Hurricanes Rachel and Polo disrupt Mexican Riviera cruise itineraries
Cunard, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Princess ships have dropped or changed port calls, while Virgin Voyages continues monitoring conditions.
A passenger aboard Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth reported that the captain canceled the ship’s October 1 visit to Cabo San Lucas. The vessel was expected to spend several days at sea before its scheduled call at Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala.
Virgin Voyages was monitoring Hurricane Rachel ahead of Brilliant Lady’s October 3 departure from Los Angeles. The planned itinerary included Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta, but no final change had been announced. The company advised guests to bring extra layers in case the ship shifts to cooler northern ports. Brilliant Lady’s preceding cruise replaced those three Mexican destinations with San Francisco, San Diego, Catalina Island and Ensenada because of Hurricane Polo.
Royal Caribbean removed Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada from Navigator of the Seas’ September 25 sailing from Los Angeles, citing weather from Polo for the Ensenada cancellation. The line moved the Mazatlán visit earlier and added a full day in Puerto Vallarta.
Carnival Panorama’s September 26 voyage replaced Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán with Ensenada and sea days. Passenger reports from its current sailing also indicated cancellations of Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, La Paz and Cabo. One Reddit user said the ship was circling off Baja California before returning to Ensenada.
Carnival Cruise Line also placed Carnival Miracle on alert for possible Mexican Riviera changes, while a passenger said Cabo would be skipped. Princess Cruises canceled Coral Princess’s Puerto Vallarta call, attributing the decision to safety concerns and severe weather associated with Rachel.