Princess Cruises Ship Cleared for Arrival Following Extended Days at Sea

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As Hurricane Milton makes its way into the Atlantic, having wreaked havoc across Florida, the passengers and crew aboard Princess Cruises’ Sun Princess can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The ship, the latest and largest in the Princess Cruises fleet, set sail from Southampton, England, on September 23, 2024, on its inaugural transatlantic journey, with plans to reach Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on October 9, after stops in the Canary Islands.

However, the unexpected arrival of Milton disrupted those plans. On October 8, 2024, the cruise line notified guests that it would not be able to dock as scheduled.

“Due to our inability to reach the port, the vessel will now remain securely at sea, safely distanced from the storm. We are committed to monitoring the storm’s trajectory closely to ensure we stay clear of any hazardous weather, with a focus on the safety and comfort of our guests,” the cruise line announced.

Now that the skies are starting to clear following the fast-moving Category 3 hurricane, Sun Princess has received the green light to proceed with its eagerly awaited arrival. The ship is set to dock in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, October 11, 2024, after sailing for a total of 10 days at sea.

As per the Port Everglades ship schedule, at the time of this report, Sun Princess is anticipated to reach the pilot pick-up location at 3 a.m. This news will surely be a relief for passengers who were not expecting an extended journey at sea. Following this, the ship will proceed to the terminal for disembarkation.

The 177,882-gross-ton, 4,300-passenger vessel Sun Princess made its inaugural journey as Princess Cruises’ first Sphere-class ship in Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, on February 29, 2024. After a Mediterranean season, Sun Princess is now relocating to its new homeport at Port Everglades for a winter season in the Caribbean.

With her arrival officially scheduled, Sun Princess will spend a few days in port hosting media events to introduce the Carnival Corporation vessel to the Americas before setting sail on her inaugural journey from Port Everglades on October 14, 2024.

Read Also: What Is a Transatlantic Cruise?

This voyage will be a 5-night roundtrip journey to Carnival’s exclusive destination in the Dominican Republic, Amber Cove, as well as Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos.

Sun Princess will feature a variety of Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries until March 2025, with stops in the Bahamas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Belize, Honduras, and Mexico. Following this, the ship will embark on a second summer season in Europe.

Hurricane Milton originated in the Gulf of Mexico on October 5, 2024, and quickly headed towards Florida, packing maximum wind speeds of 180 miles per hour. This forced numerous cruise ships based in Florida to adjust their routes to avoid the impending storm.

As the hurricane approached its landfall on October 9, 2024, several major ports, including Port Tampa Bay, JAXPORT, Port Canaveral, Port Palm Beach, Port Everglades, and PortMiami closed to vessel traffic. The closures impacted cruise operations around Florida, leading to cancellations and leaving some passengers stranded on delayed ships like the Sun Princess.

Fortunately, the Coast Guard has granted permission for Port Everglades to resume activities, which is now fully operational as of October 10, 2024. Both the Port of Palm Beach and PortMiami have also reopened their facilities.

Meanwhile, JAXPORT in Jacksonville, Port Canaveral near Orlando, and Port Tampa Bay, which suffered power outages, remain closed. Officials at these ports are currently evaluating the storm’s impact, with plans to reopen following the completion of channel inspections.

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