Royal Caribbean Ship Nonetheless Docked in Homeport, a Day After It Was Speculated to Set Sail

Royal Caribbean’s mega ship Symphony of the Seas was imagined to set sail yesterday on a 7-day crusing to The Bahamas.  As an alternative, the 6,680-max-capacity ship remains to be docked within the New Jersey Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne right this moment.

The vessel has been unable to depart for its scheduled crusing as a result of extreme climate situations brought on by a strong nor’easter affecting the East Coast.

Departure and Itinerary Influence

The cruise was initially scheduled to start its 7-night Bahamas itinerary on Sunday, October 12, within the early afternoon. However the storm’s heavy rain and powerful winds have made it unsafe for the large ship to navigate the harbor and start its journey south.

This delay means the ship has misplaced almost two full days of its initially deliberate voyage. The protection protocols require the ship to stay on the pier till situations enhance, which is now anticipated to be on Tuesday, October 14.

The delay has made the unique itinerary unimaginable.  Unique ports of name included stops in Port Canaveral, Nassau, and Royal Caribbean’s non-public island, Good Day at CocoCay.

Whereas passengers are presently onboard, the cruise line will probably be compelled to announce a modified, shorter itinerary that cancels a number of of the deliberate ports of name, because the ship is about to return to New Jersey by its scheduled date of October 19.

Compensation and Onboard Standing

Whereas the ship awaits clearance to sail, most onboard companies, together with eating places, leisure, and actions, are open.  However some areas just like the on line casino will be unable to open till the ship has moved away from port.

Royal Caribbean is predicted to announce its compensation coverage for the change, which usually features a prorated refund of the cruise fare for the time misplaced, in addition to refunds for any pre-purchased excursions or port taxes for any missed locations.

Friends are presently being offered updates because the storm system is carefully monitored.

Passenger Response and Boarding Expertise

Passenger reactions on-line to the state of affairs had been blended.  Most expressing help for the security determination however had been additionally pissed off over the delayed departure and crowded embarkation course of.

Security First: The choice to maintain the ship docked was understood by most, as many had been relieved to keep away from tough seas. As one commenter famous on Fb, “Passenger and crew security [is] 1st,” with one other agreeing it’s higher than the ship “bobbing round within the wind.”

A passenger from the prior cruise famous that the return to New Jersey was a bumpy experience.

Embarkation Complaints: Royal Caribbean had instructed visitors to reach earlier on Sunday to expedite boarding forward of the storm. This transfer, nevertheless, led to lengthy strains and frustration. One visitor described the expertise as a “2 hour wait to get onto the ship, then one other 2 hour wait to get into our cabin.”

Onboard Environment: Regardless of the frustration, many visitors are making the perfect of the surprising stopover, noting that the ship nonetheless presents a full vary of actions. As one passenger commented, they’re presently “having fun with dinner at 150 Central Park proper now.” The prolonged port keep is just not unprecedented, with one cruiser recalling the same two-day delay in New York on one other cruise line.

Norwegian Ship Additionally Impacted

The identical extreme climate that’s holding Symphony of the Seas in port can also be holding again Norwegian Getaway. This NCL ship, which was set to go away from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal on Sunday for a 7-night Canada and New England journey, is caught in port.

Officers halted all pilot companies, making it unsafe for any massive ship to sail. The delay has already compelled Norwegian Cruise Line to cancel the primary two stops, Newport and Boston. The ship hopes to lastly depart on Tuesday, October 14th, however the itinerary will probably be shorter.