Tag Archives: San Juan

Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey to Return to Cape Liberty One Day Later

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Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey to Return to Cape Liberty One Day Later

Royal Caribbean International warned guests set to embark on the upcoming cruise of the Odyssey of the Seas that their sailing will be delayed by one day.

According to a statement, the ship is scheduled to dock at its homeport in Cape Liberty on January 27, 2026, instead of January 26, 2026.

“Due to the major winter storm affecting much of the East and Northeast U.S., and the impacts on land-based travel and port operations, we are delaying our arrival into Bayonne,” Royal Caribbean said.

The company added that the decision will “allow for weather to improve and shore-based operations to recover.”

“For many guests experiencing difficulties getting to Bayonne, we hope this relieves some worry as you’ll have an extra day to make it there safely,” Royal Caribbean continued.

Originally set to offer an 11-night cruise to the Southern Caribbean, the Odyssey of the Seas is now set to offer a shortened voyage with a revised itinerary.

“Due to this change, our calls to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, will be cancelled and instead, we’ll enjoy some extra time onboard,” the company added.

Previously scheduled visits to St. John’s in Antigua, Bridgetown in Barbados, Castries in St. Lucia, and Philipsburg in St. Maarten will go ahead as planned.

As compensation for the last-minute change, Royal Caribbean is offering guests a pro-rated one-day refund of the paid cruise fare in the form of onboard cruise credit. Any refundable unused credit at the end of the cruise will be refunded to guests.

In related news, Royal Caribbean also shortened a cruise on board the Harmony of the Seas due to a winter storm in Texas.

As previously reported by Cruise Industry News, the Oasis-class vessel returned to its homeport in Galveston one day earlier to avoid the weather system.

Norwegian Removes Bonaire From Two Viva Itineraries

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Norwegian Cruise Line is removing scheduled visits to Kralendijk in Bonaire from two of Norwegian Viva’s upcoming cruises.

According to a statement sent to booked guests, the sailings scheduled to depart on Feb. 16 and Feb. 23, 2025, will no longer visit the port of call.

“We are committed to providing the best vacations at sea and have been working tirelessly to continue elevating the quality of the overall guest experience while positively impacting society and the environment,” Norwegian Cruise Line said.

“As we continue to optimize itineraries for enhanced port and shore excursion availability for the ultimate vacation experience, fuel optimization as a part of our commitment to the environment and sustainability efforts, as well as global maritime regulations, we have adjusted our original itinerary,” the company added in its statement.

Sailing roundtrip from San Juan, Puerto Rico, the itinerary of the affected voyages sail to the Southern and Eastern Caribbean.

“We recognize the importance that destinations play in our guests’ vacation decision-making process and assure you that these modifications were made with an optimal guest experience top-of-mind,” Norwegian continued.

The company added that, while the visit to Bonaire has been dropped, the revised itinerary now includes extended visits to La Romana, Dominican Republic; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; Castries, St. Lucia; and Basseterre, St. Kitts.

According to the statement, shore excursions booked through Norwegian for Kralendijk, Bonaire, will be automatically cancelled.

A full monetary refund of the fare paid will be returned to the form of payment used at the time of reservation.

Norwegian also is said to be adjusting shore excursions in other ports of call to coincide with the new times in port.

Spending the winter in the region, the Norwegian Viva is scheduled to offer a series of week-long cruises to the Southern and Eastern Caribbean between mid-December and mid-April.

Sailing from Puerto Rico, the schedule of the 2023-built ship also features visits to Tortola, St. Maarten, Barbados, St. Thomas and more.

Celebrity Millennium Arrives in Puerto Rico for Homeporting Program

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The Celebrity Millennium is starting a homeporting program in Puerto Rico today. Sailing roundtrip from San Juan, the Celebrity Cruises vessel is now set to offer a series of departures to the Southern and Eastern Caribbean.

Three different week-long itineraries in the region are part of the program, which extends through mid-April.

Departing today, the first one includes visits to five different islands: Tortola, St. Maarten, Roseau, Barbados and Grenada.

Focusing on popular destinations in the Southern Caribbean, a second itinerary includes visits to St. Kitts, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, as well as two days at sea.

Before returning to North America in late April, the Millennium also offers a third itinerary week-long in the region. Sailing roundtrip from San Juan too, the cruise features visits to St. Thomas, St. Kitts, St. Johns, Barbados and St. Lucia.

The local season ends with a repositioning voyage to Fort Lauderdale. Soon after, in May, the 91,000-ton vessel departs Port Everglades on a 15-night Panama Canal cruise to join the Celebrity Eclipse and the Celebrity Solstice in Alaska for a summer program.

First, in a series of four ships known as the Millennium Class, the Celebrity Millennium originally entered service in 2000.

Now offering most of Celebrity’s signature experiences and spaces, the 1,950-guest vessel underwent an extensive renovation in 2019, as part of the Celebrity Revolution program.

In addition to a new livery, the Millennium received several new features during the refit, including the Retreat suite enclave, the Qsine specialty restaurant, a new thermal suite and more.

All of the ship’s staterooms and suites were also update with new designs and furniture to offer what Celebrity calls “modern luxury.”

Other areas that went through redesigned during the refurbishment include the Oceanview Café, the Passport Bar, The Library and more.