Travelers who had already boarded Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas in Vancouver, British Columbia, got some unwelcome news this week: their 5-night Alaska cruise was cancelled after repair crews were unable to resolve a technical problem in time for the ship to safely sail. Royal Caribbean notified guests around 6 p.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, September 2, that despite around-the-clock repair efforts, the issue could not be fixed.
The situation had been developing for roughly two weeks. Royal Caribbean first alerted guests on the August 30 sailing that the departure would be pushed back two days to September 1, citing necessary maintenance in Vancouver. The cruise line allowed passengers to board as originally planned and use the ship as a floating hotel while repairs continued. When those repairs still weren't complete by the revised departure time, the decision was made to cancel the sailing entirely.
Serenade of the Seas, launched in 2003, is one of Royal Caribbean's older vessels, carrying up to 2,143 passengers at double occupancy. The ship has been docked in Vancouver throughout the ordeal. Outright cancellations of this nature are considered extremely rare within the cruise industry.
Royal Caribbean has outlined compensation for affected guests that includes a full refund of cruise fare, taxes, port fees, and pre-purchased packages, along with a 100% Future Cruise Credit valid for one year. The cruise line is also covering flight change costs — up to $200 for domestic itinerary changes and up to $400 for international ones. The next scheduled sailing on Serenade of the Seas, a 7-night Alaska cruise departing September 6, remains on the books with no reported changes at this time.
This story was first reported by Royal Caribbean Blog.
