Royal Caribbean has changed another entertainment venue into a casino on one of its ships.

While undergoing routine maintenance work in drydock, Radiance of the Seas returned to service this week with one notable change: a new non-smoking casino.

Reports from passengers onboard the ship indicated the Pub had been replaced with a non-smoking casino. Jeremy Thomasson posted, "Onboard now and can confirm Radiance has removed the Pub and replaced it with a Non Smoking Casino."

A video tour of the new casino was shared by Sea Days & Sunsets and the entire Quill & Compass Pub has been swapped out for a casino space.

The change is part of a greater trend on Royal Caribbean ships to offer more casino space while also offering an enclave for non-smokers.

Traditionally, cruise ship casinos offer a non-smoking and smoking side. But just like airplanes, sharing an enclosed space with smokers doesn't keep the smoke odor on one side.

The new casino space is still attached to the main casino on two ends, but there's a corridor in-between to provide some separation.

The non-smoking casino space has a dedicated bar, which takes the place of the former bar within the pub.

There are slot machines and some table games. In the video tour, it appeared the casino space was still being set up.

Gone is the pub, which leaves one less bar with entertainment onboard the ship.

Radiance of the Seas is one of the smallest Royal Caribbean cruise ships in the fleet, with a capacity of just 2,143 passengers.  Compare that to Icon of the Seas, which can handle 5,610 passengers at double occupancy.

Trend of adding more non-smoking casinos

Royal Caribbean has been on quest as of late to expand its casino offerings on its ships, a trend that began with the launch of Wonder of the Seas.

Wonder of the Seas launched in 2022, and was originally slated to debut in China.  Instead of a jazz club on deck 4 that all other Oasis Class ships had previously had, there were plans for a casino instead.

When Wonder of the Seas was shifted and debuted in North America instead, Royal Caribbean decided to experiment with keeping the casino.  Evidently it was a success, because more ships received the update.

Since then, all the Jazz on 4 venues on other Oasis Class venues have been replaced by non-smoking casinos.

On some ships, the cruise line has even moved the Crown Lounge loyalty space to offer an even bigger casino fingerprint.

On Freedom of the Seas, the Vintages wine bar was removed and replaced with a non-smoking casino.  

In this case, this added a casino on the Royal Promenade for the first time.

When Legend of the Seas debuts later this year, it will be the first ship in the fleet to have a two-story casino.

In fact, Legend will have the biggest casino space of any ship.

Why Royal Caribbean is adding more casinos

Adding more casinos has two benefits, but it comes at a price.

First and foremost, adding more gambling space provides more revenue opportunities for the cruise line.

Royal Caribbean Group does not break down its revenue it earns from gambling, but it's hard to imagine that based on how many more casinos are being added to ships that the move is not a profit generating space.

Traditionally, casinos have always been a profit generator for cruise lines.

Anecdotally, the casino loyalty program seems to be more popular than ever, and those that gamble enough to get free cruise offers are reporting an influx of additional offers.

For passengers, it's a case of good and bad news with the casino expansion.

Those that don't smoke and refuse to gamble in the regular casino because of the smoke odor have celebrated the expansion of casino spaces. 

It offers them an opportunity to enjoy gambling without the second hand smoke issues or even smell. Plus, a bigger casino means more capacity and possibly less crowds.

The downside is these new casinos replace bars and lounges that sometimes offered entertainment.

In the case of Radiance of the Seas, this change possibly means there is no longer a pub singer entertainer onboard. It remains to be seen if the pub singer will be moved to another venue.

With Jazz on 4, the jazz music was moved to Central Park on the Oasis Class ships to perform outdoors.

Similarly, when Royal Caribbean got rid of the comedy club space to make room for a casino, the comedy shows got moved to the Royal Theater.

Comedy in a large theater is adequate, but lacks the crowd work and sense of inclusion you get in a smaller comedy venue.

Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas successfully rescued six people from a small boat in the Western Caribbean.

