Hurricane Dean forces cruise lines to sail altered itineraries

Several cruise lines have updated their itineraries in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico as Hurricane Dean makes it way towards Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Carnival Cruise Lines' Carnival Fantasy's Aug. 20 departure -- a five-day cruise from New Orleans -- will visit Key West, Fla., Aug. 22 instead of Costa Maya, Mexico, but is still planning on calling in Cozumel, Mexico on Aug. 23.

The Carnival Fascination's four-day cruise will depart on the same day from Miami, and call in Nassau on Aug. 23 instead of Cozumel.

The Carnival Ecstasy, which departs from Galveston, Texas, on Aug. 20 on a five-day cruise, will spend Aug. 22 at sea instead of in Progreso, Mexico.   

Princess Cruises said that the Caribbean Princess, which left Fort Lauderdale Aug. 19, will swap its western Caribbean itinerary for ports in the eastern Caribbean. It will go to Princess Cays (Princess' private island in the Bahamas), St. Maarten, St. Thomas and spend two days at sea before returning to Fort Lauderdale.

Royal Caribbean said that several of its ship would sail modified itineraries. The Enchantment of the Seas, which departed Port Everglades Aug. 18, will call in Labadee, Haiti, instead of Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and in Nassau instead of Georgetown, Grand Cayman. It plans to return to Port Everglades as scheduled on Thursday.

The Rhapsody of the Seas departed Galveston Aug. 19 and will call in Key West; Georgetown, Cayman Islands, instead of Montego Bay, Jamaica; and Cozumel, all subject to possible storm damage in the Cayman Islands and Mexico. It is slated to return to Galveston as scheduled on Sunday.

The Freedom of the Seas departed Miami on Aug. 19, Royal Caribbean said, and is so far sailing its scheduled itinerary, which is subject to change based on possible storm-related damage to Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Mexico.

Passengers are urged to check with the individual cruise lines for updated itineraries.

To contact the reporter who wrote this article, send e-mail to Johanna Jainchill at [email protected].

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