Royal Caribbean has changed the itineraries of four cruise ships in preparation for Hurricane Rafael. The intensifying storm is predicted to make landfall later this week as a Category 2.

As of Wednesday morning, Rafael was a Category 2 storm with winds of 110 mph – just 1 mph away from Category 3 status – and 130 miles from Cuba.

Models currently show Hurricane Rafael hitting Western Cuba later tonight, with high winds of over 100 miles an hour.

The hurricane is expected to continue to move toward the Gulf of Mexico and weaken before reaching the United States on Saturday or Sunday.

So far, four ships in the fleet have been affected by the storm: Radiance of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Vision of the Seas, and Brilliance of the Seas.

Radiance of the Seas left the port of Tampa on November 2nd, with a scheduled 7-day cruise visiting Bimini, Freeport, and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Passengers onboard received a notice of the change. 

The email read: "Along with our Chief Meteorologist, Craig Setzer, we've been monitoring inclement weather along our intended path due to a developing storm system forecasted to bring increasingly strong winds across the sea, impacting our planned ports and potentially making them unsafe to visit."

To avoid the hurricane's path, the Radiance-Class vessel will steer into the Western Caribbean instead, visiting Mexico and Honduras.

"As a result, we'll be unable to visit the planned ports of call on our itinerary. To provide you with the most enjoyable sailing experience, we'll now visit some of our popular Western Caribbean destinations - Cozumel, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; Belize City, Belize and Costa Maya Mexico!"

Radiance of the Seas will return to Tampa on Saturday, November 9th, as scheduled.

Vision of the Seas is also skipping stops in the Bahamas. The Vision-Class vessel sailed out of Baltimore, Maryland on October 31st.

Her 9-day sailing was scheduled to visit Bermuda, Nassau, and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Now, Vision of the Seas will remain in Bermuda for longer, avoiding the Bahamas altogether. 

Port Canaveral has always been added to her itinerary as a new port of call.

Freedom of the Seas also changed her itinerary, but the sailing won't change any ports. Instead, two port days will be swapped.

The Freedom-Class vessel departed on a 6-night cruise out of Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, November 3rd. 

The original sailing called for Freedom to visit Grand Cayman; Falmouth, Jamacia, and Labadee, Haiti.

Freedom will now call upon Labadee first to divert the ship away from Hurricane Rafael, then Falmouth and Grand Cayman.

Brilliance of the Seas left the port of New Orleans on November 2nd, departing on a 7-day sailing.

Her original itinerary included stops at Cozumel, Mexico; Costa Maya, Mexico; and Grand Cayman.

The Radiance-Class ship was scheduled to stop in George Town, Cayman Islands today, November 6th, but will now visit Belize City instead.

"We're terribly sorry for the last-minute change caused by the weather - your safety is our top priority," Royal Caribbean said in a letter to guests.

Royal Caribbean's meteorologists are still monitoring the storm

Guest and crew safety are top priority for Royal Caribbean. The cruise line employs a chief meteorologist, Craig Setzer, who monitors hurricanes and other weather events.

Setzer recently posted his own thoughts on Hurricane Rafel to X. 

Read more: "Unforeseen weather events" are top concern for cruise ships, according to Royal Caribbean's meteorologist

On Saturday morning, Setzer wrote: "While uncertainty about exact details remain (how strong, exactly where), combining weather systems over the next several days will impact Florida, The Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, & Caymans with exceptionally windy and stormy periods this week."

"The message from the Euro model is for near tropical storm winds (green area) & higher gusts with passing squalls likely." 

"Focus might be on hurricane development potential (which is low at this time), but longer duration tropical storm-like impacts are possible over South Florida/Keys & The Bahamas by early this week, even without a named storm."

Now that the storm has developed into a Hurricane, Setzer has made more updates to his X page.

"Wow," he posted, "Hurricane Rafael's eye coming into view of Key West radar, which is seeing it 240 miles away at a radar beam altitude of 40,000 feet."

"From the radar (and now recon) perspective, there appears to be a double eyewall structure. Maybe, just maybe if an eyewall replacement cycle can happen as the storm is approaching and making landfall in Cuba, the intensity will drop a bit...let's hope this happens."

A new tropical disturbance is brewing, and Royal Caribbean is already moving some of its cruise ships away.

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring an area of low pressure in the northeastern Caribbean Sea, but this system has a low chance of developing over the next week.

So far four different ships have had their itineraries changed as a result of the weather.

The November 2nd sailing of Radiance of the Seas was the first ship to have her scheduled itinerary changed.

