Celebrity Beyond will arrive in Miami, Florida, later than planned due to unforeseen technical issues impacting the vessel's sailing speed.
Guests aboard the July 13th voyage to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Falmouth were given the unfortunate news that their disembarkation in Miami would be delayed several hours because of a mechanical issue that's forcing the 3-year-old ship to sail at slower-than-normal speeds.
The expected arrival time was pushed back to 2:00pm. This means that the following 7-night cruise has also been impacted. Instead of departing on Sunday, July 20, guests were informed that their embarkation would be delayed until Monday, July 21.
"Beyond is currently experiencing a technical issue and we are working to address it. While this does not impact the safety or seaworthiness of the ship, we are sailing at a reduced speed which will delay our arrival into Miami," reads an email sent to confirmed passengers.
"Once we arrive into Miami, our technical experts will assess the situation and make repairs as needed. As a result, the current plan is to have you board on Monday, July 21st in Terminal C at Port Miami."
However, the email also states that additional updates are expected by 8:00pm on Sunday, the 20th. As such, it's possible the next sailing could be further delayed, depending on the outcome of the inspection and repair timeline.
Celebrity Cruises hasn't specified what's causing the technical issue. However, it is likely that, because the vessel is sailing at a slower speed, it's some kind of engine-related problem.
Social media reports have hinted that one of the ship's propellers might be down. "To me it looks like the starboard propeller is down, with the dorsal thruster compensating for the port propeller working overtime," wrote one guest on Reddit.
As of 9:40am EST on July 20, CruiseMapper shows Celebrity Beyond slowly making her way back to South Florida. She's cleared the western coast of Andros Island.
Celebrity Cruises is compensating guests on the affected sailings
Passengers will receive a one-day pro-rated refund of their cruise fare as an onboard credit, as well as a one-day refund of pre-purchased packages.
Those who need a hotel for Sunday evening will be given up to $250 per stateroom in reimbursement for accommodation.
Teams are also assisting those onboard, whose travel plans have been disrupted due to the delayed disembarkation.
One guest shared on Reddit that they gave up hope of making their 4:15pm flight out of Miami International Airport (MIA) and switched to an 8:00pm departure instead.
Additionally, Celebrity is offering passengers an "enhanced brunch" from 10:00am to 1:00pm.
Celebrity Beyond's technical issues follow an unrelated incident involving one of the line’s older ships
Earlier this month, a reported electrical fire left Celebrity Infinity temporarily without power while docked in Kuşadası, Turkey.
Not only did the ship suffer a "total blackout," but the 24-year-old vessel was stuck in Turkey for about four days. Consequently, the remaining ports on the 7-night itinerary — Mykonos, Greece; Kavala, Greece; and Thessaloniki, Greece — were cancelled.
Eventually, hundreds of guests decided to disembark while in Turkey, opting to make their own travel arrangements instead of banking on arriving in Athens as scheduled.
Read more: Fire disables cruise ship in the Mediterranean, leaving thousands of passengers stranded in Turkey
