Ocho Rios Cruise Calls Resume After Melissa

Published on Nov 14, 2025, 4:11 pm CST

9 min read

Key points

Ocho Rios has reopened to cruise calls, with Zuiderdam, MSC Divina, and Carnival Sunrise among the first ships back
Sandals and Beaches will reopen five Ocho Rios and Negril resorts on December 6 2025 while other properties stay closed longer
Falmouth and Montego Bay cruise ports remain offline or constrained for calls so many Western Caribbean itineraries are still rerouting
Jamaica's main airports in Montego Bay and Kingston are operating again but some gates and services remain under repair
The National Hurricane Center expects no tropical cyclones in the Caribbean over the next seven days shifting traveler focus from storm risk to uneven infrastructure
The United States continues to rate Jamaica at Level 3 reconsider travel due to crime with no advisory change tied specifically to Melissa

Impact

Cruise Itineraries: Confirm whether your sailing now calls at Ocho Rios or still skips Jamaica because some lines continue to reroute away from Falmouth and Montego Bay
Resort Reopenings: If you hold Sandals or Beaches bookings in Ocho Rios or Negril before December 6 contact the brand or your advisor to verify rebooking or refunds
Air Travel: Allow extra time at Sangster International and Norman Manley airports in case of residual schedule changes longer queues or equipment swaps
Storm Window: Use the current lull in tropical activity to travel but keep hurricane language in your insurance for the rest of the 2025 season
Ground Transfers: Build generous buffers for shuttles and taxis along Jamaica's north coast since repair work outages and debris can slow journeys between ports and resorts

Cruise passengers finally have something concrete to plan around in Jamaica. Ocho Rios has formally reopened to regular cruise calls, with Holland America Line's Zuiderdam and MSC Divina among the first ships back, followed quickly by Carnival Sunrise. At the same time, Sandals and Beaches have locked in December 6, 2025 reopening dates for five flagship resorts in Ocho Rios and Negril, while the National Hurricane Center now shows no tropical cyclones expected in the Atlantic, Caribbean, or Gulf over the next seven days. The result is a patchwork recovery in which Ocho Rios cruise calls resume, but Falmouth and Montego Bay cruise calls remain constrained, and travelers still face uneven infrastructure along Jamaica's north coast.

Ocho Rios Reopens As North Coast Anchor

The Port Authority of Jamaica has officially reopened the main terminal at Ocho Rios Port in St. Ann, signaling that cruise tourism is "open for business" ahead of the winter season. After structural damage and a lengthy rehabilitation process that began with a separate severe weather incident in 2024, the cruise pier has now returned to full operation with upgraded resilience measures.

On November 11, 2025, Zuiderdam became the first ocean ship to bring cruise guests back to Ocho Rios since Hurricane Melissa, arriving in the morning and followed later in the day by MSC Divina. Carnival Sunrise then made a high profile call on November 13, underscoring that mass market brands are ready to plug Ocho Rios back into Western Caribbean loops. Jamaica's tourism officials have framed these early calls as both symbolic and practical, providing much needed income for vendors, tour guides, and excursion operators who lost weeks of business after Melissa.

For travelers, the return of Ocho Rios means that itineraries which had been diverted to alternative ports, shortened, or converted to extra sea days can now regain at least one Jamaican stop. However, capacity is still limited. Lines are staggering ship arrivals and adjusting shore excursion inventories as they test road conditions and visitor flows, so passengers should expect trimmed tour menus and earlier cutoff times while the port shakes off its startup phase.

Falmouth And Montego Bay Cruise Calls Still Constrained

While Ocho Rios cruise calls resume, Jamaica's other major cruise ports are lagging. Ongoing hurricane damage and pier issues mean Falmouth remains offline for cruise ships, and Montego Bay cruise calls are either suspended or heavily constrained on most winter itineraries.

Disney Cruise Line has already notified guests on Disney Treasure that its December 3 call to Falmouth will be replaced with an alternative port because repairs and safety checks are not yet complete. Royal Caribbean itineraries that once relied on Falmouth as a marquee Western Caribbean stop have been rerouted to destinations such as Cabo Rojo in the Dominican Republic, at least through late November.

Cargo and limited marine operations at Montego Bay have resumed, and shipping lines report that the port can now handle weekly sailings again. That does not translate directly into readiness for a steady stream of large cruise ships, since passenger terminals, gangways, and surrounding access roads must pass higher safety and crowd flow standards. Until those pieces are in place, most Western Caribbean cruise itineraries will either use Ocho Rios as their Jamaican anchor or skip the country entirely in favor of substitute ports.

If you are booked on a sailing that originally listed Falmouth or Montego Bay, you should assume that your itinerary is still fluid. Check the cruise line app and email updates frequently, and do not lock in independent excursions or nonrefundable tours until your port list stabilizes.

