Is your Caribbean cruise destination still open? A port-by-port look after Irma, Maria

With the bevy of hurricanes rumbling through, it's been a tough few weeks for cruise lines operating in the Caribbean.
USA TODAY

Evacuees lining a dock on the Dutch side of the island of St. Martin, known as St. Maarten, on Sept. 10. They were able to depart the island on Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas, which made a humanitarian stop.(Photo: Royal Caribbean International)

It's been a tough few weeks for cruise lines operating in the Caribbean. The one-two punch of hurricanes Irma and Maria already has forced Royal Caribbean, Carnival and several other big players in the region to re-route dozens of sailings, and more itinerary changes are in the works. The storms knocked two of the region's busiest cruise ports — Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and Philipsburg, St. Maarten — off cruise schedules for weeks and maybe months. Several other popular cruise destinations including Tortola in the British Virgin Islands also are closed to ships for now.

Still, as big as they were, Irma and Maria only affected a small slice of the vast Caribbean Sea. While they left a trail of destruction across a string of Eastern Caribbean islands, the storms didn't touch the Western Caribbean — home to more than a dozen cruise ports including Cozumel, Mexico; Falmouth, Jamaica; and Harvest Caye, Belize. Nor did they affect Southern Caribbean cruise destinations such as Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, St. Lucia and Barbados.

Also relatively unaffected were the big ports of The Bahamas, which are among the biggest destinations for cruise ships sailing from Florida.

Which destinations in the Caribbean and The Bahamas are closed to ships for the coming weeks and months? Which remain open? Here, a port-by-port look at the status of significant stops in the region in the wake of Irma and Maria:

► Amber Cove, Dominican Republic. Open.
The Carnival Corp.-operated port along the north coast of the Dominican Republic was relatively unaffected by Irma and Maria. The latter storm on Sept. 21 passed just to the north of Hispaniola — the island the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti. Carnival re-routed several ships that had been scheduled to visit Amber Cove this week to the Western Caribbean. But the re-routings aren't likely to continue for long. On Friday the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Tourism issued a communique that said the port and all others around the country were back open and operating normally.

► Basseterre, St. Kitts. Open.
St. Kitts received a glancing blow from both Irma and Maria but escaped major damage, according to an official communique released Friday that declared the island open for tourism. The statement, sent to media outlets, said an evaluation found no damage from the storm at the Port Zante cruise pier, and St. Kitts welcomed two vessels on Saturday — Carnival Fascination and Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas. Flights to St. Kitts resumed on Sept. 21.

► Belize City, Belize. Open.
Belize City was unaffected by the storms.

► Bridgetown, Barbados. Open.
Barbados was relatively unaffected by the storms and has been receiving cruise ships since shortly after Irma passed to the north.

► Castries, St. Lucia. Open.
St. Lucia was unaffected by the storms.

► Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Closed.
St. Thomas was devastated by Irma and is closed to cruise ships for now. But officials on Tuesday said they were hoping a massive recovery effort currently underway would have the destination ready for vessels to return by late October. Royal Caribbean already has canceled all of its visits to St. Thomas through late October and replaced them with calls at such islands as St. Kitts and Bonaire, and at Labadee, the line's private beach getaway in Haiti. Two other lines, Norwegian and Celebrity, have canceled St. Thomas stops even further out, into November and beyond. Norwegian is replacing St. Thomas visits by its 4,248-passenger Norwegian Escape through the end of the year with calls in the Western Caribbean; Celebrity is shifting its ships to places like St. Kitts.

► Colon, Panama. Open.
Colon was unaffected by the storms.

► Costa Maya, Mexico. Open.
Costa Maya was unaffected by the storms.

► Cozumel, Mexico. Open.
Cozumel was unaffected by the storms.

► Falmouth, Jamaica. Open.
Falmouth was unaffected by the storms.

► Fort-de-France, Martinique. Open.
Martinique experienced some flooding and power outages last week in the wake of Maria, but its port has reopened. Tours and tourist sites are expected to be up and running this week. No cruise ships are scheduled to call in Martinique until the middle of October.

► Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Closed.
St. Croix was relatively unaffected by Irma but early reports are that the island suffered significant damage from Maria, which passed by on Sept. 19. Damage assessments are underway. St. Croix isn't normally visited by cruise ships at this time of year. Before Irma, the next scheduled cruise call for the island wasn't set to take place until Nov. 5, when a Celebrity Cruises ship was due to arrive. But in the wake of Irma, several lines had been planning on using St. Croix as a substitute port for nearby St. Thomas and St. Maarten, which were heavily damaged by the storm.

► Freeport, The Bahamas. Open.
Freeport was relatively unaffected by Irma, which passed far to the west, and has been receiving cruise ships for the past three weeks.

► Grand Turk Island, Turks & Caicos. Closed.
Visited mostly by Carnival cruise ships, Grand Turk suffered damage from Irma and has been closed to cruise vessels the past two weeks. It had been expected to reopen soon but suffered another blow on Friday as Maria passed nearby. Carnival replaced its calls in Grand Turk last week with visits to Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic and Freeport in The Bahamas, and it has dropped more calls at Grand Turk planned for this week with a variety of ports.

► St. Georges, Grenada. Open.
Grenada was unaffected by the storms.

► Gustavia, St. Barts. Closed.
St. Barts took a significant hit from Irma on Sept. 6, but a recovery effort is well underway. On Monday, a communique from the island said all neighborhood power lines and water lines had been restored, roadways were clear and the commercial harbor was fully functional. At the time Irma hit, there were no cruise ships scheduled to call at St. Barts until late October. While a few visits that had been on the books for later in the year already have been canceled, officials expect the island to be ready for the first cruise vessel currently scheduled to visit, Crystal Serenity. It's due in on Oct. 30.

► Havana, Cuba. Open.
Havana suffered damage from Hurricane Irma, but the Cuban capital's port is back open and cruise lines already have begun returning. Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Sky, which sails to Havana weekly from Miami, resumed calls at the city on Sept. 19, and Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas pulled in on Sept. 20. In a post-visit update on Facebook, Royal Caribbean said Havana's terminal, port and transportation were ready for Empress, and all tours ran as scheduled.

► Key West, Fla.Open.
The Florida Keys still is recovering from Irma, and the archipelago officially remains closed to tourists arriving by car. But cruise ships began returning to Key West on Sunday with the arrival of Royal Caribbean's 1,840-passenger Empress of the Seas. Key West was less affected by Irma than areas of the Keys to the east, where the eye of the storm came ashore, and it has opened to ships more quickly than expected. Royal Caribbean originally had canceled all of its visits to Key West through mid-October, but late last week the line put many of the calls back on its schedule. Carnival on Monday also put Key West back on its schedule starting with a Tuesday call by the 2,758-passenger Carnival Victory.

► Kralendijk, Bonaire. Open.
Bonaire was unaffected by the storms.

► La Romana, Dominican Republic. Open.
Located on the Dominican Republic's southern coast, La Romana was relatively unaffected by Irma and Maria. On Friday, the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Tourism issued a communique that said the port and all others around the country were back open and operating normally, and one of Carnival's ships, Carnival Vista, called at La Romana on Tuesday.

► Nassau, The Bahamas. Open
Nassau was relatively unaffected by Irma, which passed far to the west and has been receiving cruise ships for the past three weeks.

► Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Open.
Ocho Rios was unaffected by the storms.

► Orenjestad, Aruba. Open.
Aruba was unaffected by the storms.

