



BOSTON (CBS) – Cruise passengers who had planned to sail to Bermuda will instead be visiting Bar Harbor and other locations up north thanks to Florence.

The hurricane-turned-tropical-storm has forced Norwegian Cruise Lines to alter its itinerary. The latest forecast shows Florence strengthening into a Category 3 hurricane and tracking just south of Bermuda next week.

Florence will be leading the headlines all week next week as it approaches the East Coast…still a great deal TBD pic.twitter.com/NJawLuZAtI — Terry Eliasen (@TerryWBZ) September 7, 2018

“The safety and security of our guests and crew is always our top priority,” Norwegian Cruise Lines said in a statement. “Due to Hurricane Florence in the Eastern Atlantic, we have modified Norwegian Dawn’s itinerary.”

The Norwegian Dawn, departing from Boston on Friday, will skip Bermuda entirely. Instead, the ship will call in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Bar Harbor, Maine.

“Our on board team is prepared to ensure the best vacation experience possible given these weather related necessary changes,” the cruise line said. “We will continue to closely monitor the storm and provide additional updates as they become available.”

The news was a bitter pill for vacationers all decked out for sunshine. Most took the news in stride.

“We’ll make sunshine wherever we go,” one woman said.

“I don’t care,” another woman said. “We’re on vacation. We’re all together and we’re going to have fun, make the best of it.”

Other passengers were disappointed, like Elaine and Keith Bornn who drove from Canada to Boston.

“Seriously? But I’ve been to all these places,” said Keith. “We’ve been about five months planning it and it’s what, seven hours to drive down yesterday.”

They packed for Bermuda 🏝. Now they’re headed to Maine and Canada instead. Disappointing news for passengers on the Norwegian Dawn changing its itinerary to avoid potentially dangerous weather. #wbz pic.twitter.com/0rg6oBZhV5 — Christina Hager (@HagerWBZ) September 7, 2018

Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Lines are telling passengers on social media that no decision has been made yet on trips to Bermuda, but they are actively monitoring the storm.</s>BOSTON (CBS) – Cruise passengers who had planned to sail to Bermuda will instead be visiting Bar Harbor and other locations up north thanks to Florence.

The hurricane-turned-tropical-storm has forced Norwegian Cruise Lines to alter its itinerary The latest forecast shows Florence strengthening into a Category 3 hurricane and tracking just south of Bermuda next week.

“The safety and security of our guests and crew is always our top priority,” Norwegian Cruise Lines said in a statement. “Due to Hurricane Florence in the Eastern Atlantic, we have modified Norwegian Dawn’s itinerary.”

The Norwegian Dawn, departing from Boston on Friday, will skip Bermuda entirely. Instead, the ship will call in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Bar Harbor, Maine.

“Our on board team is prepared to ensure the best vacation experience possible given these weather related necessary changes,” the cruise line said. “We will continue to closely monitor the storm and provide additional updates as they become available.”

Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Lines are telling passengers on social media that no decision has been made yet on trips to Bermuda, but they are actively monitoring the storm.</s>More than 2,000 passengers who booked a cruise to Bermuda are being diverted almost 1,400 kilometres away from their intended mark by Hurricane Florence. They’ll instead land in Halifax and three other ports before returning home.

A Norwegian Cruise Lines ship that left Boston Friday morning was supposed to spend three days and nights in Bermuda, but a brewing hurricane got in the way. “The safety and security of our guests and crew is always our top priority,” a spokesperson for the cruise line said in an email. “Due to Hurricane Florence in the Eastern Atlantic, we have modified Norwegian Dawn’s itinerary.” The cruise ship — capacity 2,300 — is now scheduled to dock in Halifax Sunday morning and stay for the day. It will then move on to Sydney, N.S., Saint John, N.B., and Bar Harbor, Maine, before returning to Boston.

Air and sea temperatures both average close to 30 degrees at this time of year in Bermuda. Water at our beaches rarely breaks 20 degrees in September. After Norwegian Cruise Lines confirmed the amended plans with StarMetro, they did not respond when asked how and when the passengers were notified of the change, or whether passengers were offered a refund.

The Beach Boys never sang about Halifax or any of the other destinations on the Norwegian Dawn’s new itinerary. That isn’t to say the Maritimes aren’t fun, fun, fun, but they might not be where the passengers really wanted to go. Grievances started appearing on Twitter Friday morning. One apparent passenger called it a “ripoff,” while another said their honeymoon was ruined.

