Royal Caribbean has had six cruise ships, including the Liberty of the Seas, impacted by Hurricane Erin as she continues to barrel across the Atlantic Ocean.
Passengers aboard the August 21 sailing on Liberty of the Seas were originally scheduled to visit Bermuda. However, because of the storm's projected path, the ship's call at the Royal Naval Dockyard has been cancelled and replaced with another sea day.
"Along with our Chief Meteorologist, Craig Setzer, we've been closely monitoring Hurricane Erin as she continues moving north. While the storm is not expected to directly impact our location, its projected path will pass near our itinerary, generating significantly larger waves ahead of its track," reads an email sent to guests.
"To ensure safe navigation and to provide a more comfortable experience for everyone on board, we'll now enjoy a Sea Day instead of visiting Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda. To help make up for this unexpected change, we'll now arrive in Philipsburg, St. Maarten at 10:00 AM instead of 2:00 PM, and depart at 7:00 PM instead of 8:00 PM."
All pre-paid shore excursions booked through Royal Caribbean will be automatically refunded as onboard credit to guests' SeaPass accounts. Any remaining amounts at the end of the cruise will be reimbursed to the card on file within 14 business days.
Liberty of the Seas' August 16 cruise was impacted, too. Like the latter sailing, Liberty's scheduled call to Bermuda was cancelled to avoid cruising through the rough Atlantic waters. Instead, the ship headed north to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Read more: Cruising in hurricane season: What you need to know
Other Royal Caribbean cruisers have also faced disappointment from cancelled ports
Vision of the Seas was the first cruise ship to have its itinerary changed because of the massive storm. At the time, it wasn't clear where then-Tropical Storm Erin would go, but it was fairly certain that it would head north.
As such, guests on the August 14 sailing from Baltimore, Maryland, were informed that instead of calling at the Royal Naval Dockyard, they'd visit Port Canaveral, Florida. The ship was also able to arrive in Nassau, Bahamas, 6 hours earlier than planned.
Moving on, Symphony of the Seas' August 17 cruise from Cape Bayonne, New Jersey, had its scheduled stop in Nassau on August 20 cancelled. According to Cruise Mapper, the ship is spending another day at sea and closely hugging the Florida coastline.
(Credit: Cruise Mapper)
Utopia of the Seas faced a similar fate. Utopia was unable to visit Nassau on August 19. And, like Symphony of the Seas, she had an extra day at sea.
Likewise, Harmony of the Seas could not call at Royal Caribbean's private island on her current 8-night cruise from Texas. Rather than visiting Perfect Day at CocoCay on August 19, the ship spent an extra day at sea. Her next scheduled port is Costa Maya, Mexico, on August 21.
Finally, Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas returned to Miami, Florida, roughly 12 hours earlier than planned on Friday, August 17. The following cruise that departed on the 18th set sail directly for Nassau, rather than spending the day at sea.
Read more: Here's What Happens If There's A Hurricane During Your Cruise
Hurricane Erin is the first major cruise disruption of the season
Up until mid-August, the Atlantic hurricane season had been pretty slow. One day, out of curiosity, I asked my boss if he thought the quiet streak would last, to which he replied that August 15 is like a "magic switch."
As Hurricane Erin continued to gain strength, the storm forced cruise lines to make last-minute adjustments, starting with Vision of the Seas.
Although Hurricane Erin has moved out of the Caribbean (after days of 130mph winds, torrential rainfall, and tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans without power), her impacts on the East Coast are still being felt.
North Carolina, for example, is bracing for up to 4 feet of life-threatening storm surge along parts of the Outer Banks.
Moreover, New York City's beaches are closed to swimming on Wednesday and Thursday due to powerful rip currents.
As of 2:00pm EDT on Wednesday, August 20, Hurricane Erin was moving north at 13mph with maximum sustained winds of 110mph, making it a Category 2 storm.
