| | |  Travel & Outdoors | October 2009 
Hurricane Rick Scatters Cruise Ships Heading to Mexico
 USA Today
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October 19, 2009
 |  | The government of Mexico has issued a Hurricane Watch for the southern coast of the Baja Peninsula, including Cabo San Lucas. |  | | |
A powerful Hurricane Rick is forcing cruise ships heading to Mexico to change course as it barrels northward toward Cabo San Lucas.
The Carnival Splendor, which departed Long Beach, Calif., on Sunday, will make an unexpected call in Ensenada today instead of steaming southward toward the area of the storm. The 3,006-passenger ship will visit Puerto Vallarta on Thursday and Cabo San Lucas on Friday. A call in Mazatlan has been canceled.
The Sapphire Princess, which departed Los Angeles on Saturday, is heading north to San Francisco to avoid the storm. The 2,670-passenger ship will spend the week visiting San Francisco, Catalina Island, San Diego and Ensenada, Mexico instead of a scheduled itinerary that included calls in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.
The Category 3 storm also could affect the itinerary of Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas, which departs San Diego today on a Mexican Riviera cruise. Other ships in the region that could be affected include Holland America's Veendam and Statendam; Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Star and Norwegian Sun; the Carnival Spirit; and Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas.
As of 8:00 AM EDT, Rick was 365 miles south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas and moving to the northwest at about 10 miles per hour. The storm has maximum sustained winds near 125 miles per hour.
The National Hurricane Center says the storm is likely to weaken over the next day or so but will remain a "dangerous" hurricane as it approaches the Baja Peninsula. The Center says the storm could reach the southern end of the peninsula, an area that includes Cabo San Lucas, by late Tuesday or early Wednesday.
The government of Mexico has issued a Hurricane Watch for the southern coast of the Baja Peninsula, including Cabo San Lucas. |
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