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Hurricane Rafael has strengthened throughout Wednesday, causing greater concern for cruise travelers with sailings in the Gulf of Mexico over the next few days. Carnival Cruise Line has made several adjustments to different vessels, all with guests' safety as the top priority.
While the Atlantic Hurricane Season officially runs through November 30, such strong storms later in the season are a bit unusual. Still, all cruise lines are carefully watching the storm to ensure their ships remain safe.
"Our Fleet Operations Center in Miami continues to actively monitor Rafael, which has developed into a hurricane. The safety of our guests and crew is our priority and our ships will always maintain a safe distance from the storm," Carnival Cruise Line said.
Carnival Valor is currently sailing a 5-night Western Caribbean itinerary that departed New Orleans on Saturday, November 2. While the ship has not had any changes to this particular sailing, she is speeding up and will be arriving back at Port NOLA earlier than scheduled on Thursday, November 7.
This means that the debarkation of the current sailing will happen earlier than usual in order to get the ship ready for her next sailing and begin embarkation. Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed that Carnival Valor will depart New Orleans earlier than expected in order to keep out of the storm's path.
"To sail safely away from the storm, we will depart at 2:30 PM (CT), earlier than scheduled," the cruise line said.
Guests must still stick to their terminal arrival appointments, but all travelers must be checked in at the cruise terminal no later than 2 p.m. for the ship's earlier departure.
The 4-night Western Caribbean cruise is still expected to visit Cozumel as planned on Saturday, November 9, but that port of call may be adjusted if necessary.
Guests are urged to sign up for text alerts in case of further updates. The Carnival Hub app will also be updated and announcements will be made onboard if there are further changes for Carnival Valor.
Port Tampa Bay remains open but at Port Condition Whiskey, with the possibility of gale force winds within the next 72 hours. At the moment, however, all port operations remain open and there are no impacts to cruise schedules.
Carnival Paradise is finishing a 4-night Western Caribbean sailing that visited Cozumel on Tuesday, November 5, and the ship should arrive back in Tampa on schedule on Thursday, November 7.
There are no expected changes for the Fantasy class ship's next itinerary, her November 7 departure, which is another 4-night Western Caribbean cruise visiting Cozumel.
Carnival Miracle departed Galveston, Texas on Sunday, November 3 for a 12-night Southern Caribbean Carnival Journeys voyage. Unfortunately, Hurricane Rafael forced the cancellation of the ship's first port of call, Grand Cayman, on Wednesday, November 6.
The Spirit class vessel is continuing as planned on the remainder of the itinerary, with visits scheduled for Aruba on Friday, November 8; Bonaire on Saturday, November 9; and Curacao on Sunday, November 10, with no changes anticipated.
Furthermore, the ship's visit to Ocho Rios, Jamaica on November 12 is not expected to be impacted, nor is her return to Galveston on Friday, November 15 adjusted at this time.
Carnival Horizon is the most impacted ship in the Carnival fleet at this time. The Vista class vessel is currently sailing a 6-night Western Caribbean voyage that departed Miami on Sunday, November 3.
Guests were notified onboard that it was necessary to reverse the ship's itinerary to steer clear of the rough weather, and ultimately, the call to cancel the call to Grand Cayman that had been planned for Wednesday, November 6.
Announcements will be made onboard if further changes are necessary, and the Carnival Hub app will also be updated as needed.
Hurricane Rafael is currently located about 55 miles west-northwest of Havana and is moving northwest at 13 miles per hour.
The storm's intensity did peak at 115 miles per hour as a Category 3 hurricane late Wednesday afternoon. After making landfall across Cuba, however, Rafael has weakened somewhat with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph at of the most recent update from the National Hurricane Center, making it a Category 2 storm.
At this time, the storm is expected to maintain intensity over the next couple of days, though it will continue to generate rough water significantly away from its center.
Read Also: What to Do Onboard a Cruise Ship in Bad Weather
Travelers with any cruises booked for the Western Caribbean over the next few days should stay in close contact with their cruise line to keep updated about any itinerary changes, port cancellations, or other adjustments as necessary.