Another Twitter user said, in part, “How is Canada even comparable to the Caribbean? My parents' had already left, packed for warm weather when we received notice. They are unprepared for this new climate.” Lane Farguson, a representative of the Port of Halifax, said Norwegian Cruise Lines confirmed its plans with the port authority Friday morning.

Typically, cruise lines book their stays with the Port of Halifax up to two years in advance, but Farguson said the port usually has a few last-minute bookings each year because of weather. So far, Hurricane Florence hasn’t diverted any other cruise ships to Halifax, but Farguson said the port would do its best to accommodate more ships if cruise lines asked. The Port of Halifax website notes one other cruise ship scheduled to dock on Sunday with about 2,100 people on board. On its busiest days, the port can accommodate up to five cruise ships. One such day is coming up in October: 11,000 passengers are expected. Taryn Grant is a Halifax-based reporter focusing on education. Follow her on Twitter: @tarynalgrant</s>Hurricane Florence may pose a threat to Bermuda and parts of the US East coast next week. The first major hurricane of the Atlantic season will affect Bermuda’s surf by Friday. But it remains too early to say whether it would hit land. The Category 3 hurricane was packing maximum sustained winds of 115 miles per hour (mph).

The National Hurricane Center said: “Swells generated by Florence will begin to affect Bermuda on Friday and will reach portions of the US East Coast over the weekend. “These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.” Florence was 1,170 miles east-southeast from Bermuda on Thursday morning, moving north-west at 13mph. The hurricane will continue to weaken during the next couple of days, but it “is expected to remain a strong hurricane for the next several days,” the NHC said.

Florence may impact the north and northeast-facing coasts of the Lesser Antilles, Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispañola, the Turks and Caicos and Bahamas into the weekend. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Forecasters have said the swells generated by Florence would begin to affect Bermuda on Friday. There are no watches or warnings currently in effect for the US, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm’s track will depend on the development and movement of a number of weather systems as the storm gets steered by a large ridge of high pressure in the Eastern USA and northern Atlantic Ocean, as well as the progress of a low-pressure trough across the country. However the current tracks across Atlantic means it is likely to hit Bermuda. There is no hurricane watch for Bermuda at this time. With the current forecast models, Florence’s potential impact would hit Bermuda roughly on Tuesday, but there is a great deal of uncertainty in Florence’s potential track.</s>Hurricane Florence, which had strengthened into the first major hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, weakened to a Category 1 storm Thursday as it moved on a path toward Bermuda. As of 5 p.m. ET Thursday, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph but was expected to reintensify Friday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Large swells from Florence are expected to hit Bermuda starting Friday, and portions of the U.S. East Coast over the weekend. Life-threatening surf and rip tides are possible.

There is great uncertainty about Florence’s track beyond day 5. The eye of the hurricane was located 1,050 miles east-southeast of Bermuda as of 5 p.m. ET Thursday and the storm is moving northwest at 10 mph.

Sustained winds have decreased from 130 mph Wednesday when Florence was classified as a Category 4 hurricane.

If Florence continues its current track across the Atlantic, it is likely to hit Bermuda. It should also miss Puerto Rico – located nearly 1,600 miles southwest – which started the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season with its electrical grid and other infrastructure still under repairs from Hurricane Maria last year. The situation was recently criticized in a federal report.

The National Hurricane Center has not yet issued any coastal watches or warnings as of their 5 p.m. ET advisory. But Florence is expected to generate potentially dangerous surf swells and rip current conditions that will begin to affect Bermuda by Friday.

In the U.S., Tropical Storm Gordon never became a hurricane but it was still deadly, killing a child in Florida by blowing a tree onto a mobile home as it made landfall. The storm later weakened into a depression on Wednesday but remained dangerous, dumping rain, spawning tornadoes and kicking up heavy surf in its wake.

The hurricane center said Gordon was weakening on a path into Arkansas after striking the coast at 70 mph, just shy of hurricane strength, near Pascagoula, Mississippi. The remnants will likely cause flash flooding across parts of seven states and as far north as Iowa in the coming days.</s>Hurricane Florence became the first major storm of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season Wednesday as it moved on a path that could take it toward Bermuda. Florence has been downgraded to a category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 115 mph.

