Royal Caribbean’s one-of-a-kind Icon of the Seas, known as the world’s largest cruise ship, is to spend this week at the Grand Bahama Shipyard for unscheduled maintenance. The cruise ship arrived at the Freeport on September 28 due to an issue with the ship’s propulsion system. Following up because of the technical maintenance, the ship canceled the scheduled sailing.
The Icon of the Seas cruise ship is expected to return to Maimi port from Freeport later this week on October 5 for its upcoming seven-night cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. This voyage was originally set to sail from Miami to Cozumel, Costa Maya, Roatán, and CocoCay.
“These repairs are underway, and we are confident that they will be completed in time to resume normal itineraries by our October 5, 2024, sailing,” Royal Caribbean explained.
Due to propulsion problems encountered during its departure on September 21, 2024, Royal Caribbean decided to withdraw the Icon of the Seas from service for repairs.
Guests on the sailing of September 21 were also affected by the issue. This led to the cancellation of the cruise visit to St. Thomas as well.
Icon of the Seas was recently launched a year back in 2023. It has grown into the center of attention for Royal Caribbean’s fleet. The cruise ship can board over 7500 passengers.
The Royal Caribbean recently issued a statement on September 23rd, 2024, and stated, “While our crew is working hard to address this as quickly as possible, there is still some work that needs to be done over a few days while the ship is docked,”
Additionally, Royal Caribbean International shared the maintenance updates and assured the attendees that the teams were working speedily to fix the issue.
Royal Caribbean stated, “At this time, our sailing will proceed as planned. As we get closer, we’ll provide you with updates on our progress.”
Due to the unexpected maintenance and repairs, the cruise, which was scheduled to depart on September 28, 2024, was canceled. These situations are not uncommon in maritime operations, but these challenges cause inconvenience to traveling passengers.
The Recent propulsion problem reflects how tough it is to manage a large ship of this immense scale and technological caliber.
However, this issue has affected passengers’ travel plans. Royal Caribbean has provided a full refund as well as a Future Cruise Credit equal to the fare they paid for the abrupt cancellations. Following up, the cruise line also covered the change fees of up to $200 per guest for domestic travel and $400 for international trips.
