Storm Front Causing Issues for Cruise Ships in the Bahamas

A weather front in southern Florida and the Bahamas is causing cruise ships to cancel port calls this weekend. The cold front will move off northeastern Florida early Friday, causing an increase in winds and seas. Minimal gale-force winds are expected late Saturday into early Sunday, with seas of 12-16 ft and the strongest winds northeast of the Bahamas.

This weekend is a busy one in the Bahamas as the winter cruise season is at full capacity currently. It means that several cruise ships have already been affected by the system or are in danger of being affected.

Norwegian Cruise Line Already Canceled Several Port Calls

A storm system and cold front is making its way down the coast of the eastern United States and is already causing increased winds in the Bahamas. The weather system is expected to increase in strength over the next 48 hours, affecting several cruise ships sailing in the area. 

One of the cruise ships affected by this storm system is the Norwegian Prima. The ship’s itinerary has already been changed, and it has canceled its call to Great Stirrup Cay on Saturday, January 14. Instead, the ship will shelter from the storm. Guests onboard were told the reason for the change was gale-force winds and 15-foot seas.

Another cruise ship, the Norwegian Escape, has also canceled its call to Great Stirrup Cay, which was supposed to take place today, January 13th. The reason for canceling these calls is likely that tendering in these conditions would prove to be too dangerous. 

For now, Royal Caribbean cruise ships calling at Perfect Day at CocoCay are still able to dock, although conditions could be more challenging on Saturday.

According to Royal Caribbean’s fleet weatherman, James van Fleet, the storm system’s highest winds around the Bahamas will be on Saturday and could make for some challenges docking in some ports.

The weather forecast shows winds gusting up to and over 40 miles per hour, focused mostly on Northern Bahamas. The storm system is not expected to leave the area around the Bahamas until late on Sunday Evening.

Several Cruise Ships Could be Affected this Weekend

Several cruise ships are scheduled to make calls in the Bahamas this Saturday, including the Scarlet Lady, which is due at Bimini, Brilliance of the Seas at Freeport, Disney Dream at Castaway Cay, and Carnival Freedom at Princess Cays.

Carnival Sunshine, Carnival Liberty, Disney Wish, Freedom Of The Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Norwegian Pearl, and Norwegian Encore are all due in Nassau on Saturday, where temperatures are not expected to exceed the mid-sixties, with winds gusting up to 42 miles per hour. All of these ships could be impacted by the storm system.

As the storm is not expected to pass until Sunday evening, ships with calls in the Bahamas on Sunday could also be impacted, these include Carnival Conquest, Disney Wish, Freedom of the Seas, and several others.

Cruise ships are continuously closely monitoring the weather conditions and make adjustments to their itineraries as necessary to ensure the safety of their passengers and crew. However, this storm front is causing a disruption to the plans of many cruise ship passengers this weekend.