Royal Caribbean has announced big news, but not the kind that cruise guests will want to hear. Less than a year after her inaugural sailing, Royal Caribbean’s flagship and the world’s largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, is cancelling an entire sailing for “unplanned maintenance.”
Guests booked on the September 28, 2024 departure only received the unfortunate and disappointing news just days before embarkation, with little explanation as to why the 248,663-gross-ton vessel must be removed from service.
“We are currently conducting unplanned maintenance onboard Icon of the Seas,” the email notification announced. “While our crew is working hard to address this as quickly as possible, there is still some work that needs to be done over a few days while the ship is docked. As a result, we’ll be cancelling our upcoming September 28 2024, sailing.”
The now-cancelled cruise was to have been a 7-night Western Caribbean itinerary visiting Mahogany Bay, Costa Maya, and Cozumel, as well as Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island destination in the Bahamas.
The ship will now remain docked in Miami while undergoing the unplanned maintenance, though Royal Caribbean does not detail the nature of the repairs. Typically, ships are only removed from service outside of a dry dock schedule when major systems, such as propulsion or safety systems, require urgent repairs.
The ship’s current sailing, a 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary that departed PortMiami on Saturday, September 21, is also impacted. The ship will not be visiting St. Thomas on Wednesday, September 25 as planned, and rumors are swirling that the ship may also miss the call to St. Maarten on Tuesday, September 24.
Satellite tracking data does show the massive vessel on course for St. Maarten, however, but she is not moving at her top speed of 22 knots (25 miles per hour). Instead, the ship is making just 15-17 knots (17-20 mph).
It is not unusual, however, for a ship to travel at slower speeds during days at sea when there is plenty of time to reach the next port of call, and this may not indicate any propulsion or engine difficulties. Authorities onboard the ship have also confirmed that the call to St. Maarten will take place as scheduled.
Guests booked on additional future sailings of Icon of the Seas have also received notifications about the “unplanned maintenance” and when the ship should be resuming normal sailing.
“As you may have heard, we are currently conducting unplanned maintenance onboard Icon of the Seas,” the notification confirmed. “These repairs are underway, and we are confident they will be completed in time to resume normal itineraries by our October 5, 2024 sailing. At this time, our sailing will proceed as planned. As we get closer, we’ll provide you with updates on our progress.”
Travelers on those future sailings will be understandably nervous that the “maintenance” may not be completed as quickly as planned and additional cruises could be cancelled. It is important for guests to stay in close communication with Royal Caribbean so they can be provided with timely updates and options as necessary.
All guests should note that while the cruise line has not offered a detailed explanation of the maintenance, the letter delivered to guests onboard does offer some reassurance.
“Rest assured, although we’re performing maintenance, the ship is safe and seaworthy,” the notice confirmed.
There is no indication that any entertainment, restaurant, or hotel operations are at all impacted and all the ship’s features appear to be functioning as anticipated.
It should be noted that the cruise line has not confirmed whether this maintenance is related to power outages aboard the vessel earlier this year that temporarily disrupted onboard operations.
Generous Compensation Offered
For guests impacted by these changes, the cruise line is offering generous compensation for the onboard adjustments (for the September 21 sailing) as well as the cancellation (for the September 28 sailing).
First of all, travelers already onboard will have an extra day at sea now that St. Thomas is cancelled, giving them even more time to enjoy all the features, amenities, and venues the tremendous ship has to offer.
Furthermore, all guests will receive an onboard credit equivalent to one day’s cruise fare on their SeaPass account. Any remaining credit at the end of the cruise will be refunded after the sailing.
Similarly, any pre-paid Royal Caribbean shore tours for St. Thomas will be automatically cancelled and refunded, also as onboard credit.
Guests on the now-cancelled sailing are receiving even more generous compensation due to the loss of their cruise vacation. All travelers are getting a 100% refund, including not only the cruise fare but also all pre-paid packages and add-ons as well as taxes and port fees.
Travelers are also receiving a 100% future cruise credit in the value of their cruise fare that can be used for any future Royal Caribbean sailing.
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Refunds and future cruise credits will be processed automatically, but may take some time to be available to travelers based on individual financial institution processing.
If guests have booked flights through Royal Caribbean for the September 28 sailing, those flights will be automatically refunded. The cruise line will also provide up to $200 per guest for domestic US travel and $400 for international travel to cover any independent flight changes or cancellation fees.
At this time, there is no indication that additional cruises will be impacted, but all upcoming Icon of the Seas guests should closely monitor the ship’s progress and stay alert for possible changes.