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A Royal Caribbean cruise ship made an unscheduled stop in St. Martin on Sept. 10 to deliver supplies and pick up stranded travelers.
USA TODAY

► Philipsburg, St. Maarten. Closed.
St. Maarten — the Dutch side of the island of St. Martin — was devastated by Irma and is not expected to reopen to cruise ships for many weeks if not months. Royal Caribbean already has canceled all of its visits to St. Maarten through late October, replacing them with calls at the islands of St. Kitts and St. Croix, and at Labadee, the line's private beach getaway in Haiti. But the cancellations could extend beyond October. Already one small line, Windstar Cruises, has removed St. Maarten from its schedule through March 2018. St. Maarten is one of the most visited cruise ports in the Caribbean, drawing over 1.6 million cruisers a year. Notably, it's a key call for all three of the world's biggest cruise ships — Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas.

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Harmony is a larger version of Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, the previous size leaders in the cruise world. It is, notably, wider than the earlier ships by almost three feet and a tad longer, too. It measures nearly 1,700 more tons. Simon Brooke-Webb, sbw-photo

Among the most unusual new features on Harmony is Ultimate Abyss, a dual slide that drops 10 stories from the top of the ship to one of its lowest decks.Passengers enter through the giant jaws of an angler fish. Gene Sloan, USA TODAY

Located three decks down from Central Park is another 'neighborhood' called the Royal Promenade. Filled with eateries, bars and shops, its an iconic feature of Royal Caribbean ships. Gene Sloan, USA TODAY

Harmony is a larger version of Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, the current size leaders in the cruise world. It is, notably, wider than the earlier ships by almost three feet and a tad longer, too. It measures nearly 1,700 more tons. Royal Caribbean

► Road Bay, Anguilla. Open.
The port at Road Bay has reopened since Irma passed nearby, but no cruise calls are scheduled at the island until late November.

► Roatan Island, Honduras. Open.
Roatan was unaffected by the storms.

► Roseau, Dominica. Closed.
Dominica was hit hard by Maria late on Sept. 18 through the morning of Sept. 19, with the island's prime minister saying there was "mind-boggling" damage, and it's not expected to reopen to cruise ships for some time. The good news for cruise operators: No ships are scheduled to call at the island until late October.

► Samana, Dominican Republic. Open.
Samana was relatively unaffected by Irma and Maria. On Friday, the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Tourism issued a communique that said the port and all others around the country were back open and operating normally. Even if the port area had suffered damage from the storm, it would have had little impact on cruise schedules as there are no ships set to visit Samana until November.

► San Juan, Puerto Rico. Closed.
The port of San Juan bounced back quickly after Irma passed nearby, but it may take longer to resume its place as a major cruise destination in the wake of Maria. The storm made landfall on Puerto Rico on Sept. 20 as a powerful Category 4 hurricane — the first hurricane of that strength or higher to directly hit the island in 85 years — and reports are of significant damage in many locations. Both of the major lines that operate cruises out of San Juan, Royal Caribbean and Carnival, have canceled this week's sailings out of the city. Carnival also has canceled trips out of San Juan scheduled to start on Oct. 1 and Oct. 8. In addition, three Florida-based ships that were scheduled to visit San Juan this week have been re-routed to other ports.

Carnival said late Friday that its terminal in San Juan sustained extensive damage from Maria that will takes weeks to repair.

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Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas made a humanitarian stop at the Irma-ravaged island of St. Martin on Sept. 10 to deliver much-need supplies and evacuate stranded travelers. Adventure docked on the Dutch side of the island, known as St. Maarten. Royal Caribbean International

Evacuees who boarded Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas on Sept. 10 were mostly Americans but also included people from Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Latin America. Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas gave St. Martin evacuees relief packages with supplies that included hand sanitizer, toothpaste, tooth brushes, shampoo, soap, hair brushes and other personal products as well as clothing and first aid items. Royal Caribbean International

Evacuees lining a dock on the Dutch side of the island of St. Martin, known as St. Maarten, on Sept. 10. They were able to depart the island on Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas, which made a humanitarian stop. Royal Caribbean International

In addition to water and other drinks, Adventure of the Seas on Sept. 10 brought canned foods, shelf stable milk, gloves, rags, line, batteries, sanitizer, plastic cups, utensils, toilet paper and other much-needed provisions to St. Martin. Royal Caribbean International

In addition to water and other drinks, Adventure of the Seas brought canned foods, shelf stable milk, gloves, rags, line, batteries, sanitizer, plastic cups, utensils, toilet paper and other much-needed provisions to St. Martin. Royal Caribbean International

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► Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Open.
Santo Domingo was relatively unaffected by Irma and Maria. On Friday, the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Tourism issued a communique that said the port and all others around the country were back open and operating normally.

