Royal Caribbean International’s Symphony of the Seas is homeported from Cape Liberty, New Jersey, more than 900 miles from Tropical Storm Debby, but the ship is still having an itinerary change due to the storm.
Guests onboard have been notified that the ship could not call on Port Canaveral (Orlando) as planned, and instead would enjoy a sea day.
The notification was provided in guests’ staterooms on embarkation day, Friday, August 2, 2024. After leaving New Jersey, Symphony of the Seas was to have had just one day at sea before Port Canaveral as the first port of call on Sunday, August 4.
Due to the influence of the storm, however, severe weather across the Florida peninsula made it a wiser decision to skip that port visit.
“Due to expected adverse weather coming into Florida early next week, and after exploring all options, we will skip our visit to Orlando (Port Canaveral) on Day 3 and have a Sea Day instead,” the letter explained. “To help make up for this change, we’ve added some time to our visit in Nassau, Bahamas.”
The Oasis-class Symphony of the Seas was originally scheduled to visit Nassau from 12:30-8 p.m. on Monday, August 5. Now, the ship is arriving earlier to the capital of the Bahamas, with a scheduled time in port from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
This will give guests even more time to enjoy that vibrant and welcoming destination.
Any shore tours booked through the cruise line for Port Canaveral will be automatically cancelled and refunded as onboard credit to guests’ account. If any of those funds are remaining at the end of the cruise, they will be reimbursed to guests’ credit cards on file.
An hour of free internet use was also provided to guests onboard in case they needed to alter any independent tour arrangements.
The next (and last) port of call is Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean International’s private destination in the Bahamas. That visit is unchanged from the original itinerary.
It should be noted that Symphony of the Seas will still visit Port Canaveral on Wednesday, August 7, but only for a 4-hour “technical stop” from 6-10 a.m.
This may be a refueling visit or a stop to bring on supplies, but guests will be unable to debark the ship and so the stop is not a port of call.
Read Also: Cruise Ship vs Giant Wave – How Do the Ships Survive?
While the ship is at Port Canaveral the Casino Royale and the onboard retail shops must be closed due to local regulations. Those venues will reopen as soon as the ship enters international water after departure, however, which does not take long from the central Florida port.
“We’re terribly sorry for the last-minute change caused by the weather – your safety is our top priority,” the letter stressed. “Please know, being onboard is one of the safest places because we are faster and can move out of the way of any inclement weather.”
Tropical Storm Debby Update
Tropical Storm Debby made landfall in Florida early Monday morning and is moving north-northeast across the state at 8 miles per hour.
Strong bands of drenching rain have swept across the entire Florida peninsula all weekend and is continuing in the northern and central parts of the state on Monday and likely into Tuesday.
The storm is weakening over land – in fact, Debby has already been downgraded to a tropical storm, after briefly becoming a hurricane.
She is still expected to have a strong influence on the southeastern US, with extensive rain – as much as 20-30 inches in some areas – and potential flash flooding. Maximum sustained winds are still recorded at 70 miles per hour.
Multiple cruise ports and ships have been impacted, including Carnival Paradise and Margaritaville at Sea Islander out of Tampa as well as Carnival Elation from Jacksonville.
As the storm’s track has her moving up the southeastern US coast, it is possible that Charleston, Norfolk, and other ports may yet be impacted in the days to come.
Any travelers with itineraries in the storm region over the next week should stay in close contact with their cruise line for updates, itinerary changes, or delays as needed.
