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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines
Published: 09 September 2017 09 September 2017

Royal Caribbean International provided the following Hurricane Irma update on September 9 at 6 pm:

"We are closely monitoring Hurricane Irma’s path and its potential impact to our current and upcoming sailings. Royal Caribbean’s Chief Meteorologist, James Van Fleet, is closely tracking the storm’s progress, and the current forecast is as follows:

Hurricane Irma is a category 3 storm with sustained winds of 125 mph. The storm is currently located between Cuba and the Lower Keys and is moving northwest at 9 mph. The storm should exit the Florida area late Monday, pre-dawn Tuesday.

We are mobilizing ships and supplies to help people in need. In coordination with the US and local governments we are dispatching ships to St. Thomas and St. Maarten and stand ready to assist Key West, Tampa and other locations. Presently, Adventure of the Seas will make a humanitarian stop in St. Maarten on Sunday and Majesty of the Seas will make humanitarian calls in St. Thomas and St. Maarten to provide supplies and also assist in transporting evacuees in St. Maarten to safety. Additionally, we have Empress of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas ready to assist Key West and Tampa once the impact of the storm is known.

The following sailings are departing as scheduled:

– Liberty of the Seas: September 10 Western Caribbean cruise

– Serenade of the Seas: September 10 New England/Canada cruise

The following sailings are canceled:

– NEW: Majesty of the Seas: September 15 Bahamas cruise

We are cancelling this cruise to utilize the ship for humanitarian efforts in areas of the Caribbean with urgent need.

For both the Empress sailing on 9/9 and the Majesty sailing on 9/15, the cruise fare and fees will be 100% refunded to the original form of payment, and we are also offering a 25% future cruise credit, based on the cruise fare, if a new cruise is booked in the next 30 days. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call 1-800-256-6649.

– Majesty of the Seas (CHARTER): September 11 Bahamas cruise

Thirty One Gifts has made the decision to cancel this sailing. If you have any questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The following sailings are being modified:

– Allure of the Seas: September 10 Western Caribbean cruise

The new departure date will be on Wednesday, 9/13 and we will sail a 4-night itinerary, with an overnight in Nassau, Bahamas. We will continue to watch the path of the storm, and if Nassau as a port of call is no longer an option, we will instead call on our private island of Labadee, Haiti, which has weathered the storm well.

We know this change is disappointing, and we are truly sorry for the storm’s impact on your vacation. Should you choose to sail with us we will provide you with a refund of 50% of your cruise fare paid in the form of a refundable onboard credit, and an additional 50% future cruise credit.

– Harmony of the Seas: September 9 Eastern Caribbean cruise

The new departure date will now be on Tuesday, 9/12 and we will sail a 4-night itinerary to Cozumel, Mexico. We know this change is disappointing, and we are truly sorry. Should you choose to sail with us we will provide you with a refund of 50% of your cruise fare paid in the form of a refundable onboard credit, and an additional 50% future cruise credit.

– Oasis of the Seas: September 10 Eastern Caribbean cruise

The new departure date will now be on Wednesday, 9/13 and we will sail a 4-night itinerary to Cozumel, Mexico. We know this change is disappointing, and we are truly sorry. Should you choose to sail with us, your refund will be increased to 50% of your cruise fare paid in the form of a refundable onboard credit, as well as an additional 50% future cruise credit.

– Enchantment of the Seas: September 11 Bahamas cruise

The new departure date will be Tuesday, 9/12 and we will sail a 3-night itinerary to the Bahamas. Given the unpredictability of Irma, we will advise if there are any changes to the itinerary as soon as we know. We know this change is disappointing, and we are truly sorry. Should you choose to sail with us we will provide you with a refund of 25% of your cruise fare paid in the form of a refundable onboard credit.

Given the changes to these sailings, if you are unable to travel and need to cancel your cruise, we will provide you with a 100% future cruise credit. Pre-booked shore excursions will be refunded to your original form of payment, and you will have the ability to book excursions in our new ports of call once onboard," Royal Caribbean International said in a statement.