As Caribbean sailings are affected by Hurricane Melissa, cruise expert Marc Shoffman explains how ships cope with extreme weather

According to the industry site CruiseHive, the storm has forced several ships to alter their itineraries and cancel port calls in the affected islands, including MSC's flagship, the World America; and Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, current record-holder for world's largest cruise ship ( and the white whale for Galveston's port officials ).

Hurricane season is in full swing as cruise lines make adjustments with their ships and itineraries due to Category 5 Hurricane Melissa. Here are some

There are no itinerary changes yet for Carnival ships due to Tropical Storm Melissa, but guests should stay alert for potential updates.

As Hurricane Melissa nears Jamaica, cruise trips that left from South Florida are changing their itineraries. Category 5 Melissa is expected to make landfall Tuesday morning on the southern coast of Jamaica, according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasts have it hitting the Bahamas and Cuba later this week.

Hurricane Melissa is impacting cruise ships that were scheduled to sail to destinations in the Eastern and Central Caribbean this week. After intensifying and making landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm,

Answering the question 'Where is the safest place on a cruise ship during a storm?' James Abbgy, who reportedly works on Royal Caribbean, wrote on Quora that your cabin is the best place to take shelter, with lying on your bed being the safest place to do.