With multiple ships sailing in the impacted area, Royal Caribbean has released several waves of changes to accommodate port closures and avoid the path of the storm.
But even though Hurricane Milton has now passed through Florida, the local cruise industry is still reeling. Key ports like Port Canaveral and Port Tampa Bay remain closed to maritime traffic, which is delaying scheduled returns, and in turn, upcoming sailings.
Royal Caribbean has now released the newest batch of changes for the cruise line as of October 10, 2024, at 7 p.m. EST.
Sailings From Port Tampa Bay
Port Tampa Bay was hit particularly hard by Hurricane Milton, with wind gusts of 100 mph recorded near the city of Tampa.
Per the most recent update from the cruise port on October 10 at 11 a.m. local time, damage assessments and repairs are underway in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard.
“While the preliminary assessments of the port’s landside and seaside operations are underway, our port is currently without power. Some damage was observed to buildings but there has been no significant damage to docks, so far,” Port Tampa Bay shared on its official website.
But until the port is up and running, three Royal Caribbean ships will not be able to return from their current sailings, which is delaying their subsequent cruises.
Grandeur of the Seas was supposed to return to the port on October 12, but now isn’t expected to be able to return until October 13, shortening its upcoming 5-night Western Caribbean cruise to four nights.
As a result of the change, the planned call on Costa Maya, Mexico, on October 14, has been removed from the itinerary.
Similarly, Serenade of the Seas was expected to embark on her next sailing on October 11, 2024, but has been delayed until October 13, 2024.
With the exception of Georgetown, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, Mexico, the shortened 9-night Western Caribbean cruise will sail with a different itinerary.
The planned calls on Colon, Panama, and Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, have been replaced with Costa Maya, Mexico, and Roatan, Honduras.
Read Also: List of All Cruise Ships Impacted by Hurricane Milton
Finally, Enchantment of the Seas’ next departure has been pushed back from October 12 to Monday, October 14, 2024.
Because of the delay, Roatan, Honduras, and Belize City, Belize, have been removed from the itinerary.
Instead, the Vision-class vessel will only call on Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico, when all four destinations were included on the original 7-night itinerary.
Boarding Updates at Port Canaveral
As with Port Tampa Bay, Port Canaveral (Orlando, Florida) also remains closed – but may have fared a bit better in the storm.
Per Port Canaveral’s latest update, an initial assessment of the port has been completed, but channel surveys need to be conducted before the port can re-open to maritime traffic, which will take time.
Because of the closure, Royal Caribbean already announced that the next sailings offered by Utopia of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas – whose homeport is in Port Canaveral – would be delayed by one day.
But now, the cruise line is also advising on boarding updates. Both ships have moved up their departure time from 7 p.m. to 4 p.m. on October 12 – which means all guests need to be onboard no later than 3 p.m. EST.
The arrival appointments guests signed up for during their online check-in have been moved up by around 4 hours to accommodate the new schedule. For example, those who selected the 3:00 p.m. time slot are now supposed to arrive at 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m.
Impacted guests are encouraged to confirm their new arrival appointments prior to heading to the cruise port by looking out for communication from Royal Caribbean and checking their app.
