy a relaxing Sea Day instead of our scheduled visit to Ensenada, Mexico.“
The 3,990-passenger vessel was originally scheduled to make a call in Ensenada on Saturday, September 26, but that has now been cancelled. Navigator of the Seas has also cancelled its call to Cabo San Lucas, which was scheduled for Monday, September 28. The cruise line will instead call at Mazatlan on September 28 rather than the port’s original date of September 29.
There is some good news for guests, as Royal Caribbean is adding the port of Puerto Vallarta in Mexico to the altered itinerary on Tuesday, September 29. Passengers will be able to spend a big chunk of the day there from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM before spending full sea days to return to Los Angeles on October 2.
Royal Caribbean also stated in the letter, “We’re 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 to be because our ship can quickly move out of the way of any inclement weather.“
The cruise line is also making sure that any pre-paid shore excursions booked through them for Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas are being refunded to guests’ SeaPass account as Onboard Credit.
Hurricane Polo Update
As of publication time, Hurricane Polo is a very powerful Category 5 with maximum sustained winds of 160 MPH. Advisory 14 from the National Hurricane Center (NOAA) puts Polo about 240 miles southeast of Manzanillo, Mexico, moving Northwest at 6 MPH.
Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class Ovation of the Seas is scheduled to call at Ensenada on September 29 on its 3-night sailing from Los Angeles, departing September 28. Cruise Hive will keep readers updated on any further impact on cruise operations due to Hurricane Polo.
