Caribbean resorts are hunkering down and cruise ships are scrambling out of the way as Hurricane Beryl roils the skies and seas around the Windward Islands on Monday.
The only Category 4 hurricane ever recorded in June, with 130 mph winds, has sent up warnings for Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, St. Lucia, and Tobago, and tropical storm warnings for Martinique and Trinidad. Hotel guests are hunkering down—but cruise passengers are sailing away.
Royal Caribbean on June 29 said Beryl’s “high waves and strong winds” were causing changes in Eastern Caribbean itineraries; instead of visiting St. Thomas and St. Maarten, Icon of the Seas will call at Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico, and then Perfect Day at CocoCay as planned. Wonder of the Seas will replace scheduled stops at Roatán and Costa Maya with Nassau; Harmony of the Seas will skip Roatán, Honduras and arrive in Cozumel and Costa Maya ahead of schedule.
Norwegian Cruise Line too, is making changes. Norwegian Jade will skip Falmouth, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Mexico, and instead head for the Eastern Caribbean, with calls at San Juan, Puerto Rico; Tortola, BVI; and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Norwegian Breakaway also will head for the DR, instead of Honduras.
And Disney Fantasy will skip Falmouth, Jamaica and instead spend an extra day at sea.
As of 8:00am EST on Monday, Beryl was approximately 70 miles east of Grenada, hitting Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines before taking a west-by-northwest route toward the Yucatan Peninsula later this week, then through the Bay of Campeche late Friday and toward the east coast of Mexico.