The ship was scheduled to originally sail through The Bahamas and visit Bimini and Freeport, Bahamas, along with a visit to Royal Caribbean's private island of Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Passengers received an email notifying them of the change, "Along with our Chief Meteorologist, Craig Setzer, we've been monitoring inclement weather along our intended path due to a developing storm system forecasted to bring increasingly strong winds across the sea, impacting our planned ports and potentially making them unsafe to visit."

As a result, Radiance will head into the Western Caribbean to avoid the path of the storm.

"As a result, we'll be unable to visit the planned ports of call on our itinerary. To provide you with the most enjoyable sailing experience, we'll now visit some of our popular Western Caribbean destinations - Cozumel, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; Belize City, Belize and Costa Maya Mexico!"

Radiance will arrive in Cozumel on Monday and sail her revised itinerary, ending the string of port calls on Thursday before heading back to Tampa for her scheduled return on Saturday.

A second ship will also bypass The Bahamas with Vision of the Seas.

Vision is sailing from Baltimore, Maryland and was scheduled to go to Nassau, Bahamas and CocoCay.

Instead, Vision will spend more time in Bermuda and include a visit to Port Canaveral, Florida.

Freedom of the Seas is also getting a change in her planned schedule.

The scheduled November 3rd sailing will have its itinerary flipped around to keep the ship away from the worst weather. The good news is they'll still be able to visit the same set of ports, just on different days.

Instead of visiting Grand Cayman; Falmouth, Jamaica; and Labadee, the new itinerary will be Labadee; Falmouth, Jamaica; and Grand Cayman.

A fourth ship, Brilliance of the Seas is also changing ports of call due to the storm.

The November 2nd sailing from New Orleans originally was scheduled to visit Cozumel, Mexico; Costa Maya, Mexico; and Grand Cayman.

Instead, they will drop a visit to Grand Cayman and visit Belize City, Belize instead.

"We're terribly sorry for the last-minute change caused by the weather - your safety is our top priority," Royal Caribbean said in a letter to guests.

Royal Caribbean's forecast

Royal Caribbean employs its own meteorologist, Craig Setzer, and he posted his thoughts on the storm chances on his X/Twitter page on Saturday morning.

"While uncertainty about exact details remain (how strong, exactly where), combining weather systems over the next several days will impact Florida, The Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, & Caymans with exceptionally windy and stormy periods this week.

"The message from the Euro model is for near tropical storm winds (green area) & higher gusts with passing squalls likely." 

"Focus might be on hurricane development potential (which is low at this time), but longer duration tropical storm-like impacts are possible over South Florida/Keys & The Bahamas by early this week, even without a named storm."

Brewing storm

While November is the last month of Hurricane Season, it's not over yet.

While it may not become a tropical storm, there's enough rain and wind to make it undesirable for cruise ships. 

The National Hurricane Center is giving this system a slight chance of becoming a tropical depression over the next couple of days.

"Some heavy tropical downpours will affect the northeastern Caribbean islands for the next couple of days as the system tracks to the west," the NHC said. "Next week, it will likely be absorbed by the developing disturbance in the Caribbean."

Another disturbance in the Southwestern Caribbean Sea

A disturbance in the southwestern Caribbean Sea of concern is likely to develop into something.

The NHC expects it to become at least a tropical depression.

As of Saturday morning, the system remained a cluster of disorganized showers and thunderstorms in the southwestern Caribbean Sea. However, the National Hurricane Center expects gradual development over the weekend, with a tropical depression likely to form within the next few days as the system progresses across the central and western Caribbean.

The after effects of Hurricane Milton changing cruise ship itineraries isn't over yet.

While the storm passed through Florida on Wednesday and Thursday, there are still three ships that have yet to return because of the storm.

The hurricane disrupted the original travel plans for many ships, but it had the worst impact on ships sailing from Tampa or Port Canaveral.

Wind gusts recorded near Tampa reached 100 mph.\

Those two ports were directly in the path of Hurricane Milton, and the cleanup and repair process takes time. The U.S. Coast Guard inspects each port after a hurricane, and no ships can go in or out until that process is complete and the waterways deemed safe.

Royal Caribbean said those efforts are, "still evolving" and they're doing their best to keep passengers informed along the way.

The good news is there is a plan in place for each of the ships to return, albeit, a few days late.

Enchantment of the Seas

Royal Caribbean extended Enchantment of the Seas by two additional days, and won't return to Tampa until Monday.

Due to Hurricane Milton's impact to Port Tampa Bay, the ship cannot return until then.

The new plan is for Enchantment of the Seas to make it back on October 12. As a result, the next sailing has been shortened by two days.

The former October 12 sailing will be only 5 nights and visit Cozumel, Mexico and Costa Maya, Mexico.

Royal Caribbean described the situation in Tampa as "fluid", "Please know our return to Tampa Bay is fluid, and once our times are finalized, we’ll send an email with updated check-in times."

