Popular cruise line cancels trip with guests already on board: What happens next?

Guests onboard a popular cruise line were told their trip was canceled and they were being sent home despite already being on board the vessel.

Royal Caribbean International notified guests aboard Radiance of the Sea the ship will not continue on an already-abbreviated Alaska sailing. Instead, the voyage was canceled and guests had to leave the ship and be sent home, CruiseHive.com reported.

The ship was set to depart Vancouver, British Columbia on Friday and guests were permitted on board. It was announced the ship would spend two days in port undergoing repair with a revised departure date of Sunday, April 28 before returning May 3 as planned.

Later, however, an announcement was made the trip was being canceled due to repairs for a technical issue impacting its propulsion, the website reported, and guests had to leave the ship Sunday by 4 p.m. local time.

“As you are aware, our teams have been vigorously working to have Radiance of the Seas prepared to set sail on our shortened April 26th sailing,” a letter given to passengers in their staterooms read, according to reports by unofficial cruise site RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com reported. “Despite our best efforts, circumstances beyond our control have delayed our sailing further. As a result, we’ll regrettably have to cancel our April 26th, 2024 cruise.”

What happens to the guests?

Guests will receive a 100% refund on their fare and a 100% future cruise credit for a later sailing. The cruise line opened internet service free of charge to allow for easier travel planning and offered a free open bar until debarkation, reports indicated.

Cruisers who booked flights through Royal Caribbean had their flights automatically rescheduled. The cruise line is also reimbursing any travel change fees up to $250 for domestic travel and $400 for international travel and up to $250 for hotel costs, per statement, per night, for two nights.

The ship first developed propulsion difficulties last week during a repositioning cruise from Los Angeles to Vancouver, causing several stops to be scrapped to accommodate the slower speed.