Key Aspects:
- Royal Caribbean’s brand new Star of the Seas has made a last-minute change to avoid the newly formed Tropical Storm Jerry.
- Instead of calling on Philipsburg, St. Maarten, the newest Royal Caribbean cruise ship will turn its planned call to San Juan, Puerto Rico, into an overnight visit.
- Tropical Storm Jerry formed in the Atlantic Ocean on October 7 and is expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane in the coming days.
Just a couple of weeks after Hurricane Imelda derailed an Eastern Caribbean sailing for Star of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ship has had another weather-related itinerary change.
This time, the second Icon-class vessel has been forced to steer clear of Tropical Storm Jerry, which officially formed in the central Atlantic Ocean on October 7, 2025.
Unfortunately, the path of the storm conflicts with the 5,610-guest vessel’s current 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary, which embarked in Port Canaveral, Florida, on October 5, 2025.
The first two port calls of the sailing, which are on Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas and San Juan, Puerto Rico, will still be able to take place as planned.
However, the final port call on the itinerary, which was scheduled to be at Philipsburg, St. Maarten, on October 9, 2025, will no longer be possible for safety reasons.
“Due to the expected path of Tropical Storm Jerry, The A.C. Wathey Cruise & Cargo Facilities wishes to inform the public of the following ship cancellation: Star of the Seas. Thursday, October 9th, 2025,” the Port St. Maarten Group announced.
In an effort to make the most of an unfortunate situation, the world’s largest cruise ship extended Star of the Seas’ visit to San Juan on October 8 into an overnight stay.
“Change of itinerary for the remaining trip for the oct 5th-12th cruise. Skipping the St. Maarten port and having 2 days in Puerto Rico due to the tropical storm,” a current passenger confirmed.
The 248,663-gross ton vessel is then expected to return to Port Canaveral on time for disembarkation on the morning of October 12.
Where is Tropical Storm Jerry?
At the rate things are going, Star of the Seas is likely among the first of several cruise ships sailing through the Caribbean that will alter course to avoid the worst of the weather.
As of the National Hurricane Center’s (NOAA) 5 p.m. EST advisory on October 7, Jerry is still a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour.
At the time of this publication, the storm is approximately 1,190 miles east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands and is moving west at speeds of 23 miles per hour.
Tropical storm conditions, including heavy rainfall and potential flash flooding, are expected in the northern Leeward Islands on Thursday, October 9.
Tropical storm warnings are in effect for portions of the northern Leeward Islands, including popular cruise destinations like St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Barbuda.
Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas and Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess are supposed to visit Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis on October 9 and 10 – and I would not be surprised if they announced their own itinerary changes very soon.
Jerry, which is the 10th named storm of the current Atlantic Hurricane Season, is also expected to strengthen into a fully fledged hurricane over the next couple days.
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Models predict that it will likely become a Category 1 storm with sustained winds of up to 90 miles per hour at its strongest point, although stormy weather can be unpredictable.
After wreaking havoc on the Leeward Islands, the storm is expected to turn north into the open Atlantic Ocean.
It is not expected to impact the US East Coast or the major cruise ports that can be found there.
