Caribbean Cruise News: Hurricane Beryl Damages Caribbean Islands, Reroutes Itineraries
(July 4, 2024) -- Hurricane Beryl is sweeping across the Caribbean bound for Mexico after causing widespread destruction and devastation in Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Venezuela and Jamaica this past week.
The storm, which roared ashore in Jamaica on Wednesday, packed winds of up to 130 miles per hour (215 kilometres per hour), leaving many communities damaged or destroyed.
There is no word yet on damage to popular cruise ship ports of call like Ocho Rios or Montego Bay, but several vessels have had to alter their current itineraries to avoid Hurricane Beryl. This includes swapping the order of ports of call or, in some cases, opting to cruise the Eastern rather than the Western Caribbean.
Currently impacted sailings include, but are not limited to:
Margaritaville Islander departing Tampa July 2, 2024;
Grandeur of the Seas, departing Tampa July 1, 2024
Icon of the Seas, departing Miami June 29, 2024;
Wonder of the Seas, departing Port Canaveral June 30, 2024;
Harmony of the Seas, departing Galveston June 30, 2024;
Enchanted Princess, departing Port Everglades June 29, 2024;
Carnival Horizon, departing Miami June 30, 2024;
Carnival Liberty, departing New Orleans June 30, 2024;
Carnival Paradise, departing Tampa July 4, 2024;
Carnival Breeze, departing Galveston July 1, 2024;
Norwegian Breakaway, departing Miami June 30, 2024;
Norwegian Jade, departing Miami June 29, 2024
Hurricane Beryl is expected to come ashore near the popular cruise destinations of Cozumel and Playa del Carmen. The storm is scheduled to track over Progreso, a popular port of call on itineraries from Galveston and New Orleans.
Cruise Critic will update this story with additional information as it becomes available. Discussions about Hurricane Beryl and its impacts to current and future cruises are happening on our Carnival Cruise Line message boards and our Hurricane Zone 2024 message boards.
-- Aaron Saunders, Senior Editor, News and Features
San Juan Set for Major Cruise Upgrades
(April 11, 2024) -- One of the Caribbean's most popular destinations is going to be seeing some major investments that will benefit every passenger coming ashore.
Port infrastructure in San Juan, Puerto Rico will see a significant investment from Global Ports Holding, the largest cruise port operator in the world, which will put $100 million into critical infrastructure repairs to Pier 4 and Pan American Piers I and II, where most cruise ships currently dock.
The agreement will also see San Juan's cruise terminals upgraded and modernized, along with upgrades to the passenger gangways.
As part of a second-phase of investment that is still subject to certain criteria like the return of passenger volumes to pre-pandemic levels, Global Ports Holding will invest approximately $250 million in order to construct an entirely new cruise pier and terminal in San Juan, where Piers 11 and 12 currently exist.
That will allow the world's largest cruise ships to come alongside in San Juan, and will ensure a better experience for passengers visiting Puerto Rico by cruise ship.
“Our investment in this port will see hundreds of millions of dollars poured into the development and expansion of San Juan Cruise Port which will transform the port infrastructure, significantly improve the cruise port experience for passengers, and create greater opportunities for local businesses to benefit from the anticipated growth in passenger volumes," said San Juan Cruise Port president, Jan Fomferra,
"We look forward to delivering a world-class cruise port that will benefit Puerto Rico and the entire region, boosting the economies of the entire Caribbean cruise industry for many years to come.”
No timeline was given for the improvements or new terminal facilities.
-- Aaron Saunders, Senior Editor, News and Features