Royal Caribbean Forced to Cancel Alaska Sailing With Guests Already Onboard

Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas.

Here’s something that isn’t a surprise and still is, all rolled into one.

Royal Caribbean International had to cancel a cruise. Not a shock.

What is surprising is that passengers were already on board the Radiance of the Seas. That’s right, instead of going on an Alaskan cruise passengers had to disembark and go home.

The ship was supposed to depart Vancouver on Friday, April 26. There was a maintenance issue on the ship and a revised itinerary was set and it was supposed to depart on Sunday, April 28. But officials couldn’t get it fixed, and now the entire cruise has been canceled.

“Despite our best efforts, circumstances beyond our control have delayed our sailing further,” a letter delivered to guests’ staterooms said. “Your patience throughout this time [has] not gone unnoticed, and we are immensely grateful for your understanding.”

All passengers will not only receive a full refund but will receive a full future cruise credit to sail on Royal Caribbean. The cruise line also made its Wi-Fi free of charge to help passengers better navigate the disembarkation. Other complementary features include an open bar until the ship officially disembarked as well as reimbursement for airline change fees.

The maintenance problem was apparently a propulsion issue.

“While repairs for the technical issue that we encountered on our previous sailing are still underway, we discovered that we’re going to need some extra time to get the ship in tip-top shape for you,” Royal Caribbean wrote in its letter to passengers.

This is the second time the propulsion problem has plagued the Radiance of the Seas.