Key Aspects:
- Margaritaville at Sea Islander is among the first cruise ships to be rerouted to avoid Tropical Storm Melissa.
- The calls to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and George Town, Grand Cayman, have been replaced with Belize City, Belize, and Roatan, Honduras.
- The tropical storm is already reaching sustained winds of up to 50 miles per hour, and is expected to strengthen into a category 3 hurricane by early next week.
Tropical Storm Melissa officially formed in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, and the cruise lines are starting to solidify plans to make sure their ships will stay out of her way.
Margaritaville at Sea is among the first to take action, with current passengers of Margaritaville at Sea Islander notified on Tuesday that there would be storm-related itinerary changes.
The 2,114-guest ship, which homeports year-round in Tampa, Florida, embarked on a 7-night western Caribbean sailing on October 19, 2025.
The itinerary features stops at Cozumel, Mexico; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and George Town, Grand Cayman, which conflicts with the forecasted path of the storm.
“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,” reads a letter from the cruise line.
“Following this afternoon’s assessment of the storm’s path and weather conditions, Captain Theo has made the decision to adjust our current sailing schedule,” the update continued.
The visit to Cozumel was already completed on October 21, 2025, but the remaining stops in Jamaica on October 23 and Grand Cayman on October 24 have been canceled.
Instead, the 85,619-gross ton vessel visited Belize City, Belize, on October 22 and will call on Roatan, Honduras, on October 23.
The final two days of the voyage will be spent at sea.
As is standard, any pre-purchased shore excursions for Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman were automatically canceled and refunded to passengers.
More Itinerary Changes Likely Coming
Tropical Storm Melissa, which is the 13th named storm of the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season, is already a force to be reckoned with.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NOAA), Melissa is slowly churning through the western Caribbean with sustained winds of up to 50 miles per hour.
However, the storm is poised to become a major category 3 hurricane by early next week.
Tropical Storm Melissa (Credit: NOAA)
The storm will have a particularly big impact on Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.
“Melissa is forecast to meander over the central Caribbean Sea and could potentially become a major hurricane by early next week. Interests in Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic are urged to continue monitoring the latest forecasts,” reads NOAA’s 5 p.m. EST advisory on October 22.
“Due to Melissa’s slow motion, the risk of prolonged periods of strong winds, possibly lasting a day or more, is increasing for Jamaica and the Tiburon peninsula of Haiti,” the advisory added.
Heavy rainfall is also expected across portions of the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica through the weekend, bringing the possibility of dangerous flash flooding and landslides.
Read Also: What to Do Onboard a Cruise Ship in Bad Weather
Though no changes have been announced at this point, some are wondering if Margaritaville at Sea Islander’s next voyage will also need to be rerouted.
The subsequent sailing is another 7-night western Caribbean cruise that embarks on Sunday, October 26, 2025, when Melissa will still be very active.
“Has there been any changes with the itinerary for Oct 26-Nov 2?” one future guest asked in a cruise group.
“I’m wondering the same myself. Since our first day out is a sea day on the 27th, maybe we will miss it altogether,” another soon-to-be passenger responded.
Other major brands including Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Virgin Voyages, and Cunard Line are also currently active in the Caribbean.
These brands are likely in the process of exploring potential itinerary changes and notifying impacted passengers, if they haven’t done so already.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com
