Discovery Of The Seas Cruise

cruise lines assess damage to private islands

Blue skies have returned to the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Irene, and Nassau , the major cruise port, is open. But the word on the lines' private islands — one of the most popular destinations for many cruisers — is still out.

The lines continue to assess the damage to their various private Bahamian islands, some of which were in the direct path of the hurricane. As such, most lines have cancelled planned calls, opting for additional sea days or replacement ports. Here's what we know so far:

Half Moon Cay, used by Holland America and Carnival , is southeast of Eleuthera, which was pummeled by Irene. Holland America said in a statement that the line "expects [the island] to be operational for cruise ship visits by Sunday, September 4. Damage was limited and can be easily addressed and all horses are well with no injuries. Repairs will be made to some island structures, vegetation will be replanted in various areas, and the main guest beach will be renewed in those areas impacted by erosion."

John Heald, Carnival's blogging cruise director, said on Facebook that the island had "sustained some damage from the storm" and that Carnival Valor would cancel its call Monday, August 29, and call at Nassau instead. Carnival Pride (Thursday, September 1) and Carnival Miracle (Tuesday, August 30) are also cutting their scheduled calls to Half Moon Cay. Miracle will instead spend the day at sea, and Pride will visit Nassau.

A statement from Royal Caribbean said: “Regrettably, the island of CocoCay, Bahamas, was impacted by the storm, and we feel our guests' experience ashore would be disrupted.” As such, Majesty of the Seas' scheduled call to the private beach on Saturday was cancelled, as were Monarch of the Seas' call on Sunday and Freedom of the Seas' planned call today. Monarch overnighted in Nassau last night and Freedom will call there instead of CocoCay today.

Norwegian Cruise Line , too, is still evaluating the damage to Great Stirrup Cay, its private island, according to a spokeswoman. Norwegian Sky sailed from Miami as scheduled this weekend but spent a day at sea on Saturday instead of calling at the island. The ship did, however, visit Nassau as scheduled on Sunday, August 28.

Bomb Scare Aboard Discovery Cruise Ship : Cruise Law News

The Tribune newspaper in the Bahamas is reporting that a pleasure cruise  on board the Discovery cruise ship turned into terror and aggravation for hundreds of passengers when a bomb threat stopped the ship at night en route to Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale.  The incident began when Miami Dade Police Department received a 911 call around 9 PM that a man was aboard the ship with a gun and a bomb.   

The Discovery cruise ship ship left Grand Bahama with approximately 900 passengers around 5 PM.  The five-hour cruise back to Port Everglades usually arrives around 10.30 PM.

US Coast Guard and bomb squad technicians and bomb dogs boarded the cruise ship approximately 18 miles off the coast of Florida.  The search was unproductive and the cruise ship returned to port around 4:00 AM.  Law enforcement officers from Customs and Border Protection, the FBI, and the Broward County Sheriff Office Bomb Squad personnel and bomb detection dogs boarded the cruise ship.

The newspaper indicates that passengers were restricted to their cabins and in certain areas of the ship while the search was conducted.  The newspaper also quotes a passenger stating that "everyone was very scared and some persons were even upset because of the long delay and late arrival into Fort Lauderdale." 

The last bomb scare was last year when the Carnival Sensation cruise ship's arrival back in Port Canaveral today was delayed. You can read the article:  Bomb Hoax Gets Drunken Carnival Cruise Passenger Arrested .   Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas also had a bomb threat last year - Are Cruise Ships Equipped To Handle Bomb Threats On The High Seas?