ABOARD THE CARNIVAL ECSTASY—In the past few hours, the cruise ship’s captain has changed the ship's direction and in an attempt to steer clear of Hurricane Gustav.

The ship, which was supposed to arrive in Galveston from Progreso, Mexico on Monday morning, is now heading due west toward south Texas, cruise director Goose Neuman announced to more than a 1,000 guests in an afternoon meeting with passengers.

The ship currently has more than 3,000 people on board, including more than 1,000 Carnival staff. Mr. Neuman said the boat had plenty of food and enough fuel to stay at sea for three weeks.

Mr. Neuman said the boat’s captain and Carnival staff at their Miami-based headquarters were still discussing the possibility of docking at a port south of Galveston. But Mr. Neuman said Carnival personnel didn’t want to risk moving the boat any closer to the hurricane. He insisted that the boat’s 2,000 passengers were safe.

“You are 100 percent safe. And the captain will make sure that we are 100 percent safe,” he said.

Some passengers have been frustrated that they might miss additional days of work. But most passengers at today’s Q&A meeting praised the cruise line for its handling of the situation.

One passenger asked, “Can we go back to Progreso?” The crowd erupted in a loud applause.