The cruise line Royal Caribbean is employing its cruise ship, Enchantment of the Seas, a thousand-foot ship that can handle almost 2,500 passengers, to evacuate thousands of employees from Florida before Hurricane Irma’s anticipated landfall this weekend.
All cruises scheduled to depart from Florida on Friday have been cancelled. The cancellations include voyages on three Miami-based ships: Carnival’s Carnival Victory, Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas, and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Sky. Consequently, instead of normal operations, the Enchantment of the Seas will be used to assist Royal Caribbean employees in finding calm seas and safe ground. Royal Caribbean representatives refused to comment on where the ship plans to sail but have stated that the ship will return once the Port of Miami has reopened.
Hurricane Irma is expected to make landfall in South Florida on Sunday morning as a strong Category 4 storm with winds exceeding 150 mph.