Royal Caribbean canceled 2 Alaska cruises last minute, leaving passengers scrambling to book 'plan-b' vacations
Sep 8, 2023, 22:44 IST
- Royal Caribbean canceled two back-to-back Alaska cruises in one week due to propulsion issues.
- The Radiance of the Seas repairs impacted hundreds of customers.
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Royal Caribbean canceled two back-to-back cruises with less than a week's notice — leaving many travelers scrambling to make alternative travel arrangements.
The company's Radiance of the Seas 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.The ship is currently undergoing repairs and is expected to sail as planned on September 15, the spokesperson told Insider.The September 1 cruise was canceled on the same day the ship was scheduled to depart, meaning many customers had already traveled to the ship's port of departure.While the ship underwent repairs, affected travelers were permitted to use the vessel as a hotel for two nights, local NBC news affiliate KTUU reported. During their stay, the ship's crew provided complimentary alcohol and WiFi, as well as a free shuttle into the city, a letter from Royal Caribbean to impacted customers said.Some passengers had already flown in from distant countries for the cruise
The last-minute cancellations impacted hundreds of passengers, including Jennifer Hessler McPhillips, a 50-year-old realtor from Ohio who had planned to celebrate her birthday on the September 8 cruise with her husband and friends.
The morning of Tuesday, September 5, the same day the cruise was canceled, McPhillips received an email from Royal Caribbean with boarding day information such as arrival and luggage drop-off time slots, according to emails viewed by Insider.The notification gave passengers a "glimmer of hope" that the ship would be fixed in time, McPhillips said. The cruise was canceled later that evening.Royal Caribbean is issuing affected customers a full refund, plus a future cruise credit that can be used for a sailing departing within one year. For the September 8 cancellation, the cruise line will also reimburse non-refundable, pre-purchased travel fees (such as a flight, hotel, train ticket, or rental car) of up to $250 per guest for domestic travel, or up to $500 per guest for international travel.Passengers will receive the refund within 14 business days, according to emails from Royal Caribbean viewed by Insider — a delay that McPhillips said made it difficult for people to book alternative travel arrangements.While McPhillips said she is satisfied with the overall compensation package, she's concerned that the refund won't be enough money for a balcony room on a future cruise.When she first booked the cruise, she paid $349 per person for a balcony room, she told Insider. Balcony rooms for the same cruise typically cost between $800 and $2,000, the Royal Caribbean website shows."I found a bargain, and I'm not going to get to utilize that," she said. "That upsets me a little bit."Fortunately, McPhillips had not yet left for Alaska by the time the cruise was canceled. Other travelers were not so lucky.In a Facebook group for Radiance of the Sea passengers, one user wrote that she had flown from Australia to San Francisco for the cruise and is now stuck figuring out a "plan-b" vacation with her family."Nine months of planning, anticipating, deciding excursions, watching Alaska videos for ideas on what to do, all for naught," another user posted in the group.Are you a cruise ship crew member or passenger? Email this reporter at htowey@insider.com to share your story.