While it isn’t unheard of for cruises to be cancelled due to needing unplanned repairs, it is far more common on older ships. It’s quite rare for a newer ship to experience mechanical issues severe enough that an entire sailing gets abruptly cancelled. But that’s exactly what just happened.
Royal Caribbean’s massive Icon of the Seas is not only the largest cruise ship in the world, capable of carrying more than 10,000 passengers and crew at full occupancy, it is also one of the newest, having completed its maiden voyage in January of this year.
Related: See the crew areas on Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas
After reportedly experiencing issues preventing it from traveling at its normal rate of speed, the current sailing of the Icon, as well as its next scheduled sailing, are both adversely impacted.
Image source: Dan Kline/ComeCruiseWith.com
Propulsion issues are impacting Icon of the Seas’ speed
Dennis and Amy Post of PostCard Travel Planning, Come Cruise With Me’s travel agent partner, are on the current sailing of Icon of the Seas. Due to mechanical issues that are causing the ship to sail at a reduced speed, the ship will be forced to cancel its planned stop in St. Thomas and spend the day at sea instead.
Guests on the current sailing will receive an onboard credit equal to one day’s cruise fare to make up for the inconvenience, according to a letter delivered to guests’ staterooms.
As of the latest information, the ship is still scheduled to visit Perfect Day at CocoCay on Friday and to return to Miami as planned on Saturday morning.
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Icon of the Seas next sailing is cancelled
Unfortunately for those booked on the next sailing, Royal Caribbean has made the decision to cancel Icon of the Seas next sailing, scheduled to depart Miami on Saturday, Sept. 28.
A cancellation notice posted to social media by a traveler who was booked on the now-canceled sailing indicates that the planned maintenance will be done over just a few days. So, as long as things go according to plan, this should be the only affected sailing.
Related: Royal Caribbean crew member shows off tiny crew cabin
While it’s never fun to have a vacation canceled just a few days before it happens, especially since many travelers booked the sailing well over a year in advance, Royal Caribbean is offering generous compensation. In addition to a 100% refund to the original method of payment, cruisers booked on the Sept. 28 sailing will also receive a Future Cruise Credit with a value equal to 100% of their paid cruise fare.
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