Royal Caribbean is also working on compensation details to make up for the disappointment, "While these circumstances are beyond our control, we understand that this change impacts your vacation, and we’re truly sorry."

Serenade of the Seas

Another ship based in Tampa, Serenade of the Seas, was supposed to go out on October 11. Instead, she's delayed by two days to October 13.

The revised next sailing will head to the western Caribbean.

Grandeur of the Seas

Similar to Serenade, Grandeur of the Seas will shift to an October 13 departure as well. She was due into port on October 12 originally.

As a result of the change, Grandeur will skip a visit to Costa Maya, Mexico.

Port Canaveral is back open

While the Port of Tampa is close to re-opening, Port Canaveral is operational again.

As of 11:30am on October 11, the U.S. Coast Guard re-opened the port with no restrictions.

Three different Royal Caribbean ships had to change their schedule because of the storm's impact on Port Canaveral.

Both Utopia of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas were due back originally on October 11, but delayed that until October 12.

As a result of that change, Utopia of the Seas dropped its visit to Nassau and will only visit Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas.

Adventure of the Seas departed on October 12 and removed a scheduled visit to Curacao. 

The new plan is for Adventure to proceed to Oranjestad, Aruba; Cabo Rojo, Dominican Republic; and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Lastly, Wonder of the Seas did not have to change the day it returned to port, but did adjust its itinerary to avoid the storm.

Wonder of the Seas skipped a visit to Roatan, Honduras and Costa Maya, Mexico. Instead, Wonder visited Cozumel and Falmouth, Jamaica. 

Hurricane Milton is disrupting the cruise industry beyond changes in ports, as three different Royal Caribbean ships are stuck at sea.

Guests onboard Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas, and Adventure of the Seas were all due back into port on Friday, but that is now not possible.

The combination of Hurricane Milton and port closures are why these ships will need to delay their return.

October 10 Update: Independence of the Seas will be delayed by a day returning to port.

Guests booked on the October 10 sailing received a letter that because Port Miami is closed, their departure will be delayed by a day.

Independence will not return to Miami until Friday, October 11.

In addition, their scheduled stop in Labadee has been replaced with Perfect Day at CocoCay.

The Captain of Utopia of the Seas announced to guests because of the hurricane, Utopia will not return on Friday.

Instead, Utopia will head to Royal Caribbean's private destination Labadee on Thursday, with the plan it will return to Port Canaveral on Saturday.

Guests that were booked on Utopia of the Seas for the sailing originally set to depart on October 11 received an update their cruise is delayed until Saturday.

An email sent to guests explained the situation. "Due to the closure of Port Canaveral, our previous sailing will be delayed in returning. As a result, our sailing will now take place on Saturday, October 12, 2024, and we'll have to skip our visit to Nassau, Bahamas."

The cruise terminal in Port Canaveral will be closed until 3pm, and the ship will sail at 7pm.

With one less day, the weekend sailing will only be two nights.  Understandably, that's left some people questioning the point of having the cruise at all.

"2 day cruise sounds like torture, what's the point," posted Ashley Ingram.

Sammie Klopf wrote, "36 hours is just silly they should cancel and refund."

Another person added, "36 hr cruise is ridiculous. [Obviously] the weather can’t be helped but it seems like [Royal Caribbean] just doesn’t want to refund anyone. What a waste."

Adventure of the Seas is also getting extended by a day.

Royal Caribbean will bring Adventure of the Seas back to Port Canaveral on Saturday, October 12 at 2:30pm.

The impact to the next sailing that was originally scheduled for October 11 is a change in itinerary, along with the shortened sailing.

"Due to the closure of the Port Canaveral, our previous sailing will be delayed in returning. As a result, our sailing will now take place on Saturday, October 12, 2024, and we'll have to skip our visit to Willemstad, Curacao," a letter to guests booked on the cruise said.

While Utopia and Adventure are trying to return to Port Canaveral, Grandeur of the Seas is in an even more precarious position as the Port of Tampa Bay is unlikely to re-open soon due to being in the path of Hurricane Milton.

Royal Caribbean is working on contingency plans if the cruise ship cannot return to Tampa. 

“Due to the predicted impact of the hurricane to Port Tampa Bay, our Port Logistics team has secured a couple of backup plans for safety and to ensure that we are prepared,” said in a communication to guests on Grandeur of the Seas.

“Should Tampa not be available, we are currently evaluating Port Canaveral and Port Everglades as potential options for debarkation and transportation home."

Port Everglades is located in Fort Lauderdale on the east coast of Florida, and far enough away from the worst aspects of the hurricane.

The distance between Port Everglades and Tampa is about 262 miles by car.

