Key Aspects:
- Voyager of the Seas responded to a distress call from refugees while sailing in Greece, which is now the third cruise ship rescue to unfold in a very short time period.
For the third time in just 24 hours, a cruise ship has come to the rescue for smaller crafts in distress.
In this very short time period, Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam already rendered aid to two sailors on a sinking boat off the US East Coast.
Just hours later, news broke that Resorts World Cruises’ Genting Dream rescued a stranded boater while sailing in the Strait of Malacca.
This time, the action unfolded in the Aegean Sea onboard Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas during the late-night hours of September 3, 2025, and into the early morning of September 4, 2025.
A group of refugees on a crowded raft had launched a distress signal, which the Voyager-class flagship responded to.
According to cruise ship tracking data, the 3,602-guest ship temporarily paused between Amorgos Island and Donoussa Island in Greece shortly after midnight to assess the situation.
However, it appears that the crew members did not need to render aid after all, as first responders from the Hellenic Coast Guard arrived soon after the cruise ship to handle the situation.
“From the announcement of the distress signal they found them pretty quick and within an hour the Greek Coast Guard responded and handled,” a current passenger reported.
“I didn’t see any of the crew get into the water – they only positioned on the deck to respond if needed,” they continued.
Trained crew members from the approximately 1,200-person crew would have been supervising the distressed vessel closely, and would have intervened if the refugees could not have safely waited for Greek authorities.
Voyager of the Seas Resumes Itinerary
While the cruise ships have a duty to rescue people in distress at sea if no other ships are around to do so, this time the crew just needed to make sure the refugees stayed safe until help arrived.
According to the current guest, the coast guard rescued all of the refugees and their raft was left behind.
“Boat was deflated by the coast guard and abandoned at sea. All refugees are safely aboard the coast guard ship and it moved away,” the guest said.
“They put their hands up as the coast guard approached. The raft carried two coast guard tender ships worth of people,” they observed.
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Thanks to the quick response from both the Royal Caribbean ship and the coast guard, the rescue only caused a minor delay. No significant impact to the itinerary is expected.
For context, the vessel is currently in the middle of a 7-night one-way sailing from Athens, Greece, to Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, that embarked on September 1, 2025.
“I’m assuming we will make up the lost time and arrive in Santorini on time. Impressive with the response time of the coast guard, and the crew who got the ships ready to deploy if needed,” the guest added.
The cruise ship arrived in Santorini as expected just a few hours after the rescue on the morning of September 4.
After Santorini, Voyager of the Seas will call on Messina (Sicily) and Salerno in Italy before disembarking on September 8.
