Royal Caribbean changed an itinerary on its newest ship to avoid Tropical Storm Jerry.
The disturbance developed into a tropical storm on October 7, which prompted Star of the Seas to cancel a scheduled port of call in St. Maarten. Instead, the 248,663 gross-ton ship will remain in San Juan, Puerto Rico, overnight on Oct 8.
The 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise departed on Sunday, Oct. 5, from Port Canaveral, Florida. Thankfully, guests were able to enjoy their visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay on Monday, followed by a day at sea on Tuesday.
"Due to the expected path of Tropical Storm Jerry, The A.C. Wathey Cruise & Cargo Facilities wishes to inform the public of the following ship cancellation: Star of the Seas. Thursday, October 9th, 2025," the Port St. Maarten Group shared on Facebook.
A current passenger confirmed the change, saying that the Cruise Director delivered the news via the intercom across the ship and into everyone's cabins.
"[The] cruise director [spoke] right to our cabin in an announcement. Two days in San Juan instead," Sheri Edmondson-Wood commented on Port St. Maarten Group's post.
Star of the Seas arrived in Puerto Rico around 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 8. She will remain there overnight until Oct. 9, giving guests more time to enjoy Puerto Rican cuisine and take advantage of the nightlife.
Read more: Cruising in hurricane season: What you need to know
A few weeks ago, Star had another Caribbean itinerary changed to avoid a strengthening tropical storm system in the Atlantic Ocean.
Rather than sailing to the Eastern Caribbean, Royal Caribbean's newest ship headed west to steer clear of the storm and rough seas. This meant they did not visit the cruise line's private island in The Bahamas.
Guests were notified of the itinerary change before embarkation in an email.
How strong is Tropical Storm Jerry?
As of the National Hurricane Center's (NHC) 11:00 a.m. AST advisory on Oct. 8, Tropical Storm Jerry had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and was headed west-northwest at 23 mph.
Tropical Storm Jerry is the 10th named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season and could strengthen into a hurricane by Thursday as it continues to churn over the open ocean.
Regardless, the storm is expected to bring tropical storm conditions to parts of the northern Leeward Islands, British Virgin Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands, including heavy rainfall from Thursday to Saturday.
Tropical storm watches have been placed into effect for cruise destinations like St. Kitts, St. Maarten, Antigua, and Anguilla.
As such, more cruise ships will likely begin to adjust their plans, especially those with scheduled visits to the Eastern Caribbean, as Jerry continues on its projected path.
For example, Oasis of the Seas, an Oasis Class ship currently on a 7-night Caribbean cruise, is expected to call at St. Kitts on Oct. 9.
Read more: I booked a cruise during hurricane season. Although the itinerary was changed, I had a great time
