Published on : Thursday, September 5, 2019
Cruise lines are rushing to stay out of the path of Hurricane Dorian – which blasted across the Bahamas on Sunday as a Category 5 storm with 185 mph sustained winds – and navigate port closures in that country and Florida, resulting in extended cruises for some travellers and delayed trips, itinerary changes and shortened trips for others. Further itinerary changes are possible given the storm’s unpredictable path.
Hundreds of Norwegian Cruise Line passengers are stuck in New Orleans as a result of cruise-terminal closures at Port Canaveral and Port Miami (Port Miami has since reopened).
Hearon, a 38-year-old continuous improvement specialist from South Carolina, was due to sail out of Jacksonville, Florida, on the Carnival Ecstasy on Thursday. But due to the port closure in Jacksonville, Carnival’s website says the ship may not be able to dock as planned.
When Hearon called Carnival to look into her options, the line told her their trip wasn’t cancelled, nor were there refund or rescheduling options.
Hearon says she’s frustrated because Dorian is supposed to hit South Carolina by Thursday morning. Meanwhile, she has a four-hour drive ahead of her to get to Jacksonville and no idea how much lead time Carnival will give her.
Carnival says it expects to have “a better handle on our Jacksonville operations later today,” spokesman Vance Gulliksen said.
The cruise line’s website, which lists refund procedures listed for its various ships affected by the hurricane, told customers, “We sincerely apologise for the disruption caused by Hurricane Dorian and thank our guests for their patience and understanding.”
That’s not to say all the news was doom and gloom for travellers. Some who were already at sea got free trip extensions and other perks.
“Hurricane dorian has me stranded. My cruise has been extended 3+days but at least i have an open bar,” user Katie Hasler wrote on Twitter. Another user wrote: “We’re stranded at sea for an additional 3 days because of hurricane Dorian and all I can think is ‘this is the cheapest 10 day cruise ever.’”
One user, who says he cruised with the Norwegian Breakaway, thanked the cruise line for getting him and his wife home safely. “Thank you @CruiseNorwegian for helping my wife and I get home safely as Hurricane Dorian impacted our cruise on the Breakaway,” he wrote. “While processes can still be improved, I felt that the staff truly cared about our safety and doing the right thing. Thank you!”
Cruise lines such as Disney and Royal Caribbean are donating millions to hurricane disaster relief. Carnival wrote in a statement on Tuesday.