JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Several cruise lines have made changes to ships sailing this week due to the track of Hurricane Matthew.
Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Disney Cruise, and Carnival Cruises have all rerouted ships to avoid the storm's path.
The Carnival Elation, a five-day cruise with about 2,000 passengers, left JaxPort about 4 p.m. Monday. The voyage was originally scheduled to visit Half Moon Cay and Nassau but will now stop in Key West and Freeport.
Steve Faulk of Nashville, Tennessee, and his family found out about the change of plans on the cruise line's website.
"We were emailed, but we were also told on the website," Faulk said. "We're pretty comfortable wherever we go as long as we're together as a family,"
Many passengers said they were excited about the change of the itinerary. Alex and Katie Jones, who also from Nashville, said there's no way Matthew can put a damper on their honeymoon.
"They've done this several times and hurricanes are not a new thing, so they'll follow protocol and anything they choose to do. I'm sure they'll keep us safe. If not, we watched 'Titanic.' We're ready," Alex Jones said. "I think we're just going to wear our life jackets the entire time. That seems safe."
Carnival noted that the safety of its guests was its No. 1 concern and its ships will maintain a safe distance from the storm at all times. Carnival released a statement, which read in part:
"We sincerely apologize for this disruption to our guests’ vacation plans. Given the unpredictability of tropical weather systems, and with guest and crew safety as our foremost priority, we are taking a prudent course of action to keep the ship out of harm’s way and provide our guests with a safe and enjoyable vacation experience."
Royal Caribbean is re-routing several ships including the Allure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas.
The Disney Dream, which leaves Monday, has also changed its course.
For the latest information on changes, visit your cruise line's website.
As of 5 p.m. Monday, the National Weather Service had issued a hurricane warning for Jamaica; Haiti; the Cuban provinces of Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, Granma and Las Tunas; the southeastern Bahamas, including the Inaguas, Mayaguana, Acklins, Crooked Island, Long Cay and Ragged Island; and the central Bahamas, including Long Island, Exuma, Ray Cay, San Salvador and Cat Island.