Emergency Diversion Delays Royal Caribbean Ship, Forces Itinerary Change

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An undisclosed medical emergency that took place aboard Royal Caribbeanโ€™sย Vision of the Seasย on January 14, 2025, has delayed the shipโ€™s current voyage and forces the cruise line to start its subsequent cruise a day late.

In a letter shared with guests preparing for the shipโ€™s January 16, 2025, upcoming 8-night Southeast Coast and Bahamas itinerary from Baltimore, Royal Caribbean said it had experienced a medical emergency on its current 12-night Southern Caribbean sailing.

A passenger aboard the 2,050-guest vessel, which had originally departed from Baltimore on January 4, said that as Vision of the Seas was at sea and heading home on January 13, after a call in St. Kitts when the captain announced the emergency.

โ€œAround 2:45 p.m., the captain announced we had turned around and were headed towards Puerto Rico for [an] emergency air lift of a passenger,โ€ย said the guest.ย 

โ€œAround 8 p.m., another announcement from the captain that [the US Coast Guard] had deemed air lift was not a viable option, and we were headed to dock at San Juan.โ€

Cruise Hive position maps show the 78,491-gross-ton ship had, indeed, turned back and experienced an unscheduled docking in San Juan on the morning of January 14.

According to the onboard guest, the afflicted passenger was successfully transferred to a hospital and the ship immediately resumed its course. However, the cruise line said it will not be able to make up the lost time.

โ€œDue to a medical debark on our previous sailing, Vision of the Seas will be arriving at the Port of Baltimore later than originally planned,โ€ said Royal Caribbean.

Guests of the current voyage, which had visited the US Virgin Islands, Antigua, St. Maarten, Martinque, and St. Kitts, have not been given an official arrival time.

Instead, passengers were โ€œoffered a specialty dining time that is well past our original arrival timeโ€ of 7 a.m. on January 16.

For those scheduled to visit Charleston, South Carolina; Port Canaveral, Florida; and Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas on an 8-night cruise set to depart at 3 p.m. on Thursday, January 16, the voyage will now depart at 3 p.m. on Friday, January 17, according to Royal Caribbean.

Vision of the Seas in Baltimore
Vision of the Seas in Baltimore (Photo Credit: Cruise Maryland)

Passengers are instructed to keep their pre-selected arrival times on the new departure date, with the all-aboard scheduled for 2 p.m.

To ensure the cruise line keeps its schedule for its subsequent voyage, Royal Caribbean also announced it was removing Charleston, South Carolina, from its itinerary.

โ€œBecause of this delay, we will need to skip our visit to Charleston, South Carolina, and enjoy a Sea Day instead,โ€ said Royal Caribbean. โ€œWeโ€™re terribly sorry for this last-minute change.โ€

Compensation Offered

Understanding that a late start and skipped call are not the best way to start a journey, Royal Caribbean is offering passengers on the now-January 17 voyage a one-day refund of the cruise fare and one-day refund for daily packages and pre-paid gratuities.

Both will be offered as onboard credits to be used anywhere onboard. Any unused portions of the refundable amounts will be refunded at the end of the cruise.

Guests will still earn loyalty points for the original length of sail of 8 nights.

Read Also: Here Is How to Get the Best Deal on a Cruise

The cruise line is also automatically cancelling and refunding any pre-paid shore excursions purchased through Royal Caribbean for Charlestown.

Additionally, pre-booked flights and transfers made through Royal Caribbean will be automatically rescheduled, with changes sent to guests via email.

Those passengers who did not book through Royal Caribbean are eligible to receive up to $200 for domestic and $400 for international travel change fees incurred.

Although details of compensation for passengers who will be arriving in Baltimore later than expected, it is likely a similar offering will be made to assist with travel arrangements.

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Lissa Poirot
Lissa Poirot
Lissa Poirot has been covering travel for more than a decade, including sites such as TripAdvisor, CruiseCritic, The Points Guy, Family Vacation Critic, and Family Traveller. Her love of travel has led Lissa to visit more than 43 countries and has her on a mission to see every state in the U.S. (only 4 states to go!). When she's not traveling, she's exploring new attractions and events on the weekends, be it in New York City or Philadelphia, as Lissa lives between both fabulous cities.

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