One other cruise ship has been impacted by the Baltimore Bridge Collapse. As a result of ongoing investigation and injury to the cruise port, Royal Caribbean’s Imaginative and prescient of the Seas has been re-routed to Norfolk, Virginia, for its present and upcoming cruises.
Imaginative and prescient of the Seas Quickly Strikes to New Homeport
Present and soon-to-be friends of Royal Caribbean’s Imaginative and prescient of the Seas might want to make some final minute alterations to their journey plans. Cruisers planning to sail on the following two 8-night Bahamas Cruises, which can start on April 4 and April 12, will now be embarking and disembarking in Norfolk, Virginia, as a substitute of Baltimore, Maryland.
The Imaginative and prescient-Class ship’s present 12-night Southern Caribbean crusing, which launched into March 23 and was meant to be a round-trip crusing to and from Baltimore, may also now be concluding in Norfolk on April 4.
The Port of Baltimore stays closed after a catastrophic incident occurred on March 26, 2024, through which a big cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed upon influence. No timeline has been given for when the port will reopen to cruise site visitors.
In gentle of the current occasions, Imaginative and prescient of the Seas will probably be briefly homeported in Norfolk as a substitute of Baltimore, the place the 78,340-gross ton ship was presupposed to be primarily based properly into 2025. The change comes simply someday after Carnival Cruise Line introduced it could even be briefly shifting operations from Baltimore to Norfolk for a similar cause.
After the April 12 crusing concludes, the ship will return to the Bahamas for routine upkeep. It’s unclear if the ship will then be capable of return to Baltimore, from the place she is meant to renew service with a collection of 5 to 9-night Bermuda cruises on the finish of Might.
“As a result of influence of the tragic collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, on Thursday, April 4, Imaginative and prescient of the Seas will now full its present cruise in Norfolk, Virginia,” a Royal Caribbean spokesperson instructed CruiseHive.
“For Imaginative and prescient’s upcoming April 4 and April 12 cruises, the ship will sail from Norfolk. After coming back from the April 12 cruise, Imaginative and prescient will head to The Bahamas for its beforehand scheduled upkeep,” the spokesperson added.
Apart from the change in house port, Imaginative and prescient of the Seas’ present crusing stays in any other case unaffected. Earlier than the cruise concludes, the two,514-passenger vessel will nonetheless name on Castries, St. Lucia; Bridgetown, Barbados; and Basseterre, St. Kitts.
Equally, the crusing starting on April 4 will nonetheless name on Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida; Freeport (Grand Island), Bahamas; Nassau, Bahamas; and Cococay, the cruise line’s personal island within the Bahamas, as deliberate.
The April 12 itinerary can also be unchanged, however will probably be calling on Charleston, South Carolina, as a substitute of CocoCay, which was deliberate.
Royal Caribbean Compensates Passengers For Change
Norfolk’s cruise port is positioned roughly 236 miles away from Baltimore’s Cruise Port, which equates to a 4 hour car-ride or a one hour flight. As an act of excellent religion, Royal Caribbean is compensating passengers for the inconvenience brought on by the last-minute change in journey plans.
“Our friends booked to sail with us will obtain compensation because of the vital changes made to their holidays,” mentioned the Royal Caribbean’s spokesperson. “Our friends on board will probably be offered compensation and complimentary shuttle transportation in addition to Wi-Fi and cellphone calls to regulate their journey preparations.”
Cruisers at present onboard or soon-to-be onboard Imaginative and prescient of the Seas who booked flights and/or transfers immediately by means of Royal Caribbean can have their journey preparations routinely rescheduled, with their new journey particulars emailed shortly.
Learn Additionally: How Is the Baltimore Bridge Collapse Impacting Cruises?
Visitors who booked their airfare or different journey lodging independently are inspired to succeed in out to their suppliers as quickly as attainable. The cruise line can also be reimbursing friends for pre-scheduled transportation, in addition to new preparations that should be made.
The cruise line will cowl as much as $200 per particular person for home transportation, comparable to flights, prepare tickets, bus fares, or rental vehicles, and $400 per particular person for worldwide journey. Moreover, cruisers can declare as much as $200 for any new journey that must be booked by emailing their receipts to the cruise line.
Moreover, friends at present onboard will probably be given entry to free Wi-Fi and cellphone calls to allow them to modify their journey preparations with out incurring additional prices.