Port Canaveral is also on the east coast of Florida, but closer to Tampa, at only 127 miles away by car.

No decision has been made yet, but guests are being given an hour of complimentary internet access as well as a survey to help firm up travel plans.

“A final decision will be made on the status of the ports post-storm. We are committed to keeping you posted every step of the way. Hopefully, everything remains the same."

Hurricane Milton is a major hurricane

Hurricane Milton is a Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of 130 mph that is set to cross the Florida Peninsula.

Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast late tonight or early Thursday morning, with devastating impacts from storm surge, flooding rain, possible tornadoes and damaging winds.

The National Hurricane Center said in a special advisory "Milton's exact landfall location is not possible to predict even at this time, particularly if the hurricane wobbles during the day and into this evening."

When the storm crosses Florida on Thursday, it should remain a hurricane.

Hurricane Milton's wrath has changed so many cruise ship itineraries, even as the storm approaches landfall in Florida.

Cruise ships have been altering their plans for a few days now, but because of the storm's enormous size and changing forecasts, more changes are still occurring.

Forecasters say Hurricane Milton will make landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast late Wednesday as a Category 3 storm.

The storm is expected to cross central Florida while heading toward the Atlantic Ocean. 

Royal Caribbean already modified the itineraries for 8 of its cruise ships, and one ship has had to change their plans twice to avoid the hurricane.

Harmony of the Seas, which is one of the biggest cruise ships in the world, departed Galveston, Texas on October 6 and had to skip a port call in Honduras. They replaced it with a stop in Costa Maya, Mexico.

Yesterday, passengers were informed that plan had to change again because the widening storm meant a visit to Costa Maya would be impossible.

"To maintain a safe distance from the storm, and its widespread impacts, we've decided to adjust our heading and find smoother seas before resuming our original course towards Cozumel, Mexico," a letter distributed to passengers read.

Instead, Harmony will skip Costa Maya and remain at sea. That means just one port visit in total for the entire cruise.

Royal Caribbean will do everything it can to avoid the impact of a tropical system to their passengers, crew, and ship.

While under no obligation to do so, Royal Caribbean also provided passengers extra onboard credit worth one day's value of their original cruise fare price.

Harmony's change is emblematic of what's happening to many other ships as they change course to avoid Hurricane Milton.

More ships avoiding Hurricane Milton

Even the world's biggest cruise ship has had to change its plans because of the storm. Here's what's changed so far:

Icon of the Seas will skip a visit to Royal Caribbean's private island on Friday and instead stay out to sea.

However, Icon will stay docked in port longer in St. Thomas and St. Kitts until sunset.

Adventure of the Seas originally was to spend Wednesday at Sea and visit CocoCay on Thursday. Instead, the ship will visit Turks & Caicos on Wednesday and have a sea day on Thursday.

Mariner of the Seas dropped a visit to Cozumel, Mexico on Tuesday and remained at sea instead.

Symphony of the Seas re-arranged their itinerary. It was supposed to visit Port Canaveral, Florida, Nassau, Bahamas and Perfect Day at CocoCay. Insted, Symphony will go to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and Royal Caribbean's private destination of Labadee.

Wonder of the Seas skipped a visit to Roatan, Honduras and Costa Maya, Mexico. Instead, Wonder will visit Cozumel on Day 6 and Falmouth, Jamaica. 

Utopia of the Seas swapped it's schedule to visit Perfect Day at CocoCay on Tuesday and then wait to visit Nassau until Thursday.

Grandeur of the Seas went from a cruise to Mexico to a cruise that just visited The Bahamas. Instead of visiting Costa Maya and Cozumel, the ship is visiting Nassau as the only port destination.

Independence of the Seas will skip a scheduled stop in Cozumel and instead go to Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic.

More changes possible after the storm passes

Even as Hurricane Milton is on the brink of making landfall and cruise ships are well out of the path, there are question marks that remain for what will happen in the coming days.

The hurricane will cut across Central Florida, and that means its rain and winds will affect four of the major cruise ports in Florida in one way or another: Tampa, Port Canaveral, Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) and PortMiami.

The U.S. Coast Guard is responsible for managing access to any cruise port in Florida, and they control if ships of any size can enter the port. This depends on the weather conditions.

Once the storm passes and a port is closed, the Coast Guard will conduct an inspection of the waters to verify it's safe to reopen to ships. That could take a few hours or days, depending on the damage.

Port Tampa Bay and Port Canaveral are already closed, and that has a potential impact to a few ships.

Adventure of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas are both scheduled to return to Port Canaveral on Friday to conclude a sailing and start the next one. No word yet on any changes to either ship's plans.

