Hurricane Maria Discussion Here

[cltnccruisers]

Bill, You and others have provided an invaluable service during this incredibly hard time. Nothing personal, or maybe it is, but I hope I don't hear from you in this vein for a long, long time.

 

JW

[GlamorousGirl]

Maria Larosa on The weather channel said San Juan mayor has said half of San Juan flooded and looking at 4-6 months without electricity.....

 

I have seen a lot of posts like this and I'm really confused. We are supposed to sail out of San Juan in December. We are also booked for a hotel stay in San Juan post cruise. And of course we have a flight, given that it's an island. Will they sail even with the power issues? Will major hotels still be open? Will the airport? I'm worried about our itinerary ports too but I guess they are a mute point if the ship doesn't sail. Would they cancel outright or sail out of another port if San Juan weren't an option? So confused... and the cruise line says they won't have an itinerary update for 2 weeks...

[MikeBTN]

I have seen a lot of posts like this and I'm really confused. We are supposed to sail out of San Juan in December. We are also booked for a hotel stay in San Juan post cruise. And of course we have a flight, given that it's an island. Will they sail even with the power issues? Will major hotels still be open? Will the airport? I'm worried about our itinerary ports too but I guess they are a mute point if the ship doesn't sail. Would they cancel outright or sail out of another port if San Juan weren't an option? So confused... and the cruise line says they won't have an itinerary update for 2 weeks...

 

Your concern is completely normal, but it is far to early to tell what will happen in 3 months. As of right now no boots are on the ground to assess damage to ports, airports, etc. It will likely be weeks before we know the extent of the damage to some of these islands and how long it will take them to recover. Odds are San Juan, with its comparatively vast resources, will be able to recover in more than enough time for you to enjoy your cruise. But rest assured that Royal Caribbean will notify you as soon as possible if things need to change. My advice is to go ahead and purchase trip insurance if you haven't already......it may not do any good at this point but better than nothing should they cancel or change the departure port.

[PelicanBill]

Bill, You and others have provided an invaluable service during this incredibly hard time. Nothing personal, or maybe it is, but I hope I don't hear from you in this vein for a long, long time.

 

JW

 

LOL. Thanks and thanks to all who posted great info along with me. I agree, we don't want to do this again for a long time!

[PelicanBill]

Your concern is completely normal, but it is far to early to tell what will happen in 3 months. As of right now no boots are on the ground to assess damage to ports, airports, etc. It will likely be weeks before we know the extent of the damage to some of these islands and how long it will take them to recover. Odds are San Juan, with its comparatively vast resources, will be able to recover in more than enough time for you to enjoy your cruise. But rest assured that Royal Caribbean will notify you as soon as possible if things need to change. My advice is to go ahead and purchase trip insurance if you haven't already......it may not do any good at this point but better than nothing should they cancel or change the departure port.

 

I agree. The airport, hotels and power in San Juan will be a priority. I think the odds of being operational as a cruise home port are decent. As a port of call, depends on damage and worker availability in Old San Juan.

 

Remember, one of the reasons I started these threads is to help translate the media noise. They over-hype everything, making it sound even worse than it is, to drive ratings. They are imprecise - half do not know their geography and name the wrong islands. Stick with us and we'll find good sources about damage and port operability in the coming weeks. They reported how the whole island is without power last night, from a street that had power! (The whole street, not a generator)

 

Maria is now forecast on a pretty safe path. A windy rainy day in the Bahamas, but the Turks & Caicos forecast to get 9-12 storm surge. Then it will follow in Jose's footsteps. Can't say for certain the US coast is safe but it looks like it will be no worse than Jose. Bermuda cruises are going to be doing the two-step around Jose and Maria however, so watch for itinerary alterations.

Edited September 21, 2017 by PelicanBill

[fragilek]

Maria's path today is hardly safe (yes it may be less of an impact for cruises)- It is causing devastating floods in Dominican which is one of the poorest Caribbean areas.

