High winds in Key West scuttle cruise calls

High winds in Key West this weekend prevented one cruise ship from leaving and kept another away entirely.

The 2,034-passenger Celebrity Constellation missed its call in Cozumel, Mexico, after it was forced to overnight in Key West Friday, when strong winds prevented its scheduled departure Friday afternoon.

The ship left Key West at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22, missing its originally scheduled call that day in Cozumel. Instead, the Constellation spent Saturday at sea, and sailed to Nassau, Bahamas, where it spent Sunday, Dec. 23, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The ship was on a four-night cruise from Miami to Key West and Cozumel.

The winds also forced the 2,642-passenger Carnival Destiny to miss Key West entirely. The ship instead spent Saturday at sea, en route to Cozumel, where the Destiny arrived Saturday, ahead of schedule. The ship was on a four-day sailing from Miami to Key West and Cozumel.

This item was written by Johanna Jainchill, who covers the travel industry for Travel Weekly. Jainchill is serving as Guest Editor of The Cruise Log while USA TODAY Cruise Editor Gene Sloan is away.