Hurricane Irma Watch

[Luv2Cruiise]

Waiting until Friday to make a decision for us doesn't help as we fly out to tampa on Thursday so what are we suppose to do? Cancel and lose $$$ on everything, thats what Royal told me today when I called. this is ridiculous!

[BillOh]

If someone already posted this info, you can hit me the next time we cruise. Irma looks like it could be a big impact on Florida departures this weekend. I saw a post from someone on Allure saying they were in Cozumel, Marinetraffic has Harmony in Fallmouth. Is Oasis on Eastern this week? If so, have the altered itinerary yet? Adventure's updates should be interesting.

[Artemis908]

Latest from Royal Caribbean

 

September 5, 2017 @ NOON EDT (next update today @ 6 PM EDT)

 

We are closely monitoring Hurricane Irma’s path and its potential impact to our current and upcoming sailings. Royal Caribbean’s Chief Meteorologist, James Van Fleet, is closely tracking the storm’s progress, and the current forecast is as follows:

 

Hurricane Irma is a category 5 hurricane with sustained winds around the center at 180 mph and is currently located about 225 miles east of Antigua. The storm continues its westerly track at 14 mph. While it is difficult to predict the path of the storm outside of 72 hours, it is likely that Irma will impact the East Coast of Florida at some point this weekend.

 

In an effort to give you advance notice of any changes while also taking into account the most accurate forecast information, we will be providing updates on any impacted sailings no later than 2 days in advance of departure. Based on that timeline, we will provide you additional information on Friday departures as part of our 6 pm update today.

 

The following sailings are departing as scheduled:

 

Adventure of the Seas: September 9 Southern Caribbean cruise

 

Grandeur of the Seas: September 7 New England/Canada cruise

 

Liberty of the Seas: September 10 Western Caribbean cruise

 

Serenade of the Seas: September 10 New England/Canada cruise

 

Vision of the Seas: September 7 New England/Canada cruise

 

 

The following sailings are currently being evaluated and we will provide our next update at 6 PM EDT:

 

Allure of the Seas: September 10 Western Caribbean cruise

 

Anthem of the Seas: September 9 Bermuda cruise

 

Empress of the Seas: September 9 Cuba cruise

 

Enchantment of the Seas: September 8 Bahamas cruise

 

Harmony of the Seas: September 9 Eastern Caribbean cruise

 

Majesty of the Seas: September 8 Bahamas cruise

 

Oasis of the Seas: September 10 Eastern Caribbean cruise

 

For all guests currently sailing with us, the Captain and team onboard will be providing you specific updates at noon and 6 pm daily, and of course will update you immediately if anything changes.

 

 

We have been watching the news from RC closely, but we are on the Sept 17 sailing. I think they are doing a great job thus far for Irma and keeping everyone updated. I am wondering if they might change the departure port if the storm were to hit Ft. Lauderdale but not other areas of Florida?

[dada2199cc]

Labadee has already been cancelled for your cruise. That was announced yesterday. We are out on the 9/10 Allure so still waiting to see here.

 

Saw that on Twitter but so far no crew are confirming it. Left hand not talking to the right hand as usual. Doesn't bother me. I'd prefer to be on a ship that can navigate into sunny weather than be trapped on land!

[dandkcruise]

Waiting until Friday to make a decision for us doesn't help as we fly out to tampa on Thursday so what are we suppose to do? Cancel and lose $$$ on everything, thats what Royal told me today when I called. this is ridiculous!

 

Nothing ridiculous. They are not waiting until Friday to make a decision. Read it. They are making the decisions today for Friday's cruises. Later this evening and tomorrow for Sunday's.

[Buckeye State Cruisers]

Waiting until Friday to make a decision for us doesn't help as we fly out to tampa on Thursday so what are we suppose to do? Cancel and lose $$$ on everything, thats what Royal told me today when I called. this is ridiculous!

 

When I read JVF tweet I thought the same thing. After I re-read it I realized it meant cruises for Friday would be decided by 8 pm tonight

[cruisinfanatic]

Waiting until Friday to make a decision for us doesn't help as we fly out to tampa on Thursday so what are we suppose to do? Cancel and lose $$$ on everything, thats what Royal told me today when I called. this is ridiculous!

What do you want them to decide for you?

[cruisinfanatic]

We have been watching the news from RC closely, but we are on the Sept 17 sailing. I think they are doing a great job thus far for Irma and keeping everyone updated. I am wondering if they might change the departure port if the storm were to hit Ft. Lauderdale but not other areas of Florida?

Won't happen

[Luv2Cruiise]

Harmony leaves on Sat so when will we know, I need answers before Thursday...... I am so frustrated with all this.

[Luv2Cruiise]

What do you want them to decide for you?

 

I want them to decide if Sat cruise is going or not before Thurs as that is when we fly to Tampa!! I can't wait until Fri for them to decide if we have flights for thurs.....

[beachnative]

Harmony leaves on Sat so when will we know, I need answers before Thursday...... I am so frustrated with all this.

 

Read what has been posted!

