A Royal Caribbean ship has changed plans for two sailings so far due to "maintenance work" that's forced the ship to reduce speed.
The issue occurred at some point during the June 21, 2025 sailing on Independence of the Seas after the ship departed Hamburg, Germany,
The 8-night cruise was scheduled to visit Rotterdam, Netherlands at 10am the following day, but the Captain informed passengers they'd be late into port.
The exact problem was not disclosed by the cruise line or the Captain, but passengers were told they'd be late coming into port.
"We've had to make some adjustments to the times we'll visit Rotterdam, Netherlands, due to speed restrictions from ongoing maintenance onboard," the letter to passengers said.
"Rest assured, all maintenance work is being conducted with the utmost safety."
Independence was originally scheduled to arrive in Rotterdam at 11am. The initial updated estimate was to arrive by 1:00 or 1:30pm, but that slipped until about 2pm.
While the ship was still in Rotterdam, Royal Caribbean sent out an email to passengers booked on the next sailing their itinerary would be altered too.
Independence of the Seas is a Freedom Class ship, first launched on April 30, 2008.
She is 154,407 gross tons and was one of the largest cruise ships in the world when built.
The 15-deck ship has a 4,370 passenger capacity and a crew capacity of 1,370.
Skipping a port
Independence of the Seas is scheduled to sail a 7-night Norwegian Fjords cruise next, beginning on June 29th.
"We wanted to inform you about some changes to our itinerary," the email read.
"Due to speed restrictions from ongoing maintenance onboard, we’ve had to make some adjustments."
The new plan is to skip a scheduled visit to Alesund, Norway and replace it with a sea day.
However, Independence will arrive one hour earlier into Molde, Norway at 7am instead of 8am.
No other changes to the itinerary has been made.
The cruise line was quick to apologize for the last minute change and assure passengers the ship is still safe to sail on, "We’re sorry for the inconvenience. Please know that all maintenance work is being conducted with the utmost safety."
Compensation for the change
Passengers on the June 29th sailing will receive some onboard credit for the change in plans.
"As a token of our appreciation for your understanding, you’ll receive a credit to spend onboard per stateroom," is what the email said.
- $150 USD for Interior and Oceanview
- $200 USD for Balcony
- $400 USD for Suites
- Plus, an additional $25 USD for each third or more guest to spend onboard
Any shore excursions booked through Royal Caribbean will be fully refunded automatically.
Propulsion problems aren't unusual
Mechanical problems can occur on cruise ships, just like they can on airplanes, buses, or trains.
Given that they operate every week, propulsion problems are fairly rare.
Independence of the Seas is not a new ship, but Royal Caribbean invests a lot of money into routine maintenance. However, engine problems will still occasionally happen.
It's common when there is an issue for the ship's speed to be affected and itinerary changed, rather than cancelling the entire sailing.
Maintenance can be done to the ship while in port if necessary, rather than pulling it out of service completely.
