Royal Caribbean Ships Are Quietly Skipping Bermuda and the Bahamas for Canada

A run of rough weather off the US East Coast is rewriting Royal Caribbean itineraries, and some passengers are ending up in Canada instead of the tropics. Independence of the Seas, due to leave Cape Liberty, New Jersey, on October 24 for five nights in Bermuda, will instead spend an overnight in Saint John, New Brunswick. Passengers were told on October 22, with the line saying it decided to sail to Saint John instead.

It is not an isolated case. Oasis of the Seas, which left Cape Liberty on October 18 for seven nights, saw its planned Port Canaveral, Perfect Day at CocoCay and Nassau stops replaced by a single call in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Vision of the Seas also saw Bermuda replaced by Saint John after leaving Baltimore on October 17. Independence is expected to arrive in Saint John around 10:30 a.m. on October 26 and depart around 2:30 p.m. on October 27.

The cause is hazardous sea conditions. The National Weather Service forecast a gale warning with winds of 25 to 35 knots, gusts up to 40 knots and waves of 7 to 19 feet over the weekend of October 24-25, conditions linked to the aftermath of Post-Tropical Cyclone Josephine. Harmony of the Seas, sailing from Port Canaveral on October 24, kept all its ports but reshuffled the order, moving Nassau to Sunday and CocoCay to Tuesday.

For cruisers, the lesson is that a port list is a plan rather than a promise, especially on autumn Atlantic sailings. Lines usually decide on changes a day or two ahead, so watching the cruise app and email in the final week is worthwhile. Anyone with shore excursions or pre-booked transfers tied to a specific port should check cancellation terms before departure, since a swap to a Canadian stop can leave those plans stranded.

Sources: CruiseMummy