At least 12 cruise ships have already been forced to alter their itineraries and schedules as a Category 4 Hurricane Humberto intensifies in the Atlantic and a tropical storm stirs things up along the Eastern coast of the United States.
Welcome to the 2025 hurricane season. Cruise lines are used to these types of events and are very capable of avoiding major storms to keep their passengers and crew safe. Sometimes cruises have to be canceled, but often they can just change their itineraries to keep those vacations plans mostly intact.
Hurricane Humberto, now a Category 4 storm, is several hundred miles northeast of the Leeward Islands. The storm is forcing multiple ships to reroute from their original ports of call, with some visiting Canadian and New England ports instead.
On top of that, a developing system near the northwest Bahamas, designated AL94 and expected to strengthen into Tropical Storm Imelda, is also causing cruise lines to change their itineraries from Florida, especially short Bahamas sailings.
So far, no full cruise cancelations have been reported, but several cruise lines including Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, and Disney Cruise Line have confirmed port swaps, reroutes, and extra sea days to protect guest safety.
Here are the cruise lines and ships that have been impacted by the storms so far:
Royal Caribbean Altered Itineraries
Utopia of the Seas. Photo credit: Cruise Fever
- Star of the Seas (Sept. 28, Port Canaveral): Switching from Eastern Caribbean (CocoCay, St. Thomas, St. Kitts) to Western Caribbean (Costa Maya, Roatán, Cozumel). CocoCay canceled. Refunds issued.
- Symphony of the Seas (Sept. 28, Cape Liberty, NJ): Switching from a Bahamas/Florida itinerary (Port Canaveral, Nassau, CocoCay) to an Atlantic Canada itinerary, visiting Sydney and Halifax, Nova Scotia with an overnight stay in Sydney. Guests are receiving onboard credit and a Future Cruise Credit.
- Utopia of the Seas (Sept. 26, Port Canaveral): Skipping Nassau; extra sea day added. CocoCay still on.
- Freedom of the Seas (Sept. 27, Miami): Rerouting away from Nassau; Western Caribbean ports TBD.
- Liberty of the Seas (Sept. 27, Cape Liberty, NJ): Diverted from Bermuda to St. John, Canada with overnight stay.
- Adventure of the Seas (Sept. 27, Port Canaveral): Skipping some Bahamas ports; Western Caribbean swaps under review.
- Grandeur of the Seas (Sept. 27, Tampa): Adjusting Western Caribbean route; Cozumel moved earlier to avoid Imelda’s.
- Enchantment of the Seas: Rerouted from its original Bahamas/Perfect Day at CocoCay itinerary to sail to the Western Caribbean, visiting Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.
Carnival Altered Itineraries
Photo courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line
- Carnival Sunrise (Sept. 25, Miami): Half Moon Cay pushed earlier (Sept. 26); Sept. 27 is a sea day.
- Carnival Venezia (Ongoing, return to NY): Returning sooner; skipped one Bahamas port due to Humberto’s swells.
- Carnival Horizon (Sept. 25, Miami): Skipped Grand Turk (Sept. 27); replaced with Cozumel, Mexico.
Disney Altered Itineraries
- Disney Wish (Sept. 26, Port Canaveral): Castaway Cay moved to Sept. 27; Nassau canceled; sea day on Sept. 28.
Watchlist: Other Ships That Could Potentially Be Impacted
These ships have not yet confirmed any itinerary changes but could be impacted based on the estimated storm track.
- Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas (Sept. 28, Cape Liberty, NJ): May skip Bermuda; possible Canadian reroute.
- Carnival Celebration (Sept. 28, Miami): Expected CocoCay diversion to Cozumel.
- Norwegian Getaway (Sept. 27, Port Canaveral): Bahamas-focused itinerary under review; Western Caribbean substitution likely.
- Disney Fantasy (Sept. 27, Port Canaveral): Possible port order changes in Eastern Caribbean depending on Imelda’s path.
Bottom Line
Florida cruise ports are still open but on alert. Cruise lines are playing it safe by rerouting and tweaking schedules rather than canceling trips—not yet anyway. These ships are built for rough seas and have experts onboard keeping an eye on the weather in real-time.
If your shore excursions get canceled, don’t worry—refunds will be automatic. And if you’re cruising this season, having travel insurance that covers weather disruptions is definitely a smart move.
Right now, Hurricane Humberto, a strong Category 4 storm, is heading toward Bermuda, and it’s stirring up decent size swells not just there but also around the U.S. East Coast. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Imelda is likely to shake things up in the Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean over the next week or so.
Appeared first on: Cruisefever.net
