Today, Royal Caribbean has released a statement to impacted guests informing passengers on Serenade of the Seas that they will be spending an extra two days at sea.
This effectively turns a 7-night cruise into a 5-night cruise.
Hurricane Helene, now a Category 3 storm, has already forced the Port of Tampa to close temporarily while the storm makes it impossible for ships to dock safely.
The storm, which is expected to become a Category 4 hurricane, is set to make landfall Thursday night.
Passengers on Serenade of the Seas are currently on a scheduled 5-night cruise that was supposed to arrive back in Tampa on September 27.
As winds and rain batter the Port of Tampa, guests on board the ship will be able to extend their vacation in calmer waters.
Royal Caribbean is giving the storm a wide berth and is delaying the return to the ship’s homeport.
“Due to the planned closure of the Port of Tampa and to stay clear of the hurricane, we’ll have to delay our return to our homeport,” Royal Caribbean stated to guests on board the ship.
“We’ll now arrive in Tampa on Sunday, Sept. 29, and enjoy some extra sea days along the way. We’re terribly sorry for the last-minute change caused by the weather – your safety is our top priority,” the cruise line added.
Cruise passengers who booked flights directly through the cruise line will automatically get their flights changed to the new dates. In addition, Royal Caribbean is taking care of the extra costs of airfare changes for guests who booked their own flights.
The compensation for the flight adjustments will be in the form of $200 refunds per person for domestic flights and up to $400 per person for those flying internationally.
The cruise line reiterated one of the perks of cruising, stating that “being onboard is one of the safest places because our ship can quickly move out of the way of any inclement weather.”
While a cruise ship can move out of the way of an oncoming storm, land-based resorts must face the storm head-on.
Carnival Cruise Line has postponed at least three sailings that were scheduled out of Tampa, in addition to today’s sailing on Carnival Paradise.
Port Canaveral was also recently closed due to the storm, and all cruise lines are monitoring the situation and will be updating impacted guests over the coming days.