Most cruise passengers fly in at least one night before their cruise which would mean arriving on Tuesday, Oct. 8 for cruises leaving on Wednesday. Oct. 9. The problem is that by Tuesday night. Hurricane Milton will likely have begun having a heavy impact across the state of Florida.
Royal Caribbean Chief Meteorologist struggled to find anything positive to say about the growing hurricane.
Related: Carnival and Royal Caribbean share Hurricane Milton updates
“There comes a point when covering a major hurricane event you start looking for good news here or there, anywhere. Unfortunately, there is little of it from the Monday morning models. The tracks remain very close to Tampa Bay, just a little slower. Intensity forecasts continue to predict a growing in size major hurricane (cat 3-5),” he shared on X, the former Twitter.
That could change, he added.
“We have Tuesday to watch for any significant changes, but after that, we start to nowcast, predicting where the core will go,” he continued.
Southwest is one of the largest carriers in Florida.
Image source: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Florida airports set closure dates
Florida has a number of major airports, but the cruise lines are best served by Tampa International (Port Tampa), Orlando International Airport (Port Canaveral), Fort Lauderdale International Airport (Port Everglades), and Miami International (PortMiami). All of those airports could be heavily impacted by Hurricane Milton.
Tampa International Aiport will suspend all commercial and cargo operations beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday (Oct. 8) ahead of Hurricane Milton, with the Airport remaining closed to the public until it can assess any damage after the storm.
Orlando International Airport and Orlando Executive Airport will cease commercial passenger and private operations on Wednesday, Oct. 9 in advance of Hurricane Milton, a move made in coordination with our partners. (The airport won’t be closed and will remain open to accept emergency and aid slights as necessary.
Fort Lauderdale International Airport currently has no plans to close down.
Miami Internationa Airport remains open but told the Miami Herald that it expects flights will be impacted beginning on Oct. 8.
It’s likely that all four airports would be heavily impacted by Wednesday, Oct. 9 as even areas not directly by Hurricane Milton would be impacted by it.
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The Miami-Dade County Area, which is the area expected to be the part of Florida least impacted by Hurricane Milton is already under a State of Local Emergency “effective Oct. 6, 2024, due to potential impact by Hurricane Milton. Likely impacts in Miami-Dade include substantial rain, localized flooding, and the possibility of sustained tropical-storm-force winds starting as early as Tuesday night,” according to the County’s website.
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