Cruise lines cancel sailings from Port Canaveral, which expects to close by Saturday
Port Canaveral will likely close on Saturday or sooner because of Hurricane Irma, Port Chief Executive Officer John Murray said Wednesday afternoon.
The official decision to close the port, based on deteriorating weather conditions, will be made by the U.S. Coast Guard's captain of the port.
So far, Carnival, Disney and Royal Caribbean have canceled at least five cruises out of Port Canaveral, as Hurricane Irma approaches Florida.
Additionally, some of their cruise ships are returning to Port Canaveral from current cruises earlier than expected because of the storm.
Florida's two other major cruise ports — Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades and the Port of Miami — are similarly affected.
"Three of the busiest ports in the world, and a storm that looks like it's going to run over all three of them," Murray said.
Murray said the timing of a reopening of Port Canaveral would depend on how quickly the hurricane passes, as well as the condition of the port's shipping channel and the port's facilities.
During a news conference at the port's Interagency Maritime Operations Center, Port Canaveral, Coast Guard and Brevard County Sheriff Office officials encouraged people to get their boats out of the port as soon as possible before weather conditions get worse.
Brevard County Sheriff's Office Cmdr. Linda Moros said boat owners could face a $40,000-a-day fine if they disobey.
Murray said about 70 boats are affected, and many boat owners already have complied by either leaving the port or getting their boats out of the water.
In addition to being illegal, Murray said, "this is not a safe place to keep a boat" during a hurricane.
Jetty Park closing: The port plans to close Jetty Park and its campground at noon Thursday.
Parking banned: Port Canaveral said all reservations for parking at port cruise terminals between Wednesday and Sunday are being canceled.
Anyone who has paid online will be given a full refund to the form of payment provided. This refund should be received within seven days. Emails were sent to all reservations, with this information.
Public parking is not permitted in our cruise parking garages. Violators will be towed.
Cargo ships: Several cargo ships that were due to enter the port in the coming days also have delayed their Port Canaveral stops until at least next week due to the storm.
Condition Whiskey: Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Jason Kling said the port now is at Hurricane Condition Whiskey ,meaning that sustained gale force winds are predicted within 72 hours.
Among the cruise lines with ships at Port Canaveral:
• Carnival canceled Thursday's departure of the 2,974-passenger Carnival Liberty from Port Canaveral, as well as Friday's departure of the 2,758-passenger Carnival Victory from Miami. Both were scheduled to sail on three-day cruises to the Bahamas. Passengers will get full refunds.
• Disney canceled Saturday's sailing of the 2,500-passenger Disney Fantasy, as well as the Friday and Monday sailings of the 2,500-passenger Disney Dream. Both ships are based in Port Canaveral, and also were bound for the Bahamas.
• Royal Caribbean canceled two sailings to the Bahamas scheduled to begin on Friday aboard the 2,350-passenger Majesty of the Seas from Port Canaveral and the 2,446-passenger Enchantment of the Seas from Miami.
Royal Caribbean also added Saturday's voyage of the 1,840-passenger, Tampa-based Empress of the Seas to its list of canceled departures.
Norwegian canceled Friday's departure of the 2,004-passenger Norwegian Sky and Saturday's departure of the 4,248-passenger Norwegian Escape. Both ships are based in Miami.
Hurricane Irma: A complete list of cruises canceled, delayed
In a sign of the industry's growing concern about Irma's potential impact, several lines said they would bring Florida-based vessels that currently are in the midst of Caribbean and Bahamas voyages home early in advance of the storm.
Vessels heading back to Florida ports ahead of schedule include the Port Canaveral-based Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.
• The Sept. 2 cruise of the Disney Fantasy currently is sailing a modified Western Caribbean itinerary and is expected to return to Port Canaveral on Thursday — two days earlier than planned. Disney said guests on this sailing will be refunded two nights of their voyage fare, and provided a 25 percent discount on a future cruise.
• The Sept. 4 cruise of the Disney Dream is sailing a modified Bahamian cruise itinerary, and will return to Port Canaveral one day earlier than planned on Thursday. Guests on this sailing will be refunded one night of their voyage fare and provided a 25 percent discount on a future cruise.
• Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas is returning to Port Canaveral from its current cruise on Thursday, instead of Friday.
• Carnival's Magic is returning to Port Canaveral from its current cruise on Friday, instead of Saturday.
Elsewhere in Florida, the Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Sky also are affected.
Other ships scheduled to return to Florida over the weekend will delay their return to avoid the storm. They include Royal Caribbean's Florida-based Harmony of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas — the world's three biggest cruise ships.
The Oasis, which based at Port Canaveral, is returning to Port Canaveral on Tuesday, instead of Sunday.
Royal Caribbean said Harmony's Saturday departure will be pushed back to Tuesday. The Sunday departures of Oasis and Allure will be delayed to Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. All three vessels will sail shortened voyages, and passengers have the option of canceling the trips, Royal Caribbean said. Passengers who cancel will receive a refund in the form of a credit for a future cruise.
More than a half-dozen other ships are operating drastically modified itineraries this week to avoid the storm, with many switching from Eastern Caribbean to Western Caribbean routes. They include six Carnival vessels: Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Glory, Carnival Magic, Carnival Pride, Carnival Sensation and Carnival Splendor. The Carnival Magic is based at Port Canaveral.
Carnival said its passengers who sail on shortened cruises will receive a pro-rated refund of their cruise fare.
Murray said he expects cruise lines to sail their Port Canaveral-based ships east in the Atlantic Ocean to get out of the path of Hurricane Irma until the storm passes.
Berman is government editor at FLORIDA TODAY.
Contact Berman at 321-242-3649
or dberman@floridatoday.com.
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