Gale-force winds and choppy seas have disrupted cruise schedules at PortMiami, Port Canaveral and the Port of Palm Beach, affecting at least eight ships, according to Cruise Fever. The National Weather Service forecast dangerous conditions through the middle of the week, while some port operations were delayed or closed for safety.
At PortMiami, Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Getaway arrived late amid rough conditions in the channel. Norwegian Joy's Oct. 27 departing guests were told to wait for clearance before heading to the terminal, with check-in moved to the afternoon. Guests sailing on Norwegian Getaway were also directed to updated check-in times.
At the Port of Palm Beach, Margaritaville at Sea Paradise was delayed a full day returning from its cruise. Its Freeport visit was canceled and Nassau was added instead, turning the scheduled four-night voyage into a five-night sailing. The next embarkation moved to Oct. 28; Cruise Fever reported guests were offered either a $50 future cruise credit or free rebooking.
Several Port Canaveral sailings also changed course. Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas canceled Nassau and Perfect Day at CocoCay on its Oct. 26 cruise and was rerouted to Cozumel, Mexico, for an Oct. 28 visit. Harmony of the Seas kept its Bahamas stops but reversed their order, visiting Nassau before CocoCay. Star of the Seas skipped CocoCay after strong winds and high swells made docking unsafe, spending the day at sea as it continued toward San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Cruise Fever reported that canceled shore excursions on the affected Royal Caribbean sailings were automatically refunded as onboard credit. Two Cape Liberty-based ships, Independence of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas, were also diverted north to Canadian ports after their planned southern itineraries were canceled because of rough East Coast waters.