According to social media posts, the Radiance Class vessel came to a "full stop" off the coast of Cuba on Sunday, February 15, 2026, to respond to a vessel in distress. 

"Current status on Radiance of the Seas. We are at a full stop pending rescue of 6 people," shared Mike Hoglander in the Crown and Anchor Society Facebook group. 

One Redditor also provided context on the situation, claiming that the captain saw the vessel and was forced to stop. Under international maritime law, vessels are legally required to assist anyone in distress at sea — so long as doing so doesn't endanger their own ship. 

(Credit: Mike Hoglander/Facebook)

According to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), vessels must proceed "with all possible speed" to assist persons in distress, provide help regardless of immigration status or nationality, and coordinate with rescue authorities. 

"[W]ere waiting for the Coast Guard to pick them up but I don’t think they could come," explained Junior-Front-5544. 

"At around 5:45-6 [the crew] decided to get them and there were 6 people. Captain said they will stay [on board] until port tomorrow at [Grand Cayman]."

(Credit: Junior-Front-5544/Reddit)

Hoglander updated his original post to share that all six people were successfully rescued from the small vessel that had begun taking on water. 

Cruise Mapper shows that Radiance of the Seas arrived in Grand Cayman on Monday, Feb. 16, as planned. 

The 90,090 gross-ton Radiance Class vessel is currently on a 6-night Western Caribbean cruise that departed on Feb. 14, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 

(Credit: Junior-Front-5544/Reddit)

The first port of call on the itinerary is Grand Cayman, followed by Cozumel, Mexico, on Feb. 18. Radiance is expected to return to Florida on Friday, Feb. 20. 

Radiance of the Seas is a 24-year-old cruise ship that launched in 2001. She measures 962 feet long and can accommodate around 2,140 guests at double occupancy. 

Through April 2026, Radiance will offer Bahamian voyages from Fort Lauderdale. She'll relocate to Tampa, Florida, in April, where she will remain through at least April 2028. 

(Credit: Junior-Front-5544/Reddit)

Itineraries range from 4-night getaways to 8-night Western Caribbean cruises that visit ports like Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Roatán, and Costa Maya. 

Read more: Royal Caribbean ships by age — Newest to Oldest

It's not uncommon for cruise ships to rescue passengers in distress

(Credit: @AileenCD/TikTok)

A few years ago, Odyssey of the Seas rescued 77 migrants off the coast of Greece while on a 7-night Greek Isles cruise. 

The sailboat was first spotted by a Maltese-flagged cargo ship roughly 112 nautical miles (129 miles) southwest of Pylos. Then, Greece's search and rescue authority helped coordinate the rescue operation.

A few months later, Voyager of the Seas rescued 4 adults, 2 children, and a black lab off a disabled sailboat drifting off the coast of Marrakesh, Morocco.

(Credit: Karen Fraser)

In Oct. 2025, Norwegian Epic rescued over 60 people from a boat in the Ionian Sea, USA TODAY reported. 

"The individuals were brought on board and tended to by the ship’s crew who provided a medical evaluation, food and other items for their comfort," said Norwegian in an emailed statement. 

"Following a mandatory directive from the Rescue Coordination Centre, the ship proceeded to Kalamata, Greece where the rescued individuals were turned over to the Greek authorities."

Enchantment of the Seas, one of Royal Caribbean's oldest and smallest vessels, also saved a group of people from a raft that was "falling apart" in international waters between Mexico and Cuba. 

As reported by NBC News, Enchantment of the Seas launched two lifeboats and successfully rescued the distressed people. Afterward, the captain announced that everyone was in good health. 

Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas will skip two ports of call on its current Panama Canal cruise due to two storms in the Pacific Ocean. 
 

Guests sailing aboard Radiance of the Seas' October 4, 2025, cruise were notified that they'd no longer visit Cabo San Lucas or Mazatlán. Instead, the ship will spend two extra days at sea on Oct. 6 and 7. 

