Cruise Ships Divert To Avoid Hurricane Matthew In The Caribbean

At least 4-5 cruise lines have been forced to reroute ships in the Caribbean due to Hurricane Matthew, a category-4 hurricane that could intensify within the next couple days.

Two fishermen have died in rough water churned up by the approaching storm in Haiti, the Associated Press reported. Hurricane Matthew has now hit Haiti, where  home of Royal Caribbean International’s private beach resort Labadee, Jamaica and Cuba today before heading north to the Bahamas and the US east coast.

The category-four hurricane is bringing winds gusting up to 150 mph together with as much as 25 inches of rainfall, prompting flash flood and power failure warnings.

Hurricane Matthew, the most powerful Atlantic tropical storm in almost a decade, was gearing up to deliver a potentially devastating blow to the Caribbean as wary U.S. authorities began preparing for a possible landfall on the Atlantic Coast late in the week.

These are the statements from Disney Cruise and Royal Caribbean.

Disney Cruise Line

Disney Dream: The Disney Dream will sail to the western Caribbean, and will include a stop in Cozumel, Mexico, rather than its previous schedule that took it to the Bahamas, with stops in Nassau and Castaway Cay,.

The ship is scheduled to leave Port Canaveral on Monday, with a stop at Cozumel on Wednesday, before returning to Port Canaveral on Friday.

“While it’s still too early to tell if any future itineraries will need to be adjusted due to Hurricane Matthew, we are always prepared to visit alternate ports or spend days at sea to ensure the safety and comfort of our guests,” Disney said in a statement. “Disney Cruise Line is monitoring the weather conditions and predicted path of hurricane Matthew closely. We will continue to provide updates as they are available.”

Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas: Freedom of the Seas will now call on San Juan, Puerto Rico, instead of its scheduled call to CocoCay, Bahamas.

Freedom of the Seas, which left Port Canaveral on Sunday, will call on San Juan on Tuesday; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, on Wednesday; and Philipsburg, St. Maarten, on Thursday; before returning to Port Canaveral on Sunday.

Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas: Majesty will now call to Key West, Florida, instead of a scheduled call to Nassau, Bahamas.

Majesty of the Seas revised itinerary includes leaving Port Canaveral on Monday, with a stop in Key West on Wednesday and a stop in CocoCay, Bahamas, on Thursday; before returning to Port Canaveral on Friday.

“Royal Caribbean International continues to closely monitor the path and progress of Hurricane Matthew to ensure guests have an enjoyable and comfortable cruise,” the cruise line said in a statement. “Given the storm’s current location and projected path, we are rerouting some of our ships to ensure the safety of our guests and crew. Royal Caribbean International will continue to closely monitor weather conditions and will provide updates as soon as they become available.”

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Haiti was “getting everything a major hurricane can throw at them”.

Reports from the southern coast spoke of communities under water and buildings stripped of roofs.

Marie Alta Jean-Baptiste, director of the country’s Civil Protection Agency, told Associated Press: “It’s much too early to know how bad things are but we do know there are a lot of houses that have been destroyed or damaged in the south.”

One resident too ill to leave their home was killed when waves struck in the town of Port Salut.

Haiti’s Interim President Jocelerme Privert said earlier that some people at sea or who had not “respected alerts” had died, but he gave no figures.