The eye of the hurricane is centered about less about 1,170 miles east-southeast of Bermuda as Florence moves in a northwest direction at 12 mph. That path is expected to continue through the night, when it’s forward speed is expected to decrease in speed.

Sustained winds have decreased from 130 mph Wednesday when Florence was classified as a Category 4 hurricane. While the storm is expected to continue to weaken, the National Hurricane Center expects it to remain a strong hurricane for the next several days.

If Florence continues its current track across the Atlantic, it is likely to hit Bermuda. It should also miss Puerto Rico – located nearly 1,600 miles southwest – who started the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season with 11,000 still without power restored from Hurricane Maria last year. The situation was recently criticized in a federal report.

The National Hurricane Center has not yet issued any coastal watches or warnings as of their 5 p.m. ET advisory. But Florence is expected to generate potentially life-threatening surf swells and rip current conditions that will begin to affect Bermuda by Friday.

In the U.S., Tropical Storm Gordon never became a hurricane but it was still deadly, killing a child by blowing a tree onto a mobile home as it made landfall. The storm later weakened into a depression on Wednesday but remained dangerous, dumping rain, spawning tornadoes and kicking up heavy surf in its wake.

The hurricane center said Gordon was weakening on a path into Arkansas after striking the coast at 70 mph, just shy of hurricane strength, near Pascagoula, Mississippi. The remnants will likely cause flash flooding across parts of seven states and as far north as Iowa in the coming days.</s>Stormy weather is about to bring boatloads of accidental tourists into Maritime cruise ports, and some of them aren't too happy about it.

They were supposed to be going to Bermuda, but with a tropical storm down there, they're coming up here instead.

There are mixed feelings aboard the Norwegian Dawn right now.

The cruise ship left Boston on Friday and was supposed to head toward Bermuda, but due to safety concerns surrounding tropical storm Florence, it's heading here to the Maritimes instead.

Signs advising passengers of the change were posted in the Port of Boston today.

The ship will arrive in Halifax on Sunday, Sydney on Monday, Saint John on Wednesday, and will visit Bar Harbor, Maine on Thursday -- destinations far from Bermuda.

The cruise line says the safety of its passengers and crew is its top priority, but that's cold comfort for passengers seeking warmer climates.

"It would've been nice to go to a warmer climate, Bermuda instead of Canada, but I don't know what I can do about it, but I’m here,” said passenger John Palavanchi.

Phil Kosa said the Canadian border is only two hours from his house.

“I could be in Canada quicker than I could be in Boston, so no, I'm not happy with Norwegian right now,” he said.

"What we want is some compensation for this,” he said. “We could go anywhere, send us to Timbuktu, but not back home.”

Some passengers think it’s better to be safe than sorry and are taking the change of plans in stride because they’re going to a place they’ve never visited.

"A bad day at ship is better than a good day at work,” said Carrie Miller.

The Port of Halifax says schedule changes like this aren't common, but they do happen once or twice a season.

Cruise ship schedules are put together one to two years in advance, but local port authorities say they are ready to work with cruise lines when plans go south, or in this case, north.

“As a port authority, we work with cruise lines, when these types of requests come in for additional berthing space due to weather,” said Lane Farguson, a spokesman for the Halifax Port Authority. “We certainly do what we can to accommodate them, and work with them, and also on-the-ground tourism providers, so we can provide guests with an experience we hope they will enjoy.”

This isn't the only ship Norwegian Cruise Line has had to divert from Bermuda due to Florence.

The Norwegian Escape -- which is set to leave New York City -- will now be going to Florida and the Bahamas – a very different destination than the Dawn's stops in the Maritimes.</s>Hurricane Florence, the first major hurricane of the season, is currently pummeling towards Bermuda as forecasters warn it could also pose a threat to the US East Coast.

The hurricane strengthened to a Category 4 storm on Wednesday with its maximum sustained winds estimated to be 130mph.

Hurricane Florence was centered about 1,295 miles east-southeast of Bermuda and moving northwest at 13 mph as of Wednesday afternoon.

The first major hurricane of the Atlantic season is expected to cause 'life-threatening' surf and rip current conditions in Bermuda by Friday but forecasters said it was too early to say whether it would hit land.

The National Hurricane Center said swells from Florence could also reach the East Coast by early next week.