"Along with our Chief Meteorologist, Craig Setzer, we’ve been closely monitoring a tropical disturbance that is likely to develop into a tropical cyclone forming along our voyage path," reads the email sent to impacted passengers. 

"These [storms’] forecast track makes it hard to provide you with a safe and comfortable journey toward Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlán, Mexico. So, after exploring all of our options, we’ve decided to enjoy two (2) Sea Days instead."

Although skipping two ports is disappointing, Royal Caribbean emphasized that the safety and comfort of its guests and crew remain the company’s top priority.

Moreover, passengers will receive a non-refundable onboard credit based on their stateroom category as compensation:

• Inside: $75 USD
• Outside: $100 USD
• Balcony: $175 USD
• Suite: $200 USD
• 3rd or more guests: $25 USD per person

Any pre-paid excursions booked through Royal Caribbean for Cabo and Mazatlán will be refunded as onboard credit that can be used anywhere on the ship. Unused credit from the refunded tours will be reimbursed to the credit card associated with the guests' onboard account at the end of the sailing. 

The email continues, "We’re terribly sorry for this last-minute change caused by the weather – your safety is our top priority. Please know, being onboard is one of the safest places because our ship can quickly move out of the way of any inclement weather."

Reminder to "washy washy"

After nearly 100 passengers were sickened on a recent sailing on Serenade of the Seas, Royal Caribbean reminded guests of the importance of washing their hands frequently, especially since illnesses like norovirus can spread quickly in shared spaces:

"As we’ll be spending more days at sea than planned, we want to remind you to please wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds after restroom breaks and again before eating."

"We also encourage you to use the complimentary hand sanitizing gel available throughout the ship as often as possible. The gel should be rubbed thoroughly and continuously until your hands are dry. However, the hand sanitizing gel is not a substitution for thorough hand washing with soap and warm water."

Read more: Cruise ships suffer worst year for stomach bugs in over a decade. Here's what I'm doing to stay healthy

Hurricane Priscilla and Tropical Storm Octave

Hurricane Priscilla continued to strengthen early Monday in the Pacific Ocean, with gusty winds and heavy rains affecting the coastal areas of southwest Mexico. 

As of 11 a.m. MST, Hurricane Priscilla had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, making the storm a Category 1. Moreover, Hurricane Priscilla was headed north-northwest at 6 mph and was about 245 miles south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico.

Octave became a hurricane on Sunday but was downgraded to a tropical storm on Monday morning. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), the weakening Tropical Storm Octave was headed eastward with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. 

Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas has reported a gastrointestinal illness outbreak on its current sailing with nearly 100 sick guests onboard.  

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Radiance of the Seas reported 89 ill guests onboard its current voyage. Additionally, two crew members are reportedly ill with gastrointestinal symptoms onboard. 

The outbreak was reported to the CDC on February 4, 2025, with 4.1% passengers and 0.2% crew members reporting symptoms of the illness. There are currently 2,164 guests onboard and 910 crew members on the vessel. 

Radiance of the Seas is one of Royal Caribbean’s smallest vessels, accommodating around 2,500 passengers at maximum capacity and measuring 90,090 gross tons.

Most guests on Radiance of the Seas are showing symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting - two of the predominant symptoms for gastrointestinal illness. Other common symptoms include muscle aches, headaches, abdominal cramps, or fever.

Radiance of the Seas is currently sailing on a 7-night itinerary to the Western Caribbean. The ship departed from Tampa, Florida on Saturday, February 1, 2025. The itinerary includes stops in Cozumel (Mexico), Roatan (Honduras), Belize City (Belize), and Costa Maya (Mexico). Radiance of the Seas is scheduled to return to Tampa, Florida on February 8, 2025.

Along with these details, the CDC included multiple steps taken by crew members aboard Radiance of the Seas in response to the outbreak. First, the cruise line increased cleaning and disinfection on the ship, based on Royal Caribbean’s outbreak prevention and response protocol.

In addition, the cruise line has collected stool specimens from the gastrointestinal illness cases to be used for testing. This can help identify the cause of the outbreak, which could be norovirus. Ill passengers and crew members have also been isolated to reduce potential illness spread.

