As Hurricane Georges swirled through the Eastern Caribbean, pounding Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba before blasting into the Florida Keys and the Gulf Coast with powerful winds and torrential rain, it left billions of dollars in damage and more than 300 people dead in its wake.
Here’s an update on tourist-oriented areas, but travelers to these areas need to call their travel agents for the status of accommodations and amenities. Puerto Rico is the only island with a toll-free hurricane update hotline. Call 888-858-9582 for information.
Dominican Republic: Buildings, road and farms suffered more than $1.2 billion in damage. It is estimated the death toll could reach 500. Only 5 percent of the country’s tourism centers were damaged, but some of the natural beauty that draws tourists will need time to recover, Temistocles Montas, a government official, told the Associated Press. The areas of Punta Cana, Bayahibe and La Romana were hardest hit by the hurricane. Hotels such as Casa del Mar, Club Dominicus, Natura Park and the Allegro Resort Bavaro are expected to be closed for several weeks, and Casa de Campo will be closed for three months and the Club Med will reopen around Thanksgiving. Some hotels — Coral Hamaca, Coral Costa Caribe and Barcelo Capella — are open while minor repairs are under way.
Puerto Rico: Damage is estimated at $2 billion in the strongest storm to hit the island in 70 years. Hurricane Georges knocked out power, flooded roads, smashed homes and toppled thousands of trees. The Puerto Rico Tourism Company said major hotels were back in business despite sustaining minor damage, such as broken glass and landscaping.
U.S. Virgin Islands: Roads are passable and most facilities are open. The Ritz-Carlton and Renaissance Grand Beach Resort in St. Thomas reported minimal damage. Hotels on St. Croix suffered mostly landscape damage. Caneel Bay on St. John hopes to be open in mid-October.
Antigua: Hurricane Georges hit the southern and western parts of the island, mainly damaging residential property. The downtown area of St. John’s is reported to be in good shape. Status of hotels on the island is still being assessed.
St. Kitts and Nevis: These islands, two of the first hit by Georges, suffered extensive destruction, including an estimated $7 million damage to hotel properties. A statement from the hotel association for the islands said, “presently approximately 35 percent of hotel rooms are open for business in St. Kitts while 50 percent will be operational by Oct. 15 and 70 percent by early November.” The association expected most hotels in Nevis to have reopened last week. However, the award-winning Four Seasons Nevis, which had water and landscaping damage, is closed at least through the end of November, with no reopening date set.
Key West: The hurricane destroyed the famed Houseboat Row, a colony of floating homes and rental units. Although much of the island was flooded, Duval Street was left intact. Popular tourist attractions such as the Truman Annex and the Hemingway House incurred no structural damage. The Lower Keys received extensive damage. Potential visitors can call 800-FLA-KEYS for updates.
CRUISE ALTERATIONS
Minor in comparison, Georges also forced Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International to alter their ships’ itineraries, affecting some 20,000 vacationers. By now cruise schedules are back to normal.
Royal Caribbean changed the itineraries of five ships — Sovereign of the Seas, Majesty of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas, Monarch of the Seas and Nordic Empress. “What we did with all of them was to go to the Western Caribbean (away from the storm) instead of going east, or we just scooted south (from Miami and San Juan) to places like Aruba or Barbados and then sailed back up north, reversing the itinerary,” said Rich Steck, Royal Caribbean’s spokesman. “We went behind the storm where the seas were calm and nice.”
Steck said the only ship that had a real problem and was unable to dock in Miami on schedule was the Sovereign, which was on a three-day cruise. “It was due to arrive in Miami on Friday, but we had it stay at sea an extra day and come in on Saturday to avoid the storm,” Steck said. “We made arrangements to fly the passengers home then. We canceled the ship’s Friday cruise.”
Majesty of the Seas, which normally sails on seven-night Western Caribbean cruises from Miami, was able to follow its schedule, but Steck said the ship’s stop at Labadee, Haiti, was canceled so it spent the day at sea.
Enchantment of the Seas, which sails from Miami on seven-night cruises to the Eastern Caribbean, was shifted to Western Caribbean ports of call — Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Royal Caribbean substituted Nassau, the Bahamas, for Ocho Rios, Jamaica, to steer clear of the storm.
Monarch of the Seas, based in San Juan, normally goes to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and to Martinique. Monarch avoided the hurricane by cruising south to Barbados, reversing its itinerary, and spending a day at sea before returning to San Juan.
Steck said the Nordic Empress, just out of dry dock, was scheduled for a special seven-night cruise from Miami to San Juan, stopping at St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Labadee. “We dumped all of that and went to our place in Haiti early, then sailed to Aruba and Curacao and back up to San Juan. The ship will do regular three- and four-night cruises out of San Juan for the rest of the season.”
The cruises, said Steck, affected about 12,250 passengers. “The impact of the storm was minimal, primarily because the ships went behind the storm or away from it,” Steck said. “The ships were not in areas of heavy disturbance. That’s the thing about ships anyway, you just go somewhere else, especially in the Caribbean.”
Steck said that Royal Caribbean is sorting out what passengers will receive in compensation for these changes. When the Monarch sailed from San Juan, said Steck, it departed early because of the approaching storm, leaving 14 late-arriving passengers behind. “Those people will get a full refund or a choice of a free cruise later. We put them up in hotels and then flew them back home,” Steck said. “Other passengers might be compensated on a kind of sliding scale. We’re tending to lean toward the generous side, but it’s a subjective choice.”
Hurricane Georges forced Carnival Cruises to reroute five of its ships, said Tim Gallagher, the line’s spokesman.
The Sensation, which sails out of Miami to the Eastern Caribbean, was sent to the Western Caribbean. The Imagination, also out of Miami, had its ports of call reversed to accommodate the Sensation. The Fascination, which operates out of San Juan to the Southern Caribbean, had its ports changed to avoid encountering Georges. The Inspiration, also out of San Juan, altered its Southern Caribbean schedule. The Ecstasy, which sails from Miami on four-day cruises in the Western Caribbean, had its operation shifted to Port Canaveral in case the storm hit Miami. “We give storms a very wide berth,” Gallagher offered.
Gallagher said the itinerary changes affected about 10,000 passengers. “Usually there’s no compensation involved because the storm is an act of God. We try to give passengers other ports that offer the same types of things as the ones they may be missing.”
