Thousands of cruise ship passengers are being forced to spend extra days at sea after 3 Florida ports closed due to Hurricane Ian

• Florida-based cruise ships are extending their trips after Hurricane Ian forced three ports to close.

• The cruise ships are spending more time at sea visiting extra destinations.

• Around five ships and 20,000 passengers are affected, per The Points Guy.

Florida-based cruise ships are extending their schedules after Hurricane Ian forced three ports to close in the state.

Three major ports in the state — Port Tampa Bay, Jacksonville Port Authority, and Port Canaveral — have temporarily closed, according to statements posted on their Twitter accounts. 

Hurricane Ian made landfall on Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane before weakening to a Category 1 storm.

The Points Guy reported that the closures meant at least five cruise ships were unable to return to their home ports in Florida.

Unable to disembark passengers on schedule, the cruise ships are spending more time at sea and visiting extra destinations.

Carnival Cruise Line announced it had extended two of its cruises that were due to dock in Florida on September 29.

The Carnival Paradise extended a visit to Cozumel, Mexico, by an extra night. Meanwhile, the Carnival Elation added a visit to Freeport, Bahamas, to avoid the storm. The company said that both cruises were likely to be extended until the storm passes and the ports reopen.

Carnival Cruise Line did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside normal working hours.

Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas, Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Getaway, and MSC Cruises' MSC Divina are also being extended, according to the Points Guy. All three cruise ships were due to return to Port Canaveral on Thursday morning but will now not return before Friday morning, the travel blog reported.

Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line have been contacted by Insider but did not immediately respond. MSC Cruises could not be reached for comment.

The changes mean that around 20,000 passengers are getting a mandatory extension to their trip, per the Points Guy.

The hurricane is affecting other sectors of Florida's tourist industry. Walt Disney World and Universal have both closed resort parks in the state for at least 2 days as Hurricane Ian passes through.

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