As Cyclone Alfred bears down on Queensland, passengers aboard a P&O Cruises Australia ship have discovered their 4-night voyage has been prolonged.
The 108,865-gross-ton Pacific Encounter, which departed from Brisbane, Australia, on March 4, 2025, is at the moment calling in Airlie Seaside, Australia, on March 6, and was anticipated again to its dwelling port on March 8.
As a substitute, a class 2 tropical cyclone has pressured the closure of the Port of Brisbane.
“The transport channel stays closed for inbound vessels, below the path from Maritime Security Queenland’s (MSQ) Regional Harbour Grasp,” mentioned the port.
The storm, with sustained winds of as much as 102 miles per hour, is heading straight for Queensland’s capital metropolis, located on the Sunshine Coast.
Because of this, a warning has been issued by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) for Double Island Level in Queensland to Grafton in New South Wales. This consists of Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Byron Bay, and Ballina, however not Grafton.
The bureau says the storm may attain landfall early on Saturday, March 8, simply when Pacific Encounter was scheduled to return with as much as 2,600 passengers.
As a result of the ship can not return dwelling, visitors scheduled to depart on March 8’s subsequent 7-night “Pacific Island Hopper” voyage acquired phrase from the cruise line that “it can subsequently now not be potential to go to the Pacific Islands.”
“We’re persevering with to observe Cyclone Alfred and are in shut contact with the Port of Brisbane in preparation on your Pacific Encounter cruise,” mentioned P&O Cruises in a letter to passengers.
“The cyclone has slowed and is now anticipated to make landfall a while on Saturday morning and the port will probably be closed, stopping us from crusing as scheduled,” the letter continued.
P&O Cruises instructed its visitors it can proceed to supply extra updates on March 8.
Cyclone Disrupts Port of Brisbane Operations
For would-be visitors of Pacific Encounter’s presumably cancelled March 8 voyage, Cyclone Alfred’s presence means lacking out on visits to Noumea and Lifou, New Caledonia, and Champagne Bay, Espiritu Santo.
Whereas the island visits might not be within the playing cards, the cruise ship may regulate its crusing schedule and supply visitors with an alternative choice, albeit it a shorter voyage than anticipated.
The cruise line is ready to see what harm Cyclone Alfred could have on ports, relying on its depth.
Learn Additionally: Are Cruises Protected? What You Actually Must Know
The BOM is at the moment warning of heavy rainfall, flash floods, harmful and abnormally excessive storm tides, and damaging and harmful wind gusts, which is why the port has closed. Ought to Alfred intensify, winds can attain speeds of greater than 157 miles per hour.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred fashioned off the coast of Queensland on February 23, 2025, and, though it stalled, continues to trigger disruptions to cruises within the area.
Carnival Cruise Line’s 2,260-passenger Carnival Luminosa was additionally purported to return dwelling to Brisbane on March 8.
As a substitute, visitors have been knowledgeable to not anticipate to reach again at port till March 9, presumably March 10, additionally affecting the following voyage.
The climate has additionally stopped Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas from returning to Brisbane till March 10, three days after it was purported to arrive.
The change pressured the cruise line to cancel its following 3-day mini cruise.
Additionally affected by the port’s closure are Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Solar and Cunard’s Queen Anne, which simply arrived in Australia in late February.
