Royal Caribbean International’s Liberty of the Seas will not be sailing to Bermuda as planned on her August 15, 2024 departure. The 9-night sailing roundtrip from Cape Liberty originally included a stop at Kings Wharf, but that is no longer possible due to the projected track of Hurricane Ernesto.
Guests booked on the sailing were notified of the cancellation via email and text message the day before embarkation. Another port on the itinerary is being extended to give travelers more time to explore ashore, and of course, safety is the very first priority.
“Along with our Chief Meteorologist, Craig Setzer, we’ve been monitoring the track of Hurricane Ernesto along our intended path,” the notification said. “In order to stay safe and clear of this hurricane, we will now skip our visit to Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda, and travel west of the storm and south to Grand Turk.”
To be clear, Grand Turk was always part of Liberty of the Seas‘ itinerary, but the ship was not supposed to arrive until Monday, August 19, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Now, the vessel will visit the island on Sunday, August 18 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in addition to her time at the port on Monday.
The extra day in Grand Turk provides even more time to enjoy the tropical destination, whether guests want to enjoy another shore tour (or their preferred shore tour was already sold out) or shop around Cockburn Town.
Travelers might also just enjoy time at the Grand Turk Cruise Center – subject to the new resident visitor permits and code of conduct.
Guests will be understandably disappointed to be missing Bermuda on this cruise. Liberty of the Seas had been scheduled at the Royal Naval Dockyard on Saturday, August 17, precisely when Hurricane Ernesto is forecast to be at its closest to the British Overseas Territory.
The 155,889-gross-ton, Freedom class Liberty of the Seas can welcome 3,798 guests aboard at double occupancy, or up to 4,515 travelers when fully booked.
The Royal Caribbean ship is not the first in the fleet to be impacted by the storm. The world’s largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, swapped her planned Eastern Caribbean itinerary for a Western Caribbean sailing to avoid the storm.
Meanwhile, Symphony of the Seas – which is homeported in Cape Liberty with Liberty of the Seas – swapped Puerto Plata for a second visit to Nassau to stay away from the storm.
Finally, Rhapsody of the Seas reversed her current sailing from San Juan to avoid the storm’s path, though the ship is still visiting the same ports of call – Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, and the US Virgin Islands.
In addition to Royal Caribbean ships, vessels from both Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line have made adjustments due to Hurricane Ernesto.
Hurricane Continuing to Strengthen
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Hurricane Ernesto is currently located approximately 180 miles east-northeast of Grand Turk and 720 miles south-southwest of Bermuda, where a hurricane watch is already in effect. The storm is moving northwest at 16 miles per hour.
Maximum sustained wind speeds have been recorded at 80 miles per hour, making Ernesto a Category 1 storm. Over the next two days, the storm is expected to continue strengthening and may be a major Category 3 storm by Friday, just as it approaches Bermuda.
Read Also: How a Hurricane Could Affect Your Cruise
“Hurricane conditions are possible on Bermuda Saturday, with tropical storm conditions possible by Friday afternoon,” the 8 p.m. Wednesday advisory from NHC Forecaster Reinhart reads. “Ernesto is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 3 to 6 inches on Bermuda with isolated maximum amounts of 9 inches. This rainfall may result in considerable life-threatening flash flooding.”
Any travelers with Caribbean cruises booked during the peak period of the Atlantic hurricane season – typically from mid-August to mid- or late September – should stay alert to weather forecasts and be flexible with their travel plans.
Cruise lines will always keep safety as their first priority, and will adjust itineraries as needed to avoid severe weather and keep everyone aboard safe.
