Cruise Lines Reroute Ships to Avoid Hurricane Melissa’s Path

As Hurricane Melissa rapidly intensifies in the Caribbean, multiple major cruise lines — including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Carnival, and Margaritaville at Sea — have announced itinerary changes to keep ships safely out of the storm’s path.

Now a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 140 mph, Melissa is expected to strengthen further before making landfall in Jamaica late Monday or early Tuesday, bringing heavy rainfall, flooding, and potentially catastrophic winds to the island.

Royal Caribbean Reroutes Icon and Freedom Class Ships

Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, which departed Miami on October 25, has swapped its Eastern Caribbean itinerary for a Western Caribbean route. Originally scheduled to visit St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Perfect Day at CocoCay, the ship will now call at Cozumel and Roatán, while keeping CocoCay on the itinerary — with an earlier arrival time of 7 a.m. on October 31.

In a message to guests, Royal Caribbean said:

“To safely avoid the impacts of the developing storm, we have decided to switch our itinerary to the Western Caribbean instead of the Eastern Caribbean for this sailing.”

The cruise line is also monitoring conditions for other ships sailing near the region, including Adventure, Freedom, Harmony, and Rhapsody of the Seas, which could see adjustments depending on the storm’s movement.

Celebrity Beyond has been re-routed this week - Celebrity X

Celebrity Beyond Switches to Western Caribbean

Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Beyond will also now sail a Western Caribbean itinerary for its October 26 departure from Miami. The Edge-class ship was originally scheduled to visit Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic), St. Thomas, and St. Kitts, but will now call at Costa Maya (Mexico), Belize City (Belize), and Roatán (Honduras) instead.

Guests received an email from the cruise line confirming the change:

“To safely avoid the impacts from the storm, we have decided to switch our itinerary to the Western Caribbean instead of the Eastern Caribbean for this sailing. We sincerely apologize for this last-minute change caused by the weather – your safety is our top priority.”

All shore excursions for the cancelled ports are being automatically refunded as onboard credit, with any unused balance returned to the original payment method after the cruise.

Disney Cruise Line Makes Adjustments to Treasure and Wish Sailings

Disney Cruise Line has also made preemptive itinerary changes to avoid Hurricane Melissa’s projected path.

The Disney Treasure, which departed Port Canaveral on October 25, has shifted from an Eastern Caribbean itinerary to a Western route. The ship will skip Tortola and St. Thomas and instead call at Cozumel, Mexico, along with two visits to Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.

Disney said in a statement:

“We have been closely monitoring the storm’s forecasted track. Due to the possible impacts in the Caribbean, we have made the decision to change your itinerary.”

Meanwhile, Disney Wish’s October 27 sailing will continue as planned but will reorder its ports, visiting Castaway Cay on October 28 and Nassau on October 29 to stay clear of worsening conditions.

Margaritaville at Sea Islander Among First Affected

The Margaritaville at Sea Islander was among the first ships to reroute earlier in the week. The ship’s planned visits to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and George Town, Grand Cayman, were replaced with calls to Belize City and Roatán on October 22 and 23, respectively.

The cruise line confirmed the changes in a statement:

“Captain Theo and our itinerary planning team have been diligently working on a sailing schedule that safely navigates around Tropical Storm Melissa. Following assessment of the storm’s path, adjustments have been made to keep our guests safe.”

Carnival Cruise Line Monitoring the Situation

While Carnival Cruise Line has not yet confirmed any itinerary changes, brand ambassador John Heald reassured guests that the line’s Fleet Operations Center in Miami is closely tracking Hurricane Melissa’s movement.

“Safety is our priority, and we continue to track conditions carefully, factoring in guidance from the National Hurricane Center, U.S. Coast Guard, and local port authorities,” Heald said in an update on October 23.

Carnival noted that any itinerary changes would be announced as close to departure as possible to preserve original plans where safe to do so.

Hurricane Melissa’s Current Path

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Hurricane Melissa was located approximately 130 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica as of Sunday night. The storm’s slow westward movement and warm waters are fueling rapid intensification, and forecasters warn Melissa could reach Category 5 strength before making landfall.

Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Dr. Andrew Holness, has declared the nation a “threatened area”, activating emergency resources and pre-positioning supplies ahead of the storm. Heavy rainfall — up to 40 inches in some areas — is expected, with flooding and landslides likely across parts of Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.

After passing Jamaica, Melissa is forecast to turn northeast, potentially impacting the Turks & Caicos and Bahamas by midweek, meaning additional itinerary changes are still possible.

Bottom Line

With Hurricane Melissa strengthening and shifting unpredictably, cruise lines are taking no chances. From Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas to Disney Treasure and Celebrity Beyond, ships across the Caribbean are rerouting to ensure passenger safety.