[BNBR]

Harmony leaves on Sat so when will we know, I need answers before Thursday...... I am so frustrated with all this.

 

Very sorry that you are frustrated about your vacation. By the way, people on the islands you so desperately need to visit are going to die. Maybe you can cruise over and help with clean up efforts? You will get the information you need by Thursday. If you aren't satisfied with the information, stay home. At the moment, you should be mentally prepared for your cruise to be canceled. A massive, catastrophic hurricane is headed to Florida the same weekend you would like to go... If it ends up working out, good for you. If not, it's fine.

 

Most people down here are trying to get gas and supplies and many are considering evacuating by Friday. We are expecting tropical storm force winds by Friday. You want to fly into that so bad for a cruise?

 

And by the way, Irma is now officially the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. Just relax, disasters happen. Your cruise is not important.

[sr4mjc]

I live in the Tampa area. I personally would not be trying to fly to FL this week for a cruise. I'd be hoping for a cancellation.

[Tony20]

Very sorry that you are frustrated about your vacation. By the way, people on the islands you so desperately need to visit are going to die. Maybe you can cruise over and help with clean up efforts? You will get the information you need by Thursday. If you aren't satisfied with the information, stay home. At the moment, you should be mentally prepared for your cruise to be canceled. A massive, catastrophic hurricane is headed to Florida the same weekend you would like to go... If it ends up working out, good for you. If not, it's fine.

 

Most people down here are trying to get gas and supplies and many are considering evacuating by Friday. We are expecting tropical storm force winds by Friday. You want to fly into that so bad for a cruise?

 

And by the way, Irma is now officially the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. Just relax, disasters happen. Your cruise is not important.

 

Perspective. Thank you.

[bouhunter]

Waiting until Friday to make a decision for us doesn't help as we fly out to tampa on Thursday so what are we suppose to do? Cancel and lose $$$ on everything, thats what Royal told me today when I called. this is ridiculous!

 

It said FRIDAY DEPARTURES. It's simply too soon for them to know if they'll have to cancel any cruises. At this point the only thing they could do is offer is refunds upon request, and if Florida stays in the crosshairs I'll bet comes sooner than it did for Harvey.

[molly361]

I don't have a Twitter account but I could read all Mr Van Fleet's tweets from yesterday but I only see the one for today. Did he only send out that one saying Friday's sailings would be updated today or am I not seeing them because I don't have a Twitter account? Thanks

[luurtsema001]

Just relax, disasters happen. Your cruise is not important.

 

:-) That's the attitude I have about my cruise. I actually feel a bit silly watching all this and "Worrying". We are going out on our 10 year anniversary. BTW, this thing could make a lot of headache back home if the track has it heading up the east coast too. This could be a major situation for a lot of people.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

:-) That's the attitude I have about my cruise. I actually feel a bit silly watching all this and "Worrying". We are going out on our 10 year anniversary. BTW, this thing could make a lot of headache back home if the track has it heading up the east coast too. This could be a major situation for a lot of people.

Amen. You've restored at least some faith in at least some people having the wisdom and perspective on this kind of event.

Harmony leaves on Sat so when will we know, I need answers before Thursday...... I am so frustrated with all this.

Booking any cruise during hurricane season comes with risk.

 

It appears that there will now be a 2nd major hurricane disrupting cruise schedules...and the season is not over until November.

 

Frustration is understandable, but to many people...this comes as little surprise (in terms of things like this happening this time of year in the Caribbean area. The reason cruises are a good deal cheaper this time of year is for this very reason...they may not actually happen or at least be changed.

 

Based on the latest forecasts, it's clear than any Eastern Caribbean cruise and likely any one departing from or returning to a Florida port is at very high risk, and probably going to be cancelled ( or significantly re-routed).

 

Waiting to hear about any kind of "official" announcement is a good thing, but also a foregone conclusion at this point.

 

Time might be better spent researching when/where you'll be scheduling a cruise sometime in the future. Odds are nothing is going to the Eastern Caribbean in the next 3-6 days nor leaving/returning to Florida ports.

 

It would be great for all that information to be totally wrong. Then again, I haven't found any takers on betting against it.

[Luv2Cruiise]

Very sorry that you are frustrated about your vacation. By the way, people on the islands you so desperately need to visit are going to die. Maybe you can cruise over and help with clean up efforts? You will get the information you need by Thursday. If you aren't satisfied with the information, stay home. At the moment, you should be mentally prepared for your cruise to be canceled. A massive, catastrophic hurricane is headed to Florida the same weekend you would like to go... If it ends up working out, good for you. If not, it's fine.

 

Most people down here are trying to get gas and supplies and many are considering evacuating by Friday. We are expecting tropical storm force winds by Friday. You want to fly into that so bad for a cruise?

 

And by the way, Irma is now officially the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. Just relax, disasters happen. Your cruise is not important.

