Disney Cruise Line keeps ships at sea to avoid storms and turbulence

Putting passenger and crew safety first is always paramount in the cruise industry. When situations arise that could compromise safety, cruise lines must make changes.

Sometimes passengers are given advance notice of changes, but in many cases, changes have to be made at the last minute. This is most often the case with weather-related itinerary changes.

Related: Hurricane forces Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC itinerary changes

This week, passengers currently sailing on a Disney Cruise Line ship and those booked on a future Disney cruise saw their cruise itineraries changed due to two very different, unexpected situations.

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The Disney Fantasy cruise ship docks in Grand Cayman due to Tropical Storm Helene

Due to Tropical Storm Helene, passengers aboard the Disney Fantasy were unable to visit Grand Cayman as planned on Tuesday, September 24. Instead, the ship spends the day at sea before sailing to Falmouth, Jamaica for its next port call. its 7-night Western Caribbean cruise itinerary.

The Cayman Islands Port Authority has announced that the port will be closed on Tuesday, September 24 due to severe weather from potential Tropical Cyclone 9, now Tropical Storm Helene.

The National Hurricane Center downgraded Helene to a tropical storm at 11 a.m. EDT Tuesday. Helene is expected to rapidly intensify in the Gulf of Mexico and become a hurricane on Wednesday before making landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast on Thursday evening.

Passengers sailing on Disney Cruise Line’s Bahamas ships, Disney Wish and Disney Magic, did not experience cruise itinerary changes related to the storms.

Related: Disney Cruise Line Improves Painful Port Process for Passengers

Disney Wonder Pacific cruise itinerary changed due to unrest

Due to recent riots and rising tension in the French territory of New Caledonia in the South Pacific, Disney Cruise Line has decided that its Disney Wonder ship will skip an upcoming scheduled port call in the territory’s capital Nouméa.

The Disney Wonder was scheduled to visit Nouméa on October 15. Instead, the ship will spend an extra day at sea on its Pacific cruise voyage from Honolulu, Hawaii to Sydney, Australia.

The US State Department lists New Caledonia as a Level 3 travel advisory, recommending that US citizens reconsider travel to New Caledonia due to civil unrest and crime following the May 2024 election reform uprisings.

A unique Pacific cruise port, Nouméa delights travelers with a blend of idyllic Pacific island scenery and European influence. New Caledonia is known for the world’s largest lagoon and second largest barrier reef.