Royal Caribbean is going through challenges with the cruise pier in San Juan, Puerto Rico, leading to surprising itinerary adjustments for certainly one of its largest ships.
San Juan is likely one of the hottest cruise ports within the Caribbean with its wealthy historical past and vibrant tradition; as well as, the capital of Puerto Rico can be used as a homeport for Royal Caribbean. Royal Caribbean affords many sailings that go to San Juan as a port of name. Nonetheless, itineraries onboard Symphony of the Seas have been notably affected by this port situation due to the ship’s large measurement.
In an e mail despatched to visitors booked on the December 1, 2024 crusing onboard Symphony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean defined the state of affairs concerning “technical points” with San Juan’s cruise pier. Royal Caribbean made it clear the difficulty is out of their management. Till the broken pier is repaired and subsequently cleared by america Coast Guard, Oasis class ships might be unable to dock.
The cruise line mentioned, “We’ve lately been suggested by the port authority in San Juan, Puerto Rico, that because of technical points with the pier and the work that should be completed and cleared by the USCG for accepting a ship our measurement, we’ll have to regulate our itinerary for our crusing.”
Presently, it’s unclear when the pier – which is situated within the coronary heart of San Juan’s previous city – might be cleared by authorities to simply accept bigger vessels. Neither Royal Caribbean nor the Port of San Juan have acknowledged when the difficulty is anticipated to be mounted.
Symphony of the Seas is likely one of the largest ships on the planet, measuring 228,081 gross registered tons. Initially, the ship was scheduled to sail on a 7-night Jap Caribbean itinerary from Miami on December 1, 2024. Due to the unexpected port points in San Juan, the itinerary was adjusted on the final minute.
Symphony of the Seas was scheduled to go to San Juan, Puerto Rico and Philipsburg, St. Maarten, alongside sooner or later at Royal Caribbean’s Excellent Day at CocoCay. Friends have been notified that Symphony of the Seas will as a substitute go to Falmouth, Jamaica and Labadee, Haiti with an adjusted itinerary. Nonetheless, the ship can even preserve its scheduled go to to Excellent Day at CocoCay as deliberate.
Royal Caribbean acknowledged that visitors will obtain an automated refund to their unique type of cost for any pay as you go excursions booked for San Juan and Philipsburg. Moreover, excursions can even be obtainable to ebook for the brand new ports of name in Jamaica and Haiti.
Solely Symphony of the Seas has been impacted.
This isn’t the primary Royal Caribbean itinerary to be impacted by San Juan’s pier points. The cruise line was pressured to drop San Juan from Symphony of the Seas’ itinerary earlier this month as nicely. The ship’s November 17, 2024 itinerary was initially scheduled to dock in San Juan, St. Maarten and Excellent Day at CocoCay earlier than the adjustment was made.
In communication despatched to passengers, Royal Caribbean acknowledged, “After exploring all choices, and to offer you the very best expertise, we’ll now take pleasure in visits to our non-public vacation spot, Labadee, Haiti, and to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, as a substitute. To assist make up for these adjustments, we have added a go to to Nassau, Bahamas!”
It’s additionally necessary to notice that San Juan, Puerto Rico has two completely different ports utilized by cruise ships. The present situation is simply impacting Royal Caribbean’s largest ships when docking for the day on the Port of San Juan close to the previous city. The second port in San Juan is discovered throughout the harbor, generally known as Pan American Pier, and is unaffected. This terminal is used as a homeport for ships which are departing from San Juan.
At the moment, Rhapsody of the Seas is crusing round-trip itineraries from San Juan and has not skilled any itinerary changes. No different Royal Caribbean ships are departing from San Juan within the coming months, though a number of ships are scheduled to go to the town as a port of name.
Trying ahead, Symphony of the Seas is scheduled to go to San Juan once more on December 22, 2024. The ship additionally has extra sailings that includes the port into January 2025. The cruise line has not introduced any additional adjustments presently for future itineraries. If the pier stays broken, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class ships may proceed to be impacted for months to return.
How was the pier in San Juan broken?
Friends on Royal Caribbean sailings from earlier this yr began to report points with San Juan’s pier within the spring. In April 2024, folks began posting on-line about docking points in Puerto Rico, supposedly because of harm brought on by an MSC cruise ship.
