Tropical Storm Sandy scatters more cruise ships

More cruise ships in the Caribbean and the Bahamas are altering course today to avoid Tropical Storm Sandy.

Norwegian Cruise Line says the 2,394-passenger Norwegian Pearl will visit Cozumel today and Costa Maya on Thursday instead of making scheduled stops in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Grand Cayman.

Also shifting course is the 2,376-passenger Norwegian Jewel, which is docking in Freeport, Bahamas today instead of at Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian's private island in the Bahamas. In addition, the ship will visit Charleston, S.C. on Friday instead of Nassau in the Bahamas.

A third Norwegian ship, the 2,002-passenger Norwegian Sky, is canceling its visit to Great Stirrup Cay on Friday. It'll remain at sea instead.

As previously reported, four other cruise ships in the region have altered course over the past 24 hours: The Carnival Valor, Carnival Pride, Carnival Glory and Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas.

As of 8 am ET, Sandy was about 95 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica and moving to the north at about 14 miles per hour. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour.

A hurricane warning has been issued for Jamaica and parts of Cuba, and a tropical storm warning is in effect for Haiti, the central Bahamas and the northwestern Bahamas.

The National Hurricane Center says the storm is likely to strengthen into a hurricane over the next 12 hours as it approaches Jamaica.