Hurricane season can disrupt the cruise industry. In most cases, the industry's meteorologists stay well ahead of whatever Mother Nature might throw at them.
Carnival Cruise Line recently moved the departure of one of its ships up a day to get it out of port before a storm hit. That's a difficult decision to make because it means that some passengers won't be able to make it to the ship.
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It's more common for a cruise line to delay a ship's departure or keep it at sea longer. Both of those situations cause problems for passengers who need a place to stay when a departure gets delayed and who have to reschedule flights when their ship stays at sea an extra day.
In all cases, however, cruise lines work to keep passengers, crews, and their ships safe. That can mean skipping a port or even rerouting ships entirely.
The biggest challenge facing all cruise lines is when the weather changes at the last minute. Royal Caribbean, for example. recently had to get passengers off Perfect Day at Coco Cay when a shift in weather made its pier unsafe at the time passengers were supposed to get back on board.
Evacuating a private island unexpectedly is a challenge, but it's much easier than the feat Carnival pulled off on Aug. 14.
Image source: Daniel Kline/Come Cruise With Me
Carnival faces a weather challenge
Evacuating CocoCay is relatively easy because it's a small island that Royal Caribbean controls fully. Carnival Cruise Line faced a much bigger challenge on Aug. 14 when it had to get passengers back onboard Carnival Magic in order to leave before an unexpected weather event hit Grand Turk.
"This is an update for Carnival Magic guests only. If you are ashore in Grand Turk, please return to the ship by 2:30 PM. Weather conditions are expected to deteriorate this evening, and the ship will have to sail earlier than planned," Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald shared on his Facebook page.
That's a major challenge because Grand Turk, while relatively small, is not a cruise line-controlled destination. Passengers on Carnival-sponsored excursions can be easily brought back to the ship, but some passengers were off on their own, while others were on private excursions.
Heald's post lead to over 600 comments, with many of them worried about passengers on their own who do not have cellphone service.
"If this happens, is there a signal that the ship can send with its fog horn to alert those without cell service or Wi-Fi that would hear a specific series of blasts? I have never been on an excursion off port because I worry about this very thing," wrote Amanda Rohleder.
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Carnival gets passengers back onboard
In addition to sending messages via every available channel, Carnival dispatched crew members to Grand Turk to spread the word. Ultimately, its efforts were very successful.
"I posted earlier today asking all of the guests on the Carnival Magic to get back on board earlier due to approaching bad weather Some of you were concerned about family members, and whether they would receive the message," Heald wrote. "So, I wanted to share a message to you from our guest services manager Fernando on board the ship who told me: 'All on board and it is sailing time.'”
Passengers on Carnival Magic praised the cruise line for the effort it made to let people know to make their way back to the ship.
"We are onboard Magic now. They made announcements all over the island at all businesses and over loudspeakers. All excursions came back early," shared Tonja Senn. "Carnival does everything they can to account for all guests. You can see the weather in the distance and it has been raining off and on all day. Safety at all times."
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Another passenger on Magic, Kimberly Carr Underwood Wachtel, praised the cruise line.
"I'm on Magic right now. No complaining about getting back on the ship earlier than expected. I'm glad the captain is keeping us safe," she wrote.
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