Gale-force winds and choppy seas are disrupting cruise operations at PortMiami, Port Canaveral and the Port of Palm Beach, with at least eight ships affected, according to the National Weather Service forecast cited by Cruise Fever. Conditions were expected to remain dangerous through the middle of the week.
At PortMiami, Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Getaway had delayed arrivals because of high swells and winds in the channel. Norwegian Joy's October 27 departure check-in was shifted to Tuesday afternoon, and guests were told to wait for clearance before going to the terminal. Norwegian Getaway guests were also instructed to follow updated check-in times.
Margaritaville at Sea Paradise was delayed a full day returning to the Port of Palm Beach. Its Freeport call was canceled and Nassau was added, turning the current four-night sailing into a five-night trip. The next embarkation moved to October 28; affected guests were offered either a $50 future cruise credit or free rebooking.
Several Port Canaveral sailings changed their Bahamas plans. Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas canceled calls at Nassau and Perfect Day at CocoCay on its October 26 sailing and rerouted to Cozumel, Mexico, for a short October 28 visit. Harmony of the Seas kept its Nassau and CocoCay stops but reversed their order, while Star of the Seas skipped CocoCay on October 26 and spent the day at sea before continuing toward San Juan, Puerto Rico.
For canceled shore excursions on Utopia of the Seas and Star of the Seas, guests received automatic refunds as onboard credit. The reported schedule changes underscore why travelers sailing from Florida ports should watch for cruise-line messages on embarkation times, port calls and excursion updates during the weather disruption.
The same storm also affected ships sailing from Cape Liberty, New Jersey. Independence of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas had planned Florida and Bahamas calls canceled and were diverted north to Canadian ports.
