UPDATE (FEB 24TH):
Royal Caribbean have now announced that the brilliance of the Seas sailing that was scheduled to depart Tampa on Feb 23rd has now been cancelled. The Fog has been forcast to continue for the next few days so there is no way the vessel would be able to complete the next voyage.
Royal Caribbean International will provide each guest with a full refund of the cruise fare paid. Cruise fare refunds will automatically be processed back to original form of payment. The cruise line also stated that there “will be providing each guest with a future cruise certificate for 25% of the cruise fare paid for their February 23, 2015, Brilliance of the Seas sailing. This certificate may be used for a future cruise on any Royal Caribbean ship within the next year. Future cruise certificates will be mailed to your home address or travel agent within six to eight weeks.”
UPDATE:
As of 8 am Feb 24th EST Heavy fog in the Gulf of Mexico is still affecting Brilliance of the Seas arrival time into Tampa Bay, Florida. Royal Caribbean has stated that the ship has not yet started its 4 hour to the port. passengers should not make their way to the cruise terminal without checking the latest details from the cruise line.
PREVIOUSLY:
Heavy Fog is stopping Brilliance of the Seas from docking at its home port in Tampa, Florida today (Feb 23rd)
The Radiance class cruise ship was originally scheduled to arrive into Tampa Port at around 7 am and has up to 2,500 guests onboard. The heavy fog has stopped the ship from entering the port and docking so as a result the ship is delayed. According to My Fox in Tampa Bay the vessel is surrounded by thick fog in the Gulf of Mexico and is awaiting word from local authorities to enter the port.
passengers who are scheduled to board the cruise ship later the same day have been told by Royal Caribbean that they won’t be able to board until tomorrow. Instead the cruise line has posted that check in will begin on Tuesday, February 24, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Royal Caribbean has also stated that they will provide each stateroom with an onboard credit.
Royal Caribbean also posted the following on its site:
We understand that this was not the news our guests wanted to hear, and we share in their disappointment. There are many things we can control, but Mother Nature is not one of them. Our staff in Tampa will do their very best to minimize any further inconvenience to you, and our shipboard teams look forward to welcoming you onboard.
The ship was originally scheduled to depart Tampa on Feb 23rd on 5-night Western Caribbean cruise including calls at Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Cruise Hive will keep readers updated on this developing story.
