Tropical Storm Fiona is looking to become a full blown hurricane as she passes over Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Royal Caribbean has already announced several changes to the Harmony of the Seas itinerary sailing tomorrow. The only call staying the same is Perfect Day at Cococay.
The Harmony of the Seas was to sail from Port Canaveral to the Eastern Caribbean. Due to the approach of Tropical Storm Fiona in the Eastern Caribbean, Royal Caribbean is switching the itinerary to the Western Caribbean.
The original itinerary would take cruisers to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and Philipsburg, St. Maarten. The new itinerary will sail to Costa Maya and Cozumel, two very popular ports.
This should come as no surprise as chief meteorologist, James Van Fleet, announced yesterday that several vessels may have adjustments made to avoid the storm.
Royal Caribbean issued this statement to guests, “Along with our Chief Meteorologist, James Van Fleet, we’ve been monitoring adverse weather along our planned route due to Tropical Storm Fiona. As a result, we’ve replaced our visits to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, and Philipsburg, St. Maarten. Instead, we’ll visit two beautiful Mexican ports, Costa Maya and Cozumel. We are sorry for the weather’s impact on our itinerary. While not the ports originally planned, we know you’ll have a wonderful time. And know, being onboard a ship is one of the safest places because we are faster and can move out of the way of any inclement weather.”
Cruisers with pre-booked shore excursions in St. Thomas and St. Maarten will be automatically refunded.
Royal Caribbean is not the only cruise line being affected by this storm. MSC Cruise Lines, Disney, and Norwegian all have ports of call that will be directly affected by Fiona. While the cruise lines know that changing itineraries is disappointing to guests, their main priority is the safety of everyone on board.
How about you? Do you live in the path of Tropical Storm Fiona or has your cruise been changed?