Which Caribbean ports have been worst affected by the hurricane?

I don’t think any of us will have missed the recent news of the hurricanes that have swept the Caribbean and Florida. With so much that has gone on and so many parts affected it is hard to keep up. I have managed to find an up to date list of the current status of each island that I will list below which I found over at Cruise Critic, the most recent update was 19th September 2017.

Of course even by having an insight into what is happening at each port, how are you meant to know if your upcoming cruise will be affected? I have of course had calls from some of my clients with cruises upcoming in that area in the not so distant future. The cruise lines generally monitor these situations and make any changes or alterations necessary closer to departure time as situations can change quickly. All we can do is wait to hear of notifications from these cruise lines of any changes which we will of course inform our clients of at the earliest opportunity, until then we have to assume things will continue as planned.

In the meantime here is the list I found giving an idea of the situation over there :-

 

OPEN AT THIS TIME

Bahamas

Cruise Ports: Nassau; Freeport; cruise line private islands

The Port of Nassau, and other ports around The Bahamas, are open.

Bahamasair resumed service into the United States on September 12 at Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Orlando International Airport and Miami International Airport. While airlines are operating international flights out of Grand Bahama International Airport, U.S. customs and border pre-clearance is currently unavailable and will be reinstated at a later date. Out Islands International service has resumed from Exuma International Airport in The Exumas and Marsh Harbour Airport in The Abacos.

Nassau and Paradise Island hotels received no damage. The majority of hotel and resorts throughout The Islands of The Bahamas are operating as usual or are expected to reopen on their regularly scheduled dates.

Half Moon Cay: Carnival brand ambassador John Heald is reporting that there is minimal beach erosion and no major damage at the private island, and that Carnival Corp. brands plan to call there very soon.

Great Stirrup Cay: According to a statement from Norwegian Cruise Line, Great Stirrup Cay was unaffected by Hurricane Irma and is receiving cruise ships.

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St. Kitts

Cruise Port: Basseterre

St. Kitts is back on a hurricane warning for Maria as of September 17.

The port of Basseterre was one of the first cruise ports to re-open following Hurricane Irma; Carnival Fascination called on September 8. St. Kitts & Nevis sustained minimal damage from Irma overall, and St. Kitts’ Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport is open.

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Nevis

Cruise Port: Charlestown

Nevis is back on a hurricane warning for Maria as of September 17.

The port in Charlestown and Nevis’ Vance W. Amory International Airport are currently open.

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U.S. Virgin Islands

Cruise Port: St. Croix

The ports of the U.S. Virgin Islands are back on a hurricane warning for Maria as of September 17.

While fellow U.S. Virgin Islands St. Thomas and St. John were far more impacted by Irma, all seaports on St. Croix are currently open and operational. The Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix is also open. JetBlue resumed operations on the island on September 8, and American Airlines followed on September 12.

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Barbados

Cruise Port: Bridgetown

The Port of Bridgetown is open at this time. Calls from Carnival Fascination began on September 13.

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Antigua

Cruise Port: St. John’s

Antigua escaped much of the damage caused by Hurricane Irma. The next scheduled call on St. John’s was Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas on September 19, which has since been diverted to Aruba due to Hurricane Maria.

Antigua’s V.C. Bird International Airport opened for all flights on Thursday, September 7. Unfortunately, sister island Barbuda was severely impacted by the storm.

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Haiti

Cruise Port: Labadee

Haiti was relatively unscathed by Irma. All services remain in operation and the country continues to welcome visitors. Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas called on Labadee, Royal’s private island, on September 14.

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Cuba

Cruise Ports: Havana; Cienfuegos; Santiago de Cuba

According to a statement from Norwegian Cruise Line, “We have received confirmation that the port facilities in Havana were not impacted by the storm and our tour operators are ready to receive cruise guests.” Norwegian Sky’s four-day cruise to Cuba departing on September 18 sailed as scheduled. Hurricane Irma passed over the northern portion of Cuba, and it was been reported that Havana experienced major flooding, with widespread power outages and wind damage. Both Delta and JetBlue have resumed flights to Havana.

