Tropical Storm Idalia is prompting major cruise lines to make adjustments to their plans, including itinerary changes.
Idalia is gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico and is projected to track through the Gulf and reach the west coast of Florida. As of Monday morning, the storm's maximum sustained winds were recorded at 65 mph (105 kmh).
Experts predict that the storm could escalate to a category three hurricane.
CCL-Carnival and DCL-Disney are among those altering routes to avoid the impact of Tropical Storm Idalia.
Carnival Conquest passengers were notified of itinerary changes that involve skipping ports such as Key West and Cozumel.
Disney has also made modifications for passengers aboard the Disney Fantasy. The ship will no longer visit Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Falmouth Jamaica. Instead, it will travel to Tortola BVI and St Thomas USVI.
Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas will forgo Costa Maya and make her way to Cozumel at a later time.
Wonder of the Seas has canceled a stop at Roatan Honduras and will spend the day at sea. The visit to Cozumel has been rescheduled for Thursday.
Celebrity Equinox swapped Grand Cayman with Falmouth Jamaica.
Virgin’s ship Scarlet Lady has rearranged its plans to visit Grand Turk on Tuesday, bypassing Costa Maya.
MSC announced adjustments to the MSC Seaside itinerary due to safety concerns at the line's private island, Ocean Cay Bahamas. Instead, Seaside will have an overnight visit to Nassau from August 28th to August 30th.
It's likely that more cruise ships will be affected in the upcoming days as Tropical Storm Idalia progresses across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida's west coast.
Port Tampa Bay has temporarily suspended inbound vessel traffic.
Florida's southwestern coast can anticipate feeling the storm's effects as early as Tuesday morning. Gusty winds are predicted across a significant portion of Florida, extending inland, by Tuesday night as the storm's outer bands sweep inland.
Idalia is anticipated to make landfall as a hurricane along Florida's Gulf Coast on Wednesday morning.
The storm's impact is expected to be widespread across Florida, with the most severe effects stretching from Tampa northward through the Big Bend region and parts of the Panhandle.