We all want to know when cruise lines will be returning to Hurricane hit destinations in the Caribbean. Well, Carnival Corp which owns many major cruise lines has announced when.
As major cruise ports work at recovering after being hit by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria in September cruise lines are now committed to returning. Carnival has now confirmed return dates for the ports of Grand Turk, St. Thomas and Puerto Rico, all popular cruise islands damaged by the terrible category 5 Hurricanes.
Carnival Owned Cruise line Return Dates
- Carnival Cruise Line returned to Grand Turk on November 1, and will return to San Juan on November 30 and St. Thomas on January 9.
- Seabourn visits St. Thomas today and will return to San Juan starting on December 18.
- Holland America Line will return to Grand Turk on November 6, St. Thomas starting on November 8 and San Juan starting on December 7.
- AIDA Cruises will return to Grand Turk beginning November 9.
- Princess Cruises will return to St. Thomas starting on November 12, Grand Turk starting on December 15 and San Juan starting on December 20.
- Costa Cruises will return to San Juan starting on December 17 and Grand Turk on December 23.
- P&O Cruises UK will return to Grand Turk on December 20.
While we’re on the topic it is also worth mentioning that Royal Caribbean has also confirmed return dates for San Juan, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and St. Croix. All ships will resume calls as normal from the first dates mentioned below:
Royal Caribbean Return Dates
- San Juan – First ship back will be Freedom of the Seas on November 30.
- St. Thomas (USVI) – Adventure of the Seas will be the first ship back on November 10.
- St. Maarten – Grandeur of the Seas to be the first vessel back on December 17.
- St. Croix – Jewel of the Seas will be the first ship to resume calls on January 8.
Roger Frizzell, chief communications officer for Carnival Corporation, said:
“The Caribbean covers a far-reaching region of more than one million square miles, so it is important to know the vast majority of its islands realized little or no impact from the September storms, and we have been sailing thousands of guests to the Caribbean for great vacations”
“The Caribbean is the world’s most popular region for cruise vacations – and its people and businesses are not only great hosts to our guests, but they also have a strong spirit and resilience. So, for those few islands that were impacted, we applaud them for their tireless efforts to recover and rebound, stronger than ever. We are thrilled to have our brands beginning to return to renowned destinations such as Grand Turk, St. Thomas and San Juan, and we know our guests will also be happy to have those ports as part of their cruise vacation.”
Even though cruise lines are making a return to Hurricane hit cruise destinations a lot of work is still needed for the local residents. Cruise ships will no doubt continue to support the islands. Cruise passengers will also be able to bring in much-needed boosts to local economies.
An FCCA launched site to make travelers aware that the Caribbean is open for business is the place to go to stay up to date and help those affected.
