After Hurricanes Helene and Milton, many Americans still have not recovered. The devastation in some areas will take years to rebuild, and some places may never fully recover.
The cruise lines, compared to that, only face a mild impact. Ships were rerouted, stops were rescheduled, and others were missed entirely.
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A few ships got stuck at sea, which caused flight logistics problems for some people and maybe led to days of work and school being missed, but the impact was mild. Compared to what happened on land, cruisers were safe, and while some were disappointed as their trips got canceled, that's a small price to pay for safety.
Hurricane Rafael, which developed into a hurricane on Nov. 5, has already created some problems for the cruise industry. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises had to rearrange some itineraries, as did other cruise lines, but that's a minor issue compared to what happens when a hurricane hits land and causes havoc at the ports.
Image source: Royal Caribbean.
Here's what's next for Hurricane Rafael
Royal Caribbean Chief Meteorologist Craig Setzer has been updating his followers on X, the former Twitter, about the hurricane.
On Nov. 6, he shared an update on the developing storm.
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"Wow, Hurricane Rafael's eye coming into view of Key West radar, which is seeing it 240 miles away at a radar beam altitude of 40,000 feet. From the radar (and now recon) perspective, there appears to be a double eyewall structure. Maybe, just maybe if an eyewall replacement cycle can happen as the storm is approaching and making landfall in Cuba, the intensity will drop a bit...let's hope this happens," he posted.
The news on Nov. 8 was more definitively positive.
"After making landfall in Cuba on Wednesday as a major hurricane, Rafael has turned westward in the open Gulf of Mexico, where it's possible it won't make landfall again. Less warm water temps, dry air, and wind shear should not only keep Hurricane Rafael from strengthening but should lead to its eventual demise," he wrote.
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Hurricane season ends on Nov. 30 which gave Setzer some hope.
"Is this the last named storm of the busy start/busy finish 2024 Atlantic hurricane season? Let's hope so...but I'm keeping half an eye on the little disturbance over the northeast Caribbean. Development chances here are low as it moves west," he added.
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