Guests on Adventure of the Seas received a letter in their cabins the ship will have a slightly delayed scheduled arrival of 8AM on Friday (delayed from 6AM) into Port Canaveral.

We were suppose to have a sea day on Wednesday and be at CocoCay on Thursday, but that's been cancelled with a new stop at Turks & Caicos on Wednesday (tomorrow) and a sea day on Thursday with a slightly delayed scheduled arrival of 8AM on Friday (delayed from 6AM) into Port Canaveral (assuming the port is open). 

Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) and PortMiami remain open for the time being.

Royal Caribbean is making changes to avoid Hurricane Milton.

UPDATED: October 08, 2024 9:40 AM

The storm is a massive hurricane, expected to reach Category 5 before making landfall in Florida midweek.

In anticipation of the storm, Royal Caribbean has changed the itineraries for eight ships so far to avoid the storm.

The world's largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, will skip a visit to Royal Caribbean's private island because of the major hurricane.

"In order to steer clear of any adverse weather, we'll need to skip our visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas, and enjoy a Sea Day instead."

The ship was scheduled to go to CocoCay on Friday.

To make up for the change, Icon of the Seas will stay docked in port longer in St. Thomas and St. Kitts until sunset.

Mariner of the Seas is also skipping a port day.

Because Cozumel, Mexico is closed to sea traffic, Mariner of the Seas will remain at sea and enjoy a sea day.

Mariner was sailing from Galveston, Texas on a 5-night Western Caribbean cruise.

Harmony of the Seas, which will leave Galveston, Texas on Sunday, will skip a visit to Roatan, Honduras and visit Costa Maya, Mexico on Wednesday.

In addition, Harmony will enjoy a Sea Day on Day 3, and depart Cozumel, Mexico, at 5:00 PM on Day 5.

Symphony of the Seas is departing from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey on Sunday and will now skip a scheduled visit to Port Canaveral, Florida and replace it with a sea day.

Symphony has also decided to skip visits to Nassau, Bahamas and Perfect Day at CocoCay and head to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and Royal Caribbean's private destination of Labadee.

Another megaship, Wonder of the Seas, had made changes to avoid the widespread effects of Milton.

Wonder will skip a visit to Roatan, Honduras and Costa Maya, Mexico. Instead, Wonder will visit Cozumel on Day 6 and Falmouth, Jamaica. 

Utopia of the Seas has re-ordered its itinerary due to the storm.

Utopia will swap the days the ship will visit Nassau, Bahamas and Perfect Day at CocoCay. They will visit CocoCay on Tuesday and then wait to visit Nassau until Thursday.

One of Royal Caribbean's ships sailing from Tampa, Florida is completely changing its itinerary.

Grandeur of the Seas was originally scheduled to offer a 5-night Western Caribbean cruise to Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico. Instead, she will sail to The Bahamas and visit Nassau on Day 4.  

Independence of the Seas will skip a scheduled stop in Cozumel and instead go to Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic.

"We’re terribly sorry for the last-minute change caused by the weather – your safety is our top priority. Please know, being onboard is one of the safest places because our ship can quickly move out of the way of any inclement weather," the cruise line said in a statement.

What about other ships?

If you have a cruise on another ship this coming week, expect updates if the occur to be communicated by the cruise line.

Royal Caribbean advised passengers with cruises in the projected path of the storm to keep an eye on their emails.

Given the uncertainty of where exactly the storm will hit, the precise strength, and path, other changes will take a little longer to come to fruition, especially cruises that depart or return to Florida mid-week.

Royal Caribbean employs its own meteorologist to help track storms.

Royal Caribbean Chief Meteorologist Craig Setzer works with cruise ship Captains to determine the best plan when a tropical storm hits.

Milton expected to be a major hurricane

Forecasters believe Milton will wallop the west coast of Florida as a major hurricane.

As of Monday morning, Milton is about 735 miles southwest of Tampa with winds now sustained at 150 mph with a forward motion to the east-southeast at 8 mph.

Most cruises depart on weekends, and the storm should be impacting Florida between Wednesday and Thursday.

The storm is forecast to possibly reach Category 5 before making landfall on the west coast of Florida on Wednesday afternoon.

Models are not in agreement yet which part of Florida will be directly in the path of the storm. But it appears all but certain to be a problem for Central Florida.

Mr. Setzer wrote on X/Twitter, "The cone represents where the center is expected to track 2/3’s of the time.  Because the system is still coming together there may be some larger track shifts, especially at days 4 and 5.  It’s not impossible but also lot highly likely."

That's part of why Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines may take time to determine further changes to itineraries.

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

Perfect weather is never assured any time of the year, but hurricane season brings its own set of challenges for vacationers taking a cruise.