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Dominican Republic

Cruise Port: Amber Cove; La Romana; Samana; Santo Domingo

The ports of the Dominican Republic emerged from Irma without major damage. Punta Cana International Airport resumed normal operations and the area’s hotel sector is reporting no major damage. Ships began sailing back to Amber Cove shortly after the storm.

Parts of the northern and eastern D.R. are in the path of Hurricane Maria, however, and the island is evacuating tourists early from resorts. Carnival Glory had been slated to dock there on September 21; that itinerary has been changed.

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Anguilla

Cruise Port: Road Bay

The Road Bay Port at Sandy Ground reopened after Irma and is able to receive cargo, but no cruise ship calls are on the schedule for the month of September.

The Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport is now open from sunrise to sunset for charter and emergency flights. Anguilla Air Services is currently operating into St. Kitts and Antigua, taking persons to connect out of those hubs and also bringing persons into Anguilla.

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Cruise Port: Martinique

The Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport is now open and ports re-open September 20.

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CLOSED

Puerto Rico

Cruise Port: San Juan

Puerto Rico is on a hurricane warning for Maria as of September 19, with the storm expected to hit on Wednesday, September 20. Puerto Rico’s governor has declared a state of emergency and ordered a number of evacuations for parts of the U.S. territory.

According to a tweet from NBC news, the San Juan airport will close by 7 p.m. on September 19, ahead of the storm. According to a statement from the Caribbean Tourism Organization, the airport is expected to re-open on September 21 to assess damage.

After Irma, the Port of San Juan started receiving ships on September 9. Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas and Carnival Fascination, the two ships that homeport in San Juan, sailed on September 9 and September 10, respectively. The island had also served as a staging ground for evacuees from other islands affected by Hurricane Irma.

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ASSESSING DAMAGE

Guadeloupe

Cruise Port: Pointe-a-Pitre

Hurricane Maria hit the southern shores of the French island of Guadeloupe on September 18, causing flooding and obstruction of roads from debris. The island’s airport is closed.

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The Florida Keys

Cruise Ports: Key West

The Florida Keys sustained serious damage and flooding as a result of Hurricane Irma.

Monroe County includes the Florida Keys with Key West as its county seat. According to a September 18 statement on the Monroe County Facebook page: “Monroe County remains closed to anyone who is not a Keys resident or is working in official capacity with the hurricane relief effort, and the curfew remains in place.”

According to a statement from Royal Carribean: “The government of Key West has shared that they expect to be open to tourism by October 20.” Royal Caribbean’s Empress of the Seas, which was scheduled to call on September 14, will head to Key West “as soon as it’s safe,” according to Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. Bayley explained during an interview on Good Morning America Sunday that the ship would bring supplies like water and ice, and “really help out with the efforts as best as we can.”

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Turks & Caicos

Cruise Port: Grand Turk

Contrary to a previous statement, Carnival’s brand ambassador John Heald posted on his Facebook page: “The latest assessments from Grand Turk indicate that the island is going to need a little more time to be ready for cruise guests so will not be sailing there next week after all.”

This affects Carnival Magic, Carnival Conquest, Carnival Sensation and Carnival Glory. Magic, Conquest and Glory have replaced Grand Turk’s upcoming calls with the line’s private port, Amber Cove; Sensation will instead call at Freeport.

Several of the hotel properties on Turks & Caicos were scheduled for annual closure prior to Irma. Some properties have elected to remain closed to assess any damage to their properties and are looking to reopen in the beginning or middle of October.

The Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority re-opened Providenciales International Airport for scheduled flights as of 11 a.m. on Monday, September 11.

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SEVERELY DAMAGED

Dominica

Cruise Port: Roseau

Hurricane Maria hit Dominica as a Category 5 storm on September 18. The island’s Prime Minister said that initial reports were of widespread devastation, with most homes losing roofs from the 160 mph winds. The government of Trinidad & Tobago have offered their assistance and plan to mobilize defense personnel as soon as it’s deemed safe. A supply vessel is also being sent.

