Aerial view of a ship docked at the Austin Monsanto Marine Terminal in Crown Bay, St. Thomas. Photo Credit: ERNICE GILBERT, V.I. CONSORTIUM
The V.I. Port Authority on Monday announced a series of disruptions to cruise ship schedules due to inclement weather conditions in the Atlantic Ocean. Both the Wonder of the Seas and Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas have canceled their upcoming visits to the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Wonder of the Seas was scheduled to call on Crown Bay in St. Thomas on September 13, 2023, but has now canceled due to adverse weather. Similarly, Adventure of the Seas had a planned visit to the Ann E. Abramson Marine Facility in Frederiksted, St. Croix, today, which has also been canceled. Additionally, the Harmony of the Seas canceled its call to the Austin “Babe” Monsanto Marine Terminal in Crown Bay, St. Thomas, originally set for today.
As a consequence of these multiple cancellations, the next cruise ship expected to dock at Crown Bay, St. Thomas, is the Harmony of the Seas on September 19, 2023. Over on St. Croix, the next cruise ship is not expected until September 26, 2023, when Adventure of the Seas is slated to berth in Frederiksted. Updated schedules are available on the seaports section of VIPA's official website, www.viport.com.
The cancellations are a result of Hurricane Lee's influence on weather systems. While the hurricane, currently located at latitude 22.1 N and longitude 61.7 W, doesn't pose a direct threat to the U.S. Virgin Islands, it is causing deteriorating marine and coastal conditions across the Atlantic Waters and Anegada Passage.
Marine advisories are in effect, as announced at 5:00 p.m. AST on Sunday, September 10, 2023. These include Small Craft Advisories for the Atlantic Waters, Anegada Passage, and local waters of the northern Virgin Islands. Furthermore, high risks of rip currents and breaking waves between 10 and 15 feet are expected on north and east-facing beaches.
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