Cruise Line Cancels Trip After Boarding – What Would You Do?

Louisiana travelers know that one of the certainties about traveling is the uncertainty of it all. We expect a certain amount of uncertainty in our travels. That's why there is trepidation about booking afternoon flights into Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans during the summertime because we never know when a thunderstorm will throw a wrench into our travel plans.

So, we expect there to be "loose ends" when we travel by air, but very seldom do we expect there to be issues when we go on a cruise. Cruise ships are very reliable machines. That's because they are constantly being serviced, repaired, and reconditioned even while they are at sea. So, a mechanical issue on a cruise ship that causes a travel delay isn't a common occurrence but it does happen.

I was on a cruise from Santiago, Chile to Fort Lauderdale Florida when the ship encountered a mechanical issue. One of the huge vessel's motors was only making half power but we were able to finish the cruise, although we had to skip a port or two because of our ship's reduced speed.

But that is nothing compared to what passengers aboard Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas had to deal with last week. The ship was scheduled to disembark from Vancouver Canada on an Alaskan voyage on Friday, April 26th. The ship's crew notified passengers that the vessel would not sail on that day but would be in port for two days for needed maintenance.

The new abbreviated cruise itinerary now showed a departure date of Sunday, April 28th, and a return to Vancouver on May 3rd. But that never happened. Instead, the cruise line notified guests that the cruise was canceled and they would need to be off the ship by 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Royal Caribbean is making it good for those who were inconvenienced by the mechanical issue. Each passenger will be given a 100% refund on the fare. The cruise line is also offering each cruise guest 100% future cruise credit for sailing in the future. Royal Caribbean is also offering travel assistance in the form of vouchers for domestic and international travelers who encounter change fees with their travel arrangements back home.