At least 10 cruise ships have had their itineraries altered to avoid this year's strongest storm on the planet, Hurricane Melissa.
Melissa became a Category 5 storm on Monday, October 27. The monster continued to intensify, too. With sustained winds reaching 185 mph, Melissa was one of the strongest hurricanes on record in the Atlantic based on peak wind speeds and lowest barometric pressure.
She made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, bringing damaging winds and heavy rainfall. Catastrophic flash flooding and landslides also occurred in Haiti, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and The Bahamas.
As such, multiple cruise ships have been rerouted to steer clear of the storm’s projected path in the Caribbean and areas that have ongoing critical relief and recovery efforts.
This article was last updated on Wednesday, Oct. 31, at 3:15 p.m. EST.
Which cruise lines changed itineraries to avoid Hurricane Melissa?
Major cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, Disney, and Celebrity Cruises, have announced changes to their routes.
Margaritaville at Sea's Islander was the first cruise ship to be impacted by Hurricane Melissa.
"Captain Theo and our itinerary planning team have been diligently working on a sailing schedule that safely navigates around Tropical Storm Melissa, which is expected to impact parts of the Western Caribbean over the coming days," read an update shared by Margaritaville at Sea.
"Following [the] assessment of the storm’s path and weather conditions, Captain Theo has made the decision to adjust our current sailing schedule."
The ship's scheduled visits to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and George Town, Grand Cayman, were swapped with Belize City, Belize, on Oct. 22 and Roatán, Honduras, on the 23rd.
Moving on, Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas will no longer visit the Eastern Caribbean on its Oct. 25 cruise. Instead, the cruise ship will head to the Western Caribbean.
"Our Captain, along with our Chief Meteorologist, Craig Setzer, has been tracking Tropical Storm Melissa that is expected to move through the area of our sailing," read the last-minute email.
"To safely avoid the impacts of the developing storm, we have decided to switch our itinerary to the Western Caribbean instead of the Eastern Caribbean for this sailing."
Instead of visiting St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Perfect Day at CocoCay, the ship will call at Cozumel and Roatán. CocoCay is still on the itinerary. However, guests will arrive an hour earlier on Friday, Oct. 31.
Freedom of the Seas was impacted by Hurricane Melissa earlier this week. Instead of calling at Turks and Caicos, the 19-year-old ship visited Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. The voyage concluded on Oct. 27.
Odyssey of the Seas' transatlantic journey was likewise affected by the storm. The Quantum Class ship is skipping its last port of call in the Azores on Oct. 30 and will now head to Santa Cruz, Tenerife, on Oct. 29 instead. The ship will cross the Atlantic further south to avoid Hurricane Melissa and another low-pressure system.
Moreover, one of the cruise line's oldest and smallest vessels, Rhapsody of the Seas, departed San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Oct. 26 for a weeklong Southern Caribbean cruise.
However, passengers were informed that their visit to St. Croix was canceled. Additionally, the ship's visit to St. Thomas was pushed back to Tuesday. Instead, they called at La Romana, Dominican Republic on Monday.
Royal Caribbean's sister line, Celebrity Cruises, also notified guests that Celebrity Beyond's Oct. 26 itinerary had been adjusted to steer clear of Hurricane Melissa.
"To safely avoid the impacts from the storm, we have decided to switch our itinerary to the Western Caribbean instead of the Eastern Caribbean for this sailing," read the email notification.
Now, instead of visiting the Dominican Republic, St. Thomas, and St. Kitts, the Edge Class ship will call at Costa Maya, Mexico; Belize City, Belize; and Roatán, Honduras.
Moving on, two Disney cruise ships — Disney Wish and Disney Treasure — also adjusted their itineraries in anticipation of Hurricane Melissa’s strengthening path.
Disney Treasure passengers were notified on embarkation day that the 7-night cruise would no longer sail an Eastern Caribbean itinerary.
The new modified voyage departed from Port Canaveral, Florida, on Oct. 25 and will skip planned stops in Tortola, St. Thomas, and Disney's Castaway Cay. The ship will now visit Cozumel, Mexico, and enjoy an extra day at the cruise line's private island.
Disney Treasure's Nov. 1 cruise was impacted, too. Originally, guests were supposed to visit Falmouth, Jamaica, on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
However, the stop in Jamaica has been replaced by a visit to Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. Now, Disney Treasure will be at sea on the 5th (previously Falmouth) and Lookout Cay on the 6th (previously at sea).
Meanwhile, the Disney Wish's Oct. 27 sailing will adjust the order in which it visits its ports due to weather-related operational changes.
As such, the 4,000-passenger ship will call at Castaway Cay on Oct. 28, followed by Nassau on Oct. 29.
