As Hurricane Dorian rages in the Bahama Islands, Disney has confirmed they kept some staff members at their Castaway Cay port, which is located near Great Abaco Island. In an update on their Disney Cruise website, the company wrote, “Many of our Guests have asked questions about Castaway Cay. Some of our Crew remained on the island and their care and safety is our highest priority. As forecasted, sustained winds on the island did not extend beyond tropical force strength and our Crew has returned to their living quarters after spending a few hours in our storm shelter yesterday. Our thoughts continue to be with the people in areas of The Bahamas that are being impacted by this storm and we stand ready to contribute to recovery efforts.”
The company also provided updates on their Disney Dream ship, explaining that it’s “current sailing was scheduled to return to Port Canaveral on Wednesday, September 4. However, after careful review of the currently forecasted path, and conversations with port officials in Florida, it does not seem likely that Port Canaveral will be available for our return on Wednesday.”
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“Because of this, we will need to further extend this sailing and now expect Disney Dream to return to Port Canaveral one day later, on Thursday, September 5,” the company added. “Since Disney Dream will now have additional time at sea, we have arranged a port call for tomorrow, Monday, September 2, in Grand Cayman.”
Disney has confirmed that they left some staff on Castaway Cay, just south of the Abaco Islands and likely in the southern eye wall for hours today, but says the crew is in a sturdy storm shelter with food, water and bathrooms: https://t.co/RRxw9gOPeH
— Sean Breslin (@Sean_Breslin) September 2, 2019
Disney went on to add, “While we had hoped to preserve some portion of the voyage for our Guests’ enjoyment, we have had to change our plans given the inherently unpredictable nature of tropical storms and hurricanes. After careful review of the currently forecasted path, and conversations with port officials in Florida, we have decided to cancel the sailing completely. We understand this may be disappointing news, but we feel this was a necessary decision. The safety of our Guests and crew members is always our foremost concern.”
“Since the sailing was cancelled, Guests are eligible for a full refund of their voyage fare. Additionally, we want to offer Guests an opportunity to sail with us again and will provide them with a 20% discount on a future cruise,” the company also said.
“We are truly sorry for the storm’s impact on our Guest’s vacation, and appreciate their understanding given the continued unpredictability of Hurricane Dorian’s path,” Disney concluded their initial update.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
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