Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas has again informed guests it will be skipping a scheduled port call at San Juan, Puerto Rico. The cruise line told guests it has to “adjust our itinerary for our sailing” on the Oasis class ship due to technical issues handling larger vessels.
On the December 1 sailing, guests were informed the scheduled Puerto Rico call had been canceled. The ship also had to scrap a port visit to San Juan earlier this month.
Second Canceled San Juan Call This Month
“Due to technical issues with the pier and the work that must be done and cleared by the US Coast Guard for accepting a ship of our size, we’ll have to adjust our itinerary for our sailing,” it said in a notice to guests.
Symphony of the Seas’ itinerary included San Juan, Philipsburg in St. Maarten, and Perfect Day at CocoCay. The adjusted sailing will now visit Jamaica, Labadee, Haiti, and Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Most cruise ships can still dock safely without any issues at San Juan. Symphony of the Seas’s problem is its vast size. It can be accommodated only at San Juan Port’s Pier-3 West, which has been off-limits to large cruise ships for several months now after a docking accident in April.
Unclear When the Pier Will Be Back in Operation
It is still not clear when the issue will be fixed. Capt. Luis J. Rodriguez, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan and Captain of the Port – San Juan, responded with an update. He said Pier-3 West remains closed to cruise ships and is awaiting an assessment report from the Port Authority.
“In April 2024, the Coast Guard established an operational control, disallowing cruise ship operations on San Juan Harbor’s Pier-3 West, following an incident which resulted in the loss of a dolphin mooring structure just off the main pier.”
The USCG is still awaiting the report. “One of the Coast Guard’s top priorities is safety of the nation’s maritime port facilities,” Capt. Rodriguez said.
“We understand the inconvenience of this matter, however, it is critical we ensure the safety of the port. My team stands ready to move ahead immediately once we receive the awaited studies from San Juan Cruise Port and the Puerto Rico Ports Authority.” Neither the Coast Guard or the Port Authority has indicated when they think the pier will be operational again.