Weather Channel hurricane expert Greg Postel warned people to keep monitoring all the latest on the major hurricane.

'A close encounter with the United States is not unrealistic later next week,' he tweeted.

If Florence does keep tracking towards the US, the hurricane could possible make landfall anywhere from the Carolinas to New England as early as Wednesday, AccuWeather reports.

The National Hurricane Center said some weakening is forecast for Florence during the next couple of days but is expected to remain a powerful hurricane through early next week.

As Hurricane Florence strengthened on Wednesday, Tropical Storm Gordon weakened into a depression as it dumped heavy rains that threatened to cause floods across several southern US states.

Gordon made landfall on Tuesday night near the Alabama-Mississippi border with near hurricane-force winds.

A 2-year-old girl died when a tree fell on a mobile home in Pensacola, Florida as the storm resulted in heavy rains and flooding in western Florida and coastal Alabama.</s>Hurricane Florence has weakened – but it will likely gain enough strength to be a major hurricane as it nears Bermuda, the National Hurricane Center says. The storm's long-term path is still very uncertain, but it's expected to begin affecting parts of the U.S. coast over the next few days.

Florence was packing maximum sustained winds of 105 mph late Thursday morning, the hurricane center said. That speed reflected a drop from its sudden strengthening one day earlier, when Florence's sustained winds hit 130 mph — making it the first major hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic season.

Forecasters say Florence is likely to weaken some over the next day or two – but that it will then regain strength as it nears Bermuda and the U.S. It's currently over the open ocean, more than 1,000 miles east-southeast of Bermuda, moving northwest at 10 mph.

Florence could regain sustained winds of at least 115 mph by Monday, forecasters say. That would make it a Category 3 hurricane as it gets closer to Bermuda (Category 3 storms have winds from 111-129 mph.)

In Bermuda, a government spokeswoman tells The Royal Gazette that while the storm isn't currently considered a threat, it's a good time for people on the island to "update their storm supply kits."

A similar idea comes from the National Weather Service office in Charleston, S.C., which says that while it's too early to speculate about where Florence could possibly hit the U.S., "it's best to dust off your hurricane plans and stay tuned!"

While acknowledging "large uncertainty" over the hurricane's extended path, the National Hurricane Center said, "large swells emanating from the hurricane will reach Bermuda beginning on Friday and portions of the U.S. East Coast this weekend, resulting in life-threatening surf and rip currents."

The storm's path has proven tricky to predict: While previous tracks called for it to take a more north-northwesterly approach, the latest track shows a flatter, more northwestern and western path. It had once seemed likely the hurricane's eye would pass north of Bermuda; it's now predicted to pass south of the island.</s>The Beach Boys never sang about Halifax or any of the other destinations on the Norwegian Dawn's new itinerary. That isn't to say the Maritimes aren't fun, fun, fun, but it's apparently not where some of the Norwegian Dawn passengers really wanted to go.

One Twitter user said, in part, "How is Canada even comparable to the Caribbean? My parents' had already left, packed for warm weather when we received notice. They are unprepared for this new climate."

Bermuda is not actually a Caribbean island. In fact, Bermuda is closer to Nova Scotia than it is to the Caribbean Sea. But the argument stands: Bermuda has shorts named after it, while Canada is known for fur-lined parkas.

Lane Farguson, a representative of the Port of Halifax, said Norwegian Cruise Lines confirmed its plans with the port authority Friday morning.

Typically, cruise lines book their stays with the Port of Halifax up to two years in advance, but Farguson said the port usually has a few last-minute bookings each year because of weather.

So far, Hurricane Florence hasn't diverted any other cruise ships to Halifax, but Farguson said the port would do its best to accommodate more ships if cruise lines asked.

The Port of Halifax website notes one other cruise ship scheduled to dock on Sunday with about 2,100 people on board.

On its busiest days, the port can accommodate up to five cruise ships. One such day is coming up in October: 11,000 passengers are expected.

Taryn Grant is a Halifax-based reporter focusing on education. Follow her on Twitter: @tarynalgrant

Taryn Grant is a Halifax-based reporter focusing on education. Follow her on Twitter: @tarynalgrant
Passengers who were planning on visiting Bermuda are forced to change plans and go to Maine and Canada thanks to a threat of safety posed by Hurricane Florence.