October 9, 2026 — Hurricane Simon has already cost Mazatlán two cruise calls, and a Hurricane Warning now covers the coast around Puerto Vallarta. Landfall on Mexico’s west-central coast is forecast for Sunday.
Update: yesterday’s edition flagged Simon as a storm to watch, with no cruise changes published. The first changes are now confirmed.
The storm
At 9 a.m. CST today Simon was about 210 miles south of Manzanillo with 100 mph winds, moving northwest at 3 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. It is forecast to become a major hurricane this evening and strengthen again on Saturday.
| Alert | Coast covered |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Warning | Punta San Telmo to Punta Mita, which takes in Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta |
| Hurricane Watch | Punta Mita to San Blas |
| Tropical Storm Watch | East of Punta San Telmo to Lázaro Cárdenas |
Tropical-storm conditions are expected in the warning area on Saturday morning, and hurricane conditions on Saturday evening or Sunday. More alerts may follow today.
Cruise calls affected
- Star Princess: cancelled its Mazatlán call on Thursday, October 8. The ship was coming from Los Cabos and is bound for Panama, Mazatlán’s port administration told Azteca Sinaloa.
- Voyager of the Seas: its Mazatlán arrival on Monday, October 12, has been modified. New timing: TBA.
- Zaandam: named in the same report, which does not say whether its call changed.
- Brilliant Lady: Virgin Voyages dropped Mazatlán (October 13) and Puerto Vallarta (October 14) from its October 10 cruise.
The local reports do not say whether either port is formally closed, or when normal calls will resume. Carnival Panorama (October 10) and Carnival Firenze (October 9) were sailing from Long Beach as planned in Carnival’s Thursday update.
What it means for airline travelers
- Puerto Vallarta flights: the Hurricane Warning covers the Puerto Vallarta (PVR) area. Expect cancellations there from Saturday. Do not count on standby seats out until the storm has passed.
- Homeports are in California. The Carnival and Virgin Voyages cruises named here sail from Long Beach and Los Angeles, so your flights to the ship do not change even when ports do.
- Expect substitute ports. Recent storm changes swapped Mexican calls for Ensenada, San Diego, Santa Barbara or sea days. Pack layers.
- Excursions: tours bought through the cruise line are usually refunded when a call is cancelled. Independent tours depend on the vendor.
- Pre- or post-cruise hotel stays in Puerto Vallarta or Mazatlán: contact the hotel and your airline today.
- Interline rates: not affected by anything in these reports.
Sources
- National Hurricane Center — Hurricane Simon Advisory 9
- Azteca Sinaloa — Por Simón, cancelan el arribo de cruceros en Mazatlán; estos son…
- Azteca Sinaloa — Cruceros frenan su llegada al puerto de Mazatlán por la tormenta tropical Simon
- Cruise Hive — Brilliant Lady Cruise Completely Rerouted by Two Tropical Storms
- Cruise Fever — Carnival Issues Hurricane Isaias Update: 6 Ships Under Watch in Gulf
- TravelHost via Yahoo Travel — Hurricane Closes Popular Cruise Port, Reroutes 4 Cruises
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