Hurricane Rafael forces Royal Caribbean and Carnival to change cruise itineraries

Cruise lines have changed itineraries to avoid Hurricane Rafael.

The hurricane hit Cuba on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm, battering the island nation with strong winds and knocking out the power grid. According to the agency, heavy rains will continue in western Cuba on Thursday. National Hurricane Center.

“Flash flooding and landslides are possible at higher elevations,” it said in a statement issued Thursday morning. The storm is expected to “move slowly over the south-central Gulf of Mexico” until early next week.

Royal Caribbean International’s The Harmony of the Seas will skip its stop in Cozumel, Mexico, on Thursday and instead spend the day at sea. Cruise left Galveston, Texas on SundayCruiseMapper reports this.

“We have been monitoring the progress of Hurricane Rafael with our chief meteorologist and have made changes to the itinerary to ensure the safety and comfort of our guests,” a Royal Caribbean spokesperson told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. “Guests have been notified directly.”

Cruise Line Carnival The Carnival Horizon reversed its route, visiting Cozumel on Tuesday and Ocho Rios, Jamaica on Thursday, the company said. Cruise left Miami, Florida on Sunday.

A carnival miracle that also left Galveston on Sunday, missed a scheduled stop in Grand Cayman on Wednesday.

MSC SeascapeFor its part, it swapped a stop in Falmouth, Jamaica for Costa Maya, Mexico on Monday and visited Roatan, Honduras on Tuesday instead of George Town on Grand Cayman. “The ship will return to Miami on Saturday, November 9, as scheduled,” a company spokesman said. MSC Cruises A company representative said this in an email.

Nathan Diller is USA TODAY’s consumer travel reporter based in Nashville. You can contact him at [email protected].