Royal Caribbean Cancels Sailings on Four Different Ships

Another cruise line made wholesale changes to its winter schedule this week as COVID-19 continues to impact the cruise industry around the world. 

Royal Caribbean on Friday announced that sailings on four different ships have been cancelled “as a result of the ongoing COVID-related circumstances around the world” and “in an abundance of caution,” Royal said.

The four impacted ships are:

• Vision of the Seas will now not return until March 7, 2022.
• Serenade of the Seas will now not return until its dry dock wraps up on April 2, 2022. All sailings from Jan. 8 through March 5 are cancelled.
• Jewel of the Seas won’t return until Feb. 20 and all sailings from Jan. 9 through Feb. 12 are cancelled.
• Symphony of the Seas will now return on Jan. 29, all sailing from Jan. 8 through Jan. 22 are cancelled.

“We regret having to cancel our guests’ long-awaited vacations and appreciate their loyalty and understanding. Our top priority is always the well-being of our guests, our crew, and the communities we visit,” Royal said.

Royal is remaining flexible with its cancellation and refund policy in light of the continued impact of the pandemic. The cruise company is also alerting guests that some refunds are delayed because of “an unprecedented volume of refunds and credits.” Some refunds are taking up to 45 days now, instead of the previously estimated 30, because of the impact.

Royal is the second major cruise company to make wholesale changes in the New Year. Last week, Norwegian Cruise Line announced the cancellations of sailings onboard eight cruise ships, including some as far out as April 23, 2022. Those cancellations include Norwegian Sky, Getaway Sky, and more.