Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas has had a rocky begin to this 12 months’s Alaska cruise season. Propulsion points already pressured the favored cruise line to cancel its 7-night Alaska cruise scheduled for April 26, 2024, and now the following crusing, embarking on Could 3, 2024, has gotten an sudden itinerary change.
As an alternative of calling on Skagway, Alaska, the initially deliberate port for Could 8, the Radiance-class vessel will go to Haines, Alaska. The remainder of the itinerary is to this point unaffected and future cruises, which typically all comply with the identical itinerary, are nonetheless scheduled to name on Skagway.
“We’re sorry for any inconvenience attributable to this transformation. Nonetheless, we’re excited to go to a brand new port with you!”, Royal Caribbean wrote in a letter to impacted company.
The one-way cruise will start in Vancouver, Canada, earlier than crusing to Alaska to go to Juneau, Icy Strait Level, Sitka, the newly added Haines, and Hubbard Glacier, earlier than concluding in Seward on Could 10. The following crusing will then start in Seward, Alaska, additionally on Could 10, and can conclude in Vancouver per week later, with the two,143-passenger vessel persevering with to trip between the 2 ports all through the Alaska season.
The explanation for the one port cost has not been confirmed. Whereas it may probably be as a result of ship’s propulsion points, it appears extra possible that the change was made as a result of Skagway Cruise Port is working with one much less berth than regular whereas it waits for a brand new float for its ore dock to reach – and the comparatively small port solely options three distinct docks to start with.
With Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Encore and Holland America Line’s MS Noordam additionally scheduled to go to Skagway on the identical day as Radiance of the Seas‘ scratched name, it’s doable there simply wasn’t sufficient room to accommodate the Royal Caribbean ship.
Learn Additionally: Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas: Overview and Issues to Do
Norwegian Encore and MS Noordam will every be crusing on their very own 7-night Alaska cruises, each of which embark on Could 5. The Norwegian ship might be crusing round-trip from Seattle, Washington, whereas Holland America’s vessel might be cruising round-trip from Vancouver, Canada.
Radiance of the Seas Is Again In Enterprise After Technical Difficulties
On April 23, 2024, whereas Radiance of the Seas was in the midst of a repositioning cruise to formally start her Alaska season, an issue with the ship’s propulsion got here to mild.
Because of the technical problem, the ship couldn’t sail at her regular pace, forcing the crew to chop ports with a view to full the voyage from Los Angeles, California, to Vancouver, Canada, on time.
The following crusing, which was alleged to depart from Vancouver on Friday, April 26, was impacted as properly. The 894-person crew welcomed company onboard as deliberate on April 26, however made preparations for the modestly sized vessel to remain in port an additional two days to endure repairs.
Passengers loved the ship’s facilities throughout a kind of staycation. Below the brand new plan, the ship would embark on April 28 with a revised itinerary. However finally, the repair took longer than anticipated and this cruise was cancelled.
Fortunately, the propulsion problem has now been fastened, with Royal Caribbean updating company in current days that the Could third crusing (and subsequent cruises after that) would have the ability to go forward as deliberate. The information comes shortly after Radiance of the Seas was noticed crusing by way of the Port of Vancouver, presumably to check the propulsion capabilities.
“We’re blissful to share that our groups are ending up the technical work onboard proper on schedule and we’ll be able to welcome you on Could third, as deliberate! Thanks on your continued endurance and understanding as we work to get the ship into tip-top-shape for you,” the cruise line wrote in an e-mail.
Past sharing that the problem impacted the ship’s propulsion, the character of the mechanical downside has not been launched. That mentioned, these occasions really feel fairly just like earlier issues Radiance of the Seas had with its propulsion lower than a 12 months in the past in August of 2023.
These technical challenges resulted in a number of cruises being cancelled on the final minute, leaving some to marvel if the problem has been totally addressed and if it may occur once more sooner or later.
