Royal Caribbean makes an unexpected decision to cancel the cruise

Cruises are often canceled for reasons beyond the cruise line’s control.

It could be a mechanical problem or problematic weather. Every cruise line is plagued by these issues and will always make the decision to go with the safest choices for their passengers and equipment.

On the surface, that’s what Royal Caribbean appears to have done when it unexpectedly canceled a cruise at the last minute.

Guests booked on the September 15 flight on Rhapsody of the Seas received an email from the cruise line informing them that their cruise was cancelled.

“On our previous sailing, one of our tender boats, which also serves as a lifeboat, was damaged. This leaves the ship over capacity for the number of lifeboat berths available in the event of an emergency on our next sailing. Unfortunately, this means we will not be able to welcome you on board,” reads the email, which was obtained by Cruise Industry News.

Cruise ships must have a seat available for every passenger on board.

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Cruise ships carry lifeboats in the unlikely event that they are needed.

Image source: Pixabay

Cruise ships face strict rules

“The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) is an international convention and a requirement that all passenger ships must comply with. She makes sure all passengers know what to do in an emergency and demands that every soul on board. take a seat on a lifeboat,” according to the Royal Caribbean blog.

Lifeboats have a specific capacity and a skipper who knowingly broke this rule would put his license at risk.

“Royal Caribbean will issue a Future Cruise Credit equal to the full amount paid for the canceled cruise, valid until September 13, 2025. In addition, they will cover non-refundable transportation costs, such as flights or rental cars, that were affected by cancellation,” the blog, which is not owned by the cruise line, posted.

Although the cruise line canceled some passengers’ reservations, it does not appear to have canceled the cruise. Instead, it appears to have released enough passengers to comply with lifeboat rules.

It seems like an odd choice when the cruise line could have asked for volunteers and offered incentives to change sailings like airlines do when flights are overbooked.

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Rhapsody of the Seas departs from Puerto Rico. Some passengers may have happily accepted another sailing from another port to change.

Royal Caribbean has Symphony of the Seas, for example, which departs from New York and departs on the same day (September 15) that Rhapsody is scheduled to sail. It has several sailings from Florida ports departing on either September 15th or 16th.

The timing may have made it impractical to move passengers to new ships, but the cruise line certainly could have offered incentives for volunteers to move on a later sailing. This seems like standard practice in the travel industry, even if it’s more difficult for a cruise line than an airline.

According to the Royal Caribbean Blog, it remains unclear if Rhapsody of the Seas was sailing at all, although some passengers said their trip was confirmed. The cruise line has not issued a public comment.

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