Royal Caribbean is consulting with VSP to address the outbreak, which is the Vessel Sanitation Program run by the CDC. Based on the report, VSP is monitoring the situation and reviewing Radiance of the Seas’ sanitation procedures and outbreak response.

Is this an outbreak of norovirus?

At this time, it’s unclear if the gastrointestinal illness outbreak is caused by norovirus. The CDC does not list a causative agent for the outbreak, which is defined as the specific organism responsible for the development of the disease.

However, the CDC states, “Norovirus is often a cause of gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships, but we don't always know the cause of the outbreak when we begin an investigation.”

“Finding the agent that caused an outbreak (causative agent) can take time. When an outbreak occurs, people whose symptoms met the case definition are asked to provide stool or vomitus samples. These samples are tested to determine the causative agent. In this outbreak, samples are pending confirmatory testing,” continues the CDC.

Cruise ships are required to report cases of gastrointestinal illnesses to the CDC. The government agency states, “Reporting gastrointestinal illness is important. When passengers and crew tell the medical center onboard about their symptoms, it helps GI illness outbreaks get detected quickly. This allows steps to be taken to limit the spread of illness.”

Outbreaks of norovirus are on the rise across the U.S.

Norovirus cases have been surging over the recent weeks in the United States based on CDC data. The total number of outbreaks reported in the 2024–2025 season exceeds the range recorded during the same period in the 2012–2020 and 2021–2024 seasons.

The CDC reported 91 suspected or confirmed norovirus outbreaks in the United States for the first week of December 2024. This is the highest number recorded for that week since 2012. Outbreaks of norovirus are most common from November to April with millions of people getting sick each year.

No one knows for sure why norovirus cases are surging this season. YaleMedicine states the current strain was once uncommon in the United States, meaning many people lack immunity to the specific strain circulating. Cases normally surge in the winter months when people tend to congregate inside, particularly around the holiday season.

(Number of Suspected or Confirmed Norovirus Outbreaks Reported by NoroSTAT-Participating States Per Week, 2012–2025)

Norovirus is not respiratory, meaning it does not spread by sneezing or coughing. Instead, norovirus spreads by contaminated food, water or surfaces, making it highly contagious. Because of this, proper handwashing with soap and water is the best way to prevent the spread. Most hand sanitizers don’t work well against the virus.

Radiance of the Seas is the sixth vessel to report an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness, according to data provided by the CDC. The following ships have reported outbreaks in 2025, along with the identified causation agent. 

• Royal Caribbean International: Radiance of the Seas (2/1–2/8/2025) – Unknown

• Princess Cruises: Coral Princess (1/20–2/5/2025) – Norovirus

• Viking Ocean Cruises: Viking Mars (1/10–1/24/2025) – Unknown

• Holland America Line: Volendam (1/4–1/25/2025) – Norovirus

• Silversea Cruises: Silver Ray (1/4–1/20/2025) – E. coli

• Sea Cloud Cruises: Sea Cloud Spirit (1/4–1/10/2025) – Presumed Ciguatera

In contrast, 18 outbreaks on cruise ships were reported to the CDC in 2024. Although norovirus is often called the “cruise ship disease,” only 1% of reported outbreaks are associated with cruise ships. Outbreaks are more common on college campuses, hospitals, and nursing homes where people are living in close quarters.

What is Royal Caribbean’s protocol?

All cruise lines are required to have robust protocols to address illness outbreaks. Royal Caribbean’s health protocols are enacted once a certain percentage of guests report symptoms.

In a statement to USA Today, Royal Caribbean stated, “Enhanced measures have been implemented onboard in an abundance of caution to protect the health and comfort of all our guests and crew.”

