Princess Cruises ship gets battered by Storm Floris
As Storm Floris hit the U.K. with raging winds and heavy rain on Aug. 4, several cruise ships sailing British Isles cruises in the region got caught in angry seas.
In Scotland, Storm Floris is being called the 'most damaging summer storm in recent memory' by electricity providers. The storm brought wind gusts of more than 100mph in some parts of northern Scotland, leaving tens of thousands of homes without power and suspending trains while crews worked to clear fallen trees.For cruise ships sailing in and around Scotland this week on British Isles cruises, the storm meant missed ports of call and sailing through some rough seas to get to calmer waters and alternate ports. While cruise ship captains will always sail the safest route possible and avoid putting their ships and their passengers in danger, sometimes heavy seas can't be entirely avoided.
Although Princess Cruises' Regal Princess canceled two of its scheduled port stops in northern Scotland to stay ahead of Storm Floris, the ship still had to sail through some turbulent waters in order to avoid the worst of the weather.
Doug Parker shared details on the rough sea conditions Regal Princess faced as it outran Storm Floris in Scotland, and other cruise news, including a wave of MSC Cruises cancellations, on the Aug. 5 edition of Cruise News Today.Storm Floris thrashes cruise ships in the British Isles
Cruise News Today Transcript:
This is Cruise News Today with Doug Parker.
Good morning, here's your cruise news for Tuesday, August 5th.
Waves reaching 40 feet and wind gusts up to 90 miles per hour creating rough conditions for some cruise ships. This is all driven by Storm Floris. The weather system is disrupting cruise itineraries this morning across the U.K. and Norwegian coasts.
A report to our tip line from a passenger sailing on Regal Princess showed the ship experiencing a steady five- to seven-degree list when winds hit the ship at 90 miles per hour.The ship is skipping Invergorden and heading straight to Liverpool tomorrow. Other ships impacted are Holland America's Nieuw Statendam, Norwegian's Dawn, Ambassador's Ambience, and Seabourn Sojourn.
Earlier this morning, weather buoys in the Irish Sea recorded waves up to 27 feet high. Be safe out there.
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MSC Cruises cancels future cruise season from New York City
And MSC Cruises is scaling back operations in New York. The line confirmed via a letter to guests that MSC Meraviglia will stop sailing from the city after April of '26.
We've received over a dozen emails from guests impacted with a letter from the ship saying the vessel will reposition to Europe for the summer and then return to Miami for the winter season, not New York.
As of now, no MSC sailings are scheduled from New York for the summer of '27. Guests with canceled bookings are being offered rebooking options or full refunds.
The move though does raise questions about MSC's long-term commitment to the Northeast market.Virgin Voyages makes first call to Iceland, Nordic region
And Virgin Voyages marked a milestone this week as Scarlet Lady made her first-ever stop in Iceland. It's Virgin's official debut in the Nordic region.
Meanwhile, Brilliant Lady, Virgin's fourth ship, is en route to the U.K. and Lisbon for preview events just ahead of her inaugural sailing from New York next month.
Her first season will span four U.S. cities with Alaska added to her itinerary next year.And cruise stocks were up on Monday. Carnival Corporation: up 2.2%, 29.72. Royal Caribbean: up slightly, 315.70. Norwegian: up 3.4%, 25.34. And Viking: up 2.2%, 58.86.
If you have a lead on a story, let us know: tips@cruiseradio.net.
Have yourself a great Tuesday. I'm Doug Parker with Cruise News Today.
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)
, or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
This story was originally reported by TravelHost on Aug 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
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