A new hurricane in the Western Caribbean is forcing Carnival Cruise Line to adjust the itineraries and operations of several ships.
According to an update shared by the company, at least four ships may be impacted by Rafael as the storm intensified into a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday.
“Our Fleet Operations Center in Miami continues to actively monitor Rafael, which has developed into a hurricane,” Carnival said.
“The safety of our guests and crew is our priority, and our ships will always maintain a safe distance from the storm,” the company continued.
Currently offering a 12-day voyage out of Galveston, the Carnival Miracle had to cancel a visit to Grand Cayman that was scheduled for Wednesday.
In a similar situation, the Carnival Horizon also cancelled its Wednesday visit to Grand Cayman. Sailing from Miami, the ship is offering a six-night cruise to the Western Caribbean.
According to Carnival, homeporting operations are also expected to be affected by Rafael, with two ships currently under watch.
Homeporting in New Orleans, the Carnival Valor is currently on its way to Louisiana and is set to dock earlier than scheduled on Thursday morning.
Departing on that same day, the ship’s upcoming sailing will start earlier in order to sail away from the storm, Carnival explained.
All passengers must be checked in by 2:00 PM, the company added, with a new projected departure time of 2:30 PM.
The Carnival Paradise is currently on its way to Tampa for its upcoming cruise, which is scheduled to depart on Thursday.
While Carnival doesn’t anticipate significant changes for the ship’s operational schedule, guests boarding the ship on that day are asked to sign up for text alerts by texting CCL1 to CRUISE (278473).
Other ships departing from Gulf Coast homeports over the next few days are not expected to be impacted by Hurricane Rafael, the company added.