Post Irma – Business as Usual!

It has been a heart wrenching couple of weeks since Hurricane Irma and Maria wreaked havoc in Florida and the Islands of the Caribbean,  I have received many calls from concerned passengers passengers booked to cruise in the Caribbean in the coming months all very upset to see the destruction and devastation caused by the hurricanes in recent weeks and whilst understanding that tourism is such a vital lifeline to those islands of course have been concerned about changes to itineraries and ports that will be cancelled but the good news is things are gradually getting back to normal and the message is BUSINESS AS USUAL  for most cruise lines, yes there will no doubt be itinerary changes as the true impact of recent events is gradually addressed on a day by day cruise by cruise basis

Two weeks after Hurricane Irma devastated the Florida Keys, the first cruise ship docked Sunday in this southernmost city providing the first boost of tourist dollars to the storm-ravaged area.

Worst affected areas are St. Thomas and St. Maarten – both off cruise schedules for weeks and maybe months. Several other popular cruise destinations including Tortola in the British Virgin Islands also are still closed

Hurricane re-deployments are pushing up numbers at Caribbean destinations that weren’t badly impacted. Already busy ports like Antigua, Bermuda, Martinique and Jamaica have added nearly 360 additional calls from a wide range of cruise lines.

Fortunately many of the Western Caribbean ports were lucky to miss major impact such as Falmouth, Jamaica; and Belize. Nor did they affect Southern Caribbean cruise destinations such as Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, St. Lucia and Barbados.

Although other popular Caribbean ports of call may have been impacted by Hurricane Irma, including San Juan and Cuba, these ports are open and accepting cruise traffic. Grand Turk appears to be the only other cruise port that is “not quite ready” to welcome cruisers. All cruise lines have also indicated that no private islands were significantly impacted by the storm and are fully functioning at this time.

Royal Caribbean has called on the industry to support the Caribbean now more than ever as their Miami office re-opened on Tuesday after it was forced to close for five days during the hurricane.

A total of 14 Royal Caribbean International sailings were impacted by Irma, while two Celebrity Cruises itineraries were amended this week reporting ”our thoughts are with the Caribbean now more than ever. It’s so important we continue to visit and support the islands which we are very committed to.”

Some of the islands are still in recovery mode,  not stable enough to cope with even a mild storm. There is lots of loose debris which poses a huge risk so probably don’t want too many tourists visiting whilst they are trying to rebuild their infrastructure.

It is a difficult time for many cruise passengers as everyone realises that tourism is such a vital lifeline to those islands for much needed revenue and want to support the affected areas but at the same time do the islanders really want too many tourists visiting whilst they are trying to rebuild their infrastructure?

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has set a target to raise $2.5 million for hurricane relief efforts in Florida and the Caribbean.

The owner of Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises is committing to match up to $1.25 million of donations from passengers, staff, suppliers and partners.

The company is making a $600,000 initial donation towards the ‘Hope Starts Here’ hurricane relief campaign.

Oceania Cruises in the UK will be making a charitable donation of £350 per booking, matched by an equal saving of £350 when clients book balcony accommodation and above on a number of Caribbean sailings.

With ongoing support like this from these major cruise lines and continued passenger support lets hope the destinations will recover so don’t stop booking your Caribbean cruise – the people will be even more welcoming, the weather will still be amazing and the beaches will still be the best in the world!!