Guests sailing aboard Royal Caribbean ships have received emails with an update to the ship's itinerary stating that they're no longer visiting Jamaica.
Hurricane Melissa wreaked havoc over Jamaica last week, and Royal Caribbean ships are now skipping visits to the island.
Rather than calling at Falmouth, Jamaica, the Oasis Class vessel will visit Cabo Rojo, Dominican Republic, on November 26.
"As part of our ongoing itinerary planning process, we’ve modified our upcoming sailing. On Day 4, we’ll now be visiting Cabo Rojo, Dominican Republic, in place of the previously scheduled stop," reads the email sent to booked passengers.
"We’re excited to bring you this refreshed experience and appreciate your understanding, as itinerary planning is an ongoing process that requires cruises to have a certain level of flexibility, modifications can occur at any time."
The new itinerary is as follows:
- Sunday, November 23, 2025: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Monday, November 24, 2025: Nassau, Bahamas
- Tuesday, November 25, 2025: Cruising
- Wednesday, November 26, 2025: Cabo Rojo, Dominican Republic (Originally Falmouth, Jamaica)
- Thursday, November 27, 2025: Cruising
- Friday, November 28, 2025: Cruising
- Saturday, November 29, 2025: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
The email continues, adding that any pre-paid Royal Caribbean shore excursions will automatically be refunded to the original form of payment, and all guests will receive a refund of the port tax surplus.
Royal Caribbean noted that itinerary changes can happen for a variety of reasons, including weather, scheduling conflicts, or berthing agreements.
However, the timing strongly suggests that Hurricane Melissa's impact on Jamaica was the reason that Oasis of the Seas' visit to Falmouth was swapped with the Dominican Republic.
Oasis of the Seas' November 9 cruise will also skip its scheduled visit to Jamaica. According to a post shared in the sailing's Facebook group, Oasis will call at Cabo Rojo, Dominican Republic, on November 12 instead.
Moreover, Rhapsody of the Seas did not visit Falmouth on November 5. Instead, the Vision Class ship called at Grand Cayman one day earlier than expected.
Jamaica aims for full tourism operations by December 15
Hurricane Melissa struck near New Hope, Jamaica, on October 28, leaving widespread destruction and becoming the strongest landfall the country had ever recorded.
Although the country remains closed to tourists, Jamaica's tourism leaders are optimistic about the country's swift recovery. They plan on resuming full tourism operations by December 15, 2025.
"Tourism’s strength lies not just in its product offerings, but in its people and partnerships. The speed and synergy of our response show the industry’s resilience and our unwavering commitment to recovery with empathy, compassion, and innovation," said Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica's Minister of Tourism.
To support that ambitious goal, the Ministry of Tourism activated a high-level recovery task force and a companion Tourism Resilience Coordination Committee to facilitate action between public and private organizations.
Preparing cruise ports for ships and passengers is a key part of the initiative to help bring the country's tourism industry back to life.
The recovery task force will fast-track assessments and service readiness across resorts, airports, ports, beaches, and more to ensure that visitors feel confident to travel to Jamaica by December 15.
Royal Caribbean is helping Jamaica's relief efforts
(Credit: Michael Bayley/Facebook)
Days after Hurricane Melissa made catastrophic landfall in Jamaica, Royal Caribbean Group pledged to contribute more than $1 million in aid to Jamaica and The Bahamas.
On Tuesday, November 4, Michael Bayley, CEO of Royal Caribbean International, shared that the Rhapsody of the Seas was en route to deliver emergency relief supplies in Falmouth, Jamaica.
"This morning the Rhapsody of the Seas will call into Falmouth, Jamaica on a relief call for a couple of hours to [offload] over 120 pallets of supplies of water, bedding, medical supplies, food items," he said.
(Credit: Michael Bayley/Facebook)
"The pallets will be offloaded and then items packaged as relief packages for immediate distribution with the help of GEM [Global Empowerment Mission] our relief partner. A huge thank you to the Falmouth Port Authority and community for opening the port."
Rhapsody of the Seas wasn't the only cruise ship in Jamaica for humanitarian efforts on the 4th. Carnival Horizon docked in Ocho Rios for a quick stop to make a brief supply stop.
Read more: After Hurricane Melissa, Royal Caribbean begins delivering relief supplies