► St. John's, Antigua. Open.
Antigua suffered a glancing blow from Hurricane Irma, which passed to the north along a path that devastated sister island Barbuda. Antigua still is on cruise schedules for the fall, with the next scheduled ship visit set for Oct. 3 — a call by Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Equinox. The Equinox call originally was set for Sept. 30 but was pushed back as part of a larger shuffling of the ship's schedule due to the closures of St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Tortola.

► Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Closed.
The British Virgin Islands were hard hit by Irma and could be closed to cruise ships for many weeks if not months. Norwegian Cruise Line already has canceled all of its stops at Tortola scheduled for its 4,248-passenger Norwegian Escape through the end of the year, replacing them with calls in the Western Caribbean.

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Carnival Cruise Line's newest ship is the 3,954-passenger Carnival Vista, which debuted in May 2016. At 133,500 tons, it's Carnival's biggest ship ever and the first of the line's new Vista Class of vessels. It sails to the Caribbean from Galveston, Texas and Miami. Danny Lehman

A sister ship to Carnival Vista to be called Carnival Horizon is scheduled to debut in April 2018. Like Vista, it'll measure 133,500 tons and carry 3,954 passengers, based on double occupancy. Carnival Cruise Line

Unveiled in 2012, the 130,000-ton Carnival Breeze is the newest of Carnival's three Dream Class vessels, which began rolling out in 2009. Shown here in St. Thomas, it carries 3,690 passengers, based on double occupancy, and sails to the Caribbean from Galveston, Texas and Port Canaveral, Fla. Danny Lehman

Unveiled in 2011, the 3,690-passenger, 130,000-ton Carnival Magic is the second of Carnival's three Dream Class vessels. Shown here in Key West, Fla., it sails to the Caribbean from Port Canaveral, Fla. It'll move to Miami in the fall of 2018. Danny Lehman

Sailing since 2009, the 3,646-passenger,130,000-ton Carnival Dream is based year-round in New Orleans but will move to Galveston, Texas in 2019. It was the first of Carnival's three Dream Class vessels to debut. Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line

Unveiled in 2008, the 3,012-passenger, 113,000-ton Carnival Splendor is the only member of Carnival's Splendor Class of vessels. Originally designed for sister line Costa Cruises (where it would have been called Costa Splendor), it was transferred to Carnival during construction. It began sailing from Long Beach, Calif. in January 2018. Carnival Cruise Line

The 2,974-passenger, 110,000-ton Carnival Freedom is the newest of five Conquest Class vessels that Carnival debuted between 2002 and 2007. Shown here docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico, it currently sails to the Caribbean out of Galveston, Texas. Andy Newman, Andy Newman/CCL

Dating to 2005, the 110,000-ton Carnival Liberty is the second oldest of Carnival's five Conquest Class vessels. It carries 2,974 passengers, based on double occupancy, and sails to The Bahamas out of Port Canaveral, Fla. Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line

The 2,974-passenger, 110,000-ton Carnival Valor is another Conquest Class vessel that debuted in 2004. It sails to the Caribbean out of Galveston, Texas but will move to New Orleans in 2019. Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line

Unveiled in 2002, the 2,974-passenger Carnival Conquest is the oldest of Carnival's five Conquest Class vessels, which debuted between 2002 and 2007. It carries 2,974 passengers, based on double occupancy, and sails to The Bahamas, Bermuda and Caribbean out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line

