Here we go again! As we near the end of a brutal hurricane season, there are three possible storms brewing in the Caribbean Sea that are already impacting cruising.
With this in mind, Royal Caribbean will be re-routing its ships that are embarking on cruises in the Bahamas and the Western Caribbean. This includes Radiance of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas, and Vision of the Seas – out of an abundance of caution.
For the three cruise ships that are being rerouted by the weather, the change will impact their upcoming sailings, embarking today and tomorrow (November 2-3, 2024). There’s also another ship that is already well into its sailing.
Later today, on the evening of November 2, Radiance of the Seas will set sail on a 7-night Bahamas cruise from Tampa, Florida.
The original itinerary called for stops at Bimini Islands, Bahamas; Freeport, Bahamas; Nassau, Bahamas; and Perfect Day at CocoCay, the cruise line’s private island destination in the Bahamas.
However, the itinerary has been entirely redone to avoid the weather – with the new stops including Cozumel, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; Belize City, Belize; and Costa Maya, Mexico.
“Along with our Chief Meteorologist, Craig Setzer, we’ve been monitoring inclement weather along our intended path due to a developing storm system forecasted to bring increasingly strong winds across the area, impacting our planned ports and potentially making them unsafe to visit,” Royal Caribbean wrote to impacted guests.
Guests embarking on Freedom of the Seas in Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida, tomorrow on November 3, also received a similar letter in their email inboxes.
But instead of entirely redoing the itinerary for the 6-night Western Caribbean sailing, the winds are simply changing the order of the port calls – with the Freedom-class cruise ship swapping the days she will visit Labadee, Haiti, and George Town, Grand Cayman. The final port of call on the itinerary – Falmouth, Jamaica – remains unaffected.
Passengers are also reporting an itinerary change for Vision of the Seas’ October 31 sailing out of Baltimore. The vessel has added Port Canaveral and has cancelled stops in Nassau and CocoCay.
Brilliance of the Seas, which is sailing a 7-night western Caribbean itinerary departing New Orleans on November 2, is being impacted by the developing storm in the Southwestern Caribbean. The ship has cancelled the call to Grand Cayman and will instead visit Belize.
Guests currently on Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas are also reporting bumpy weather conditions during its short 3-night sailing from Port Canaveral. However, no change in the itinerary has yet been confirmed. The large Oasis-class vessel had its previous sailing adjusted, as Cruise Hive reported here.
Three Possible Storm Systems
While the three storms brewing in the Caribbean aren’t expected to be as severe as Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, which devastated Florida, the safer and more comfortable choice for cruise ships is to simply steer clear of any possible bad weather.
Cruise ships are designed to handle rough seas, such as with stabilizing systems. But rocky seas can certainly make the voyage uncomfortable, especially for those prone to sea sickness.
Additionally, storm systems can be somewhat unpredictable and strengthen quickly – so it’s better to stay where the skies are blue and the sea is calm out of an abundance of caution.
“While uncertainty about exact details remain (how strong, exactly where), combining weather systems over the next several days will impact Florida, The Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, & Caymans with exceptionally windy and stormy periods this week,” Craig Setzer, Royal Caribbean’s Chief Meteorologist, posted on X on the morning of Saturday, November 2.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NOAA), Subtropical Storm Patty is making its way through the northeastern Atlantic Ocean toward the Azores – bringing rain to Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Cuba over the next couple of days.
At the same time, NOAA is monitoring a storm forming just north of Puerto Rico in the Southwestern Caribbean Sea, which has an 80% chance of becoming a full-fledged cyclone in the next week.
A third disturbance is also brewing near the Greater Antilles, but the current trough of low pressure only has about a 10% chance of developing into a cyclone. It is expected to dissipate or be absorbed by another pressure system.
That said, any potential storms are likely not a severe threat – with cooling water temperatures preventing storms from developing into dangerous hurricanes.
The annual hurricane season lasts from June 1 to November 30, meaning the worst is likely over.
