Disney cruise ship stuck at sea as Hurricane Helene ravages Cayman Islands

Two Disney cruise lines have made last-minute changes to their itineraries after Hurricane Helene's storm activity and social unrest forced the ocean liners to remain at sea.

Disney's fantasy The cruise ship spent additional time at sea after being forced to skip a stopover in Grand Cayman while Helene, at the time a tropical storm, dumped 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of rain on the region, with isolated totals of 12 inches (30 centimeters).

The Cayman Islands Port Authority announced on Tuesday that they would remain closed due to “inclement weather caused by potential Tropical Cyclone 92,” the same day that fantasy should dock there.

Helene developed into a tropical storm in the western Caribbean on September 24, causing severe flooding in the Cayman Islands as heavy rains and huge waves swept through the area.

fantasy left the Mexican port of Cozumel on Monday, but instead of sailing towards Grand Cayman as planned, the cruise ship spent an extra day at sea and gave the Caymans a wide berth as storm activity intensified, according to ship tracker CruiseMapper.

Instead, the 4,000-passenger ship headed straight to its next destination, arriving in Falmouth, Jamaica on Wednesday before heading to its penultimate port at Disney's Castaway Cay, the company's private Bahamas island, before reaching its final destination at Port Canaveral, Florida, on Saturday.

However, the Sunshine State is currently bracing for the same storm activity, which threatens to become the strongest storm to hit the U.S. in over a year, and is expected to intensify into a dangerously strong Category 4 storm before making landfall on September 26.

Helene is currently a Category 1 hurricane and has been moving toward Florida since this morning with winds of 90 mph. Sustained winds could reach up to 135 mph.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency on Tuesday and hurricane warnings remain in effect for several areas. The state's Big Bend will see the worst storm surge, with heights of up to 20 feet possible this week.

fantasy was not the only Disney cruise ship whose itinerary was changed, as the 2,700-passenger Disney Wonders will also be stuck at sea for one more day, but the reason for the short-term rescheduling was not stormy weather, but unrest.

The ship is scheduled to depart Honolulu, Hawaii on October 3 for a voyage around the Pacific Ocean, stopping in Samoa and Fiji before arriving in Sydney, Australia on October 19.

However, a short stopover in Noumea on the French islands of New Caledonia on 15 October will be replaced by a day at sea, so The street.

The archipelago, which has a population of around 300,000, has been experiencing unrest for four months. The US government has warned visitors to “rethink” travel to New Caledonia at this time, and the British government advises against all non-essential travel to the islands.

The Independent has contacted Disney Cruise Line for comment.

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