Hurricane Melissa has been downgradds to category three with winds of 175 miles per hour on 30 October 2025 after landfall in Jamaica the previous day as a category five storm that causes three deaths on the island three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.
Jamaican ports remain closed to shipping and cruise vessels with assessments of damage under way at facilities in Montego Bay and Ocho Rios while the storm tracks northeast towards Cuba and the eastern Bahamas with tropical storm conditions forecast for those areas.
Cruise lines operating in the Caribbean between 24 and 31 October reroute at least 12 ships to avoid the storm’s path with no full sailings cancelled but multiple port calls in Jamaica the Virgin Islands and the Bahamas replaced by stops in Mexico Honduras and Belize.
- Carnival Cruise Line adjusted itineraries for five vessels including the Carnival Dream which skips Ocho Rios on 29 October for an extra sea day on its 14-night voyage from Galveston that started on 18 October and the Carnival Liberty which omits Montego Bay on its 26 October roundtrip from New Orleans. The Carnival Celebration Carnival Sunrise and Carnival Vista also shift to western Caribbean routes with calls at Cozumel Costa Maya and Roatan instead of eastern ports near the storm’s track.
- Royal Caribbean Group modified schedules for three ships with the Icon of the Seas replacing its eastern Caribbean plan with visits to Cozumel and Roatan on a sailing from Miami while the Harmony of the Seas drops Jamaica and Labadee in Haiti for western alternatives. The Odyssey of the Seas on a 14-night transatlantic from Rome that departed on 22 October skips the Azores on 30 October and adds Santa Cruz de Tenerife on 29 October to cross the south Atlantic away from Melissa and a separate low pressure system.
- Celebrity Cruises part of the same group rerouted the Celebrity Beyond from its 26 October eastern Caribbean departure from Miami to Costa Maya Belize and Roatan with excursions cancelled and refunds issued before sailing while the Celebrity Silhouette swaps Grand Cayman for Costa Maya on its six-day voyage that began on 26 October.
- Disney Cruise Line notified passengers on two ships of revisions with the Disney Treasure on a seven-night voyage from Port Canaveral that left on 25 October now visiting Cozumel on 28 October and Disney Castaway Cay on 30 October and 31 October in place of Tortola and St Thomas. The Disney Wish advances its Castaway Cay call and reorders ports on its 27 October sailing from Port Canaveral to steer clear of the storm’s remnants with port adventures removed from accounts for rebooking via the app or onboard desk.
- MSC Cruises diverted the MSC World America from its 25 October eastern Caribbean itinerary to western stops at Cozumel Costa Maya and Roatan avoiding Puerto Rico the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.
- Norwegian Cruise Line altered the Norwegian Joy’s schedule to replace Montego Bay and Ocho Rios on 29 and 30 October with an overnight in Cozumel on its voyage from New York.
- Margaritaville at Sea changed the Islander’s 19 to 26 October roundtrip from Tampa by substituting Ocho Rios and George Town Grand Cayman with Belize City on 22 October and Roatan on 23 October while its next sailing from 26 October heads to Cozumel Roatan Belize and Costa Maya.
- Princess Cruises adjusted the Regal Princess nearing the end of its 31-day repositioning from Southampton to Galveston that started on 28 September by cancelling Grand Cayman on 26 October for a sea day as the ship moves north of Cuba.
- Cunard Line revised the Queen Elizabeth’s transatlantic to cancel Amber Cove and Montego Bay for Costa Maya on 31 October and Roatan on 2 November before resuming the original plan.
Cruise lines issue emails and onboard letters to guests with no changes to fares or booking fees and options for rebooking excursions at new ports while urging passengers to monitor updates from the National Hurricane Center and local authorities.
The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association coordinates with ports and governments to support relief efforts once conditions stabilise with ships positioned to assist in aid delivery after assessments clear. Jamaica’s Ports Authority reports no vessel access until at least 1 November pending inspections for structural integrity and debris clearance amid power outages and flooding that affect terminal operations. Analysts estimate the diversions add two to three sea days per itinerary on average with lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean emphasising that ships remain the safest option during such events due to mobility and onboard resources.
The storm’s rapid intensification from tropical storm to category five in 24 hours prompts earlier precautions than in prior hurricanes like Erin in August with meteorologists noting small path shifts influenced decisions on routes through the central Caribbean.
John Heald shared “The line prioritises safety with decisions on route changes made close to departure times to retain original plans where possible.”