About half the year in the Caribbean, there's a chance for tropical storms to develop and that could impact your cruise.

Many storms don't actually change cruise ship plans, but a handful of them certainly can.  In the case of Hurricane Helene, a half dozen ships ended up changing itineraries or ports of call. It was a big storm, and a good reminder of how disruptive a hurricane can be for travel plans.

In seeing the changes, some people swore off taking a cruise during hurricane season all together, but people that cruise a lot know not to let hurricanes get in the way of a great vacation plan.

Seasoned cruisers prepare differently for a cruise during hurricane season and make appropriate plans so they can mitigate the impact a storm might have on their vacation.

Always buy travel insurance

When there's someone that takes to social media to post about how a hurricane prevented them from taking a cruise, usually the first comment back is something like, "you should have bought travel insurance."

It's more likely a hurricane affects your ability to get to or from your ship, than the onboard experience. Flights get cancelled, highways become questionable, and travel delays rampant. 

As a cruise ship customer, it's your obligation to figure out the travel logistics involved to get to your cruise ship. Even if all the flights are cancelled, if your ship is sailing, Royal Caribbean won't refund your money because you can't make it.

Moreover, when a hurricane forms, some new cruisers get cold feet about the trip. They'd rather postpone their travel than even brave the skies or roads to get to the ship and deal with the unknown factors at play. This is another example where a cancel for any reason travel insurance plan would be helpful.

Travel insurance covers so many more scenarios than if you were to get sick or hurt on a trip. It provides reimbursement for many travel related issues that come up as a result of a hurricane.

Equally important to buying travel insurance is to actually read the policy of what it covers and when.

Some vacationers will buy the first travel insurance plan they find, not realizing not all plans are the same.

Travel insurance is a lot like auto insurance in that there varying coverages.

Before you buy any travel insurance plan, consider these coverages:

• Travel delay
• Travel disruption
• Trip cancellation
• Named storms/Hurricanes
• Cancel for any reason

While I'd go as far as to say any travel insurance plan is better than no plan, you really want to read the policy over and clearly understand when it kicks in, and how it works.

Never assume itineraries are a given

You've got to be a pragmatist when you cruise in hurricane season, so any cruise you book should come with an asterisk next to it in your mind that you might not actually go there.

On the Royal Caribbean message boards, BrianB wrote, "I always prepare for a change of itinerary during hurricane season. Especially if there is a storm forming a week or so before the departure date."

Even a weak tropical disturbance is enough to re-route ships away to a different region, so you need to go into the cruise with the mindset that your cruise to Mexico might end up in The Bahamas or Virgin Islands.

Royal Caribbean wants to deliver on the itinerary you originally booked, but they're not going to risk the safety of passengers, ship, or crew members in order to brave a storm.  

If your cruise is before August, or after October, the chances of a storm are significantly less.  But tropical storms are not unheard of during these times either.

Give extra time for travel delays

Whether it's hurricane season or not, cruisers know not to fly in the same day of their cruise.  This piece of advice is even more important when it's hurricane season.

Airlines will cancel flights quickly if there's a risk their planes could get stuck in an airport that is in the path of a storm, so you'll need to be nimble with your flight plans.

First and foremost, book a flight at least a day before the cruise begins. This will more than likely ensure you can get down to the ship, even if there is a delay or cancellation.

If there is a storm brewing, many airlines will offer flight changes without change fees, and this might be a way to fly down earlier.

Moreover, having a backup plan to get to the cruise is prudent.  That could be driving instead of flying, or even taking a train. 

Book a cruise in a different region

While seasoned cruisers have the right approach to planning a Caribbean cruise during hurricane season, they also will plan cruises elsewhere to avoid disappointment.

If the uncertainty of a storm impacting your vacation bothers you, it might be the impetus to take a cruise somewhere else in the world. Hurricanes are primarily an issue for Caribbean cruises, so you could go to another region of the world instead.

The two most popular alternatives are Europe or Alaska.

An Alaska cruise may not have the warm ocean and white sands of the Virgin Islands, but it's still quite pretty in its own right. Not to mention you'll likely sweat a lot less.

The Alaska cruise season runs through most of hurricane season, beginning in May and ending in September.

A word of warning, Alaska in September can be just as rainy as the Caribbean.  Weather in Alaska is variable throughout the year, but the end of the season tends to have the coldest and wettest days.

A cruise to Europe is another compelling alternative, as you can go to the Mediterranean and find warm temperatures and beautiful beaches.

Plus, Europe has more varied itineraries to different regions of the continent.

More hurricane season cruising advice

Seasoned cruisers shared their view how what to think about when choosing to book a cruise in the middle of hurricane season.

