September 9, 2004 -- Hurricane Frances made an all-points tour of Florida last week, forcing temporary closure of the state's commercial ports and the cancellation, rerouting, or delayed return of dozens of cruises.
All four of Florida's main cruise ports- the Port of Miami, Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale), the Port of Tampa, and Port Canaveral -- were shut down by the storm. Port Canaveral was by far the worst hit, with sand washed in by the storm clogging its shipping channel. At press time, the port remains closed to all vessels pending emergency dredging and a full inspection of the harbor and its approaches.
At its peak, Frances reached Category 4 strength, with winds of 145 mph. After dousing the Florida Panhandle over the Labor Day weekend, the storm finally dispersed Monday night over Georgia and Alabama.
Its impact on passenger and cargo shipping has been enormous.
"Never in our company's history has a hurricane been so disruptive," said Howard Frank, vice chairman and COO for Carnival Corporation & plc. "The storm struck Florida for a prolonged period over a weekend, when many of our ships were scheduled to embark and disembark guests, significantly magnifying the impact."
Miami, the busiest of the cruise ports, was spared the worst of the storm, though its port was still shut until Monday morning. Ditto for Port Everglades. The port of Tampa reopened late Monday night.
Currently, the following sailings are still affected by storm damage:
* Carnival Fantasy: The three-day cruise scheduled to depart Port Canaveral on Thurs., Sept. 9, will sail from Miami instead, departing at 10pm. Guests scheduled to sail on this voyage will be provided complimentary bus service from the Orlando airport and Port Canaveral to Miami. The voyage is scheduled to terminate in Port Canaveral on Sun., Sept. 12. Guests will receive a $50 per person shipboard credit.
* Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas: Sunday's schedule departure from Port Canaveral was delayed till Tuesday evening, Sept. 7, when the ship finally sailed from Miami. The vessel will return to Miami the morning of Sept. 12. Guests on this cruise will receive an onboard credit of $500 per stateroom and a certificate for a 50 percent discount on a future Royal Caribbean sailing of seven nights or less, which departs on or before December 15, 2005, excluding holidays. Guests booked on this sailing who canceled their cruise will receive a full refund.
* Royal Caribbean Sovereign of the Seas: Sovereign's 3-night cruise scheduled for Friday, Sept. 10, will sail from Port Everglades instead of Port Canaveral. Departure will also be delayed until 8pm to allow all guests to reach the port. The ship will sail a modified itinerary, visiting Nassau, Bahamas, from 8am. to midnight on Saturday and return to Port Everglades on Monday morning, Sept. 13. Royal Caribbean will transport guests from Port Canaveral and the Orlando airport to Port Everglades for this sailing. The company also will return guests to those locations at the conclusion of this sailing.
* Disney Wonder: Wonder's 3-night sailing scheduled to depart Port Canaveral Sept. 9 will instead sail from Port Everglades. Complimentary transfers will be provided from Orlando International Airport, Walt Disney Resorts, Miami International Airport, Ft. Lauderdale International Airport, and Port Canaveral. The line anticipates debarkation in Port Canaveral on Sunday, Sept. 12, pending the port reopening. At press time, no changes have been made to Disney Magic's next sailing, due to depart Port Canaveral on Saturday, Sept. 11.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Ivan is already wrecking havoc in the southern Caribbean. The storm struck the spice island of Grenada on Tuesday, inflicting serious damage and killing at least three people. Also affected were nearby St. Lucia, Barbados, and St. Vincent. Other islands in the Caribbean are under hurricane and tropical storm watches. At present, several ships -- including Carnival's Destiny and Royal Caribbean's Adventure, Enchantment, and Grandeur of the Seas --have modified their itineraries to avoid the storm area.
Passengers booked on upcoming Caribbean cruises are advised to contact their travel agents or cruise line for updates.
Carnival: (888/CARNIVAL; www.carnival.com)
Celebrity: (800/437-3111; www.celebrity.com)
Disney Cruise Line: (888/DCL-2500; www.disneycruise.com)
Holland America Line: (877/SAIL-HAL; www.hollandamerica.com)
Norwegian Cruise Line: (800/327-7030; www.ncl.com)
Royal Caribbean: (800/398-9819; www.royalcaribbean.com)