Royal Caribbean Cruise Bahamas Trip Diverted to Canada
More than 5,000 passengers aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas expected a week in the Bahamas after departing New Jersey. Stormy weather changed the itinerary, sending the ship to Halifax, Nova Scotia, instead. Passengers received only half a day’s notice and were told they could not leave the ship while in port. The cruise line provided cash and travel vouchers, while some travelers said they were trying to make the best of the change.
More than 5,000 passengers aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas were headed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, instead of the Bahamas after stormy weather forced the cruise to change course. The ship left New Jersey on Oct. 18 for a planned seven-day tropical trip, and passengers received just half a day’s notice of the diversion.
The change turned a warm-weather holiday into a trip to chilly Canada. Passengers were also told they would not be allowed to leave the ship while it was in port, according to the New York Post.
Passengers scrambled for warmer clothes
Some travelers had little time to prepare for the different weather. Passengers arriving from states farther away could not switch their suitcases to winter clothing before boarding.
New Jersey resident Marie Durning told CTV News her husband initially thought the announcement was a joke. “I have my winter hat and earmuffs, but I forgot my scarf,” she said.
The abrupt news also caught families before they boarded. Actress Mikayla Iverson posted about the change in an Instagram video filmed at Newark Airport after landing there. She wrote that her family’s Bahamas cruise would instead go to Nova Scotia and that they would not be allowed to leave the ship all week. The post received 1.4 million views.
For passengers who had planned around a tropical destination, the route change meant more than packing the wrong clothes. They also lost the prospect of spending time ashore in Halifax, as passengers were told they could not leave the vessel while it was in port.
Royal Caribbean offered cash and travel vouchers
Some passengers were Canadian, making the unexpected destination a return home rather than an overseas getaway. Nicholas Meli, from Toronto, told the outlet he had driven seven hours with his family to New Jersey to board.
“I am very disappointed,” Meli said. “I am already from Canada, and I wanted to go to the Bahamas.”
Royal Caribbean provided passengers with cash and travel vouchers for the inconvenience. The cruise line did not respond to the New York Post’s request for comment.
Not everyone aboard remained frustrated. Dwayne Hicks, from Philadelphia, said he urged his group to air their frustrations before boarding, then focus on the trip once they were on the ship.
Jim Matthews, from New Jersey, said he planned to make the best of the change. “And I have found out that Halifax is a beautiful city,” he told the outlet.
