A large ship for a major international cruise line was recently forced to make an unplanned stop due to inclement weather. The Royal Caribbean boat Vision of the Seas unexpectedly docked in Port Canaveral, Florida – stepping away from its original voyage out of an abundance of caution.
The change was made to divert the boat from the path of Hurricane Erin, a potentially dangerous Category Four storm that is expected to cause high winds and threatening currents to several parts of the country.
The cruise line noted that it communicated with guests to keep them aware of the situation, and that they are monitoring weather patterns in order to take the best course of action.
Passengers said that the changes were made with two to three days notice, and that a planned trip to Bermuda as part of the cruise’s voyage was now cancelled.
“Royal Caribbean didn’t offer us anything of any options. They said this is the itinerary change. That’s it,” said one passenger, frustrated over the change and with the lack of a suitable option to make up for it.
The “Vision of the Seas” is one of Royal Caribbean’s older ships, built in 1998. The vessel is the last of its fleet, and was one of the last ships to be built for the cruise line before the dawn of the new millenium.
It was last renovated in 2013, long before some of the newer, larger Royal Caribbean ships that dominate the company’s current offerings. The Vision of the Seas moved to a new home port of Baltimore, where it’s expected to return Saturday after diverting from its original path in the name of safety.
Hurricane Erin is expected to affect the United States and the Caribbean throughout the week. Many areas are marked for emergency across the country, particularly along the Atlantic coast.
The storm is expected to produce extremely high winds, and it’s also expected to affect waters in its path, producing life-threatening and extremely dangerous currents.
Luma Energy in Puerto Rico noted that the storm caused power outages for thousands of customers, a trend that could continue when it gets closer to the main concentration of states.
