After the Hurricane - Cruise Destinations Update

[MissJennie_99]

Hurricane Damage Report from *****.com

 

Mild or No Damage

 

Anguilla

Antigua

Aruba

Barbados

Bonaire

British Virgin Islands

Castaway Cay (Disney's private island in the Bahamas)

Curacao

Guadeloupe

Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's private island in the Bahamas)

Half Moon Cay (Holland America's private island in the Bahamas)

St. Kitts and Nevis

St. Lucia

St. Maarten / St. Martin

Tobago

Turks & Caicos

U.S. Virgin Islands

Cancun, Mexico

Cozumel, Mexico

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

 

 

Moderate Damage

 

CocoCay: Royal Caribbean's ships are currently not calling at CocoCay, where Hurricane Frances caused significant beach erosion. Structures are intact, and beach revitalization should be completed in two to three weeks.

 

Dominican Republic: The heavy winds and rain of Hurricane Jeanne caused some flooding and damage in Punta Cana and other areas in the east and northeast. Clean-up efforts are underway, and most hotels are open for business. There was severe flooding across the border in Gonaives, Haiti, where as many as 1,500 people have reportedly been killed by flooding and hundreds are still unaccounted for.

 

Puerto Rico: A tropical storm at the time, Hurricane Jeanne pounded Puerto Rico, flooding the streets, knocking out power, and leaving 30,000 people without water. However, all hotels and tourist functions are reportedly back to normal.

 

St. Vincent and the Grenadines: On St. Vincent and the Grenadines, some 50 homes, schools and other buildings were damaged by Hurricane Ivan, along with a number of boats in the Grenadines. According to the government, 20% of the banana crop has been destroyed.

 

Nassau / Paradise Island, Bahamas: Nassau suffered moderate damage during Hurricane Frances, but avoided the worst of the storm. Most major resorts, deep-water harbors, and international airports are fully operational. Some hotels and resorts are still closed as they complete repairs, but all are expected to reopen within the next few weeks.

 

Princess Cays: Princess' private destination at the southern tip of Eleuthera in the outer Bahamas sustained some storm damage to the docks, roofs, equipment and landscaping, as well as some beach erosion during Hurricane Frances. Port calls are being replaced with calls on Nassau during repairs, which are expected to take as long as six weeks.

 

Severe Damage

 

Grand Cayman: During Hurricane Ivan, virtually every building on the island sustained damage, and more than 50% of the housing is currently uninhabitable. There are water and fuel shortages and ongoing power outages, and it is unclear when cruise passengers and other visitors will be able to return to the island.

 

Grenada: Grenada was devastated by Hurricane Ivan, which hit the island as a Category 4 storm. Ninety percent of the Spice Island's homes were damaged, and several people were killed. There were reports of looting immediately following the storm, and all of Grenada's resorts are closed until further notice. Cruise ships are being diverted to other destinations, though the airport and seaport are reportedly open to commercial traffic.

 

Jamaica: Jamaica was spared the devastating blow from Hurricane Ivan that the country anticipated, but heavy winds and rain were still strong enough to destroy houses, wash out roads and knock out electricity. The island has bounced back relatively quickly. The ports in Ocho Rios and Montego Bay are open to cruise ships, and with the exception of a few resorts in Negril, most hotels and resorts are open for business.

 

Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas: Grand Bahama Island got the worst of Hurricane Frances, with some extensive damage to its buildings and infrastructure, as well as cosmetic damage to many of the island's resorts. Repairs were underway when the island took another hit, this time from Hurricane Jeanne. Few details are available at this time, but there are reports from the island of severe flooding, roofs blown off and power poles blown down.

 

MORE from *****.com

 

During the past six weeks, Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne have wreaked havoc in Florida and other states, prompting what FEMA has termed the largest disaster-relief effort in U.S. history. In response to many inquiries from our customers, we've compiled a summary of the damage sustained by popular cruise destinations in the Caribbean and the Bahamas.

 

Of all the cruise ports, Grand Cayman, Grenada and Grand Bahama Island (Freeport) sustained the worst damage and are the only islands closed to cruise ships at this time. It is not known when ships will be able to return, but we will update you in this newsletter when these ports reopen.

 

We've located an award-winning photographer living in Grand Cayman who is willing to share his pictures of the devastation caused by Hurricane Ivan. Courtney Platt specializes in nature and underwater photography, but of late he has been booked to shoot property damage for insurance purposes. Having visited this immaculate and beautiful island in March, I was shocked to see his pictures. http://www.*****.com/grandcayman_damage.cfm to view Mr. Platt's pictures of the damage from Hurricane Ivan.

 

Mr. Platt has promised to share pictures of the reconstruction of Grand Cayman as well, and I'll post them when I have them.

 

We've also located a source of photos of Hurricane Ivan's damage to Grenada. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) was established in 1991 to assist participating islands in preparing for and recovering from disasters such as hurricanes. http://www.*****.com/grenada_damage.cfm to view CDERA's pictures of the damage from Hurricane Ivan in Grenada.

 

Several cruise lines have pitched in to support the relief efforts in some of the hardest-hit Caribbean islands. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have contributed more than $1.5 million to help Caribbean nations affected by the storms. Princess will send a tender from the Caribbean Princess to Grand Cayman with water, food and clothing. NCL has said it will donate water, food and other goods to the relief efforts in the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Grenada and Jamaica. And Carnival donated $1 million to help Florida's victims of Hurricane Charley.

[Toto2Kansas]

Great information, thanks for posting it. ;)

 

Such a shame that all of these islands sustained so much damage. Hopefully they will be able to rebuild and that there wasn't a large loss of life (although even a small loss of life is very very sad) :(

[sue d. miller]

On the caribbean resident website I frequent, Grand Caymen reports the beginning of 2005 will be the start of tourism again. They want everyone to come back!!!! :)

[Coolcruise02]

Thanks for the info :)

[cruising2ctheworld]

Excellent update! Thanks for posting. We are scheduled to visit Grenada, St. Vincent and Princess Cays in January. I doubt Grenada will be open for business, but hopefully the others will.

 

Thanks Again!

[J18ktleo]

Thanks for the info...I can't believe we were in Grand Caymen just 3 days before this hit...I am truly saddened by the tremendous loss these storms have caused and wish the islands and speedy recovery to be welcomed by all us cruisers! :o

[getaway101]

Miss Jennie 99 - Thanks so much for the info. We are suppose to go to Grand Caymen 12/3...........doesn't look good. God's speed to all who are living in these areas.