If you were looking forward to seeing Empress of the Seas returning to the Royal Caribbean fleet then this news is not so good. The ships major transformation from its former cruise line Pullmantur Cruises is going to take longer than expected.
As a result of the longer refurbishment several itineraries have been cancelled. The cruise line has canceled those scheduled cruises departing Miami, Florida on March 30, April 4, 7, 11, 16 and 21.
The first cruise will instead take place from Miami on April 30 on a 5-night cruise. Royal Caribbean informed travel agents with a letter explaining the cancellations.
Those already booked on the cancelled sailings can have a full refund or choose cruises between Empress of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas from end of April. Royal Caribbean will keep the same cabin category and offer a $100 onboard credit for guests who have re-scheduled their sailings.
Empress of the Seas has been sailing for Spanish based cruise line Pullmantur Cruises since 2008 and after a major renovation will make a return to Royal Caribbean. The ship first entered service for Royal Caribbean in 1990. The vessel is almost 50,000 gross tons and will receive plenty of new features which the cruise line has become so well-known for.