Royal Caribbean International has notified guests booked aboard several Allure of the Seas cruises to adjust their boarding times on upcoming cruises from Galveston.

While the delay is just for one hour, the fact that multiple cruises have been alerted to the same change may indicate growing pains for the newly opened cruise terminal.

Embarkation Delays for Allure of the Seas

Guests booked on a number of sailings for Allure of the Seas have been notified about pushing back their boarding times by one hour and advised that the ship will also set sail one hour later than originally scheduled.

“To allow for additional time to complete the debark process from our previous sailing, we kindly as that you arrive 1 hour after your previously selected arrival time,” the email said.

“Space in the terminal can only accommodate a specific number of guests, so those who arrive sooner will be turned away and asked to return during their new time to avoid overcrowding in the terminal.”

The email also notes that should guests disregard the adjusted times and arrive early, they may be required to wait outdoors in all types of Texas weather conditions.

While the weather in southeastern Texas is generally pleasant in January, with average daily temperatures in the mid-50s Fahrenheit (12-14 Celsius), if these delays continue the weather can quickly become uncomfortable.

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In July and August, for example, the average daily temperature is roughly 85 degrees Fahrenheit (30 Celsius), with higher precipitation and humidity that can make waiting outside very unpleasant.

“Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. We can’t wait to welcome you onboard soon!” the email concludes.

Sailing From Galveston

Allure of the Seas is currently homeported in Galveston, and is sailing primarily 7-night Western Caribbean cruises that visit Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel.

The Oasis-class ship is sailing from Royal Caribbean International’s new 161,334-square-foot cruise terminal, which has facial recognition software for customs and passport screenings as well as other updated features to support a smoother, faster, more efficient embarkation and debarkation process.

These adjusted embarkation times, however, have been going on at least since mid-December, and may indicate other issues impacting how fast passengers can be processed between cruises on the mega-ship.

Why the Delay?

Allure of the Seas is the fifth-largest cruise ship in the world, welcoming as many as 5,484 guests per sailing when booked at double occupancy, and home to as many as 6,780 guests when fully booked with all berths filled.

With so many guests onboard each sailing, it may be taking longer than initially anticipated to process baggage through the terminal to be collected, or there may be staffing concerns at the terminal without enough personnel to process baggage, handle customs and passport checks, or otherwise complete the necessary duties for debarkation and the following embarkation.

It is also possible that not all security checkpoints or other necessary technology are yet working at full capacity, slightly slowing the steps for processing passengers.

Delays could also be the result of issues onboard the ship, such as lower staffing rates for stateroom stewards that make it more challenging to turn over all 2,742 staterooms in time for new guests to arrive. A slight embarkation delay can then provide more time for essential housekeeping chores, which could make it possible for more guests to go directly to their staterooms when they board.

Finally, it is also possible that the cruise line could be testing a slightly more relaxed debarkation process, permitting guests onboard more time to enjoy the final morning of their cruise before they depart the ship.

Regardless of the reason, it is important that all passengers booked on Allure of the Seas – or any cruise ship – stay in close contact with their cruise line for embarkation time updates and other adjustments as their sailing date approaches.

Royal Caribbean International’s larger ships are well known for their amazing aqua shows and water features, but guests aboard Harmony of the Seas got an unexpected watery surprise this week when a pool overflowed after an emergency course correction. No injuries were reported, but the flooding and subsequent 6-deck waterfall was dramatically captured on video.

Pool Overflows on Harmony of the Seas

The incident occurred on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, as the Oasis-class cruise ship was enjoying a day at sea. Harmony of the Seas had left her homeport, Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, on December 31 and spent two days in The Bahamas – Nassau on January 1 and CocoCay, the cruise line’s private island on January 2 – before heading to the next port of call, Cozumel, Mexico.

While sailing through the Straits of Florida between the Sunshine State and Cuba, the ship spotted a refugee raft at the last moment, and made a hard turn to avoid a collision with the smaller craft. This maneuver, while dramatic and startling for those onboard, is safe and is designed to protect the smaller craft from a head-on impact with the cruise ship.

This meant, however, that loose items on the cruise ship would shift abruptly, including water in its main pools on Deck 15. The water overflowed, spilled across a narrow portion of the deck and over the open space in the center of the ship, tumbling six decks down to Deck 8 (Harmony of the Seas does not have a Deck 13).

Dramatic video captured the “waterfall” onto the ship’s Central Park space, which is open to the sky – and water – above. The water is coming from the ship’s starboard side, indicating that it is likely from the popular “Beach Pool” while some may also have overflowed from Splashaway Bay, also on the starboard side of Deck 15.

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If all pools, whirlpools, waterslides, and water play areas aboard Harmony of the Seas were combined, the ship carries more than 600,000 gallons of water.

No Injuries or Damage Reported

While the incident is visually dramatic and provided a good soaking to the Central Park area, no significant damage or injuries were reported. It is possible that some of the more than 10,000 plants in the open-air space will suffer, however, if the water that may have spilled onto them was either heavily chlorinated or salt water.

Normally, a special “Fertigation” unit is used to irrigate and nourish the living accents of Harmony of the Seas‘ Central Park, including the more than 50 trees and two unique living walls that decorate the space. Immediately after the incident, crew members were cleaning up the spillage and drying out the deck to minimize any aftereffects.

No Rescue Needed

While the ship’s hard turn was due to spotting a refugee life raft, it was later determined that the raft was empty and there was no need to stop to assist anyone in distress.

Refugee rescues have been on the rise in recent months, particularly in the Straits of Florida as desperate individuals seek to leave Cuba and navigate their way to the United States. Cruise ships are bound by maritime law to offer assistance, whether that means providing supplies, helping repair damaged craft, or taking refugees aboard if the small craft is no longer seaworthy.

There is no way to know where the empty raft Harmony of the Seas avoided originally came from, or if it was left adrift by another cruise ship’s earlier rescue.

On December 31, Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady rescued 18 refugees from a sinking boat in the same general area, while on January 2, Celebrity Beyond rescued 19 refugees from a makeshift boat built largely of styrofoam.

Three Carnival Cruise Line ships – Carnival Sunrise, Carnival Dream, and the line’s new flagship, Carnival Celebration, have also rescued a total of more than 40 refugees in the same region in the past week.