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St. Maarten/St. Martin

Cruise Port: Philipsburg (St. Maarten); Marigot (St. Martin)

St. Maarten/St. Martin are back on a hurricane watch for Maria as of September 17.

Both the Dutch and French sides of the island were severely impacted during Hurricane Irma and are closed to cruise business. On Sunday, September 10, Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas made a humanitarian stop in St. Martin, escorted by the Dutch navy. “We were able to tie up, and we landed much-needed provisions: water, ice, garbage bags, clothing, canned food,” Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, said during an interview on Good Morning America. “We were able to evacuate around 320 tourists and local people who needed help and needed to get out of St. Martin…we’re taking them on to the ABC islands , where they’ll probably disembark.”

Director of tourism for Dutch St. Maarten Rolando Brison reported some visitors were also been evacuated to Montreal, Canada and other locations. The Princess Juliana International Airport re-opened on September 10 to receive flights bringing in relief supplies and to evacuate guests, but no passengers — including media — are being allowed in at the moment due to a shortage of staff.

Land-based resorts were severely damaged, including hotel chain Sonesta, which has canceled all reservations on the island through the remainder of 2017.

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U.S. Virgin Islands

Cruise Ports: St. Thomas; St. John

The ports of the U.S. Virgin Islands are back on a hurricane watch for Maria as of September 17.

It is reported that all seaports in the St. Thomas/St. John district are open, but not to cruise passengers. Cruise lines Norwegian and Royal Caribbean have sent ships to deliver supplies and pick up evacuees.

Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas arrived in the Charlotte Amalie harbor on September 12 and departed September 13, taking residents and visitors to the Port of San Juan. The American Red Cross and the Government of Puerto Rico coordinated support on the ground in San Juan and helped to re-book flights for passengers arriving from Majesty of the Seas.

Norwegian Sky departed the islands on September 12 and arrived at the Port of Miami on September 14.

The Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas received extensive damage during Hurricane Irma and is only open to emergency relief flights at this time. The airport is currently conducting assessments and cleanup to determine when commercial flights can return to the island. There is no commercial airport on the island of St. John.

Ferry service between Cruz Bay, St. John and Red Hook, St. Thomas is limited to daylight hours only.

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British Virgin Islands

Cruise Port: Tortola

The British Virgin Islands are back on a hurricane warning for Maria as of September 17.

The cruise port in Tortola is currently closed. The destruction caused by Hurricane Irma in the British Virgin Islands has been “devastating,” according to a statement from Sharon Flax-Brutus, the director of tourism. With downed cell phone towers down and power outages, communication within the territory has been difficult, impacting the ability to fully assess the damage. The destination has lost entire structures and many homes are without roofs, or have been diminished to their foundations.

On September 11, the team on the ground helped American visitors board a ferry to St. Thomas for transportation to Miami via Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas and Norwegian Sky.

The government has begun to coordinate humanitarian relief efforts and an initial clean-up operation. The United Kingdom has sent relief and support.

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St. Barts

Cruise Port: Gustavia

St. Bart’s is back on a hurricane watch for Maria as of September 17.

St. Bart’s was heavily impacted by Hurricane Irma, which destroyed government buildings and badly damaged private homes and hotels. The French government has sent people and supplies to the country to assist with recovery efforts, and French President Emmanuel Macron visited on September 13. On September 14, the island’s airport reopened to commercial flights, and the harbor is open to relief efforts. Roadways have been cleared, water production has resumed and electricity is being restored.

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Barbuda

Cruise Port: Low Bay Beach

A tropical storm warning is in effect for Maria as of September 17.

The cruise port in Barbuda is closed. The island of approximately 1,800 residents — a twin to the better-known Antigua — was severely impacted by Hurricane Irma, which passed directly over the small island, resulting in one fatality. Prime Minister Gaston Browne said 90 percent of homes were destroyed as a result of the storm, and Barbuda’s hotel infrastructure was also damaged.