Royal Caribbean turns ships away from Puerto Rico amid protests

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - Protests in Puerto Rico and Orlando are calling for the island Governor to go, saying his secret messages that were made public are too vulgar for him to keep the job.  Unrest in Puerto Rico is now so severe, it's steering cruise ships away from the island.

"The governor has to realize that he's not only impacting the lives of Puerto Ricans, but he's also impacting the economy. Puerto Rico is such a big spot for tourism," said Peter Jochy Clora, who is part of the group Mision Boricua Orlando.

Royal Caribbean turned two ships away from Puerto Rico in two days. The Empress of the Seas Tuesday and the Harmony of the Seas Wednesday both sailed to the next scheduled port after massive protests sparked on the island.

Puerto Ricans on the island in Orlando are demanding that Governor Ricardo Rossello resign after hundreds of offensive chat messages he sent were leaked over the weekend. Peter Jochy helped lead one of the protests locally.

"They were making fun of the victims of Maria. That tells you a lot. For me that was completely, completely uncalled-for."

Royal Caribbean told FOX 35 it's staying away from Puerto Rico due to "civil unrest," saying "the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew members is our top priority."

Jochy says the fear and decision the cruise line is making is warranted.

"At night is where you see the strong images where you want to cry for your country."

Royal Caribbean has several other ships scheduled to stop in Puerto Rico in the next week, but no decision has been made on those.

A spokesperson for the cruise line says they are closely monitoring the situation and making the decisions day-by-day. Carnival Cruises is also closely monitoring the situation. No other cruise lines have canceled stops to Puerto Rico at this time.