As wild weather is wreaking havoc across North America this week, cruise passengers in the Bahamas are finding themselves stuck at sea instead of enjoying sandy beaches and turquoise blue waters.
A storm system that ripped across the southeast United States, bringing snow to often-warm-weather destinations in Florida, Louisiana, and Georgia, is bringing a blast of winter weather to the northern Bahamas in the form of gale-force winds, forcing several cruise lines to cancel scheduled calls.
Royal Caribbeanโs 5,610-passenger Icon of the Seas, sailing on a 7-night roundtrip voyage from Miami since January 18, was unable to make its final call on its private island destination, Perfect Day at Coco Cay on January 24, 2025, due to wind gusts of up to nearly 40 miles per hour.
Its sister ship, the 3,602-passenger Voyager of the Seas, also skipped the port on the same day as it completes a 5-day Western Caribbean cruise from Port Canaveral.
Both vessels were scheduled to spend 10 hours at Perfect Day at Coco Cay but slowed their speeds and are currently sailing between Florida and the Bahamas before ending their cruises on January 25.
Nearby, Norwegian Cruise Lineโs Norwegian Epic remained at sea instead of visiting its private Bahama destination, Great Stirrup Cay, on January 24, 2025. The 4,100-passenger vessel is also wrapping up a 7-night cruise from Port Canaveral on January 25.
Carnival Cruise Lineโs Carnival Freedom, set to spend January 24 in Nassau, also stayed at sea during its current 4-night sailing from Port Canaveral, but that was due to an earlier environmental issue that delayed its departure.
The 2,974-guest vessel is expected to call in Princess Cays, owned by the cruise lineโs parent company, Carnival Corporation, on January 25, if weather permits.
Passengers took to social media to share the word and their disappointment, with some joking about snow. โMight be snowing there, it is snowing everywhere else it seems,โ said one Royal Caribbean guest.
โThe wind and rough seas would literally make Icon bounce off the sea floor if it attempted to dock,โ said another passenger.
Wintery Blast Hits Bahamas
Cruise Hive’s cruise trackerย confirmed that the four vessels scheduled to enjoy private Bahamian visits on January 24, 2025, never arrived at the port. Instead, the shipsโ captains heeded warnings from the Bahamas Department of Meteorology.
โA gale watch is in effect for the Northern and Northwest Bahamas and will come into effect for the Central Bahamas tonight,โ said the Bahamas Department of Meteorology.
โOccasional to sometimes frequent wind gusts to gale force are possible over ALL waters in the Northern and Northwest Bahamas,โ the alert continued. โMariners and boaters are urged NOT to enter the Atlantic waters due to an ongoing swell event.โ
The warnings also asked passengers to stay out of the water due to a high risk of rip currents and rough surf.
Read Also: What to Do Onboard a Cruise Ship in Bad Weather
Meteorologists blamed the winds on a low-pressure system just north of the islands that is dragging a cold front southeastward. They warn the system will bring strong gusty winds and rough seas to the Central islands through the weekend, which could affect more itineraries.
Royal Caribbeanโs Wonder of the Seas, carrying up to 5,734 passengers, and Adventure of the Seas, with up to 3,807 guests, are scheduled to visit Perfect Day at Coco Cay on January 25.
Norwegian Encore, the 4,004-passenger ship of Norwegian Cruise Line, is on its way to Great Stirrup Cay and will arrive on January 25.