Three Cruise Ships Raced Back to Southampton Ahead of Storm Austen

Storm Austen pushed three large cruise ships into Southampton ahead of schedule. P&O Cruises’ Arvia, carrying up to 5,282 guests, was due Friday morning, October 23, but arrived around 7 p.m. on Thursday. MSC Preziosa moved from Friday morning to about 9:30 p.m. Thursday, and MSC Virtuosa, originally due Saturday morning, was expected around 7 p.m. Thursday.

The Met Office issued an amber wind warning for Friday from 3 to 10 a.m. covering Cornwall, parts of Devon and the stretch from Hartland to Plymouth, with gusts of 60 to 70 mph and up to 80 mph on exposed headlands. A yellow warning covered much of southern England until mid-afternoon, with coastal gusts of 70 mph or more. Forecasters said confidence was rising in disruptive winds even though the exact storm track remained uncertain.

For passengers, the knock-on effect is mostly about turnarounds. MSC Preziosa’s departure was moved from 8 p.m. to 6 p.m. on October 23, and guests were told to be at the City Cruise Terminal by 2 p.m. Arvia’s next trip is a 14-night transatlantic crossing to Barbados. Cruise Hive noted that Preziosa and Virtuosa had no confirmed itinerary changes yet for their Northern Europe sailings.

It is part of a stormy autumn for itineraries. Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas and Vision of the Seas both swapped planned ports for Canada to avoid Subtropical Storm Josephine off the U.S. East Coast, and Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady has had four consecutive Pacific Coast sailings altered by tropical weather. The advice is consistent: check with your cruise line for official updates.

Sources: Cruise Hive