 

 

Excuse me..... Don't be rude. My concern is not whether the ship goes out or not at this point due to a Hurricane. I am concerned about not being given accurate info so I don't go to the airport expecting to fly out and lose money etc. People fly in from all over the world to cruise and need ample time to make other arrangements etc. Is it too much to ask to be properly informed about whether or not its going to be cancelled? If I am suppose to sail on 9/9 waiting until that date or 9/8 to inform me doesn't help my flight situation when im flying out 2 days prior and can't change flights,cancel etc. I am well aware of the Hurricane so don't treat me as if I am not aware or don't care or lack concern!!

Edited September 5, 2017 by Luv2Cruiise

[BNBR]

Amen. You've restored at least some faith in at least some people having the wisdom and perspective on this kind of event.

 

Booking any cruise during hurricane season comes with risk.

 

It appears that there will now be a 2nd major hurricane disrupting cruise schedules...and the season is not over until November.

 

Frustration is understandable, but to many people...this comes as little surprise (in terms of things like this happening this time of year in the Caribbean area. The reason cruises are a good deal cheaper this time of year is for this very reason...they may not actually happen or at least be changed.

 

Based on the latest forecasts, it's clear than any Eastern Caribbean cruise and likely any one departing from or returning to a Florida port is at very high risk, and probably going to be cancelled ( or significantly re-routed).

 

Waiting to hear about any kind of "official" announcement is a good thing, but also a foregone conclusion at this point.

 

Time might be better spent researching when/where you'll be scheduling a cruise sometime in the future. Odds are nothing is going to the Eastern Caribbean in the next 3-6 days nor leaving/returning to Florida ports.

 

It would be great for all that information to be totally wrong. Then again, I haven't found any takers on betting against it.

 

And who would even want to go to the eastern Caribbean? The ports are going to be a disaster. A lot of suffering and humanitarian issues coming over the next few days/weeks.

[bashleyf]

I live in the Tampa area. I personally would not be trying to fly to FL this week for a cruise. I'd be hoping for a cancellation.

 

I live in Tampa too. I'm supposed to be on the 9/10 Oasis departure and I am keeping my fingers crossed that they do cancel. We have 2 dogs and a cat and I don't want to leave them behind (they would be with a trusted pet sitter, but still...) to try to ride out the storm without us. If they do cancel my husband and I are using our vacation days to head north with all of our pets. If they don't cancel we will probably do the same, we will just be out the money we spent on the cruise. I agree, I wouldn't be trying to fly into this mess right now. I'm already thinking of how to get out of it...but for now we will just wait and see what happens.

[Cruising crazy 1511]

Vista here out of Miami sept 9th watching close don't know if my flight will be canceled or if I want to fly in Friday at all.:confused:

[BNBR]

Excuse me..... Don't be rude. My concern is not whether the ship goes out or not at this point due to a Hurricane. I am concerned about not being given accurate info so I don't go to the airport expecting to fly out and lose money etc. People fly in from all over the world to cruise and need ample time to make other arrangements etc. Is it too much to ask to be properly informed about whether or not its going to be cancelled? If I am suppose to sail on 9/9 waiting until that date or 9/8 to inform me doesn't help my flight situation when im flying out 2 days prior and can't change flights,cancel etc. I am well aware of the Hurricane so don't treat me as if I am not aware!!

 

Who said they are waiting until 9/9? Pretty much every other post here is saying we expect to know today or tomorrow from Royal.

 

https://twitter.com/JamesVanFleet

 

In fact, he will have Friday decisions TODAY by 8PM. Your Saturday decision will most likely be by tomorrow at the latest.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Excuse me..... Don't be rude. My concern is not whether the ship goes out or not at this point due to a Hurricane. I am concerned about not being given accurate info so I don't go to the airport expecting to fly out and lose money etc. People fly in from all over the world to cruise and need ample time to make other arrangements etc. Is it too much to ask to be properly informed about whether or not its going to be cancelled? If I am suppose to sail on 9/9 waiting until that date or 9/8 to inform me doesn't help my flight situation when im flying out 2 days prior and can't change flights,cancel etc. I am well aware of the Hurricane so don't treat me as if I am not aware!!

The weather reports are quite profound already today (9/5).

 

The other poster who responded pointed out that at this point...the probability your cruise will depart Florida on 9/9 is slim to none. Things could change...but not sure why anyone would think differently based on the current weather information being broadcast by every major news outlet.

 

The reality is you should assume the cruise will be cancelled, and plan for the future rebooking. Once the "official announcements" come...both the airlines and cruise lines will work with you to rebook for another time. Rather than worry now, the time might be well spent to research alternatives in the future...so when they ask you "when/where would you like to rebook?"...you'll know.

[Misplaced Texan]

Waiting until Friday to make a decision for us doesn't help as we fly out to tampa on Thursday so what are we suppose to do? Cancel and lose $$$ on everything, thats what Royal told me today when I called. this is ridiculous!

 

You're misreading it.

 

They will be making decisions for cruises SCHEDULED TO DEPART on Friday by this evening. Sounds like they will also be updating Sat/Sunday cruises potentially this evening as well rather than on Wednesday as originally planned (though I wouldn't be stunned to hear that they'll give final word tomorrow).

 

The call center isn't going to tell you anything until an official decision is reached. So wait a few hours and see what this evening brings.