Key Aspects:
- Rhapsody, Enchantment, and Grandeur of the Seas are all delayed due to fog in Tampa Bay.
- The delays are at least 8 hours long for the fog to clear and the ships to reach their terminals.
- Guests will be notified if there is any need for itinerary changes due to the delays.
Cruising from Port Tampa Bay can be a challenge in the winter months when cold northern air meets the warm waters of the bay and dense fog forms overnight.
Guests aboard three Royal Caribbean ships have gotten the full force of that winter fog on Saturday morning, December 6. Their vessels were unable to enter Tampa Bay until the afternoon, hours after they should already have arrived at the cruise terminals.
Rhapsody of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas, and Grandeur of the Seas have all been impacted by the dense fog and instead of docking in the early morning hours as planned, will not be docking until late afternoon.
“All Cruise Ships are delayed from entering port today due to fog in the bay,” Port Tampa Bay confirmed with a fog delay alert.
Guests were advised to reach out to Royal Caribbean directly for updates on arrival times, including the pushed back embarkation for the next sailings.
Worth Reading: Upcoming Royal Caribbean Sailings Delayed as Ships Remain at Sea
The cruise line did notify guests throughout Saturday morning to keep them apprised of the situation and advise them of changes to embarkation.
“Due to dense fog earlier today, our ship was delayed returning to Port Tampa Bay. As a result, the terminal will not be open for embarkation, and we will need to push back our boarding,” the final update sent to Rhapsody of the Seas’ guests explained.
All cruise terminal arrival times for Rhapsody of the Seas have been delayed by eight hours. This means guests who originally selected to arrive at the terminal at 11 a.m. must now arrive at 7 p.m. The last arrival time will now be 9:30 p.m.
Rhapsody of the Seas was the first of the cruise ships to enter Tampa Bay once the port was reopened, but guests for Enchantment of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas also received similar notifications with adjusted arrival times.
Will the Next Cruises Be Impacted?
There is no confirmation of whether or not the next sailings for the trio of ships may be impacted by the significant delay.
Rhapsody of the Seas is returning from a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise and is due to start another 7-night itinerary with calls to Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Belize.
Enchantment of the Seas is finishing a 5-night sailing that visited two ports in Mexico, and will be starting another 5-night cruise, also visiting Costa Maya and Cozumel.
Grandeur of the Seas is at the end of a 7-night cruise and will be starting another weeklong sailing, with calls to Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, and Costa Maya.
Fortunately, all three ships have a full day at sea planned for Sunday, December 7, during which it should be possible for them to make up for the delay. If there needs to be any changes to any of the three itineraries, guests will be notified as soon as the alterations are confirmed.
At 73,800 (Grandeur), 78,900 (Rhapsody), and 82,900 (Enchantment) gross tons each, the three vessels are among the smallest in Royal Caribbean’s fleet.
Likewise, having entered service in 1996 (Grandeur) and 1997 (Rhapsody and Enchantment), they are also the three oldest ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet.
Including both debarking and embarking cruise guests, as many as 15,000 cruise guests may now be scrambling with the changes for this one busy turnaround day.
Why So Long a Delay?
Port Tampa Bay is unique in that the cruise terminals are located at the north end of the bay. This is approximately 30 miles from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, and a total of nearly 40 miles from the mouth of Tampa Bay.
Even on a clear, unobstructed day, it takes cruise ships 2.5-3 hours to fully transit Tampa Bay. This must be done carefully due to extensive marine traffic, proper bridge clearance, and other safety factors.
It is not uncommon for the port to be completely closed when dense fog blankets the area. This would apply to all marine traffic, not just cruise ships.
Furthermore, when multiple vessels are impacted, delays can be even more severe as an extra precaution for each ship’s maneuverability and pilot availability to guide ships to the dock.
Savvy cruise guests know how uncertain it can be to schedule post-cruise travel too early in the day in case one’s ship is delayed returning to the homeport, or if there is traffic congestion or other problems that prevent a smooth, on-time debarkation.
For winter sailings out of Tampa, however, the wisest guests plan flights for the following day, just in case there might be an extensive delay.