These protocols include the following:

1. Stopping self-service in buffets if the onboard rate exceeds 1.5%
2. Enhanced acute GI training for onboard medical teams
3. Switching to PDI SaniCloth Prime hospital-grade disinfectant wipes
4. Enhanced crew training on what to do when experiencing acute GI symptoms and how to avoid cross-contamination in food and beverage service areas

A propulsion issue forced Royal Caribbean to cancel an Alaska cruise after guests boarded, including Kayla Hildebrandt.

The April 26 sailing of Radiance of the Seas was scheduled to sail a 7-night Alaska cruise, but an issue with the ship's propulsion caused initially a delay of departure, and then a full cancellation.

The last-minute cancellation disrupted the well laid out plans of those booked on the cruise, but it's difficult to fathom the impact unless you were directly affected.

Kayla shared her perspective of the experience, as well as what to consider for anyone else in the future who might experience something like this.

When a Cruise Gets Cancelled – Making the Best of It

As the years have gone on, there are two main times of year I tend to cruise: 

1. in late April/early May for my birthday 
2. in late September/early October, for our anniversary. 

This year – I decided I wanted to do something a bit more adventurous – a cruise to Alaska on a Radiance class ship, which is my favorite class.

Little did I know at the time – but this would truly become a bit of a roller coaster adventure. 

Spoiler alert: It turned out fun anyway.

Pre-Embarkation

Due to a bit of hectic work travel, I wound up heading out to Vancouver about 12 hours after arriving home to Cincinnati from Halifax on a business trip. This resulted in both severe overpacking and a significant loss of sense of the current time. Nonetheless, we made it out to Vancouver without issue. 

I had seen the emails from Royal Caribbean indicating that Radiance of the Seas had been having issues, but I thought nothing of it at the time. Ship issues aren’t super uncommon, and in more than 25 cruises, I’d never had one actually cancel over simply changing the itinerary. 

My husband and I agreed to go along with it and see what happened. We enjoyed an incredible pre-embarkation meal at Elisa in downtown Vancouver and our stay at the Metropolitan Hotel Vancouver.

Embarkation Day

We boarded during our 10 AM boarding window as scheduled, and again, without much concern. We made our way through the pin-ball boarding process that seems to be Canada Place in Vancouver and sat in the rows with the rest of our excited cruisers.

While we were waiting, one of the managers announced in the rundown about boarding that he expected that the required repairs wouldn’t be completed today – but he hadn’t received anything official yet. This is the first point that I started to think, “we’ll be seeing changes.” 

I’ll also admit, with all the work travel, I hadn’t thought to check online (as I normally would have) to see what had happened on the previous sailing. Either way – we agreed: just go with the flow and got on board.

On the Ship

For this cruise, we booked into cabin 3500, an ocean view cabin all the way forward on the starboard side of the ship. 

While not quite a balcony like I constantly hear recommended for Alaska sailings, we had a huge bright window that allowed us to check out what was going on directly outside and get some sunlight in the room. 

The room had tons of space – even with the amount I had overpacked, I had no issue unloading and finding space for all our things. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of clever storage on the Radiance class. I’d happily book this category again to save a few dollars to put towards fun excursions.

Once we had a quick chance to explore the ship and sit down to grab lunch at the Windjammer, we finally got word that we’d be missing Juneau and staying in Vancouver an extra two days.

While my initial thought was to spend some time exploring Vancouver, the staff quickly clarified that we would all need to stay on board due to customs regulations. 

Again, no problem. This was also our first cruise that we had not done a drink package of any kind and having given up alcohol a few years ago, we were pretty happy about the option for Pellegrino and Diet Coke while enjoying our stationary time on board. 

We proceeded to enjoy the rest of our first day by getting a deep tissue massage, grabbing dinner in the dining room, and heading to bed early. After coast-to-coast travel, I was very tired.

We knew that we’d be shifting a bit down the coast to a quiet cargo port overnight but waking up to the misty and rainy mountain views that surround Vancouver still made for quite a sight. 

After some breakfast and coffee in the Crown Lounge, we settled in for a movie day: back-to-back viewings of Dune 1 and 2, with a break in between for lunch and a nice walk around deck 5. Even when stationary on a ship that is undergoing repairs, it still makes for a relaxing afternoon. 