As for media hype yes that happens but the power info came from an interview with the San Juan mayor (I watched it). It was also the Mayor who gave the 4-6 moths time frame for repair and stated the island will never be the same- not the press.

 

And think of the logistics of using San Juan as a home port in the near future- that means all the food supplies ect would be loaded on here, how likely is that supply chain able to cope with the devastation building, roads & power issues even man power will become an issue as many many will probably leave PR for the USA (all be may be temporarily). There has been talk on various forms and chat rooms (totally unconfirmed- I have tried to check the sources but as yet cannot verify this) of some of the cruise lines being commissioned to evacuate people to other island and back to the USA

[JimAOk1945]

PelicanBill

 

Thanks for starting this thread. I've been checking on it every day for news and find it very current and reliable. Keep up the good work!

[Cruisenator]

We are supposed to be sailing on 30-Sept out of San Juan. I fully believe that this will not happen. They could alter the sailings to begin from FL I suppose. But in looking at the damages to SJU on Twitter (there are a few videos on the inside from maintenance) it appears the terminals have a couple inches of water inside and the ceilings are pretty damaged. There was water still pouring out of the ceiling tiles as they walked through. A lot of glass panes appear to have blown into the building as well. Without power, I can't see them reopening except for emergency personnel. As others have stated, we would have no business attempting to vacation from that island at this time. The logistics of even landing and getting to the ports probably wouldn't even be feasible. It would only hinder any type of rescue and relief operations at this point.

[cltnccruisers]

We are supposed to be sailing on 30-Sept out of San Juan. I fully believe that this will not happen. They could alter the sailings to begin from FL I suppose. But in looking at the damages to SJU on Twitter (there are a few videos on the inside from maintenance) it appears the terminals have a couple inches of water inside and the ceilings are pretty damaged. There was water still pouring out of the ceiling tiles as they walked through. A lot of glass panes appear to have blown into the building as well. Without power, I can't see them reopening except for emergency personnel. As others have stated, we would have no business attempting to vacation from that island at this time. The logistics of even landing and getting to the ports probably wouldn't even be feasible. It would only hinder any type of rescue and relief operations at this point.

 

We have a stop there in March - not even expecting that at this point.

[Cruisenator]

Here is the link to the Twitter video I found of the airport. There were 2 videos. There seems to be just one now, unless I can't find it.

 

[tasilva]

We are currently on the Fascination and came into St Lucia today. We are supposed to go to Antigua and St Kitts next. The captain said he would update again this afternoon. Wondering if we will be able to dock and fly out of San Juan on Sunday, I guess time will tell. My heart goes out to those affected.

 

 

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[WiddyTwo]

We are currently on the Fascination and came into St Lucia today. We are supposed to go to Antigua and St Kitts next. The captain said he would update again this afternoon. Wondering if we will be able to dock and fly out of San Juan on Sunday, I guess time will tell. My heart goes out to those affected.

 

 

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How is the mood on board? I was literally sitting here wondering if I would be able to enjoy my vacation if I was on board this week, worrying about the island and those who live there and wondering if I would be able to get home. I'm supposed to be on board on the 1st but that obviously may not happen. I started making alternate vacation plans last night, just in case. I'm currently stalking John Heald's page and Carnival.com for updates.

[tasilva]

How is the mood on board? I was literally sitting here wondering if I would be able to enjoy my vacation if I was on board this week, worrying about the island and those who live there and wondering if I would be able to get home. I'm supposed to be on board on the 1st but that obviously may not happen. I started making alternate vacation plans last night, just in case. I'm currently stalking John Heald's page and Carnival.com for updates.

 

 

 

Everyone is in a pretty good mood. We are all a little sad about the port changes and unknown future itinerary/departure but most everyone is way more concerned about those affected (and many hail from Puerto Rico themselves) than our changes. Overall, we are still having a great time.

 

 

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[cltnccruisers]

We are currently on the Fascination and came into St Lucia today. We are supposed to go to Antigua and St Kitts next. The captain said he would update again this afternoon. Wondering if we will be able to dock and fly out of San Juan on Sunday, I guess time will tell. My heart goes out to those affected.

