Montego Bay Cruise Port Reopens After Hurricane Melissa

Published on Nov 27, 2025, 11:05 am CST

8 min read

Key points

Montego Bay cruise port reopening after Hurricane Melissa is marked by the November 24, 2025 call of TUI Cruises Mein Schiff 1 with 2,894 passengers
Jamaica has already welcomed about 32,000 cruise visitors since Hurricane Melissa and expects roughly 64,000 by the end of November 2025 during recovery
Many Montego Bay hotels and attractions remain under repair, with officials projecting around 60 percent of room stock open by mid December 2025 and some properties closed into 2026
Health officials have reported a leptospirosis outbreak linked to flood conditions after Hurricane Melissa, so travelers should avoid standing water and follow local advisories
Cruise passengers homeporting or transiting in Montego Bay should plan for possible itinerary tweaks, infrastructure works, and extra time for transfers and embarkation
Authorities frame the first ship back as a symbolic milestone, not a full return to normal operations, so travelers should build in flexibility and check details close to departure

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: Expect lingering disruption in parts of Montego Bay and western Jamaica, especially in neighborhoods and resort corridors still repairing storm and flood damage
Best Times To Travel: Sailings from mid December onward should see more hotels and tours back online, but November and early December itineraries will feel more constrained on choices
Onward Travel And Changes: Allow generous time between airport, port, and hotels, book protected transfers when possible, and be ready for last minute port calls or excursion substitutions
Health And Safety Factors: Monitor Jamaican health ministry updates about leptospirosis, avoid contact with floodwater or mud, and pack closed footwear and basic medical supplies
What Travelers Should Do Now: Cruise guests should confirm hotel reopening dates, tour availability, and health advisories with cruise lines and local partners before locking in nonrefundable plans

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Montego Bay cruise port reopening after Hurricane Melissa moved a step from plan to reality when TUI Cruises Mein Schiff 1 tied up at the Montego Bay Cruise Terminal on November 24, 2025, bringing nearly 2,900 passengers and 1,000 crew back to Jamaica's main tourism hub. Officials hailed the call as the first cruise ship visit to Montego Bay since the storm, and a visible sign that the city is ready for a phased return of visitors. For travelers booked on near term Western Caribbean cruises, it means Montego Bay is back on the map, but with infrastructure limits, health advisories, and itinerary caveats that still need close attention.

The Montego Bay cruise port reopening after Hurricane Melissa gives travelers more options for Jamaica calls and homeporting, but capacity constraints, ongoing repairs, and flood related health risks mean plans still require more flexibility and buffer than a normal winter season.

What Hurricane Melissa Did To Jamaica And Montego Bay

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in western Jamaica on October 28, 2025, as a Category 5 storm with peak winds near 160 miles per hour, one of the strongest landfalls ever recorded in the Atlantic. The hurricane produced intense rainfall, major storm surge, and widespread flooding, severely damaging homes, roads, power lines, and key tourism infrastructure in resort areas such as Montego Bay and historic ports like Black River.

By mid November, authorities reported at least 45 deaths and 15 people still missing in Jamaica, tens of thousands of displaced households, and an estimated 10 billion dollars in damage, described as the costliest disaster in the country's history. Mobile networks, water systems, and power grids were only partially restored, although service to critical hubs, including Montego Bay's international airport and port, gradually came back online as crews cleared debris and replaced equipment.

Cruise lines responded by dropping Jamaican ports from itineraries, at least temporarily, and rebooking passengers into alternative Caribbean calls, while Jamaica's tourism ministry set a target of restoring broad tourism operations by mid December to salvage part of the winter season.

The First Ship Back, And Why It Matters

Against that backdrop, Mein Schiff 1's November 24 call in Montego Bay is deliberately more than a routine port visit. The 111,500 gross ton ship is homeporting in the city as part of a 14 night Central America itinerary, turning a full complement of roughly 2,894 passengers and 1,000 crew through the Montego Bay Cruise Terminal before heading on to ports like Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize City, Roatan, Puerto Limon, Colon, and Cartagena.

Jamaica's tourism minister Edmund Bartlett has framed the visit as the formal resumption of cruise operations in the Montego Bay resort area, noting that Jamaica has already welcomed roughly 32,000 cruise visitors since Hurricane Melissa and expects to reach about 64,000 cruise visitors during the recovery period by the end of November. Local officials emphasize that the call only followed after coordinated cleanup work in partnership with the St James Municipal Corporation, including mass debris removal and tidying of resort corridors around the port.

