A Storm Off the East Coast Sent a Royal Caribbean Giant to Canada Instead

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas was supposed to spend a week in the sunshine. The October 18 sailing from the Bayonne terminal in New Jersey was planned as a seven-night trip with stops in Port Canaveral, Perfect Day at CocoCay and Nassau before returning to the U.S. Northeast.

Instead, the cruise line says inclement weather developing off the East Coast made a safe and comfortable trip to Florida and the Bahamas difficult. Its meteorologists steered the ship north, and it will skip the Florida and Bahamas ports and spend an overnight stay in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The detour carries a catch for passengers. Because the new route enters Canada, Royal Caribbean notes that different travel documents are required and some nationalities may need a visa. That is not something many guests packed for on a Bahamas cruise.

The line is offering compensation: refundable onboard credit of $200 per stateroom for inside or outside cabins, $300 for balconies and $600 for suites, plus $100 for each third or later guest. Guests also get a 50 percent future cruise credit, and prepaid shore excursions for the canceled ports are refunded as onboard credit.

Sources: Cruise Industry News, Cruise Industry News