Based on visitors onboard on the time, Marvel of the Seas was pressured to alter course because of the harm precipitated in San Juan in April 2024. Oasis class ships can solely dock on the broken pier because of their measurement. Due to this fact, Royal Caribbean is on the mercy of the port to restore the broken pier with a view to resume regular operations.
In April 2024, consumer @Brooke posted on our web site’s discussion board, “On the Marvel of the Seas and simply acquired diverted from going to San Juan, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. [Now we are] going to St. Maarten and St. Thomas. They mentioned a ship crashed into the port in San Juan. Does anybody have data on that?”
Person @Austin commented, “Simply to make clear for anybody on a Puerto Rico itinerary on an Oasis class ship, Captain mentioned the [pier] that Oasis ships use is unstable from the MSC ship putting it in Puerto Rico.”
Persevering with, the cruiser shared, “They tried to work with the port authority to dock on the east aspect of the pier as a substitute of the same old west aspect, however the port authority rejected this feature and instructed them that we can not dock till the dolphin is repaired (unknown downtime).”
As well as, a headline from elnuevodia, an area information supply, confirmed the incident again in April. The headline reads, “MSC Meraviglia cruise ship hits Pier 3 in San Juan”. The article continued to elucidate how the San Juan Cruise Port was pressured to shut the west aspect of the ability till additional discover, because of the harm brought on by the accident. Neither Royal Caribbean nor the Port of San Juan have confirmed the pier harm by MSC Meraviglia.
Most visitors are sad with the last-minute itinerary adjustments.
Impacted visitors are understandably upset by the itinerary adjustments. Final-minute adjustments to an itinerary are all the time disappointing, particularly when visitors ebook sailings to go to particular locations. Whereas cruise strains try to exchange cancelled ports of name, the itinerary updates are usually not all the time thought of enough.
Royal Caribbean expressed to its visitors, “We’re sorry for any inconvenience brought on by these adjustments. However, we’re excited to go to our non-public vacation spot and a brand new port with you!” Even nonetheless, impacted passengers are annoyed by the adjustments.
“I’m fairly upset about it. I used to be actually excited to take my youngsters to San Juan as they’ve by no means been and St. Martin appeared good as nicely. I really feel just like the ports they switched us too are usually not on the identical degree as those we had earlier than. Each cruise pricing sensible and exercise sensible,” commented one impacted visitor on a Reddit thread.
Royal Caribbean solely lately began crusing once more to its non-public island in Haiti, which is getting used instead port for San Juan. Though Labadee is a safe, distant and personal space operated completely by Royal Caribbean, the nation of Haiti has been in turmoil lately.
Resulting from civil unrest within the spring and over the summer time, Royal Caribbean suspended operations for months “out of an abundance of warning”. Citing security issues, the cruise line eliminated Labadee from Caribbean itineraries all through the spring and summer time. Royal Caribbean solely returned to Labadee in October 2024, though unrest continues within the nation.
Even after three industrial planes have been struck by gunfire within the nation’s capital this month, Royal Caribbean confirmed there have been no deliberate adjustments for itineraries visiting the non-public vacation spot. Due to this fact, it isn’t stunning to see Labadee getting used as a substitute port for altered itineraries.
One visitor acknowledged on-line how they’d not be snug with Symphony’s itinerary adjustments contemplating the violent state of affairs in Haiti. The commenter acknowledged, “Man, I’d personally be so upset on the adjustments; Skip San Juan however preserve St. Maarten. I personally wouldn’t really feel secure in Haiti proper now.”
“I am on this cruise proper now. It was a serious bummer, however we tailored. We booked our St. Martin tour by way of a third celebration, and so they refunded us after notifying them of the last-minute itinerary change,” acknowledged one cruiser that was onboard the impacted November 17 crusing.
Persevering with, the poster acknowledged, “So far as the change goes, lots of people have been very upset concerning the change, however the phrases and circumstances you conform to when reserving a cruise with Royal state that they will change the itinerary for any cause at any time, and with out prior warning. In fact they are going to let as quickly as doable, as a matter of excellent enterprise follow.”
“So based mostly on the opposite feedback on this thread, it seems like this has been a recognized situation since April, and principally there’s no hope in sight of getting it repaired? We picked this particular itinerary for Puerto Rico and St. Maarten,” exclaimed one other cruiser on-line.
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