Hurricane Isaias is approaching The Bahamas this weekend, and it has forced a few Royal Caribbean ships to move out of the region to avoid the path of the storm.
While there are no cruises sailing for guests, a number of Royal Caribbean ships have been anchored off CocoCay, including Grandeur of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean spread its fleet out around the world during the voluntary cruise shutdown, with some ships remaining in the Caribbean, and others in Europe and Asia.
According to cruisemapper.com, these ships have all headed west, through the Straits of Florida and to an area west of Cuba.
According to the National Hurricane Center’s 8 a.m. update, Hurricane Isaias remains on track to skirt up Florida’s east coast as it gains strength entering the Bahamas Saturday morning.
Moving cruise ships out of the path of a storm is normal operating procedure for cruise lines to ensure the crew onboard are safe, along with protecting the ship.
There are no cruises during this global health crisis, which prevented Royal Caribbean from having to alter sailings or cancel sailings all together.
When tropical storms develop, Royal Caribbean's Chief Meteorologist James Van Fleet works closely on the track of the storm and provides guidance to ships on the safest course of action.
First weekend in August 2020...looks about right. #Isaias is approaching #Andros Island, #Bahamas. Today we will see if the wind shear can relax enough for a flex of this storm between the #Florida East Coast. More updates coming shortly. Be smart, and safe. #flwx pic.twitter.com/Q13HUWYh5r
— James Van Fleet (@JamesVanFleet) August 1, 2020
Forecasters expect Isaias to move near the east coast of the Florida peninsula Saturday night through Sunday.
