A new tropical disturbance is brewing, and Royal Caribbean is already moving one of its cruise ships away.
Meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center are monitoring the track of Tropical Storm Erin as it continues to track westward through the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
While the storm is still quite distant from land, it's expected track has caused Royal Caribbean to re-route one of its ships to avoid being anywhere near it.
Guests booked on the August 14 sailing of Vision of the Seas were originally scheduled to visit Bermuda, but the ship will now head south instead.
An email sent to passengers informed them that a change was made because of Erin's expected path, "Before we set sail, we have an important itinerary update to share with you. Along with our Chief Meteorologist, Craig Setzer, our Captain has been monitoring Tropical Storm Erin and its expected track that will take it near Bermuda during our sailing."
"In the interest of safety, we have decided to avoid the storm and head south."
The forecast models aren't certain where Erin will go, but a more northerly track is expected to occur as steering currents may lift Erin closer to the U.S. coast or there could be a direct impact to Bermuda.
Vision of the Seas will instead visit Port Canaveral, Florida and Nassau, Bahamas.
"While we will miss our overnight visit to Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda, we will now enjoy a full day in Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida, on Sunday, August 17, instead. "
"Additionally, our new itinerary allows us to update our arrival in Nassau, Bahamas, to 7:00 AM instead of 1:00 PM, giving you even more time to enjoy everything this beautiful destination has to offer!"
Royal Caribbean apologized for the change in plans due to the weather, "We’re terribly sorry for the last-minute change caused by the weather – your safety is our top priority."
Any pre-paid shore excursions booked in Royal Naval Dockyard through Royal Caribbean will automatically be refunded to the original payment on file within 14 business days.
A possible category 3 hurricane
If all goes as expected, Tropical Storm Erin will become the first major hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
Erin's growth is being limited currently by a combination of dry air and dust from the seasonal Saharan dust plume. However, that won't last for long.
There is a lot of uncertainty regarding what, if any, impacts Erin will have to land.
Most of the models are consistent with a westerly track that may bring Erin just north of the Caribbean Islands. The storm may intensify over warmer Atlantic water as it moves west and north of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico this weekend.
A quicker intensification would make it more likely to curve north sooner, while a slower strengthening could allow it to push farther west before turning.
Guest reactions
Whenever a tropical storm impacts cruise ship plans, there's quick reaction on social media.
Marjil Gosnell posted, "I'd be mad. I’d be mad in general if I paid for Bermuda and docking at Cape Canaveral instead. Big difference.
Diane Rivera posted, "Every time a cruise line reroutes or cancels ports for whatever reason, some people get so upset at them. A lot of us understand why and go with the flow. This is a safety issue, not to mention, ports will close because of storms and they couldn't go in anyway."
Gwendolyn Salzman added, "They change to keep the ship and passengers safe."