"Don't let hurricane season get in the way of your families cruise planning. I have lived in South Florida my entire life and hurricane season has never once been an issue with cruising." - tonyfsu21

"I would not worry at all. Royal has a great weather team and they are always watching what may or may not develop. If anything does, ships will adjust the itinerary to make sure everyone is safe. " - LovetoCruise87

"I have many on a number of cruises during hurricane season and had great cruises.  It helps to have a flexible attitude and realize there could be an itinerary adjustment, we call that an adventure!" - Paid4c4

"We got caught out in Hurricane Maria. Left San Juan the day before it hit. Royal adjusted our itinerary from eastern Caribbean to Aruba. Ended up returning to Ft. Lauderdale. Royal setup phone lines so we could make free calls to the airlines. Also let us stay on board for an extra night. I have no problem sailing during hurricane season." - AandD

Hurricane Helene disrupted many cruise ships plans this past week, and as the storm moves out of the Gulf of Mexico, there are lessons all cruisers can learn from for the future.

Unlike a tropical storm that develops off the coast of Africa and comes barreling through the Caribbean for over a week, Helene formed near Mexico and rapidly intensified to move through the Western Caribbean quickly.  

It eventually became a Category 4 hurricane that wreaked havoc on cruise ship plans before causing severe damage in northwest Florida and the region beyond.

Cruising during hurricane season comes with certain risks, but Hurricane Helene was a good reminder of a few truths anyone can expect if they have a cruise booked and a hurricane impacts their sailing.

There's no news until there's news

As soon as there was even the possibility of a tropical storm, many people with a cruise booked started posting on social media asking for updates on their sailing.

As the storm became a tropical storm and eventually a hurricane, it lead to a lot of concern if their cruise would happen and what changes would occur.

As it turned out, Royal Caribbean made changes to a number of ships plans. Some stayed out to sea longer than anticipated, while others had their itinerary changed.  But the lesson here is Royal Caribbean has to wait and get better data, models, and forecasts before announcing changes.

No one has a crystal ball and spaghetti models are not a great predictor, especially when the storm is still forming. It's not until the storm is much better organized can meteorologists offer predictions that have a high sense of accuracy.

That can be frustrating for cruisers who want to know if their trip will happen, and if they really need to make plans to go ahead and travel to the cruise port.

Royal Caribbean doesn't offer updates that confirms nothing has changed, so don't expect any updates until the line has made a change.

The quickest changes they'll make is to swap an itinerary. A few ships moved from a cruise to Mexico to a cruise to either the Eastern Caribbean or The Bahamas.

The more difficult change is related to embarkation plans, and that's largely because it's hard to know if a port will be directly impacted by the storm.

Once a change has been made, Royal Caribbean will email and text it to guests.  Travel agents also get the updates and can convey them to their clients.

Far away ports can be affected

Hurricane Helene was always going to be a storm in the Gulf of Mexico, so I was surprised it had an impact on cruises sailing from eastern Florida.

Port Canaveral was ordered to temporarily close due to winds from Helene, and that had a ripple effect on some ships.

One MSC ship was stuck at sea for a few extra days, and the return of Utopia of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas was delayed on Friday because the port did not re-open until later in the day.

The second lesson of Hurricane Helene is to expect changes, even if your embarkation port isn't directly in the path of the storm.

I remember seeing posts on Facebook asking if their Port Canaveral cruise would be impacted by the storm, and I thought it was silly. As it turns out, it did impact some ships.

Serenade of the Seas, which rode out the storm in The Bahamas, had reports of high winds causing "motion in the ocean".

You can't be too careful when it comes to assuming anything.

If your cruise is extended, add-ons will cost more

Royal Caribbean extending Serenade of the Seas by two extra days was certainly surprising, as was how it handled add-on packages.

Since the cruise was lengthened, the unlimited packages guests purchased had to be taken into account.

Royal Caribbean gave passengers the choice of paying more to keep their Beverage and VOOM internet packages going for the extra days:

• Drink Package Extension (these prices include 18% gratuity).
  • Deluxe Package - $35 per person, per day
  • Refreshment Package - $14 per person, per day
  • Soda Package – Free extension

In the past, I recall other cruises that got extended due to weather have their packages extended for no additional cost. So the lesson here is never assume what the policy will be.

Should you cruise during hurricane season?

Hurricane Helene was a sobering reminder of how impactful a tropical storm can be for cruise vacations, but it shouldn't stop you from taking a cruise at all in the fall.

Hurricane season runs between June and the end of November, but most of the storms pop up primarily between August and October. This year saw a particularly quiet peak of hurricane season up until Helene.

The reality is it's unlikely that a hurricane will impact your cruise, but it's a possibility. Nevertheless, I think the lower than average prices for a cruise during this time of year makes it worth the risk.

