Hurricane Wilma Leaves Cruise Lines Re-routed, Cozumel in Doubt
October 28, 2005
One of the most popular destinations for cruise lines in the Caribbean, Cozumel, Mexico, is reeling from the damage of Hurricane Wilma, the most powerful Atlantic hurricane in recorded history. The tiny island off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula was beaten by the category 4 hurricane (it later developed into a category 5) for almost 40 hours. Hurricane Wilma's relentless winds and pounding rains destroyed cruise piers, shops, and restaurants, basically turning many parts of Cozumel into a flooded, desperate mess.
The damage from Hurricane Wilma has causes several cruise lines to change their itineraries and the ports of call that they are visiting. Carnival Cruise Lines routed all their cruises that were scheduled to go to Cozumel and Key West to other ports; Norwegian Cruise Lines' Dream will be traveling to Progreso and Veracruz, Mexico instead of Cozumel and Playa del Carmen on their October 22nd sailing. Princess Cruise Lines lent a helping hand to the people of Cozumel by offloading food, water, and other relief items instead of passengers.
The island of Cozumel is one of the most popular ports of call for cruise ships because of several reasons. No matter if you travel to Cozumel with your family, friends, or sweetheart, a tourist can find solitude or excitement on this tiny island 28 miles long and 10 miles wide. Tourists can find strength in numbers at the famous bar Carlos & Charlie's or walk barefoot along a sandy stretch of coast with no one in site.
One of the best features of the island is actually the treasures it possesses right off its coast. In fact Jacques Cousteau named the dive sites that surround the island some of the best in the world. The crystal clear, azure water (visibility for 100-200 feet deep) and miles of beautiful underwater reefs lure divers there year round like a siren song. Those divers—amateurs and experts—who travel with cruise lines to Cozumel, are given a treat each time they arrive there.
But while there's still a question as to the extent of damage done to the reefs, there's no doubt as to the destruction that Hurricane Wilma caused on other parts of Cozumel. One of the cruise lines' most frequented ports, International Pier, suffered extensive damage, and the Puerto Maya cruise pier seems to have been completely destroyed. Punta Langosta cruise pier seems to have escaped a lot of damage, but its possible unseen structural damage exists; it won't be known until further inspection.
Also, many tourist attractions along Cozumel's San Miguel oceanfront were completely torn down by the storm; shards of glass, dismembered trees, and debris lie strewn about the ground. The damage done to hotels and resorts alone is estimated at $1.5 billion, and it will easily take several months to repair.
The conditions of several resort towns on Mexico's mainland were affected by Hurricane Wilma, as well. Playa del Carmen was hit hard; wreckage litters the coast and over 1,000 homes were damaged severely. However, Costa Maya and Progreso were largely unaffected.
Of course, there are many other cruise ports of call out there besides those in the Caribbean; the Mediterranean, South America, Australia, Asia, and other regions are amazing cruise destinations. Just don't believe for a second that all of the Caribbean ports of call are off limits; the vast majority of islands in the Caribbean were spared Hurricane Wilma's wrath and are currently welcoming visiting cruise ships as I type. And, although every life if precious, it must be considered at good thing that despite the intense damage, only six deaths have been reported along the Mexican coast.
Still, Hurricane Wilma caused more than enough trouble already and we at Cruise Network wish the people of Mexico, as well as the tourists who were visiting at the time, the best in these most unfortunate of circumstances. It will take some time, but we're sure that Cozumel will start to welcome cruise ships to her harbors once again.
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