Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified into a major Category 5 hurricane on Monday, October 8, before weakening as it continues to barrel toward Florida's Gulf Coast, impacting cruise itineraries.
Florida is preparing for the storm's arrival, with the state's Division of Emergency Management gearing up for the largest evacuation since Hurricane Irma in 2017. Milton is expected to make landfall by mid-week and bring rainfall amounts of 5 to 10 inches across portions of the state, with localized totals up to 15 inches.
According to the National Hurricane Center's 11:00am EDT update, Milton is moving Northeast at 17mph and has maximum sustained winds of 145mph, down from the explosive 180mph winds recorded on Monday.
So far, 15 cruise ships have seen their itineraries altered due to the storm. This is a developing story and was last updated on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 2:30pm EST.
Read more: How cruise lines are preparing for an active hurricane season this year
Margaritaville at Sea Islander
Margaritaville at Sea's Islander had two itineraries changed due to Milton.
The 85,619 gross registered ton ship returned to Tampa one day earlier from its October 4 cruise. As such, the following departure left one day sooner following a revised itinerary and replacing the original stops in Key West and Cozumel.
"If you are scheduled on the October 8 sailing and cannot make the October 7 departure, please know the full value of your reservation will be preserved automatically as a Future Cruise Credit, which can be applied to a future sailing of your choice. You may call to reschedule any time without change fees or penalties in the next 14 days. You do not need to wait on hold today to make this shift," Margaritaville at Sea shared on its website.
Carnival Pride
At the time of writing, Carnival Pride was the only Carnival ship to have its operations impacted; however, Carnival Elation, Valor, Liberty, Paradise, Glory, and Sunrise may see changes to their itineraries depending on the storm's trajectory.
The 7-night cruise left Baltimore, Maryland, on Sunday, October 6, and is expected to call at King's Wharf, Bermuda, earlier than scheduled to avoid Milton after it crosses the Florida Peninsula.
Now, Carnival Pride will arrive in Bermuda on October 8, moving the three-day visit earlier by one day.
Read more: 15 things I wish I knew before setting foot on a Carnival ship
Disney Magic
Guests onboard Disney Magic's October 7 sailing were notified that their itinerary has been altered due to forecasted wind and sea conditions.
The original 5-night itinerary took them to Castaway Cay on Tuesday, followed by Nassau on Wednesday, Disney's Lighthouse Point on Thursday, and a day at sea on Friday.
Now, they'll call at Lighthouse Point first before spending a day at sea and visiting Nassau on Friday. No changes were made to their scheduled stop at Castaway Cay.
Disney Wish
Disney Wish's October 11 sailing to The Bahamas has been canceled.
"We have been closely monitoring Hurricane Milton and its projected path...Due to the weather conditions most recently forecasted for Port Canaveral and Central Florida and the pacts that it might have on port operations, we have made the difficult decision to cancel your sailing," the email sent to booked guests reads.
All passengers will receive a refund and a 20% future cruise discount.
Sun Princess
Princess' newest cruise ship, Sun Princess, was expected to arrive in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, October 9, following a 16-night Transatlantic cruise. However, the ship will remain at sea until Friday, October 11, at the earliest.
Port Everglades is under Port Condition Yankee, which means while it's open, vessels greater than 500 gross tons, including Sun Princess, cannot enter.
Valiant Lady
Guests boarding Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady were given an informational sheet upon arriving at the terminal on Sunday, October 8, as shared by yourzero on Reddit.
"Due to Tropical Storm Milton, which you may have seen, we are reviewing our current planned itinerary to avoid the path. Our experienced Crew is closely monitoring the situation and reviewing our options at this time. We promise to keep you fully informed, and our Captain will make another announcement prior to sail away about any itinerary changes," it read.
Later that day, it was confirmed that Valiant Lady will replace its scheduled sea day on Wednesday, October 9, with a stop in Cozumel. The vessel will also skip Bimini, spending an extra day at sea instead.
Celebrity Reflection
Celebrity Reflection's October 7 sailing is no longer heading to Key West, Florida. Instead, the 4-night cruise will call at Nassau, Bahamas on October 8, before visiting Perfect Day at CocoCay and returning to South Florida on October 11.
Harmony of the Seas
Harmony of the Seas is one of four Oasis Class cruise ships impacted by Hurricane Milton.
The 226,963 gross registered ton ship departed from Galveston, Texas, as expected on Sunday, October 6. However, the Western Caribbean cruise will skip visits to Roatán, Honduras, and Costa Maya, Mexico, in favor of extra days at sea. Additionally, Harmony will depart Cozumel, Mexico, at 5:00pm on Day 5.
Now, Cozumel is the only port of call on the itinerary.
Wonder of the Seas
Like Harmony, Wonder of the Seas will skip its scheduled visit to Roatán, Honduras.
However, Honduras wasn't replaced with Costa Maya, Mexico. In fact, Wonder's visit to Costa Maya was also canceled. In place of Roatán and Costa Maya, Wonder of the Seas will call at Cozumel, Mexico, and Falmouth, Jamaica.
Symphony of the Seas
Symphony of the Seas' 7-night cruise from Cape Liberty, New Jersey will no longer visit Port Canaveral, Florida. The scheduled port stop has been replaced by an additional sea day.
Additionally, the other two ports of call—Nassau and Perfect Day at CocoCay—have been replaced by visits to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and Labadee, Royal Caribbean's private destination in Haiti.
Utopia of the Seas
Royal Caribbean's newest mega-ship had its visit to CocoCay moved earlier, as well as its called call to Nassau canceled. Instead of visiting Nassau on Oct. 10, the ship will now visit Labadee. Moreover, Utopia won't be able to return to Port Canaveral on Friday and will instead spend an extra day at sea.
Read more: Here's What Happens If There's A Hurricane During Your Cruise
Icon of the Seas
The world's largest cruise ship is skipping a visit to Royal Caribbean's private island because of Milton. To make up for the extra sea day, they'll spend longer in St. Thomas and St. Kitts.
Mariner of the Seas
Passengers onboard Mariner of the Seas' 5-night cruise from Galveston were also notified that they'd be skipping one scheduled port. Cozumel, Mexico, has closed to traffic, so they'll spend an additional day at sea.
Independence of the Seas
Passengers onboard the October 5 sailing on Independence of the Seas won't visit Cozumel, Mexico. Instead, their day in Mexico was swapped with Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic.
Grandeur of the Seas
The 28-year-old Grandeur of the Seas was initially scheduled to offer a 5-night Western Caribbean cruise to Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico, departing on October 7.
Guests, however, were informed that they're Bahamas-bound. Now, the only port on the itinerary is Nassau, with Day 3 now planned to be spent at sea.
"We’re terribly sorry for the last-minute change caused by the weather – your safety is our top priority. Please know, being onboard is one of the safest places because our ship can quickly move out of the way of any inclement weather," Royal Caribbean said in a statement.
In case the ship cannot return to Tampa on Oct. 12, the cruise line has already begun evaluating other disembarkation options, including Port Everglades and Port Canaveral. Should Grandeur not be able to return to Tampa, Royal Caribbean will offer complimentary transportation from either port to Tampa.
Guests are receiving one free hour of internet to communicate with friends and family, as well as update travel arrangements if necessary.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
