Royal Caribbean has despatched a letter to impacted visitors after bookings needed to be cancelled on an upcoming cruise on Rhapsody of the Seas.
One of many lifeboats on the Imaginative and prescient-class vessel was broken on a earlier crusing.
Because of the harm, this lifeboat can’t be used, and the cruise ship wouldn’t have sufficient capability on the remaining lifeboats for each passenger.
Security of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requires a cruise ship to have a chosen seat on a lifeboat or life raft for every passenger. This makes positive within the occasion of an emergency everybody has area on a life-saving vessel.
Solely passengers whose seats have been designated on the broken lifeboat have been affected by the cancellations.
Learn extra: 10 shocking info about lifeboats most individuals don’t know
Rhapsody of the Seas is scheduled to depart from Puerto Rico on the following crusing on September 15, 2024.
Visitors that have been impacted by the reserving cancellations will probably be receiving a full refund for his or her cruise along with credit score for a future cruise.
Passengers may have till September of 2025 to redeem the longer term cruise credit score and will probably be for 100% of the quantity they initially paid for the cancelled cruise.
The assertion despatched to passengers whose cruises have been cancelled mentioned the next, based on information stories:
“On our earlier crusing, there was harm to considered one of our tender boats, which additionally serves as a lifeboat. This leaves the ship over capability for the variety of accessible lifeboat seats within the occasion of an emergency in our subsequent crusing. Sadly, this implies we’ll be unable to welcome you onboard.”
Rhapsody of the Seas is presently providing 7-night cruises out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, visiting locations like St Croix, St Thomas, St Maarten, and Barbados.
The ship will stay homported in San Juan till it’s scheduled to maneuver to Tampa, Florida in November of 2025.
“We all know that is disappointing information and we’re terribly sorry for the influence in your trip plans,” Royal Caribbean concluded within the assertion.
