Hurricanes Gustav and Hanna disrupt cruise plans in the Caribbean

If you plan to take a cruise anywhere in the Caribbean, Florida or the Gulf Coast this week, call your cruise line. Nearly all of them are changing itineraries, ports and departure dates. Expect major disruptions, not just because of Hurricane Gustav but also Hurricane Hanna right behind it.

Hanna, which raked the Turks and Caicos today and closed its airport, was upgraded from a storm to a hurricane this morning, and forecasters said it could head for the U.S. mainland.

So far, the weather is affecting nine ships at Carnival Cruises alone, as well as operations of Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International. And of course, if your departure or arrival date or port is changed, you may need new flights. Many airlines have temporarily loosened change penalties, but you have to act soon to take advantage of them.

Among cruise updates posted on websites:

Carnival: Carnival Ecstasy will depart Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday instead of today, and shorten its trip from five days to three days. Carnival Fantasy will depart Mobile, Ala., on Wednesday instead of today. Guests can cancel for full refunds or take the cruises and get partial refunds based on missed cruise days, Carnival says. These and seven other ships are changing itineraries on cruises already underway, with several canceling calls on the Bahamas.

Norwegian: The Norwegian Spirit, which departed New York on Sunday for a six-day cruise, will call on Bermuda instead of the Bahamas. The Norwegian Sky, departing Miami today, originally for the Bahamas, will instead call on Cozumel, Mexico, and Key West, Fla.

Royal Caribbean International: Sovereign of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas, both departing today from Florida ports, will skip Coco Cay, the line’s private resort in the Bahamas, and instead call only on Nassau and Key West, Fla, according to an update today. Mariner of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas, which departed over the weekend, are also making itinerary changes.

Disney Cruise Line: The company today said it has not made any changes to the upcoming Disney Wonder voyage, which is due to leave Port Canaveral, Fla., on a three-night cruise to Nassau and Castaway Cay, Disney private resort in the Bahamas.

—Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor

[Photo: Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times

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This entry was posted on Monday, September 1, 2008 at 1:23 pm by Jane Engle and is filed under Caribbean, Latin America & Caribbean, Mexico, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.