If this is accurate then it's a big mistake by those participating cruise lines. Many, many people opt for Eastern Caribbean cruises to visit ports-of-call in the Leeward Islands. St. Maarten is the crown jewel of these stops, and when people stop booking these cruises they'll likely look for the reasons why and add SXM back to the list. Celebrity, Princess, MSC and several other cruise lines are consistent with their service to St. Maarten so there will be no true shortage of cruise options for those who wish to spend the day here. Compared to other Caribbean stops (such as Amber Cove and the U.S. Virgin Islands), SXM has far more to see and do, and for many of us it is a 'must' when we book a cruise during the cold weather months.

Does this mean more ships came to SXM because they couldn't go somewhere else due to hurricane damage?

Yes.