BALTIMORE, Md. - People are grieving and still in shock about the tragic Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse on Tuesday. Cargo ships, car carriers and cruise ships are indefinitely blocked from using the Port of Baltimore.
Up until Tuesday, cruise ships would go under Baltimore's Key Bridge on a regular basis. A travel agent in Rehoboth Beach says three cruise lines are affected. They are Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and American Cruise Lines, which offers small cruise ship experiences out of Baltimore.
Annette Nero Stellhorn, Owner and Founder of Accent on Travel, says Carnival Cruise Line has moved departures indefinitely to Norfolk, Va. American Cruise Line has a departure scheduled for April 4 and Royal Caribbean had a ship at sea as of Wednesday, so both companies have to decide quickly on how they're going to re-route.
"Really the cruising is the only thing that's going to be impacting the tourism," Nero Stellhorn says. "The beach traffic and coming to the beach vacations, nothing is going to change on that end. I feel bad for people on the commute until this new bridge gets built. It's going to be a little more challenging getting on the beltway at BWI and running around."
Nero Stellhorn says cruise lines will likely come back to the Port of Baltimore as soon as the area is cleared for passage, which would not take as long as it will for the bridge to be built. She says she sees opportunities for flexibility with travel insurance companies in this situation, but that people should get in touch with their travel agents.
"We do have a few people in the suites at Royal Caribbean," Nero Stellhorn says. "We've already reached out to them. We've been talking with the sales management. I suggest anyone who's currently booked for April to reach out to their professional travel advisor or if they're in a group, their travel advisor has already reached out to them, more than likely."