Odyssey of the Seas is likely the first of many cruise ships that will reroute to avoid the popular port of Valencia, Spain, in the coming days to weeks while the region recovers from one of its biggest natural disasters in decades.
The city, which is located on the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula on the Mediterranean Sea, took the brunt of a severe storm that brought a year’s worth of rain in just one day.
This resulted in significant damage to infrastructure and loss of life – with the death toll reaching over 200 as of November 1, 2024.
With this in mind, Royal Caribbean has opted to cancel Odyssey of the Seas’ scheduled call on Valencia, which was scheduled for November 6, 2024, and will impact the cruise embarking from Rome, Italy, on November 3, 2024.
Instead, the passengers of the Quantum-class vessel will spend the day in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, which is about 177 nautical miles to the east of Valencia.
“Recently, Valencia experienced severe flash flooding making it difficult to navigate the area. As a result, and to provide you with the best experience, we’ll need to skip our visit to Valencia, Spain, and enjoy a day in Palma de Mallorca, Spain instead,” Royal Caribbean wrote to impacted guests.
“We’re terribly sorry for the last-minute change – the safety and well-being of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are always our top priority,” continued the letter.
Aside from this understandable change, the rest of the 14-night Transatlantic sailing is expected to unfold as scheduled.
The cruise, which primarily features sea days, will also call on Barcelona, Spain; Cartagena, Spain; Malaga, Spain; and Funchal, Madeira; before disembarking in New York City on November 17.
The Impact on Cruise Tourism
The Valencia cruise port, which has two berths capable of accommodating the world’s largest mega ships, is still able to safely dock cruise ships. However, the city itself is not yet able to welcome the thousands of tourists they bring with its usual fanfare.
On October 31, 2024, MSC Seaside became the first vessel to visit the port since the flash flooding began – which largely took place to allow for pre-scheduled disembarkation and embarkation of guests.
However, the cruise line strongly discouraged any guests who didn’t absolutely have to from going ashore, instead encouraging passengers to stay onboard and treat the port call like a sea day.
“Considering these exceptional circumstances, we strongly recommend that transit guests remain onboard and enjoy MSC Seaside’s amenities as the city has been devastated by the flood, with infrastructure and services massively disrupted,” Captain Danilo Cha wrote in a letter to current passengers.
Indeed, there is significant damage to roads and structures within the city, along with power outages, with many areas still flooded and inaccessible.
This also means that public transportation, from the high-speed rail service to the shuttle buses that usually drive guests the 2.5 miles from the dock to the city center, is also out of commission for the time being.
Read Also: What to Do Onboard a Cruise Ship in Bad Weather
Throughout the month of November, the port is scheduled to welcome at least one cruise ship per day, almost daily.
Holland America’s Oosterdam, Celebrity Equinox, MSC Explora 2, Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas, and Fred. Olsen’s Borealis are just a sampling of the ships listed on the port schedule for the next week alone.
As it will likely take weeks to months to repair the damage caused by the flooding, it’s unclear if more ships will alter course like Odyssey of the Seas, or if some will come as planned for a modified visit like MSC Seaside.