Airports Open, But On The Ground It Is Not Business As Usual

Jamaica's air gateways have recovered faster than its cruise ports. Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Montego Bay reopened to limited commercial flights on October 31 after emergency repairs, and airport operators now describe operations trending toward normal even as some gates and facilities remain out of service. Norman Manley International Airport (KIN) in Kingston reopened to relief flights in late October, then resumed commercial service shortly afterward and is now handling regular passenger operations again.

Local reports still describe intermittent power outages, patchy mobile coverage, and congestion at peak times, especially at Montego Bay where equipment damage and staffing constraints slow throughput. Travelers connecting between airports and cruise piers along the north coast should assume that traffic lights, roadside lighting, and some gas stations or rest stops may be inconsistent for several more weeks.

In terms of storm risk, the immediate window has clearly improved. The National Hurricane Center's latest Tropical Weather Outlook states that tropical cyclone formation is not expected in the Caribbean, Atlantic, or Gulf of America during the next seven days, moving the risk profile from acute hurricane threat back toward normal late season volatility. Seas can still be rough, and cold fronts can trigger heavy rain, but there is no Melissa style system lurking in the near term forecast.

Background

Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica in late October as a high end Category 5 storm, causing severe wind and flood damage across the island. At least 45 people were killed, with thousands displaced and major impacts to power, water, telecommunications, and transport infrastructure. Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, and Falmouth all saw port damage layered on top of pre existing vulnerabilities, while resorts across Ocho Rios, Negril, and other coastal corridors had to close for assessments and repairs.

Sandals Resorts International and its Beaches brand have positioned themselves as bellwethers of the tourism recovery. Their current plan calls for Sandals Dunn's River, Sandals Royal Plantation, Sandals Ocho Rios, Sandals Negril, and Beaches Negril to reopen with full facilities on December 6, 2025, while three other Sandals properties in Montego Bay and South Coast will remain closed until May 30, 2026. That staged approach reflects the uneven damage footprint across the island's resort clusters and the need to concentrate limited construction capacity where it can bring inventory back fastest.

Safety perceptions are shaped less by Melissa and more by Jamaica's longstanding security challenges. The U.S. State Department continues to rate Jamaica at Level 3, "Reconsider Travel," citing high rates of violent crime, including armed robbery and sexual assault, and uneven law enforcement outcomes. The advisory does note that tourist areas generally show lower crime rates than other parts of the country, but it urges visitors to stay aware of surroundings, avoid isolated areas, and stay in close contact with hotels or cruise security teams.

How To Plan Jamaica Cruises And Stays Now

If you are booked on a Western Caribbean itinerary through the end of 2025, start by assuming that Ocho Rios is the likeliest Jamaican port of call and that Falmouth and Montego Bay will come back much later. Watch for automatic itinerary updates, and pay attention to arrival and departure times, which may shift as lines sequence ships through a single operational pier.

For resort stays, December 6 is the first clear milestone on the calendar. Travelers holding Sandals or Beaches reservations in Ocho Rios or Negril before that date should expect to be rebooked, moved to another island, or refunded. If your travel window is flexible, pushing trips into late December or early 2026 will give the island more time to restore water, power, and local excursions, which improves the on the ground experience.

Insurance and change fee policies continue to matter. Many cruise lines and airlines offered limited time hurricane waivers when Melissa first hit, but those windows are closing as operations resume. If you are booking now, you should look for travel insurance that explicitly covers named storm disruption, port closure, and missed connections, and you should read the fine print on how "foreseeable events" are defined, since Melissa is already a known event. When in doubt, ask your advisor or insurer in writing whether a given scenario, for example, a damaged pier that forces a last minute port swap, would trigger benefits.

On the logistics side, build more buffer into everything. For cruise embarkations and resort transfers, aim to land several hours earlier than you normally would, and avoid tight same day connections across multiple carriers. Along the north coast highways that connect Montego Bay, Falmouth, Ocho Rios, and Negril, expect pockets of construction, temporary traffic control, and occasional detours where culverts and bridges are still being repaired. That makes it prudent to arrange transfers through your cruise line or hotel whenever possible so that delays are handled within a single supplier relationship.

Final Thoughts

Ocho Rios cruise calls resuming after Melissa are an important milestone, but they do not mean Jamaica is "back to normal." Instead, the island is entering a transitional phase where one key port and a handful of major resorts are coming online while others remain shut or heavily constrained. Travelers who treat this as a patchwork recovery, build conservative buffers, and stay realistic about service levels will be best positioned to enjoy Jamaica's north coast as it rebuilds. Those who expect a fully restored cruise and resort ecosystem everywhere along the coast will likely be disappointed.

If you use Ocho Rios as your mental anchor, keep a close eye on Falmouth and Montego Bay for future reopenings, and align your plans with suppliers that are transparent about post storm conditions, you can still integrate Jamaica into Western Caribbean trips in late 2025 and early 2026 while respecting both the island's recovery and your own risk tolerance.