However, it's important to be aware of those risks and understand cruise lines will do everything they can to keep their guests, crew members, and ship out of harms way.  So even if a storm does impact your sailing, the most likely scenario is your itinerary will be changed.

No matter what time of year you take a cruise, you should be flexible, buy travel insurance, and be prepared for changes.

As hurricane and tropical storm watches go up around the Gulf Coast of Florida, Royal Caribbean has already made changes to its cruise ship plans.

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring the path of Hurricane Helene and is predicting already a category 3 storm with winds of 120-125 mph.

This would make Helene a major Category 3 storm, and it's headed north from the Yucatan peninsula through the Gulf of Mexico.

Helene was upgraded on Wednesday to a category 1 hurricane with 80-mph sustained winds. The storm was centered about 85 miles east-northeast of Cozumel, Mexico, early Wednesday.

So far, Royal Caribbean has changed the four of its ships paths to avoid going anywhere near the projected path of the storm.

Wonder of the Seas

One of the biggest cruise ships in the world is getting re-routed to avoid Hurricane Helene.

Royal Caribbean has changed itineraries for Wonder of the Seas and she will go from a Western Caribbean sailing to an Eastern Caribbean one.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader David Elliott is on Wonder of the Seas and reported, "Captain has just announced that we will be cancelling all current stops on the Western route to go to the East route.  We will be going to St. Thomas and St. Maarten."

Wonder of the Seas is sailing from Port Canaveral on a 7-night cruise that began on September 22.

Passengers sailing on the ship posted in a Facebook group their relief at the change, "And the announcement is in. Glad we will all be safe," wrote Karen Henschke.

Tim Johnson added, "Thanks Captain Rob for keeping us safe"

Rachel Majure wrote she didn't like the new itinerary includes one less port of call, "So bummed they cut out a stop."

Serenade of the Seas

Royal Caribbean also changed the itinerary of Serenade of the Seas.

Just like Wonder, Serenade will swap out her original Western Caribbean itinerary for something else.  In this case, the ship will head to The Bahamas.

John Edwards is on Serenade and shared a copy of the letter given to passengers in their cabin.

"Along with our Chief Meteorologist, Craig Setzer, we’ve been monitoring inclement weather along our intended path due to a developing tropical storm in the Yucatan Channel. In order to stay safe and well clear of this tropical system, we have decided to head to the Eastern Caribbean instead of Western Caribbean for this sailing. 

"As a result, we will skip our visits to Cozumel and Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico, and visit Nassau and Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas instead. While this wasn’t the original itinerary planned, we know you’ll have a memorable time!"

Serenade will now visit Nassau, Bahamas on September 24 and Grand Bahama Island on September 25.

Mariner of the Seas

The September 21st sailing of Mariner of the Seas will also skip a stop in Mexico due to Helene.

While Mariner of the Seas made it to Costa Maya, Mexico on Monday, the ship will skip a visit to Cozumel in order to get clear of the area.

Guests sailing onboard the ship received a letter informing them of the change. Reddit user dawson33944 posted a copy of the letter.

"In order to stay safe and well clear of this tropical system, we have decided to skip our visit to Cozumel and enjoy a Sea Day instead," the letter read.

Mariner is scheduled to return to Galveston, Texas on Thursday.

Independence of the Seas

Just like Serenade of the Seas, Royal Caribbean skipped a visit to Cozumel and will instead remain in The Bahamas.

The September 21st sailing of Independence was scheduled to be a 5-night Western Caribbean cruise to Cozumel and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

While the ship did make it to CocoCay, the ship will remain in The Bahamas and visit Nassau instead.

Staying ahead of the storm

In the letters sent to guests aboard cruise ships with an altered itinerary, Royal Caribbean reminds passengers that, "being onboard is one of the safest places because we are faster and can move out of the way of any inclement weather."

Royal Caribbean Chief Meteorologist Craig Setzer shared an update on X on Tuesday expressing his view on the intensity of the storm as it comes closer to the United States.

"I never say "prepare for a cat 4", just "prepare for a hurricane" but there is major hurricane possibility," he wrote.

According to Setzer, the disturbance continues to experience wind shear from an upper low over southern Mexico. This has kept quick organization of the cyclone restricted overnight.

But the models show a major storm, and the question is always where it will go. He thinks one concern is how far east it will veer and impact the Tampa Bay area with storm surge, "The members on the right/east side of the track are all notably stronger, meaning if the storm favors a more east track then it will likely be more intense.  This implies significant storm surge risk to the Florida west coast including Tampa Bay."

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday declared a state of emergency for 41 counties along and near Florida's Gulf Coast because of threats from the storm.