Royal Caribbean cruise ship stuck in port with propulsion problem

In:
07 Jul 2025
By: 
Elizabeth Wright

Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas was stuck in Vancouver, Canada, after encountering technical issues with the engine. 

Serenade of the Seas docked in Skagway, Alaska

The 90,090 gross-ton vessel was supposed to depart Vancouver on Sunday, July 6, on a 7-night voyage to Alaska. However, the ship was forced to return hours after setting sail and remained docked overnight. 

"Currently on Serenade …. Just left port and we are now returning back to Vancouver...'Technical issues with the engine,'" Heather Albert shared in the Serenade of the Seas Facebook group

Albert later updated the post around 12:40pm EST, saying that the Captain announced they were running tests on the technical issues, but had no real answers yet. 

Serenade of the Seas docked in Haines

Royal Caribbean has not confirmed exactly what is wrong with the engine or what has caused the issue. However, Serenade of the Seas had technical issues last week, which impacted the previous voyage to Alaska. 

According to other reports online, Serenade canceled at least one port of call during the sailing. The ship also missed a scenic day of cruising in the Tracy Arm Fjord. 

"I just got off Serenade and I was so glad to get off it half the ports were canceled due to ship issues, we couldn’t go into icy point because ship issues had to cut one port short too," wrote one cruiser on the r/RoyalCaribbean Reddit thread

Pool deck

Instead of calling at Icy Strait Point, guests aboard the June 29 cruise had an extra day at sea while they proceeded directly to Ketchikan. 

Everyone was given onboard credit equal to one day of their cruise fare. It was automatically credited to guests' onboard accounts. Whatever wasn't spent will be refunded to the card on file. 

Serenade of the Seas finally set sail around 9:30pm EST 

Serenade-Webcam-Canada-Docked-2

Serenade of the Seas was slated to arrive in Sitka, Alaska, on July 8. However, the delay is causing the vessel to miss its first port of call to make up for the lost time. 

According to Albert's Facebook post, the tests have been showing good propulsion results, and they received confirmation that they'd set sail around 6:00pm PST. The Vancouver Harbour webcam confirmed this and showed Serenade pushing back from the pier thirty minutes later, closer to 6:30pm PST. 

Other ports on the itinerary include Tracy Arm Fjord (scenic cruising); Juneau, Alaska; Ketchikan, Alaska; and Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Updates on the new itinerary and compensation are forthcoming

Future guests are anxiously awaiting updates on their itinerary

Serenade docked

If Royal Caribbean can't fix the ongoing issue, they might be forced to cancel future sailings to give them more time to repair the engine.

Last year, passengers ready for a fun-filled cruise to Alaska were left disappointed when the propulsion system faced a technical issue that impacted the ship's speed, forcing the cruise line to cancel the sailing after everyone had already boarded.

Royal Caribbean let passengers use the ship as a floating hotel for two nights while they adjusted their travel plans. Still, it wasn't the vacation anyone had envisioned. The sailing the week after was canceled, too. 

Read more: I was on the Royal Caribbean cruise canceled after we boarded. I was disappointed, but I’m grateful for the memories

Hubbard glacier

There's no word whether future sailings on Serenade of the Seas will be canceled. However, many are preparing for the worst. 

"I’m sailing August 10th I hope if they cancel they do it soon so I can figure another trip out before school starts," one concerned guest shared on a Serenade of the Seas Facebook page. 

Another added, "Honestly with all the issues I’ve been reading about that the people on board have had the past few weeks I’m hoping they just cancel our July 13th sailing. At least then we all get a full refund and can rebook."


Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer. 

Get our newsletter

Stay up-to-date with cruise news & advice

    We never share your information with third parties and will protect it in accordance with our Privacy Policy