As Tropical Storm Lisa has formed in the southern Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line has opted to cancel Carnival Vista‘s port visit to Belize City, Belize on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, which was to have been just hours before the storm is likely to impact the area.
The storm is likely to intensify into a hurricane prior to making landfall, and other cruise ships in the region are also on alert or also making plans for itinerary changes.
Carnival Vista Drops Port of Call
Due to the tropical storm, Carnival Vista has altered its schedule and will no longer call on Belize City on Wednesday, November 2, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. as planned in the original itinerary. Instead, guests onboard report that the ship will have another day at sea.
Carnival Vista is currently sailing a 7-night roundtrip Western Caribbean cruise from Galveston, having departed Texas on Saturday, October 29. The ship has already enjoyed two days at sea, and is spending Tuesday, November 1 in Roatan, Honduras.
Wednesday was scheduled for Belize City but will now be a day at sea. Thursday the ship should be visiting Cozumel, Mexico, which is far enough north away from the storm that the port visit should not be impacted.
Another day at sea will follow, before the ship arrives back in Galveston on Saturday, November 5.
The 133,596-gross-ton Carnival Vista can welcome as many as 3,934 guests onboard at double occupancy, and up to 4,977 passengers when fully booked.
Tropical Storm Lisa Forms
Tropical Storm Lisa began organizing on Sunday, October 30, and rapidly strengthened to become an official tropical storm by mid-morning on Monday, October 31.
The storm’s current position is roughly 400 miles (644 kilometers) east of Belize City and 150 miles (241 km) south-southwest of Grand Cayman, moving due west at 14 miles per hour (22 kilometers per hour).
Tropical Storm Lisa is not expected to shift course dramatically, but to continue on a westward track until making landfall in Belize late Wednesday evening.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm’s maximum sustained winds are 60 miles per hour (97 kph), just 14 mph (22 kph) below the threshold for a Category 1 hurricane.
Tropical Storm Lisa is likely to reach hurricane strength within the next 24 hours, but is unlikely to strengthen beyond a Category 1 storm as she will make landfall shortly after reaching hurricane status, thus losing her ability to continue strengthening significantly.
Storm Impacts
At the moment, tropical storm warnings are in effect along much of the northern coast of South America, from eastern Guatemala to the very northern tip of Nicaragua. This covers all of Honduras, and the offshore islands north of Honduras are under a hurricane warning.
The east coast of Belize is already under a hurricane watch, which will shift to a hurricane warning as the storm draws closer.
The southern coast of Quintana Roo in Mexico is also under a tropical storm warning, but no warnings of any kind are in effect as far north as Cozumel.
The storm is expected to be well away from coastal areas by the weekend, likely dissipating rapidly once it makes landfall, and cruises operating visits to the area late in the week or over the weekend are unlikely to be impacted.
Nevertheless, it is a good precaution for all cruise travelers with upcoming visits to Belize, Honduras, or Cozumel to stay in close contact with their cruise line for updated information and any notifications about itinerary changes.
The 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season officially ends on November 30.
