Passengers on a cruise ship have been forced to divert their course from Florida to Cuba in order to avoid the devastating impact of Hurricane Milton. The Sun Princess, which embarked on its journey from Southampton, England, 16 days ago on September 23, 2024, has been rerouted to the north coast of Cuba.
Originally, the ship was scheduled to dock at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, today, but due to the category four hurricane, it was initially moved forward to yesterday (08/10). However, the hurricane led to the closure of Port Everglades – the intended stop for the ship – leaving the vessel stranded five miles off the Florida coast during the storm.
While some passengers were airlifted off, the cruise ship was redirected to the coast of Cuba to evade the direct impact of Hurricane Milton.
An anonymous passenger onboard expressed that people are feeling “anxious” and “frustrated”, stating: “Uncertainty is the prevailing mood here – many cruisers are from Florida and are anxious and concerned about family and property at home. Many people are feeling snappish and frustrated at not being able to disembark yesterday as the seas were relatively calm and now are in a ‘forced exile’ onboard.”