Royal Caribbean Ship Still Docked in Homeport, a D...

Royal Caribbean’s mega ship Symphony of the Seas was imagined to set sail yesterday on a 7-day crusing to The Bahamas.  As a substitute, the 6,680-max-capacity ship continues to be docked within the New Jersey Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne at this time.

The vessel has been unable to depart for its scheduled crusing because of extreme climate circumstances brought on by a strong nor’easter affecting the East Coast.

Departure and Itinerary Impression

The cruise was initially scheduled to start its 7-night Bahamas itinerary on Sunday, October 12, within the early afternoon. However the storm’s heavy rain and robust winds have made it unsafe for the huge ship to navigate the harbor and start its journey south.

This delay means the ship has misplaced almost two full days of its initially deliberate voyage. The protection protocols require the ship to stay on the pier till circumstances enhance, which is now anticipated to be on Tuesday, October 14.

The delay has made the unique itinerary unattainable.  Unique ports of name included stops in Port Canaveral, Nassau, and Royal Caribbean’s non-public island, Good Day at CocoCay.

Whereas passengers are at the moment onboard, the cruise line might be compelled to announce a modified, shorter itinerary that cancels a number of of the deliberate ports of name, because the ship is ready to return to New Jersey by its scheduled date of October 19.

Compensation and Onboard Standing

Whereas the ship awaits clearance to sail, most onboard providers, together with eating places, leisure, and actions, are open.  However some areas just like the on line casino won’t be able to open till the ship has moved away from port.

Royal Caribbean is predicted to announce its compensation coverage for the change, which generally features a prorated refund of the cruise fare for the time misplaced, in addition to refunds for any pre-purchased excursions or port taxes for any missed locations.

Friends are at the moment being offered updates because the storm system is carefully monitored.

Passenger Response and Boarding Expertise

Passenger reactions on-line to the scenario had been combined.  Most expressing help for the security determination however had been additionally annoyed over the delayed departure and crowded embarkation course of.

Security First: The choice to maintain the ship docked was understood by most, as many had been relieved to keep away from tough seas. As one commenter famous on Fb, “Passenger and crew security [is] 1st,” with one other agreeing it’s higher than the ship “bobbing round within the wind.”

A passenger from the prior cruise famous that the return to New Jersey was a bumpy trip.

Embarkation Complaints: Royal Caribbean had instructed company to reach earlier on Sunday to expedite boarding forward of the storm. This transfer, nevertheless, led to lengthy traces and frustration. One visitor described the expertise as a “2 hour wait to get onto the ship, then one other 2 hour wait to get into our cabin.”

Onboard Environment: Regardless of the frustration, many company are making the very best of the sudden stopover, noting that the ship nonetheless presents a full vary of actions. As one passenger commented, they’re at the moment “having fun with dinner at 150 Central Park proper now.” The prolonged port keep will not be unprecedented, with one cruiser recalling the same two-day delay in New York on one other cruise line.

Norwegian Ship Additionally Impacted

The identical extreme climate that’s holding Symphony of the Seas in port can be holding again Norwegian Getaway. This NCL ship, which was set to depart from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal on Sunday for a 7-night Canada and New England journey, is caught in port.

Officers halted all pilot providers, making it unsafe for any giant ship to sail. The delay has already compelled Norwegian Cruise Line to cancel the primary two stops, Newport and Boston. The ship hopes to lastly depart on Tuesday, October 14th, however the itinerary might be shorter.