Four days past-cancellation, the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Radiance of the Seas is still docked in Seward, Alaska, due to engine problems.
Update: Royal Caribbean Blog reports that the next sailing of Radiance of the Seas, set to take place on September 8, is now canceled. You can find the letter to Radiance of the Seas guests in Matt’s article.
While Royal Caribbean has assured passengers that repairs are underway, anxious booked guests are wondering how long the issue might realistically take to address. As of Tuesday afternoon, the ship is still moored in Seward, Alaska.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Still Broke Down
The line said, “Repairs are underway and we are progressing to resolve the issue. At this time, we intend to sail as planned on September 8,” read a recent notice from the cruise line.
On September 1, around 2,200 guests embarking on Radiance of the Seas for an Alaska-Canada cruise were suddenly sent home. Instead of enjoying a seven-night sailing that would take them to see various attractions in Alaska, they were left making unexpected arrangements to fly back home.
Despite a generous compensation package that included a free cruise, it was a huge inconvenience for the passengers and the small city with a population of around 2,700 residents.
Guests scheduled to leave on the same ship on September 8 are understandably anxious to know if they might experience something similar.
A worried passenger from South Florida posted on a CruiseCritic’s board, “We’re scheduled on B2B from Vancouver on September 8th. Flying from SoFlo on Wednesday. Supposed to hear if cruise is a go on Tuesday. Not packing yet.”
A local from Anchorage, Alaska, posted, “I live in Anchorage, and the local news reports are vague. It does seem like the real problem is being kept hush. Who knows though. I hope all the pax affected were able to at best, get on a Princess ship Saturday or a Holland America ship Sunday to sail south or at least enjoy a few days of Alaska over the weekend before flying home.”
It’s 1,505 nautical miles from Seward to Vancouver. Going 20 knots would take Radiance of the Seas just over three days to reposition from Seward, Alaska, to Vancouver, British Columbia. This means the ship would have to leave Seward by this afternoon to make it to Vancouver on time for the next scheduled cruise.
This article was updated on September 4, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. ET
