1,700 passengers boarded an Alaska cruise, only for Royal Caribbean to cancel it two days later

Around 1,700 passengers who had boarded Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas in Vancouver for an Alaska cruise were left without a voyage after the entire sailing was cancelled because of ongoing maintenance work.

The passengers had already spent time on the ship when they were told that the cruise would not go ahead.The seven-night Alaska cruise was originally scheduled to leave Vancouver on August 30, People's magazine reported. About a week before the planned departure, passengers were informed that the cruise would instead be shortened to five nights. The departure was also moved to September 1.Passengers were still invited to board the ship on September 1 and use it as a hotel while they waited for the vessel to leave Vancouver.

About 1,700 passengers boarded, expecting the delayed cruise to eventually begin. However, the departure time passed without the ship leaving the port.Passengers were told that the departure had been delayed, but an announcement later informed them that Royal Caribbean had cancelled the entire sailing. Guests were given until midnight the following day to leave the ship, turning what had been planned as the beginning of an Alaska holiday into an unexpected scramble to make new travel arrangements.

Why the cruise was cancelled

Royal Caribbean said the cancellation was linked to ongoing maintenance work on Serenade of the Seas. The cruise line did not provide details about the specific technical issue involved.“To accommodate ongoing maintenance, we’ve had to cancel our sailing,” a Royal Caribbean spokesperson told USA Today and Fox News. “We apologize to our guests for the inconvenience and have worked with them to adjust their travel plans.”The company had first told passengers about the maintenance issue before the original August 30 departure date. At that stage, the seven-night cruise was changed to a five-night sailing, while the departure was pushed back to September 1.Passengers were allowed to spend time on the ship while it remained in Vancouver. They could use much of the vessel and could also leave to explore the city. Some areas, including the casino, remained closed.

Passengers scramble to change their plans

Arielle Anderson, a 28-year-old mother and lawyer from South Carolina, had booked the cruise as a gift for her family. She told USA Today that they had “been looking forward to this since Christmas.”The family had wanted to visit Alaska and had already travelled for the planned holiday. After the cruise was initially shortened, Anderson said cancelling the trip and getting refunds for their tickets would have been difficult because members of the family were flying in from different parts of the country.Instead, the family travelled to Whistler before boarding the ship on September 1.

Anderson said passengers were instructed to board the vessel as part of the immigration process. Once on board, they waited for the ship to depart, but the expected departure time passed. Later, they were told that the departure had been delayed.By the evening, passengers were informed that the entire cruise had been cancelled. Anderson described the reaction among guests as chaotic.“Everybody was kind of panicking, so we were all just sitting in one of the bar areas, and everybody was just on their phones,” Anderson said. “People were really upset because everybody was trying to find flights and hotels and stuff.”

Refunds and future cruise credit offered

Royal Caribbean offered passengers affected by the cancellation a full refund. According to USA Today, the company also offered a 100% future cruise credit for the fare and reimbursement for flight change fees.Passengers were also set to receive a pro-rated refund for dining and beverage packages, according to the New York Post.For Anderson’s family, the cancelled cruise meant changing the holiday rather than ending it completely. Her mother found a rental car, and the family travelled to a vacation rental near Bellingham, Washington, while keeping their original flight home from Vancouver.“We just got an Airbnb down here, and have just been hanging out around here, hiking and whatnot,” Anderson said.

“Definitely not what we planned, but [we’re] trying to make the best of it.”The cancellation also left other passengers wondering what would happen to later sailings involving the ship. Some raised questions on cruise message boards about future trips that had already been booked.According to CruiseMapper, Serenade of the Seas later departed Vancouver for another Alaska cruise on September 6.