Symphony of the Seas will be setting sail on a 7-night Eastern Caribbean voyage on December 1, 2024 – but it won’t be the itinerary that her up to 5,518 guests originally booked.
The round trip sailing – which is based out of Miami, Florida – was supposed to call on San Juan, Puerto Rico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and CocoCay, Bahamas. But, due to an ongoing problem at the San Juan Cruise Port, this itinerary is no longer possible.
“We’ve recently been advised by the port authority in San Juan, Puerto Rico, that due to technical issues with the pier and the work that must be done and cleared by the USCG for accepting a ship of our size, we’ll have to adjust our itinerary for our sailing,” Royal Caribbean wrote to impacted guests.
While guests will still get to experience Perfect Day at CocoCay – the cruise line’s private island destination in the Bahamas – the visits to San Juan and Philipsburg have been replaced.
The Oasis-class vessel will now call on Falmouth, Jamaica, and Labadee, Haiti, instead – where Royal Caribbean has another exclusive resort-style destination.
“We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused by these changes. Nevertheless, we’re excited to visit our private destination and a new port with you!”, continued the letter.
Falmouth, Jamaica, is known for its history, culture, and natural beauty – from waterfalls and swimming holes to pristine beaches.
The newly scheduled visit to Labadee is perhaps extra exciting – and maybe controversial – as Royal Caribbean only recently returned to its private destination in October after a months-long hiatus due to safety concerns.
That said, the cruise line has reassured guests that the destination is safe – as Labadee is far removed from the civil unrest occurring elsewhere in Haiti and is heavily guarded by private security.
When Will San Juan Resume Full Operations?
Neither authorities from San Juan nor Royal Caribbean have confirmed exactly what is wrong with the cruise port or how long it will take to resolve.
That said, appropriate personnel within San Juan are certainly working hard to get the issue fixed – as the cruise port has big goals to grow its cruise ship operations. But without knowing specifics, it’s impossible to estimate exactly how long repairs will take.
Symphony of the Seas isn’t due to return to San Juan until Christmas Day, so hopefully, everything will be fixed, inspected, and approved by the appropriate officials by then.
However, it’s also quite possible that other large vessels sailing to the popular Caribbean port sooner could be impacted.
Moderate to large cruise ships – such as Serenade of the Seas, Celebrity Apex, and Celebrity Summit – are currently scheduled to visit the port before the end of November.
Read Also: San Juan Cruise Port – Amenities and What’s Nearby
This also isn’t the first itinerary to be disrupted for the 228,081-gross ton Symphony of the Seas due to the unresolved issues in San Juan.
An earlier Eastern Caribbean sailing, which embarked from Miami on Sunday, November 17, also had an itinerary change due to not being able to visit Puerto Rico.
In this case, the calls on San Juan and Philipsburg were swapped out with visits to Labadee and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
Royal Caribbean has not publicly offered any compensation for the changes to both the November 17 and December 1 sailings – although the cruise line said their official letter could be used to make a claim with travel insurance if necessary.
Usually, Royal Caribbean would cancel and refund any shore excursions booked through the cruise line in these cases – but guests who booked with other companies or tour providers will have to adhere to their specific vendor’s cancellation policies.
