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 Wednesday, August 20, Hurricane Erin was moving north-northwest at 13mph with maximum sustained winds of 100mph, 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 21 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.
That said, the following cruise is also impacted. The Aug. 21 sailing won't visit Bermuda. Instead, the itinerary was changed to have an extra day at sea, with an earlier arrival time in St. Maarten.
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.
Utopia of the Seas
Utopia of the Seas wasn't able to visit Nassau as planned on Aug. 19. Instead, the Oasis Class ship spent an extra day at sea.
She will return to Port Canaveral on Friday, Aug. 22.
Harmony of the Seas
Harmony of the Seas, another Oasis Class ship, replaced its visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay with a day at sea.
Symphony of the Seas
Symphony of the Seas set sail on a weeklong cruise to The Bahamas from New York on Aug. 17, but has had a change to its itinerary. The visit to Nassau on Aug. 20 has been cancelled.
Symphony will spend an extra day at sea.
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's disembarkation in New York has also been delayed. Instead of ending in New York on Saturday, Aug. 23, the cruise will conclude on Monday, Aug. 25, giving guests and extra two days onboard.
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.
Disney Dream
Disney Dream can't visit Castaway Cay on Aug. 20. Instead, the ship will spend an extra day at sea.
The 5-night cruise will conclude on Aug. 21 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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. Guests received clearance to disembark around 9:10AM EST.
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.
Norwegian Gem
The themed cruise aboard Norwegian Gem has been delayed because of Hurricane Erin. The ship was supposed to depart on Aug. 22; however, the vessel won't set sail until the 24th.
Additionally, the ship's visit to Sydney, Nova Scotia, on Aug. 25 has been cancelled.
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.
Carnival Venezia
Carnival Venezia departed from New York on Aug. 19. The Caribbean cruise had a few ports swapped, including St. Thomas and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Now, Carnival Venezia will call at Celebration Key on Saturday, Aug. 23. As of now, the ship's visit to Grand Turk on Aug. 25 is unchanged.
Carnival Elation
Because of high winds that would make operating tender boats unsafe, Carnival Elation can't visit Half Moon Cay on Aug. 20. The ship will visit Freeport instead.
No changes have been announced to the scheduled visit to Celebration Key on Aug. 21.
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.
Celebrity Beyond
Celebrity Beyond was not able to visit Perfect Day at CocoCay as scheduled on Aug. 19. Instead, the ship spent the day at sea.
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.
Valiant Lady
Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady replaced a stop on its current Caribbean cruise. Rather than visiting Puerto Plata, the ship will call at Cozumel, Mexico, in the Western Caribbean to avoid Hurricane Erin.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. 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!
In addition to writing for Cruise.Blog, Elizabeth has bylines in Business Insider, Royal Caribbean Blog, and Cruiseshipfood.com.