MSC World America guests were informed of a change to their Eastern Caribbean cruise, too. The Oct. 25 cruise will no longer head east from Miami, Florida.
According to the cruise line, the vessel will swap its scheduled stops in San Juan and Puerto Plata with Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Roatán.
"Our team has secured alternative destinations to ensure you have a memorable holiday," MSC told passengers.
"We are confident you will enjoy these captivating alternative destinations, offering stunning beaches, rich local culture, and countless opportunities for relaxation and adventure."
Next, John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line's Brand Ambassador, shared the announcement that passengers sailing aboard the Carnival Dream received, informing them that they'd no longer be visiting Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
"We are actively monitoring Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean. The hurricane is forecasted to directly impact Jamaica in the coming days and, regrettably, we will not be able to visit Ocho Rios [on] Wednesday," Captain Zvonko said.
"There is no feasible alternative for a port of call, so we will enjoy an extra sea day, as we make our way back to Galveston."
Additionally, Carnival Celebration, one of the line's newest ships, was forced to replace two of its scheduled ports.
The ship's 7-night cruise from Miami, Florida, was supposed to call at Grand Turk on Oct. 28, followed by Amber Cove on Oct. 29. According to Cruise Mapper, however, Carnival Celebration is sailing west to Cozumel, Mexico.
Likewise, Carnival Liberty departed on a 7-night cruise to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel on Oct. 26.
However, the ship's first two ports were swapped. Now, Carnival Liberty will call at Mahogany Bay and Belize. No changes were announced to its stop in Mexico.
Carnival Sunrise's Oct. 27 cruise has also adjusted its itinerary due to Hurricane Melissa. Instead of visiting Grand Turk on Oct. 30, guests will call at Nassau, Bahamas.
Carnival Vista made a similar change on its current voyage that departed on Oct. 26 from Port Canaveral, Florida. Amber Cove was swapped with a visit to Nassau.
After Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica, she continued north toward Cuba and The Bahamas. As such, Carnival Paradise ultimately canceled its visit to Half Moon Cay on Oct. 30.
Carnival Pride also decided to skip its visit to Princess Cays, another Carnival Corp. private destination in The Bahamas, on Oct. 30.
Carnival Cruise Line shared that Carnival Magic was not able to call at Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos, on Oct. 30, either.
Princess Cruises, another Carnival Corporation & plc brand, also announced an itinerary change. Regal Princess departed from Southampton, England, on a transatlantic cruise on Oct. 8.
The majority of the cruise was unaffected. However, the ship's final stop in Grand Cayman on Oct. 26 was canceled. Instead, the vessel continued to Galveston, Texas.
Moving on, Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Joy will no longer visit Montego Bay or Ocho Rios. Rather, the 3,802-passenger vessel will make an overnight stop in Cozumel, Mexico.
NCL told The Miami Herald in a statement that they're continuing to monitor the path of the storm and do not currently have any other ships scheduled to sail near Hurricane Melissa's projected path.
Finally, Cunard's Queen Elizabeth canceled stops in Amber Cove and Monetgo Bay. They were replaced with visits to Costa Maya on Oct. 31 and Roatán on Nov. 2. The ship is expected to return to Miami, Florida, on Nov. 2.
Hurricane Melissa made catastrophic landfall in Jamaica
The Category 5 hurricane made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday morning, becoming the strongest storm on record to hit the country.
Heald, Carnival's Brand Ambassador, shared a heartfelt post on his Facebook, expressing deep concern for the people of Jamaica.
"Melissa is a huge storm and a very, very dangerous hurricane and is heading slowly [but] surely to one of my most favourite places that we cruise to and that of course is Jamaica," he wrote.
"The beaches are amazing, the rain forest and Dunns River Waterfalls are stunning, the shopping is excellent, the food is superb, the weather’s lovely, the water is bluer than anywhere else in the Caribbean and the people for the very most are placid and kind."
Heald concludes by saying that even if Jamaica isn't your favorite cruise port, it needs as many thoughts and prayers as it can get.
His message has resonated with hundreds of his followers. Many took to the comments of his post to share their own memories of visiting Jamaica on a cruise ship.
"My husband and I went to Ocho Rios in April while aboard the Horizon. My husband went on a hiking excursion and loved it. I simply road my scooter along the boardwalk and talked with several people. They were all very nice. I bought a hand carved cane from a nice gentleman. He even sat on the ground and carved my name in it. I pray the island doesn’t receive much damage," Nancy Fox Anderson said.
Barbara Bass Benoit added, "I am very [concerned] about the people of Jamaica. After going [through] two yes two hurricanes in one year and one a cat 5 [I] know the damage it can do. Jamaica [is] a beautiful Island and I have always enjoyed it."
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.
