With it looking likely Florida will see a major hurricane next week, many cruisers are eager to know how the storm will impact their cruise.
It's quite early, but Royal Caribbean Chief Meteorologist Craig Setzer is already tracking the storm's development and working with ship Captains to determine the best approach.
Mr. Setzer provides expert advice, but ultimately the Captains decide the best and safest voyage plan.
Mr. Seztzer took to X/Twitter to share that Royal Caribbean is actively looking at options, but no changes have been announced yet.
UPDATE: Royal Caribbean has begun changing ship itineraries due to Hurricane Milton.
"Thanks for all of the cruise questions. I have spent nearly the entire day working with Captains and teams discussing safely altering itineraries where needed to avoid dangerous weather. The Captain has the final say, and until he makes the decision, I don't know anything firm."
Cruise ships will seek new itineraries to avoid any tropical storm. Certainly there's a lot of variables involved, especially with the timing of a storm and where it will actually hit worst.
Mr. Setzer added, "One thing I do know is Royal is very proactive with their guest communications, and as soon as a plan is finalized, the message goes out to the guests right away."
Based on the information available today, Mr. Setzer replied to questions he received on expectations. For cruises on the east coast of Florida, such as Port Canaveral, he expects strong winds, "It will likely weaken crossing the peninsula but still be quite powerful."
A strong storm going west to east
The latest update on Tropical Storm Milton is to call for an intensity forecast of category 3 near landfall on the west coast of Florida.
Mr. Setzer noted it's different with the path of this storm and the effect it has on both land and the intensity, "Unlike a storm moving north & along the coast where little track shifts make large up/down the coast differences, little shifts will not change landfall location as much, bigger shifts matter and that's what we will watch for."
He believes there will be a "potentially significant hurricane event on Sunday."
Tracking Milton
The National Hurricane Center said on Saturday that Tropical Storm Milton has formed in the Gulf of Mexico and will strengthen into a hurricane headed toward Florida.
As of 5 p.m. Eastern Time Saturday, Milton was centered 245 miles north of Veracruz, Mexico, and 385 miles west-northwest of Veracruz, Mexico. It had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was inching north-northeast at 3 mph.
After rapid intensification, the storm is expected to, "bring the risk of life-threatening impacts to portions of the west coast of Florida next week."
The forecast also calls it for Milton to be a major hurricane, because it will reach category 3 status.
What should you do if you have a cruise next week?
Based on my experience cruising during hurricane season, you shouldn't change or make any new plans yet.
It's too early to cancel your trip because the exact path of the storm is unknown, and cancelling now will incur change fees and cancellation fees.
As Mr. Setzer said, Royal Caribbean will contact you when there's a change made to your itinerary or sailing. Until that time, you're best off waiting.
That can be agonizing because it feels like you're limbo, but cancelling before Royal Caribbean makes a change not only means lost money, but you also won't qualify for any onboard credits or future cruise credits if the line later makes a change.
Perhaps the top question you have is, "will my cruise be cancelled because of Hurricane Milton?" and it's simply too early to know.
Royal Caribbean will make every effort to get the cruise out, as long as it's safe. A sailing might be lengthened or shortened in order to avoid having the ship in port during a storm.
Cancelling a cruise is usually the last option, and quite rare. But it could occur.
As was the case during Hurricane Helene, no cruises were cancelled due to the storm. But many were re-routed and itineraries changed.
Read more: What experienced cruisers do differently during hurricane season
