Tropical Storm Dorian Forces Royal Caribbean to Close Private Island

Royal Caribbean is closing its private island Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas due to Tropical Storm Dorian.

Perfect Day at CocoCay Closed Until Sep 4

Tropical Storm Dorian might not be a Hurricane but still continues to cause major disruption across the Caribbean including cruise ships and cruise destinations. A letter has been sent out to guests on upcoming sailings that Royal Caribbean’s newly upgraded Perfect Day at CocoCay privet island will close.

The letter is featured on the Royal Caribbean Blog site which was the first to post about the important news:

Along with our Chief Meteorologist, James Van Fleet, we’ve been closely monitoring Tropical Storm Dorian. Given its current strength and path projections, we’ve decided to close CocoCay until Wednesday, September 4th, which impacts your visit there.

Our CocoCay Team is made up of over 400 Bahamian locals and it’s important that they evacuate to care for their families and secure their homes, as soon as possible. Please know, we evaluated all options, and this is the best decision, as there is no room for error when it comes to the safety and security of our guests, crew, and employees. This is our top priority.

At this time, we’re in the process of securing alternative ports and we will have an itinerary update to share with you tomorrow, August 28th, by 3:00 PM EST.

Royal Caribbean has an important reason for closing the private island which is for all those Bahamian Employees and getting them back to their homes and family to prepare for the oncoming Tropical Storm. The cruise line has apologized to all guests and any pre-purchased shore excursions are to be refunded back onto the onboard account.

Also Read: Royal Caribbean Changes Itineraries Due to Tropical Storm Dorian

Mariner of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Empress of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas were all scheduled to call at the island over the next few days until September 4.

Perfect Day at CocoCay has been a hugely popular port of call for the cruise line recently since reopening in early May 2019 after a huge $250 million revamp. We’ve got everything you need to know about the island right here.

Tropical Storm Dorian Latest

Tropical Storm Dorian
Image: NOAA

Dorian has changed track once again and is now to become a category 1 Hurricane by the early hours of Friday morning. However, the track is changing a lot and this might not be the case in a few hours. Do check for all the latest development from the National Hurricane Center (NOAA) and the cruise line.

As of writing, this Dorian has maximum sustained winds of 60 MPH and is currently located 85 miles Southeast of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is moving Northwest over Puerto Rico at 13 MPH.

Anyone going on a cruise from today in the Eastern Caribbean, Bahamas or out of Florida need to monitor Tropical Storm Dorian as it is constantly changing. Always get official updates from the cruise line before heading out.

Cruise Hive will continue to keep readers updated through the week on any new developments impacting the cruise industry.

Photo: Royal Caribbean

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