As the sailing date approaches, every cruise traveler knows that giddy countdown feeling and is happily planning for shore excursions, beach days, and onboard fun. But what happens when a highly anticipated port visit is swapped for another destination just a month before departure?
Guests aboard Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas are dealing with just such a situation, as they’ve now been notified that their March 29, 2025 sailing will not be visiting St. Thomas as planned.
While the ship will still be enjoying an 8-night Eastern Caribbean voyage roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale, that one key port of call has been changed.
“To provide you with the best experience during your journey, we’ve made some adjustments,” the notification read. “We’ll skip our visit to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, and we’ll sepnd a full day in St. Johns, Antigua, instead. ‘Knot’ to worry, while it’s not the original itinerary we planned, we’re excited to explore this new port with you!”
Freedom of the Seas will depart Port Everglades as planned on Saturday, March 29, and spend the first two full days of the cruise at sea. Tuesday, April 1 (no foolin’!) the ship will visit St. Maarten from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The visit to St. Thomas was to have been from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2. That day will now be spent at Antigua, for the same time frame. Charlotte Amalie and St. Johns are approximately 220 miles apart. Philipsburg, St. Maarten is almost exactly halfway between the two ports.
After Antigua, Freedom of the Seas will spend Thursday, April 3 in Basseterre, St. Kitts. Two more leisurely days at sea will follow as the ship heads back to Fort Lauderdale for debarkation on Sunday, April 6.
Any shore tours guests had already booked for the now cancelled visit to St. Thomas will be automatically refunded back to travelers’ original form of payment.
Additional excursion opportunities for Antigua are being made available for booking online. Guests will also be able to book tours for any of the ship’s port visits onboard by visiting the Shore Excursions desk on Deck 5, starboard side, near the Guest Services Desk.
Why the Port Change?
Royal Caribbean has not offered any details beyond “to provide you with the best experience” as explanation for the port change just a month before setting sail. Cruise itineraries are typically set two years or more in advance, and cruise lines do try to maintain those original itineraries whenever possible.
It is likely this port swap is part of a knock-on effect from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Because of continuing difficulties with pier construction and safety certifications that have kept larger Royal Caribbean ships from docking there for months, those larger ships – Symphony of the Seas and now Icon of the Seas – have been rerouted to other destinations.
One of those destinations is St. Thomas, which can better handle the larger ships, depending on their overall itinerary. This does mean, however, that Freedom of the Seas has had to change her schedule as well.
Trying to balance which ships are visiting which ports on which days is a complex logistical operation. Not only does berth space need to be available to accommodate each vessel, but Royal Caribbean is undoubtedly working to ensure as little overcrowding as possible so everyone enjoys their time in port.
Read Also: 20 IDEAL Things to Do in Antigua
The availability of port workers and tour operators will also factor in to such decisions, as well as sailing speeds, time spent in port, and how an individual destination best works into the other parts of a ship’s planned itinerary.
While some guests will undoubtedly be disappointed to no longer be visiting St. Thomas, the opportunity to explore Antigua can be very exciting for travelers.
With stunning beaches, outstanding architecture, vibrant marketplaces, and more, the port will surely be a memorable one for everyone aboard Freedom of the Seas.
