By EMS1 Staff
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A cruise ship is canceling its vacation voyage to run rescue missions for those impacted by Hurricane Maria.
Miami Herald reported that Royal Caribbean International is canceling the Voyage of the Seas trip and stopping in San Juan, St. Croix and St. Thomas instead of traveling to Curacao, Aruba and St. Kitts and Nevis.
The ship expects to pick up over 3,000 evacuees and will focus on people in dire need, according to spokesperson Owen Torres.
The cruise line will also deliver relief supplies and then bring the evacuees back to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Those who purchased tickets for the voyage will receive a full refund, plus a future credit of 25 percent.
The trip will be the second relief effort for Royal Caribbean. Two ships were sent to St. Thomas and St. Maarten in the wake of Hurricane Irma. They also dropped off 25 medical supply pallets, 29,571 gallons of water, 13,050 pounds of animal supplies, 9,355 gallons of milk, 7,000 pounds of ice, 110,500 garbage bags, 4,200 rolls of toilet paper, 450 power generators and 30,504 batteries to the two islands.