Hurricane Irene Update & Vendor Changes

Hurricane Irene is located 75 miles east-northeast of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and is traveling west-northwest at 14 miles per hour. Winds are at near 80 miles per hour.  On the current projected path the center of Irene will move away from Puerto Rico this morning and approach the northern coast of the Dominican Republic later today. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the north coast of the Dominican Republic.  A Hurricane Watch is in effect for the north coast of Haiti and the Central Bahamas.  A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, the south coast of the Dominican Republic, all of Haiti, the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.  

Current predictions could bring Irene to South Florida as a Category Two hurricane by Friday.  

Vendor Changes –

Carnival –

·         Carnival Miracle, which left New York Thursday on an eight-day voyage, will skip San Juan and St. Thomas, and will shift its itinerary to visit Grand Turk today and Half Moon Cay Tuesday.

·         Carnival Victory pulled out of port (San Jaun) early- they transported passengers who were not able to board to the Conrad Condado Plaza hotel until Wednesday--at which time they will fly to Barbados--the ship will be skipping St Thomas tomorrow so it is not an option to meet the ship there.

Royal Caribbean –

·         Oasis of the Seas will reverse its itinerary and now visit Cozumel, Mexico, first on Monday; stop at Falmouth, Jamaica, on Wednesday; stop at Labadee, Haiti, on Thursday; and return to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. Freedom of the Seas will also reverse its itinerary and will visit Cozumel on Tuesday, followed by Grand Cayman on Wednesday, Falmouth on Thursday and Labadee on Friday.

·         Allure of the Seas will now stop at Nassau, Bahamas, on Saturday instead of today. The rest of the itinerary remains unchanged.

·         Serenade of the Seas will reverse its itinerary as well. It will visit Aruba on Tuesday, Curacao on Wednesday, St. Kitts on Friday and St. Thomas on Saturday.