DisneyDining Disney Dining Plan and Reviews
It’s hurricane season and anyone who has spent time in Florida knows that means it’s time to expect the unexpected. Hurricane season happens to be our favorite time of travel to Florida; the weather and crowds make it ideal. Traveling during hurricane season requires special considerations, though, namely, being flexible to plans needing to change at a moment’s notice.
Guests bound for the Disney Fantasy recently learned this. The cruise ship just had to change course entirely, and guests were notified by email the night before the ship departed.
Credit: Disney
Instead of an Eastern Caribbean itinerary, the ship is now headed to some Western Caribbean favorite ports of call in order to avoid Hurricane Fiona, which is currently gathering steam in the Atlantic. The six-night cruise was initially to begin with two days at sea, followed by port stops in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, another day at sea, and finally, Castaway Cay – Disney Cruise Line’s private island, before returning to Port Canaveral on Saturday, September 24. Instead, the ship will have just one day at sea to start, followed by port visits to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica, one more day at sea, and still finishing up with the visit to Castaway Cay on Friday before returning to Port Canaveral on Saturday.
Credit: Disney
Hurricane Fiona is currently a Category 4 Hurricane, and though it has yet to make landfall, a hurricane at sea could be detrimental to a cruise ship. Interestingly, however, the Hurricane isn’t listed on Disney Cruiseline’s website despite having caused Fantasy to change course.
Whether Fiona makes landfall or not remains to be seen. The storm is currently moving north toward the United States but is expected to avoid Florida. Its current path makes the Carolinas or New England a more likely target, but again, these storms are unpredictable and have been known to change direction abruptly. There is another storm to watch, currently gathering steam. Tropical Storm Gaston is building in the Atlantic, but experts currently say that the storm is unlikely to make landfall.
