Embarkation day can be a frantic, hectic jumble of lines, paperwork, and security checks, but what if you arrive at the pier at your scheduled time to find your ship is gone?
Guests setting sail aboard Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas from Bayonne, New Jersey may see just that on Sunday, October 6, 2024. The cruise line has notified guests of a rare split embarkation with changes to some arrival windows.
“Beginning at 11:30 AM, Symphony of the Seas will temporarily sail away from the pier to make way for marine traffic. During this time, we will be unable to check-in guests,” the notification explained. “Boarding will continue once the ship returns. We expect Symphony of the Seas to return alongside and once again welcome guests by 1:00 PM.”
This means that guests with early arrival windows – 10:30-11 a.m. – will be able to board the ship as planned and enjoy a short, temporary sailaway while the ship moves off.
Guests with later embarkation windows, however, are now moved one hour later for their cruise terminal arrival times. This means a 12 p.m. arrival time is now 1 p.m., a 1:30 p.m. arrival time is now 2:30 p.m., and so forth. If travelers had the latest arrival windows – 2 or 2:30 p.m. – their check-in is now at 3 p.m.
All travelers should plan to arrive at the cruise terminal for check-in no later than 3 p.m., and everyone must be onboard the ship no later than 3:30 p.m. for the full and final departure.
No explanation other than “to make way for marine traffic” has been given for this rare occurrence. This could be that the massive, 228,081-gross-ton, Oasis-class vessel may cause enough narrowing when she is docked that another ship – cargo vessel, tanker, etc. – does not have sufficient clearance to move past the pier with the appropriate safety margin.
The delay is minimal and will not impact Symphony of the Seas‘ departure from New Jersey, nor is it having any impact on the ship’s overall itinerary. Furthermore, there are not technical or mechanical issues with the ship, this is only a scheduling concern.
Tropical Storm Milton Adjustments
What is affecting Symphony of the Seas‘ itinerary is Tropical Storm Milton. The ship was scheduled to enjoy her 7-night Bahamas sailing with visits to Port Canaveral on Tuesday, October 8 followed by Perfect Day at CocoCay on Wednesday and Nassau on Thursday.
Royal Caribbean has already confirmed dramatic itinerary changes for the vessel in order to avoid the worst of the expected poor weather as the soon-to-be hurricane crosses the Florida peninsula this week.
Symphony of the Seas will skip her call to Port Canaveral altogether, instead having an extra day at sea. The ship will now visit Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, October 9 and Labadee, Haiti on October 10.
Labadee is Royal Caribbean’s private destination in Haiti, which has been closed to cruise ship visits for several months following an escalation of regional violence earlier this year. The destination only reopened to travelers this month, and many guests are eager to enjoy the unique vibe of the port once again.
Read Also: Labadee, Haiti – What You Need to Know
More cruise lines and itineraries are sure to be impacted by Milton, not only from Florida homeports but for any Western Caribbean sailings early in the week as well as Bahamas cruises later in the week, depending on the storm’s overall path and intensity.
All travelers should stay apprised of the storm and remain in close contact with their cruise line to receive text messages, emails, and other alerts about itinerary changes, embarkation shifts, or cancellations as necessary.
Safety is always the first priority, and Cruise Hive’s thoughts are with everyone in the path of this storm.