Dating to 2004, the 88,500-ton Carnival Miracle is one of four Spirit Class vessels that Carnival rolled out between 2001 and 2004 that often are assigned to the line's more far-flung itineraries. The 2,124-passenger ships have pools that can be covered with sliding glass domes and other design features that give them an advantage in destinations with inclement weather. Miracle began sailing year-round out of Tampa in January 2018. Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line

Sailing since 2002, the 2,124-passenger, 88,500-ton Carnival Legend is the second oldest of Carnival's four Spirit Class ships. It specializes in voyages to Alaska and Hawaii from several ports. Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line

Also unveiled in 2001, the 88,500-ton Carnival Spirit was the original vessel in Carnival's Spirit Class. It carries 2,124 passengers, based on double occupancy, and sails in Australia. Carnival Cruise Line

Unveiled in 2000, the 101,509-ton Carnival Victory is one of two Triumph Class ships in the Carnival fleet. The 2,754-passenger vessel sails to The Bahamas and Caribbean out of Miami. Carnival Cruise Line

The 102,000-ton Carnival Triumph is the namesake for Carnival's two-ship Triumph Class. Sailing since 1999, it currently operates trips to the Caribbean from New Orleans. Starting in 2020, it'll sail from New York; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and Norfolk, Va. Carnival Cruise Line

The 102,853-ton Carnival Sunshine is the only member of Carnival's Sunshine Class of ships. It originally debuted in 1996 as Carnival Destiny but was renamed in 2013 following a massive makeover. At the time of its debut, it was the largest cruise ship ever built and, notably, the first passenger vessel to exceed 100,000 tons. Based in Port Canaveral, Fla., it'll move to Charleston, S.C. in 2019. Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line

The 70,367-ton Carnival Paradise is one of Carnival's eight Fantasy Class vessel, which date to the 1990s. Built in 1998, it carries 2,056 passengers and sails to the Caribbean out of Tampa. Carnival Cruise Line

The 2,052-passenger, 70,367-ton Carnival Elation sails to The Bahamas, Bermuda and Caribbean out of Jacksonville, Fla. but will move to Port Canaveral, Fla. in 2019. Unveiled in 1998, it's one of Carnival's eight Fantasy Class vessels, which date to the 1990s. Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line

Also sailing to Mexico from the Los Angeles area is the 2,052-passenger, 70,367-ton Carnival Imagination. Shown here in the Turks & Caicos Islands, it's one of Carnival's eight Fantasy Classs vessels and first debuted in 1995. Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line

The 2,052-passenger, 70,367-ton Carnival Fascination sails to the Caribbean from Barbados and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Dating to 1994, it is one of Carnival's eight Fantasy Class vessels. Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line

The 2,052-passenger, 70,367-ton Carnival Ecstasy sails to The Bahamas, Bermuda and Caribbean from Charleston, S.C. but will move to Jacksonville, Fla., in 2019. Christened in 1991, it's one of eight Fantasy Class vessels at Carnival. Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line

Unveiled in 1990, the 2,052-passenger, 70,367-ton Carnival Fantasy is the oldest of Carnival's 25 ships. Now based year-round in Mobile, Ala., it is the namesake for Carnival's eight-ship Fantasy Class of vessels. Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line

In addition to Carnival's current fleet of 25 ships, the line has operated several other vessels over its 45 year history. The very first was the 27,500-ton Mardi Gras, shown here in a photo illustration alongside one of the cruise company's most recently unveiled vessels, Carnival Magic. At 130,000 tons, Carnival Magic is almost five times the size of Mardi Gras. Illustrated by Lorraine Turner/Carnival Corp.

Carnival's first newly built ship was the 36,674-ton Tropicale, shown here in a file photo from 1999.Unveiled in 1981, it sailed with the line until 2001, when it was transferred to Costa Cruises. Chris O'Meara, Associated Press

After a major refit in 2015 at the BAE Systems Drydock in San Francisco, the Carnival Miracle now boasts many of Carnivals newly implemented 2.0 venues like the Alchemy Bar, Redfrog Pub and Skybox sports bar. Peter Knego