Fla. Cruise Ships Offer Aid to Hurricane Victims in Caribbean

Sept. 29—In South Florida, it's not uncommon to hear of cruise ships rescuing distressed migrants and boaters at sea. But after Hurricanes Irma and Maria rampaged through the eastern Caribbean, the floating cities are involved in a different kind of humanitarian mission.

Cruise operators are sending their mammoth ships on aid missions to the worst-hit islands. The objectives have been twofold: deliver relief supplies to the impacted areas and ferry evacuees out of harm's way.

On Thursday, Royal Caribbean International's Adventure of the Seas ship departed San Juan with emergency supplies to deliver to St. Croix on Friday and St. Thomas on Saturday. The two islands were among those badly impacted by recent hurricanes. The cruise ship arrived Wednesday in San Juan on a three-island trip bearing much-needed supplies.

Hurricane Maria is churning through the Caribbean, delivering new devastation to islands previously hit by Hurricane Irma.

The 3,114-passenger ship is also expected to bring back hundreds of evacuees from the islands to the U.S. mainland, a spokesman for the Miami-based cruise line said.

"We are working with local governments in St. Croix, St. Thomas and Puerto Rico to coordinate the delivery of emergency supplies and to help get people who need evacuation," Royal Caribbean spokesman Owen Torres said.

Adventure of the Seas is expected to arrive Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale with the evacuees, Torres said.

The ship, whose regular Sept. 30 cruise was canceled to facilitate the relief mission, will return to its home port of San Juan on Oct. 6 to prepare for its next scheduled sailing the following day.

Passengers booked on Saturday's canceled cruise will receive a full refund of the fare and fees paid, and a 25 percent discount for a future cruise booked within 30 days, Royal Caribbean said. Prepaid shore excursions will also be refunded.

In the days after Hurricane Irma's passage through the Caribbean, Royal Caribbean deployed Adventure and two other ships—Majesty of the Seas and Empress of the Seas—with provisions and to assist in evacuations. The provisions included nearly 30,000 gallons of water; 9,355 gallons of milk; 25-plus pallets of medical supplies, 30,504 batteries and 450 power generators, the company said. Some 1,700 people were evacuated from affected islands.

The cruise operator also plans to match the hurricane relief donations it's collecting up to $1 million, Torres said.

With South Florida being a launch pad for cruises to the Caribbean, other cruise lines have been deploying aid and resources.

"The cruise industry became involved in humanitarian and recovery efforts from the hurricanes almost immediately," said Chris Gray Faust, senior editor at Cruise Critic, a cruise review and news website. "Cruise passengers are very familiar with these islands of the eastern Caribbean, including St. Thomas, Puerto Rico and St. Maarten, and most Cruise Critic readers want to see the islands' infrastructure rebuilt so they can support these ports that they love. "

Hurricane Maria struck islands in the Caribbean starting Tuesday, Sept. 19, as a Category 5 storm. Its path takes it over Puerto Rico then onward through the Caribbean and toward the U.S. east coast. The storm was called "catastrophic" as it clobbered Dominica. Residents of Puerto Rico raced to ready the island for a disaster scenario.

Here's a snapshot of other cruise industry relief efforts:

Norwegian Cruise Line: The Miami-based cruise line has been involved in relief efforts in several islands. Earlier this month, the Norwegian Sky arrived in Miami from St. Thomas with hundreds of stranded visitors and displaced residents after homes and businesses were damaged. The ship took 35 palettes of supplies, including plywood, tarps, hammers, nails, bedding and towels and non-perishable food.

"We continue to work with our partners and other organizations to deliver supplies to Cuba, and we are actively working with our vendors to arrange for the transport of relief supplies to Puerto Rico through our partners, as we are not currently sailing there," Norwegian spokeswoman Vanessa Picariello said Thursday.

Earlier this week, the Miami-based line's parent, Norwegian Cruise Line Holding, announced a goal to help raise $2.5 million in partnership with nonprofit All Hands Volunteers. The company said it would match donations from other sources of up to $1.25 million. The donations would be used for early relief efforts in the Florida Keys and also to rebuild schools in the Caribbean. An initial $600,000 donation was given to jump start the fundraising.

"We are heartbroken to see the devastation that Hurricanes Irma and Maria have inflicted on the Florida Keys and several Caribbean islands, where our ships have been visiting since the beginning of our 50 years in business," said Frank Del Rio, NCLH president and CEO.

Carnival Cruise Line: On Thursday, a spokeswoman said critical supplies are headed to several Caribbean enclaves.

"We have already arranged for supplies to be delivered to residents in Barbuda, St. Maarten and Dominica with many more to come in the days and weeks ahead," said Christine de la Huerta in an email. "Just this week, several pallets of supplies provided by Carnival went to Dominica."

Overall, 11 Carnival ships have been involved in transporting emergency supplies to Florida and Caribbean ports. Relief aid also reached Grand Turk, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Antigua and Barbuda.

Parent company Carnival Corp., the Miami Heat Charitable Fund and the Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation have also pledged up to $10 million in funding and in-kind support for Hurricane Irma relief. An immediate donation of $2.5 million was given to three relief organizations.

Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line: The Deerfield Beach cruise company's sole ship, the 1,900-passenger Grand Celebration, arrived in St. Thomas on Sept. 23 to provide housing and meals for National Guard members helping islanders to rebuild after Irma. The Federal Emergency Management Agency chartered the ship, which will remain in St. Thomas through late December. Grand Celebration is slated to resume its regular two-night sailings from Port of Palm Beach to Freeport, Grand Bahama, on Dec. 23.