Royal Caribbean has cancelled extra scheduled visits to San Juan, Puerto Rico on certainly one of its largest cruise ships, and cruisers should not completely happy.
Symphony of the Seas – measuring at 228,081 gross registered tons – was scheduled to go to San Juan on the 2 upcoming voyages, together with the December 28, 2024 and January 12, 2025 sailings. Nonetheless, as a consequence of ongoing building on the pier, giant cruise ships have been unable to dock for months within the capital metropolis.
Cruisers crusing on each itineraries have been alerted just lately about itinerary adjustments as a result of the Oasis class ship continues to be unable to dock in San Juan. Nonetheless, each itineraries have been considerably altered as a result of port change.
For the December 28 crusing, friends acquired the next e mail from Royal Caribbean:
“We needed to tell you about some adjustments to your upcoming cruise. Resulting from ongoing building on the pier in San Juan, the port authority has suggested us that the port won’t be prepared in time for our go to. We perceive how necessary every vacation spot is to your trip, so we’ve labored diligently to seek out the very best options for you.”
The 7-night itinerary will go to Good Day at Coco Cay as deliberate, however visits to St. Maarten and San Juan are cancelled. As a substitute of visiting San Juan, Puerto Rico, the revised itinerary has Symphony of the Seas will now be visiting Labadee, Haiti.
As certainly one of Royal Caribbean’s personal locations, Labadee was just lately reopened following violence within the nation this 12 months. The cruise line suspending visits to Labadee when pressure started to rise within the spring; nevertheless, the personal vacation spot’s location is totally operated by the cruise line.
Royal Caribbean additionally added a brand new port cease in Nassau, Bahamas on the December 28, 2024 crusing, which can exchange one of many sea days.
As well as, vacationers on the January 12, 2025 crusing onboard Symphony of the Seas acquired an identical e mail from Royal Caribbean about itinerary adjustments. The 7-night Jap Caribbean crusing was meant to go to San Juan, Puerto Rico on January 15, 2025.
The Oasis class vessel was scheduled to go to Good Day at CocoCay and Phillipsburg, St. Maarten on a roundtrip itinerary from Miami, Florida. Nonetheless, the continual points with San Juan have brought about the cruise line to revise this itinerary too.
Friends booked on the impacted itinerary have been informed the cruise would now not sail an Jap Caribbean itinerary. Though Symphony of the Seas will go to Good Day at CocoCay as deliberate on January 13, 2024, the remainder of the port visits are altered.
As a substitute of visiting Puerto Rico, the ship will now dock in Labadee, Haiti. Moreover, the brand new itinerary encompasses a port go to to Falmouth, Jamaica as a substitute of St. Maarten. The remaining two sea days on the itinerary stay unchanged. Symphony of the Seas will return to Miami, Florida as scheduled.
Ongoing points docking in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Prior to those latest adjustments, Royal Caribbean additionally adjusted Symphony of the Seas’ itineraries in December that have been meant to dock in San Juan. Sailings all through November and December have been additionally altered considerably to switch San Juan, Puerto Rico due to the pier points that persist.
Sadly, there isn’t a finish in sight for the port cancellations in Puerto Rico as a consequence of “technical points” with San Juan’s pier.
Royal Caribbean defined in communication earlier this month, “We’ve just lately been suggested by the port authority in San Juan, Puerto Rico, that as a consequence of technical points with the pier and the work that should be executed and cleared by the USA Coast Guard for accepting a ship our measurement, we’ll have to regulate our itinerary for our crusing.”
At present, there’s no timeline for when the pier shall be accomplished. The dock is situated in San Juan’s outdated city, making it one of many extra fashionable locations for cruisers within the Caribbean. Neither the Port Authority in San Juan nor Royal Caribbean have acknowledged when the pier shall be cleared for bigger vessels, indicating the pier won’t be mounted for a while.
In accordance with native experiences from elnuevodia, San Juan’s Pier 3 was broken by MSC Meraviglia in April 2024. This pressured the port to shut down the west aspect of the ability till additional discover due to the in depth harm to the pier. Neither Royal Caribbean nor the Port of San Juan have confirmed the pier harm by MSC Meraviglia.
Fortunately, San Juan has two docks for cruise ships to make use of. Smaller ships are in a position to make use of the Pan America pier; nevertheless, Oasis class ships are solely in a position to make use of the broken pier as a result of giant measurement. As such, Royal Caribbean is technically on the mercy of San Juan to restore the broken pier earlier than they will resume regular operations.
