MSC Cruise Ship Overnights in Florida, Skips Port Due to Weather

As she sadly generally does, Mom Nature has pressured one other cruise ship to change its itinerary. 

MSC Meraviglia, which is concurrently working a 7-night and 18-night Bahamas crusing that embarked from New York on January 5, 2025, has needed to alter course resulting from poor climate circumstances. 

The flagship of MSC’s Meraviglia-class vessels referred to as on Port Canaveral, Florida, as deliberate on January 7, 2025 – which was the primary cease on the itinerary. 

However whereas passengers anticipated to be crusing again to sea round 9 p.m. EST, the climate led to a change of plans that saved the 171,598-gross ton ship in port in a single day. 

Present visitors even have reported that the decision on Ocean Cay scheduled for January 9 – which is MSC’s personal island vacation spot and marine reserve within the Bahamas – may also need to be skipped. 

“We’re on the MSC Meraviglia and so they introduced that we’re staying in a single day in Port Canaveral and skipping Ocean Cay…This is because of climate,” one of many present visitors posted on Reddit on January 7.

“Itinerary modified resulting from climate. No Ocean Cay. Extra Port Canaveral,” one other passenger confirmed on Fb.

However between Port Canaveral and Ocean Cay, there may be one other port name scheduled. The 5,714-guest ship is predicted in Nassau, Bahamas, on January 8 – and it’s to this point unclear if the shock in a single day in Orlando will affect her go to. 

That mentioned, cruise monitoring information reveals that the MSC ship isn’t resulting from arrive in Nassau till 1 p.m. native time. Due to its shut proximity to Florida, it’s fairly attainable that the ship might nonetheless arrive within the capital of the Bahamas on time in the event that they depart from Orlando early sufficient within the morning. 

This example continues to be creating and MSC Cruises has not launched any statements concerning the matter as of the time of publication. 

Ought to Dangerous Climate Result in Compensation?

One query on many visitors’ minds was if they’d be compensated by MSC for the missed name on MSC Ocean Cay – which many noticed because the spotlight of their trip. 

Nevertheless, frequent cruisers know that security is at all times the highest precedence – and the cruise strains have the best to vary the itinerary at any time for a mess of causes. Which means compensation is unlikely on this case.

“MSC cannot management the climate…So far as compensation, don’t get your hopes up. It isn’t their fault, and so they make very certain you understand that missed ports can occur,” one particular person wrote in response to a query about potential compensation.

“I’m actually on the identical journey…and we’re so bummed that they’re skipping ocean cay…that was gonna be the spotlight of the journey…however I suppose they gained’t refund something moreover the excursions,” one other present passenger wrote.

Former visitors who had skilled related circumstances mentioned they solely obtained a refund for the port charges and cancelled excursions. 

Learn Additionally: What to Do Onboard a Cruise Ship in Dangerous Climate

At the moment, Port Canaveral is below a Hazardous Climate Outlook advisory by the Nationwide Climate Service that claims the realm is impacted by winds of as much as 20 knots, seas as much as 6 to eight toes tall, and doubtlessly life-threatening rip currents. 

“A average threat of life-threatening rip currents, along with a powerful, southward-flowing longshore present, exists in any respect central Florida Atlantic seashores…Poor to hazardous boating circumstances proceed, with northwest winds 15 to twenty knots and seas as much as 6 to eight toes within the Gulf Stream,” reads the advisory, partly. 

Whereas cruise ships are outfitted to deal with tough seas, it’s merely safer to keep away from them – if solely to assist hold passengers snug. Some visitors have already shared that the voyage to Port Canaveral was disagreeable. 

“What a tough journey tonight. Couldn’t get pleasure from gala evening and my lobster dinner. Movement illness, my son and I. Even with Dramamine,” one visitor wrote.

That mentioned, it’s additionally attainable that the circumstances are additionally poor in Ocean Cay. In accordance with early stories from present passengers and cruise monitoring information, MSC Divina can be turning its January 7 name on Ocean Cay into an sudden in a single day name resulting from excessive winds.