Passengers on this Royal Caribbean ship can't catch a break

20.09.2023 - 20:21 / insider.com / Royal Caribbean / Cruises

Royal Caribbean canceled or delayed three back-to-back Alaska voyages on the Radiance of the Seas cruise ship in September, throwing a wrench into the (often expensive) travel plans of hundreds of customers.

The 2,500-passenger ship was scheduled to depart from Seward, Alaska on September 1 and Vancouver, Canada on September 8 for seven-night cruises along the Alaskan coast. Both voyages were canceled due to a technical issue with the ship's propulsion system, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said.

But once repairs were completed, the ship remained sitting idle in Seward's harbor. Its next cruise, scheduled to depart on September 15, was delayed four days due to a storm forecasted to move through the Gulf of Alaska, a spokesperson for the cruise line told Insider.

Instead of spending seven days traveling to six ports of call (including Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Haines, and Icy Strait Point), the cruise was shortened to four days — leaving only enough time to visit Ketchikan, Alaska on September 20.

Passengers will spend September 21 traveling through Pine Island, Seymour Narrows, and Cape Mudge before returning to Vancouver, British Columbia on September 22, the Royal Caribbean spokesperson said.

"The safety of our guests, crew, and communities we visit is our top priority," the spokesperson told Insider. "All itinerary changes have been communicated to guests and travel partners."

Insider spoke with and received emails from customers impacted by all three of the cruise disruptions, some of whom had already traveled to Alaska — and spent a good chunk of money in order to get there.

Susan Rahn, a passenger onboard the delayed September 15 cruise, said she actually hoped Royal Caribbean would cancel her cruise after hearing the previous two voyages had been canceled.

"We did not want to fly all the way here from Delaware to be told there's a problem," she wrote in an email sent to Insider on Sunday. "Well … here we are, in Seward, Alaska, sitting in the dock because Royal Caribbean says the weather is too rough and we're better off sitting still."

Radiance of the Seas passengers impacted by the September 15 delay will receive a 50% refund of the cruise fare, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said. The cruise line will refund any pre-paid beverage packages and shore excursions purchased for the ports of call that were missed due to the itinerary change.

Rahn said she and her husband spent approximately $3,000 on travel expenses related to the cruise and have been credited about $484 each. Insider was unable to independently verify these expenses.

Customers impacted by the September 1 and September 8 cancellations received a full refund and future cruise credit, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said.

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