Thursday, September 16, 2010

Hurricane Igor Scrambles Bermuda-Bound Cruise Ships

It's still hurricane season and the National Hurricane Center reports today that the large and powerful Hurricane Igor is currently churning out in the Atlantic on a northwest track.

In anticipation, the island nation of Bermuda is preparing for the storm by announcing the closure of its port.

Royal Caribbean International
Update Sept 16, 2010 at 1:00 pm

The Port of Bermuda will be closed beginning Friday, Sept 17 and is not scheduled to reopen until Tuesday, Sept 21 due to the forecasted path of Hurricane Igor. As a result, Royal Caribbean International is altering the itinerary of Enchantment of the Seas' sailing that is scheduled to depart Baltimore, Maryland on Saturday, Sept 18. Enchantment of the Seas will now sail to Nassau, Bahamas, were it will arrive on Monday, Sept 20, and stay overnight until noon on Tuesday, Sept 21.

Although this modification to the itinerary has been caused by weather, which is beyond our control, as a gesture of goodwill and to thank guests for their understanding, Royal Caribbean will provide each stateroom with an onboard credit. Should guests choose to not sail the revised itinerary, they may cancel and will be sent a letter of credit for the amount of the cruise fare paid to Royal Caribbean International. That letter of credit may be applied to a future Royal Caribbean cruise.

No other Royal Caribbean ship's itinerary is currently being affected by Hurricane Igor. Royal Caribbean will continue to closely monitor weather conditions and will update this information if there are any additional itinerary alterations due to the storm's projected path.

MSC Cruises
Update Sept 16 at 3:00 pm

Presently en route to complete a transatlantic crossing, MSC Poesia was scheduled to visit Hamilton, Bermuda, on Saturday, Sept 18 and Sunday, Sept 19 before arriving in New York on Sept 21.

Due to severe weather conditions in the Atlantic Ocean, MSC Poesia will not be calling in Bermuda. Instead, she will sail to Boston, Massachusetts for her maiden-call at 9 am on Saturday, Sept 19 and depart on Sunday, Sept 20 at 7 am. After sailing along the US Coast, she will arrive as scheduled in New York City on Tuesday, Sept 21. This change in itinerary is to ensure the safety of all guests and crew on board.

Norwegian Cruise Line
Update Sept 16, 2010 at 12:30 pm

At Norwegian Cruise Line, the safety and security of our guests and crew is of the utmost importance. Therefore, the company is closely monitoring the paths of Hurricane Igor, Hurricane Julia, and Tropical Storm Karl.

At this time, all ships will depart their respective homeports according to the published schedule. However, Hurricane Igor is forecasted to pass over the island of Bermuda this weekend, possibly affecting the itinerary of Norwegian Spirit's Sept 17 cruise. The ship will depart Boston as scheduled on Friday, Sept 17. Guests will be notified upon embarkation if there are any necessary itinerary changes. As soon as there are updates, we will update NCL.com and notify our guests.

Holland America Line
Update Sept 16, 2010 at 4:00 pm

Holland America Line's Veendam is currently docked in Hamilton, Bermuda and is scheduled to depart on Friday, Sept 17. Veendam will conclude its 7-night cruise upon arrival in New York City on Sunday morning, Sept 19. At that time it will embark passengers for its next weekly Bermuda cruise and depart Sunday evening. Veendam is expected to arrive in Bermuda as scheduled on Tuesday, Sept 21. No itinerary alterations are anticipated at this time.

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