The ship's role is symbolic as well as commercial. Captain Georgios Dimou and his crew delivered 12 pallets of relief items, including bottled water, food, and educational supplies, to support local communities still rebuilding from flood and wind damage. For Montego Bay's mayor and the Tourism Recovery Task Force, that humanitarian element aligns with a broader shift from emergency care packages back to an economy that puts residents to work by welcoming visitors.

How Much Of Montego Bay Is Actually Open

Montego Bay's leaders repeatedly stress that the city's economy is about 50 percent dependent on tourism, so restarting cruise calls is central to local recovery, but it does not mean the destination is fully restored.

Across Jamaica, officials and industry reports note that while some hotels and resorts have reopened, others remain closed for extensive repairs, and several properties are not expected to come back into service until mid or late 2026. Recent briefings suggest that around 60 percent of the national hotel room stock could be back online by mid December 2025, but that figure masks regional variations, and heavily damaged coastal zones may lag that average.

In Montego Bay, power and water have been restored to most urban areas, and Sangster International Airport has resumed flights, yet visitors should still expect construction crews, temporary facilities, and occasional utility outages, especially in neighborhoods that experienced deep flooding. Road conditions also remain uneven, with some secondary routes narrowed or intermittently blocked by cleanup works, which can affect transfer times between the cruise terminal, resorts along the coastline, and popular excursions into the interior.

Health Considerations After The Storm

One of the clearest signs that Jamaica is still in recovery mode is a government confirmed outbreak of leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that spreads in water and soil contaminated by animal urine, which thrives in post flood environments. Between late October and November 20, Jamaican health authorities reported nine confirmed cases, 28 suspected cases, and six deaths linked to the disease, primarily among people with heavy exposure to floodwater such as farmers, cleanup workers, and emergency responders.

For cruise passengers, the individual risk is lower than for residents, but it is not zero. Travelers should avoid wading through standing water or mud, especially if they have cuts on their skin, wear closed shoes rather than sandals for shore excursions in affected areas, and follow any local health advisories that tour operators or port agents pass along. Travel medical insurance that covers emergency care out of network remains a prudent extra layer, particularly while hospitals and clinics are still balancing storm recovery and normal caseloads.

What This Means For Upcoming Cruises

In the short term, Montego Bay's return to cruise operations will feel different from pre storm seasons. On the upside, the first Mein Schiff call suggests that core port facilities, customs and immigration processes, and basic transportation links between the ship, airport, and major resorts are functioning again. It also confirms that at least some multi day itineraries can still embark or disembark in Montego Bay, which is critical for European and Canadian markets that favor Jamaica based loops.

On the downside, excursion menus will likely be thinner than in 2024, because not every beach club, attraction, or inland tour route is ready to receive guests, and some operators are still rebuilding fleets or facilities. Independent travelers relying on ride hailing or taxis may find wait times longer than usual at peak hours if fleets were damaged or temporarily reduced during the storm. Construction, detours, and sporadic outages will also remain part of the landscape, so expectations should be set accordingly.

How To Plan If You Are Booked Through Montego Bay

Cruise passengers embarking, disembarking, or calling in Montego Bay over the next several months should take a more deliberate approach to planning than in a typical winter.

First, verify whether your hotel is open, fully operational, and accepting new guests on your specific dates, rather than relying on generic availability calendars. If a property mentions partial reopening, ask directly about amenities that matter most, such as pools, beach access, and air conditioning, and be prepared with a backup option in case works overrun.

Second, favor transfers and shore excursions sold or endorsed by your cruise line or by large, well established local operators, which are more likely to have up to date information on road conditions, beach safety, and health advisories. Travelers organizing independent tours should confirm routes, pickup points, and backup plans within 24 to 48 hours of arrival, in case cleanup operations or local restrictions require a change of plan.

Third, build in extra time. Flights into and out of Montego Bay around embarkation days should have wider buffers than normal, and same day self connections on separate tickets to reach the port are an unnecessary gamble this season. Where possible, arrive a day early or plan a relaxed post cruise overnight before flying out, which also gives more room to adapt if weather or repairs slow things down.

Finally, keep an eye on broader Jamaica recovery milestones. Tourism officials still aim for a broader reopening of resorts and attractions by December 15, 2025, and future announcements about hotel reopenings, cruise pier repairs in other ports, and health developments will refine the risk profile for early 2026 sailings.

For travelers who understand that Montego Bay is in a transition phase, the first wave of post Melissa cruises can still deliver compelling itineraries and a chance to support recovery directly, as long as plans are flexible, insurance is in place, and on the ground conditions are checked carefully in the days before departure.