Miracle, Fascination, Imagination changes from Katrina

I was reading the home page of CC. In case anyone missed it

(1:05 a.m.) -- Hurricane Katrina has moved into the eastern Gulf of Mexico after dropping tremendous rain -- and causing severe flooding -- in southeastern Florida. According the National Hurricane Center, a tropical storm warning remains in effect for the Florida Keys and Florida Bay.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Katrina has escalated to a Category Two storm; maximum sustained winds are currently being clocked at 105 miles per hour. Weather forecasters predict the hurricane will make a second landfall, striking the Florida panhandle on Monday. One Tampa departure has already been altered (see below); a shift in direction could be troublesome for Gulf Coast cruise ports like New Orleans and Mobile.

At this point, Port Everglades and Miami's port are closed to incoming cruise ships; itinerary changes have been reported by the following lines:

Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas will end its current cruise Saturday, one day later than scheduled, in Miami (the ship will stay at sea tomorrow). An upcoming three-night cruise has been converted into a two-day sailing. Guests who opt to cancel will receive a 50 percent refund; guests who opt to sail will receive an onboard credit of $100 per stateroom.

At this point, no itinerary changes have been announced for Navigator of the Seas, but passengers expecting to sail out Saturday should keep a close watch on Royal Caribbean's Web site for changes.

Carnival Miracle's August 28 voyage will depart from Port Everglades instead of Tampa. Carnival is urging drive-to guests not to bring their cars to Port Everglades as the voyage is expected to end in Tampa as scheduled. Guests booked on Sunday's voyage will receive free transportation by motorcoach from Tampa (available from both the port and airport) to Port Everglades; for guests who have purchased air transportation from Carnival, the air/sea department is providing assistance in changing their incoming flights to Fort Lauderdale or Miami. All guests will receive a $50 per-person shipboard credit.

Imagination, which was originally scheduled to end a cruise in Miami Thursday, remained at sea and will arrive Saturday instead. The following voyage, a four-day cruise, will instead be converted to a two-day Bahamas cruise departing Miami on Saturday. Guests who opt to sail this modified itinerary will receive a 50 percent refund of their cruise fare and a 50 percent discount off a cruise of three or four days. Guests who opt to cancel will receive a full refund.

Fascination, which was originally scheduled to end a four-day voyage in Miami Friday, will also spend an extra day at sea, arriving instead Saturday. The following voyage will be converted from a three-day cruise into a two-day Bahamas voyage departing on Saturday. Guests who opt to sail on the modified cruise will receive a 35 percent refund of their cruise fare and a 50 percent discount off a future three-day cruise. Guests who opt to cancel will receive a full refund.

At this point, Holland America's Zuiderdam is expected to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale Saturday morning as scheduled, and disembark passengers as scheduled for an unchanged itinerary.

We'll continue to report further news and itinerary changes, as needed, so check back often.

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