Royal Caribbean International has announced changes to the Eastern Caribbean itinerary of Icon of the Seas as it sails on its current voyage today, August 11, through August 17, 2024, citing adverse weather conditions along the originally planned route.
According to the announcement, the cruise line, in consultation with its Chief Meteorologist, Craig Setzer, has decided to modify the ship’s itinerary to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all passengers.
“Due to adverse weather, we’ve modified our itinerary to provide you with the most enjoyable sailing experience. We’ll now visit some of our popular Western Caribbean destinations,” Royal Caribbean stated in an email sent to passengers. “We’re terribly sorry for the last-minute change caused by the weather.”
The 7-night roundtrip voyage, which departed PortMiami on Saturday, August 10, 2024, was set to call on Basseterre, St. Kitts, on August 13; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, on August 14; and the cruise line’s private destination Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas on August 16, before completing in Miami on August 17.
The itinerary, which also featured three at-sea days, will now focus on Western Caribbean destinations. Cozumel, Mexico, will be its first call on August 12, followed by Roatan, Honduras, on August 13, and Costa Maya, Mexico, on August 14.
The cruise ship, the world’s largest, weighing 248,663 gross tons, will only spend two days at sea but will still enjoy at day at CocoCay on August 16. The cruise line has added two additional hours at the destination, now arriving at 7 a.m. and departing at 5 p.m.
Tropical System Development
As the 5,610-passenger Icon of the Seas set off on its August 10 sailing to Eastern Caribbean destinations, weather conditions in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico are drawing increased attention.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued a Tropical Weather Outlook highlighting the potential formation of a tropical depression near the Lesser and Greater Antilles, which consists of the islands of Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Cuba, and Hispaniola.
According to the NHC, showers and thunderstorms are currently showing signs of organization around a broad area of low pressure located approximately 1,000 miles east of the Lesser Antilles. The conditions lend themselves to a high likelihood that a tropical depression will form in the next few days.
The NHC warns that the system could potentially move near or over the Leeward Islands, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, with a 70 percent chance of the system developing over the next 48 hours and 90 percent by the next seven days.
Setzer tweeted about the conditions, “A large, but not especially well-organized tropical wave continues moving west across the Atlantic Sunday morning. Persistent convection near a singular center would likely be needed before we have a tropical depression/storm.”
He continued, “While it’s still too early to predict exactly when/where the turn takes place, the details will be important as to who gets impacts in Northern Leeward, [Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico], and Hispaniola.”
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Royal Caribbean reassured passengers by saying, “Please know, being onboard is one of the safest places because we are faster and can move out of the way of any inclement weather.”
Guests have been provided options for shore excursions in their new destination. All previously booked excursions have been canceled and refunded to guests’ original form of payment.
Any passenger who booked their own itineraries outside of the cruise ship is advised to cancel those excursions and to use the letter from the cruise line for insurance purposes to be refunded.
