Royal Caribbean International has confirmed that it will divert Liberty of the Seas to the Port of Miami.
Liberty of the Seas is one of four cruise ships that were scheduled to return to the Port of Galveston this weekend but were delayed due to adverse conditions caused by Hurricane Harvey (which has since been downgraded to a tropical storm but continues to wreak significant inland damage.)
On Friday at noon, the captain of the Port of Galveston set the port at condition Zulu, which means gale force winds were expected within 12 hours. The port remains closed as of Sunday afternoon.
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Via Twitter, Royal Caribbean posted that the Liberty of the Seas will now head for Miami, where it will dock Tuesday morning. The ship is expected to return to Galveston on Friday, when "forecasts have improved."
Passengers who were booked to depart from Galveston on the Liberty of the Seas itinerary on Sunday, August 27 sailing will receive a full refund as well as a 25 percent discount on a future cruise according to a statement from Royal Caribbean posted on the port website.
The full statement reads:
"This is Royal Caribbean International with important information about your Liberty of the Seas sailing. Due to the severe impact of Hurricane Harvey and Galveston port closure, we unfortunately have to cancel your cruise scheduled for Sunday, August 27. We are sorry for the impact that this storm has had on your vacation and appreciate your patience as we worked through this. Please know that this decision was made with your safety in mind.
Your cruise fare and fees will be 100% refunded to the original form of payment. It may take 4-5 business days to reflect on your account. We are looking forward to welcoming you back, so we are offering a 25% future cruise credit, based on your cruise fare if you choose to book another cruise in the next 30 days. Please stay safe."
[READMORE]READ MORE: Cruise Ship Passengers Stranded by Hurricane Harvey[/READMORE]
Apparently, the extended vacation for Liberty of the Seas guests is not all good news. Via Twitter, several people complained that the cruise line has canceled drink packages and internet for passengers on board.
Carnival Cruise Line
The port has also posted updates on three Carnival Cruise Line ships affected by Harvey.
As of the most recent posting, Carnival Freedom remains "in position to enter the Port of Galveston" as soon as it re-opens. Carnival Breeze is heading to New Orleans where she will make a "short technical stop to replenish water and provisions." After the stop, she will resume her course to Galveston.
For the time being, Carnival continues to state that it plans to send the two vessels out on shortened itineraries once the port re-opens. Guests will receive the commensurate, prorated refunds.
Carnival Valor is also headed to New Orleans for a short stop, according to KHOU.com, but Carnival has announced the cancellation of the ship's subsequent itinerary. The cruise line will issue full refunds as well as extending a 25 percent discount on a future cruise for all affected passengers.
A statement by Carnival Cruise Line, dated August 27 at 5:00 p.m. EST on the port website read:
"While Hurricane Harvey was downgraded to a tropical storm yesterday, the storm continues to generate significant rainfall in Galveston and Houston, which has caused severe flooding. The heavy rains are impacting the roads leading in and out of Galveston. The port announced it will be closed for at least the next 24 hours, so our earliest potential opportunity to debark current guests is on Tuesday. As you can imagine, this is a fluid situation and we have no way of knowing if the port opening could be delayed further.
We will continue to maintain close contact with port officials in Galveston monitoring conditions on Galveston Island, and within neighboring areas including Houston, and will provide ongoing updates as we receive additional information. At present, we intend to operate shortened itineraries on Carnival Freedom and Carnival Breeze once we are able to dock in Galveston, weather and local conditions permitting."
Guests who are waiting on Carnival Breeze and Carnival Freedom may receive updates via text alerts by subscribing to CRUISE (278473).
Use code CCL1 for updates on Carnival Freedom, originally scheduled to depart August 26 or CCL3 for updates on Carnival Breeze originally scheduled to depart 08/27/17.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Catastrophic Flooding as Harvey Closes Houston Airports[/READMORE]
The Port of Galveston has also announced via social media that as of Sunday afternoon its parking lots have not flooded, which should help ease the minds of affected passengers who parked there. Inbound and outbound roads are flooded, however, so access to the parking lot is currently unavailable.
There is no word as to when the port will reopen but it is expected to remain closed until the storm passes and a port assessment has been completed.
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