Flight & Cruise Waivers for Travelers

Hurricane Melissa, the newest and possibly strongest storm within the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season, is hovering within the Caribbean on Monday morning as a Category 5 hurricane, and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is sounding its loudest alarm for these in its path.

The storm was just under Jamaica on Monday morning, and the NHC expects the core of Melissa to hit Jamaica tonight and into Tuesday morning earlier than shifting onto Cuba on Tuesday evening after which the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday.

For now, the storm is producing 160 mph winds with even larger gusts, making it a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale and one of the highly effective storms of the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season. It is predicted to strengthen additional earlier than hitting Jamaica and Cuba, and can nonetheless be at main hurricane energy when it hits the Bahamas on Wednesday, the NHC mentioned.

The NHC at present has a Hurricane Warning out for Jamaica and elements of Cuba; a Hurricane Watch out for the southeastern and central Bahamas together with Turks and Caicos; and a Tropical Storm Warning out for Haiti and the Cuban province of Las Tunas. It has already issued a few of its harshest warnings of the 12 months:

“Do not venture out of your safe shelter,” it mentioned in its warning for residents of Jamaica. “Catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely today through Tuesday.”

Airlines Issue Waivers for Travel by the Caribbean

JetBlue has a waiver out for flights by each Kingston (KIN) and Montego Bay (MBJ). That waiver runs by Friday, Oct. 31, and permits flyers to rebook their flights for journey by Nov. 8 with out penalty.

Southwest has a waiver out for Montego Bay (MBJ) by Oct. 29. Travelers can rebook or journey standby inside 14 days of the unique ticket with out penalty.

United Airlines has a waiver out for flights by Montego Bay (MBJ) and Providenciales (PLS) for journey by Oct. 29. Travelers can change their flight to a brand new one by Nov. 5 with out penalty.

Celebrity, Disney, and Royal Caribbean Reroute Cruise Ships Amid Storm

Celebrity Cruises is shifting Celebrity Beyond on an Oct. 26 crusing out of Miami from the Eastern Caribbean to the Western Caribbean. That ship is not going to name on Costa Maya, Belize City, and Roatan.

Disney Cruise Line is rerouting Disney Treasure on a Halloween crusing out of Port Canaveral to Cozumel as a substitute of Tortola, and St. Thomas. The ship may even go to Castaway Cay a second time in the course of the crusing.

Disney can also be making a change to Disney Wish’s four-night Halloween itinerary, visiting Castaway Cay on Oct. 28 and Nassau on Oct. 29 as a substitute of the opposite approach round.

Royal Caribbean is shifting Icon of the Seas, which is within the Caribbean on an Oct. 25, seven-night crusing from Miami, to the Western Caribbean from the Eastern Caribbean. That ship will name on Cozumel and Roatan as a substitute of St. Maarten and St. Thomas. It will nonetheless head to Perfect Day at CocoCay, although it would now achieve this on Friday at 7 a.m.