A Royal Caribbean cruise ship experienced a propulsion issue and now the next sailing is cancelled.
Guests booked on Anthem of the Seas for the January 27th sailing received notifications from the cruise line that their sailing has been cancelled because of, "a technical issue on its last sailing".
"Anthem of the Seas experienced a technical issue on its last sailing, and we're returning to begin required maintenance. Unfortunately, we will not be able to complete the needed repairs in time for our 27 January sailing."
"As a result, we are canceling our Anthem of the Seas cruise."
Anthem of the Seas is a Quantum Class cruise ship that launched in 2015 and has a maximum capacity of 4,905 passengers.
According to an email sent by the cruise line, Anthem of the Seas will head in for repairs but the work required necessitates cancelling the next sailing.
The cancelled sailing was a 10 Night New Zealand Cruise from Sydney, Australia.
The cruise line apologized for the cancellation, "we're truly sorry for this disappointing news".
Technical issue on its last sailing
Guests on the current sailing of Anthem of the Seas reported the cruise ship coming to a brief halt during its voyage.
A guest on the ship shared this report, "Anthem stopped for an hour In the ocean. "
"Now we are late going back to Sydney and next cruise is canceled."
That same person was told the issue is related to the ship's azipod.
Azipods are multidirectional pods that drive the ship and can be rotated 360 degrees. They are the standard form of propulsion for all of Royal Caribbean's new cruise ships in recent years.
Another person reported that Anthem will be delayed to arrive into Sydney until 4pm on Tuesday.
"I'm on the Anthem right now. We are limping back to Sydney with a bad prop. We were supposed to be there at 6:30am and aren't returning to port until after 4:30pm"
Anthem of the Seas is a 168,666 a gross ton vessel.
It's a large cruise ship, and is 1,141 feet long.
Full refunds
Emails sent to passengers on the cancelled sailing outlined the compensation options for them.
First and foremost, Royal Caribbean is offering a 100% refund, including taxes and fees, pre-paid packages and gratuities, amenities, shore excursions purchased through Royal Caribbean.
In addition, guests will get a 25% Future Cruise Credit to make up for the last-minute cancellation. This credit can be used towards the purchase of a new cruise.
Royal Caribbean is also reimbursing non-refundable, pre-purchased travel fees incurred (such as a flight, hotel, train ticket, or rental car).
- Up to $200 USD per guest for Domestic flight changes, or up to $400 USD per guest for International flight changes
- Up to $250 USD per stateroom for up to 2 nights of hotel accommodations
- Up to $100 USD per person, per day for incidentals
Propulsion issues occasionally occur
This issue with Anthem of the Seas' propulsion is not unheard of with cruise ships.
While all of Royal Caribbean cruise ships undergo regular maintenance work, propulsion problems can still occur. Just like well-maintained cars at home, cruise ships can have engine problems.
In the grand scheme of how many cruise ships operate each week, breakdowns such as this are quite rare.
Other cruise ships have had propulsion issues that forced a cancellation or at least an itinerary change. It's more common for the ship speed to be affected and itinerary changed than the entire sailing cancelled.
