Royal Caribbean has cancelled the next sailing on its flag ship Icon of the Seas, for ‘unplanned maintenance’.
Guests booked on the 28 September seven-night Western Caribbean sailing on the world’s biggest cruise ship were told on Monday it will not go ahead.
The ship will remain in Miami, once its returns from its current sailing, where the work will be carried out.
In an email, the cruise line said: “We are currently conducting unplanned maintenance onboard the Icon of the Seas. 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.
“As a result, we’ll be cancelling out upcoming September 28, 2024 sailing. We understand the disappointment this news may bring and we’re truly sorry for the impact to your vacation plans.”
Affected passengers will get a full refund, plus future cruise credit to the full value of the cruise fare paid. Royal Caribbean will refund flights booked directly through the cruise line and will cover travel change fees of up to $200 per guest for domestic travel and $400 per guest for international travel.
Royal Caribbean hasn’t given any more details about the unplanned maintenance.
The ship’s current sailing, a seven-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary, which departed Miami on 21 September, has also been impacted, with a scheduled port call at St Thomas on Wednesday being cancelled.
One passenger posted on X in the early hours of Tuesday to say: “I am in the Icon of the Seas now, something just happened and we are sailing slower, we were told we are going to skip Saint Thomas, maintenance issues!”
Passengers due to travel on Icon of the Seas’ 5 October sailing have been told the cruise line is confident repairs will be completed in time. Royal Caribbean added: “As we get closer, we’ll provide you with updates on our progress.”