Hurricane Simon Is Redrawing the Mexican Riviera Cruise Map

Hurricane Simon, churning off Mexico’s Pacific coast, has forced two major cruise ships to rewrite their Mexican Riviera itineraries. Carnival Panorama, on an eight-night sailing from Long Beach that departed on 10 October, has cancelled calls at Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán. Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas, on an eight-night California and Mexican Riviera voyage that left Los Angeles on 8 October, has also dropped Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán and Catalina Island.

The Panorama’s week has had extra turns. A 13 October call at Cabo San Lucas was missed because weather made the water shuttles unsafe, and the ship retried on Wednesday, 14 October. Ensenada replaces the cancelled ports on Saturday, 17 October, from 8am to 5pm. Shore excursions for Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán are being refunded to onboard accounts. Earlier in the season, the ship’s itinerary was also revised because of Hurricanes Polo and Rachel.

Royal Caribbean’s changes came in two stages. Catalina Island and Mazatlán were removed first, with the Cabo San Lucas call moved to a different day. Puerto Vallarta was then cancelled when the forecast deteriorated, and a second Cabo stop was added, followed by two days at sea. The ship is still due back in Los Angeles on 16 October as originally scheduled. Compensation includes non-refundable onboard credit of up to $250 per person depending on stateroom, plus a 20% discount on Cabo shore excursions.

For cruise travellers, the lesson is that Pacific hurricane season can reach well into October, and Mexican Riviera ports are exposed. Cruise lines put safety first and often substitute ports, which means a ship may never visit the destination that sold the trip. Check your cruise line’s compensation policy, find out whether excursions booked through the line are refunded automatically, and consider travel insurance that covers itinerary changes if you are booking a sailing during storm season.

Sources: Cruise Industry News (Carnival Panorama), Cruise Industry News (Voyager of the Seas)