Disappointment and frustration from many impacted cruisers
Though Royal Caribbean is technically not accountable for the broken pier repairs, many cruisers are annoyed by the continued last-minute adjustments. The repeated itinerary changes are disappointing for many cruisers scheduled to trip on Symphony of the Seas.
Cruisers impacted by the crusing have taken to social media to voice their frustrations, together with a thread on Reddit and discussion board put up on Royal Caribbean Weblog.
Specifically, some have expressed their dismay with Royal Caribbean selecting to switch San Juan, Puerto Rico with less-desired ports. For instance, the U.S. State Division has Haiti as a “Stage 4: Do Not Journey” advisory for the area. Others should not happy with the elimination of St. Maarten for Falmouth, Jamaica.
“Skipping St. Maarten for Jamaica, Haiti and Nassau would make me cranky,” commented one person on Reddit.
Others discovered the wording of the communication comical contemplating the political unrest in Haiti. “[Haiti is] so beautiful that there are armed guards who cease you from leaving the personal port,” responded one commenter.
“Telling us that being diverted to Haiti (throughout a stage 4 don’t journey advisory) is instantly protected is an insult. RC stopped visiting Labadee in March, 2024… however now ‘the protection and safety of our visitor stays our essential precedence’ — and identical to that it’s protected once more?” commented one annoyed cruiser.
“Ugh. Nassau and Falmouth in alternate for San Juan and St. Martin? That’s the downgrade of downgrades,” responded one other person.
“Love how they attempt to make roses out of turds,” exclaimed one responder.
Others are annoyed by Royal Caribbean’s lack of planning contemplating the continued difficulty, particularly contemplating the cruise line continues to promote Oasis class cruises visiting San Juan in early 2025:
“RCCL continues to look unhealthy on this difficulty. They need to know the pier difficulty goes to take time to get again to operations that assist Oasis class ships. Rhapsody docked simply positive this morning. Extremely advocate the itinerary she is working proper now.”
The poster replied, “Positively knew, appears like a bait and change to personal islands. The cash seize from Covid downtime is so very obvious. At the very least attempt to substitute with one other jap island.”
Which Royal Caribbean ships are impacted?
Studies of points with docking in San Juan, Puerto Rico have been reported by Royal Caribbean cruisers as early as April 2024. Friends crusing on Marvel of the Seas reported the captain selected to divert the ship from San Juan and Dominican Republic to go to St. Thomas and St. Maarten as a substitute. On the time, friends have been informed the pier was broken by an MSC ship and Oasis class ships couldn’t dock.
After the diversion of Marvel of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas has confronted the best influence. For the reason that spring, each itinerary that included a cease in San Juan has been modified.
Looking forward to subsequent 12 months, Symphony of the Seas has deliberate visits to San Juan, Puerto Rico, all through early 2025. Whereas January itineraries have already been modified, no updates have been shared relating to adjustments to extra sailings. If the pier’s restore timeline stays unclear and changes proceed, extra itineraries could possibly be affected.
As an illustration, Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas, a Quantum class ship measuring 167,000 gross registered tons, can be scheduled to go to San Juan on January 30, 2025. At present, this crusing has not been impacted.
Lastly, Rhapsody of the Seas is home-ported in San Juan and sails roundtrip itineraries from the capital metropolis to the Southern Caribbean. As a result of Rhapsody of the Seas is likely one of the cruise line’s smallest ship, the vessel operates on the different San Juan dock. Subsequently, the Imaginative and prescient class ship has not been impacted and continues to function as scheduled.
Are impacted cruisers receiving compensation?
Even with the adjusted sailings, cruisers on impacted itineraries should not being supplied the chance to cancel for a refund. This has created extra frustration for vacationers who’re visiting ports of name they didn’t initially plan to go to.
“They offered and marketed this New Years Vacation Cruise as an Jap Caribbean itinerary figuring out that it was unlikely that the San Juan port could be mounted,” argued one other cruiser on-line.
Itinerary adjustments should not unusual within the cruise business, particularly for weather-related adjustments. Nonetheless, as a result of cruise strains have the facility to make itinerary adjustments as wanted for any motive, friends should not presently being supplied any type of refund or compensation for the change.
For earlier itinerary adjustments brought on by the pier points in San Juan, Royal Caribbean introduced that friends would routinely be refunded to their authentic type of cost for any pay as you go excursions on the canceled ports. Moreover, new excursions will possible be supplied by way of Royal Caribbean for ports of name in Falmouth (Jamaica), Nassau (Bahamas) and Labadee (Haiti).