Cruise lines are changing itineraries to avoid Hurricane Melissa.
The storm strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane as it closed in on Jamaica. “Catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely today through Tuesday,” the National Hurricane Center said in an Oct. 27 advisory. “Destructive winds, especially in the mountains, will begin by this evening, leading to extensive infrastructural damage, long-lasting power and communication outages, and isolated communities.”
Parts of Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba are expected to face similar conditions. The southeast Bahamas and Turks and Caicos could see “life-threatening storm surge and heavy rainfall” as soon as Oct. 29. Here’s which cruise lines have changed course.
Carnival rerouted five of its ships, according the cruise line:
“Safety is our priority, and we continue to track conditions carefully, factoring in guidance from the National Hurricane Center, U.S. Coast Guard, and local port authorities to provide timely updates,” the cruise line said in an email. “Guests on upcoming sailings are encouraged to opt-in for sailing alerts via Cruise Manager on Carnival.com and monitor their emails for potential updates from Carnival.”
Celebrity Beyond’s Oct. 26 itinerary will visit the Western Caribbean rather than the Eastern Caribbean, according to the cruise line’s parent company, Royal Caribbean Group. The ship will visit Costa Maya in Mexico, Belize and Roatan, Honduras.
Disney Treasure will stop in Cozumel, Mexico and spend two days at the line’s private Bahamas destination, Castaway Cay, rather than visiting Tortola and St. Thomas, the cruise line said. The ship departed from Port Canaveral on Oct. 25.
Disney Wish also reordered its planned stops during its Oct. 27 cruise. The ship will now visit Castaway Cay on Oct. 28, and Nassau on Oct. 29.
Icon of the Seas’ Eastern Caribbean itinerary was replaced with a Western Caribbean cruise, visiting Cozumel in Mexico and Roatan, Honduras, according to Royal Caribbean Group. The ship departed from Miami on Oct. 25.
Freedom of the Seas’ Oct. 23 cruise skipped a planned stop in Turks and Caicos’ Grand Turk, replacing it with Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.
This story was updated to add new information.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

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