Guests on at least ten cruise ships have had their plans altered as Hurricane Erin barrels through the Atlantic Ocean. The itineraries range from short getaways to Bermuda to longer Caribbean voyages and even transatlantic crossings.
Up until mid-August, the Atlantic hurricane season has been pretty slow. Although there have been four named storms, they haven't impacted cruise routes. As such, Hurricane Erin marks the first major disruption of the season, forcing cruise lines to make last-minute adjustments to ensure the safety and comfort of their guests.
As of 8:00AM EDT on Tuesday, August 19, Hurricane Erin was moving northwest at 7mph with maximum sustained winds of 110mph, making it a Category 2 storm. This means that Hurricane Erin has lost strength since reaching Category 5 status on August 16.
Additional changes are possible over the coming days, but here's a list of 12 ships that have had to alter their routes to steer clear of the storm.
Read more: Here's What Happens If There's A Hurricane During Your Cruise
Vision of the Seas
Vision of the Seas was the first cruise ship to adjust its itinerary before Erin became a massive hurricane.
Instead of calling at Bermuda, the 27-year-old vessel headed further south to Port Canaveral, Florida. Additionally, the ship's time in Nassau was extended on Aug. 19. That said, the visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island in The Bahamas, is unaffected.
Vision of the Seas is on a 9-night sailing from Baltimore, Maryland, and is expected to return on Saturday, Aug. 23.
Liberty of the Seas
Liberty of the Seas also missed a scheduled visit to Bermuda.
The 5-night cruise that departed from Bayonne, New Jersey, on Aug. 16 headed north, rather than sailing through the rough Atlantic waters for an overnight stay in Bermuda.
Although skipping Bermuda is disspointing, guests will enjoy an overnight visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Liberty of the Seas is expected to return to New Jersey on Thursday, Aug. 21.
Freedom of the Seas
Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas skipped its scheduled visit to Nassau on Aug. 17 to return to Miami, Florida, about 12 hours earlier than planned.
The following cruise on Aug. 18 set sail directly for Nassau, rather than having a leisurely day at sea. According to Cruise Mapper, Freedom of the Seas docked in Nassau on Aug. 19.
The 4-night cruise will end on Friday, Aug. 22.
Enchanted Princess
Enchanted Princess's 14-night one-way cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to New York swapped two of its scheduled stops in Dominica and St. Maarten on Aug. 17 and 18, respectively.
The 145,000 gross-ton vessel called at Martinique and St. Kitts. The ship arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as expected on Aug 19.
Enchanted Princess will end the cruise in New York on Saturday, Aug. 23.
Disney Treasure
The brand-new Disney Treasure completely changed its 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise to avoid the powerful Hurricane Erin. The only port of call that remained on the itinerary was Castaway Cay, Disney's private island in The Bahamas.
Instead of visiting Tortola and St. Thomas, Disney Treasure will sail to the Western Caribbean ports of Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Falmouth, Jamaica.
Disney Treasure sails year-round from Port Canaveral, Florida. The ship will return on Aug. 23.
Norwegian Aqua
The day before embarking in New York City, guests sailing on the brand-new Norwegian Aqua were notified that they'd no longer be sailing to Bermuda. Instead, the ship got rerouted to Saint John, New Brunswick, with a caveat:
"[O]ur ability to remain alongside will depend on conditions at the time of arrival...Once we arrive, the Captain and Harbor Master will carefully review conditions to determine if we can remain docked or if we will need to depart shortly after clearance," read the email sent to passengers.
NCL Aqua's 4-night cruise will end on Aug. 22.
Norwegian Jewel
Norwegian Jewel was luckier than other ships that were supposed to visit Bermuda this week. However, the ship's time in Bermuda was cut short.
Originally, Norwegian Jewel was going to remain in Bermuda from Sunday, Aug. 17, through Tuesday, Aug. 19. To avoid cruising through the hurricane, they made the tough decision to depart on Monday.
That said, guests will still be able to enjoy their time onboard, as the vessel isn't expected to return to Boston until Friday, Aug. 22, as planned.
Carnival Sunshine
Carnival Sunshine departed Norfolk, Virginia, on Sunday. Aug. 17. Instead of cruising to Bermuda, however, the 30-year-old ship headed south to The Bahamas for her 6-night cruise.
The overnight stay in Bermuda was replaced with visits to Celebration Key, Carnival's new private destination on Grand Bahama Island, and Nassau.
Carnival Sunshine will return to Virginia as planned on Saturday, Aug. 23.
Carnival Vista
Carnival Vista set sail from Port Canaveral, Florida, on Aug. 17 for a 6-night cruise to The Bahamas and Caribbean.
However, the ship didn't get to visit Half Moon Cay, Carnival's private island in The Bahamas, as planned. Rather, she called at Nassau, Bahamas, on Aug. 19, alongside ships like Freedom of the Seas and Vision of the Seas.
Carnival Vista will return to Florida on Aug. 23.
Mardi Gras
Carnival's Mardi Gras will still be visiting the Eastern Caribbean on its weeklong cruise from Port Canaveral, Florida. However, the order of the ports has been reversed to avoid inclement weather.
The four ports on the itinerary include Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos; Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; Nassau, Bahamas; and Celebration Key.
The 7-night cruise will end on Saturday. Aug. 23.
MSC World America
Like Disney Treasure, MSC's newest cruise ship pivoted to the Western Caribbean.
MSC World America will no longer visit Puerto Plata and San Juan. Instead, she will call at Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico. However, the visit to MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reserve on Friday, Aug. 22, is unaffected.
The weeklong cruise will conclude on Saturday, Aug. 23.
Holland America Line's Zuiderdam
Holland America Line's Zuiderdam embarked on a transatlantic voyage from Rotterdam to Boston on Aug. 5.
Although most of the cruise went without disruption, guests were notified that they would skip the last port, St. John's, Newfoundland, because of Hurricane Erin. The port was replaced with an overnight stay in Halifax.
Zuiderdam will arrive in Boston on Saturday, Aug. 23.
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 traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