 

Haven't heard about the docks but they just announced that San Juan airport has reopened for military and rescue flights and will reopen for commercial flights Friday.

[tasilva]

 

 

 

Haven't heard about the docks but they just announced that San Juan airport has reopened for military and rescue flights and will reopen for commercial flights Friday.

 

 

That's great news! Can you tell me where you heard that? I can't seem to find anything up to date. Thanks!

 

 

 

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[WiddyTwo]

That's great news! Can you tell me where you heard that? I can't seem to find anything up to date. Thanks!

 

 

 

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Also wondering where this info is from. I can't find any information on it. The airport website has an arrival/departure listing on the homepage. Most flights are listed as on time for today, but that seems inaccurate. Yesterday everything did show as cancelled.

[cltnccruisers]

That's great news! Can you tell me where you heard that? I can't seem to find anything up to date. Thanks!

 

 

Announced both on FBN and MSNBC.

[webgal318]

The impact on the islands looks devastating. I'm booked on a NE/Canada cruise on the 30th. I'm worried it might hit that area too. How far out do cruise lines usually cancel?

 

 

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I would have never expected NE to be impacted. I am sailing on the Serenade on October 8.

[Honolulu Blue]

That's great news! Can you tell me where you heard that? I can't seem to find anything up to date. Thanks!

 

It's on CNN's Web site now at http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/21/americas/hurricane-maria-dominican-republic-puerto-rico/index.html. I'll quote the relevant portion of it:

 

San Juan, Puerto Rico (CNN)[breaking news update at 11:53 a.m. ET]

Puerto Rico's largest airport, the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, will be ready to receive military and rescue operations Thursday and will be open to airline traffic Friday, according to Aerostar Puerto Rico, which manages the airport near San Juan.

For passengers, "We suggest you confirm your flight directly with the airline before heading to the airport.," Aerostar said. Emergency generators will power the limited operations, and there will be no air conditioning.

 

Seems legit, if a little optimistic.

[cltnccruisers]

It's on CNN's Web site now at http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/21/americas/hurricane-maria-dominican-republic-puerto-rico/index.html. I'll quote the relevant portion of it:

 

 

Thanks. Had a meeting at noon so I wasn't able to do any further digging.

 

 

The SJU site doesn't appear to have any new information at all but it could be whoever is responsible for updating it can't do so at this time.

[webgal318]

My heart goes out to all the residents of the Caribbean who have been impacted by Hurricane Maria. While cruisers and the travel industry have been affected in one way or another, this is a mere inconvenience compared to the thousands left homeless and without the bare necessities of life. I hope restoration efforts will move forward without too many delays and I look forward to returning to some of my favorite ports of call.

[webgal318]

Here is the link to the Twitter video I found of the airport. There were 2 videos. There seems to be just one now, unless I can't find it.

 

 

Thank you for the link. This is so sad. I remember that airport well.

[ItaloAmericana]

I just checked American Airlines' site for flights leaving SJU. For Friday, Sep 22nd, they show morning flights (before 10 am) as canceled, but the rest are posted as "on time".

 

Of course, this could change, but at least there's a glimmer of hope.

[WiddyTwo]

I just checked American Airlines' site for flights leaving SJU. For Friday, Sep 22nd, they show morning flights (before 10 am) as canceled, but the rest are posted as "on time".

 

Of course, this could change, but at least there's a glimmer of hope.

 

I just checked Southwest for flights to/from DC and Baltimore and everything is cancelled tomorrow.

[CarolGeorge]

Please keep us updated. We may hear from you before Carnival. lol

I am due to ride the Fascination 10/8.

 

We are currently on the Fascination and came into St Lucia today. We are supposed to go to Antigua and St Kitts next. The captain said he would update again this afternoon. Wondering if we will be able to dock and fly out of San Juan on Sunday, I guess time will tell. My heart goes out to those affected.

 

Haven't heard about the docks but they just announced that San Juan airport has reopened for military and rescue flights and will reopen for commercial flights Friday.