During our lunch walk, they announced that Wi-Fi would be free for the next two days. This is when it hit me something big was about to change.

It was halfway through Dune 2 that the captain finally announced that the cruise was cancelled. 

I’ll admit, I felt very sad at that moment. This was my birthday cruise, and a trip I had been looking forward to through months of work stress. 

In that announcement, the Captain included all the important details: we’d need to disembark the following morning, and Royal Caribbean would be issuing a letter to all cabins very shortly with details (we saw that letter on our door within the hour). 

The very first thing I did was to book a hotel for the next night and change our flights around to get back home.

After some processing time, I realized it was a reminder that things aren’t always going to go to plan, and things like this aren’t in our control. The only choice we get is how we react to it. 

So, after chatting in the Centrum over Heineken 0.0s, we made a couple decisions:

• We’re going to stay in Vancouver for an extra 2 days to explore the city.
• We’re going to use our FCC to book a New Year’s Eve cruise – something else we’ve always wanted to do, and something to look forward to on my first winter break of graduate school.

By the time we talked through our plans for Vancouver and for our new sailing, we were giddy and wanted to spend the rest of our time on board the ship to the fullest. 

We wound up having an insanely fun dinner at Izumi (big shout out to Ronald, Jelly, and Adonis!) and set to enjoy the rest of our time in Vancouver, a city we wound up absolutely loving.

Final Thoughts

If I could go back in time and have a do-over, I don’t think there’s much that I would change. 

While I’m still very sad I didn’t get to see Alaska this year, I believe I’ll have another opportunity to go, and this cancellation provided an additional opportunity to get to know Vancouver, which is truly a very cool city.

Additionally, I would gladly book Radiance or one of her sister ships again.

The experience provided was my own and while I felt that we handled it well in the circumstances we had, I felt bad for others that traveled in from Europe or Australia for the experience. That’s a lot of travel time sunk into an experience that you didn’t expect to have changed so significantly. 

Most others we encountered onboard carried a positive attitude around the experience, which also impacted our attitude on how we moved forward. Passengers I encountered discussed their alternate plans with us almost happily, though based on the constant line at Guest Services and other voices overheard in the Crown Lounge, I don’t expect that that was everyone’s experience. 

Similarly, the crew being in limbo and the uncertainty of when they’d be able to work with incoming passengers again was a bit sad to see.

I feel that the compensation provided by Royal Caribbean was fair. While we haven’t had the refunds hit our credit card yet, nor have I gone through submitting our hotel and taxi receipts quite yet (not to mention the travel insurance aspect), I do know there’s a lot to process and that this will likely take some time. 

I’m grateful for the promise of a full refund, the paid hotel for the couple of days in Vancouver, as well as the future cruise credit. It took a lot of the sting out of a significant change of plans. 

While onboard, I really do think the ‘open bar’ policy made a difference, even for us as non-drinkers. Since we weren’t at sea, the casino and shops remained closed and the number of bars available were limited, but it was still fun to see people making the best of their vacation together.

Vancouver Recommendations

If you ever find yourself with a few extra days in Vancouver, here’s some suggestions:

• Visit the Vancouver Aquarium
• Explore the sights on foot or on bike around Stanley Park
• Check out Granville Island Public Market
• Take a food tour around Gastown
• Book some local dining – Elisa and Nightengale both offered incredible meals

Good news: Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas has made the necessary repairs to be able to resume cruises.

The cruise line was forced to cancel an Alaska cruise at the last minute on Radiance of the Seas due to a problem with the ship's propulsion.

The cruise line confirmed the issue has been resolved.

Guests booked on the May 3rd, 2024 sailing received the email they were hoping for that their cruise is a go.

Radiance of the Seas repairs complete

The email sent overnight said, "We're happy to share that our teams are finishing up the technical work onboard right on schedule and we'll be ready to welcome you on May 3rd, as planned!"

"Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we work to get the ship into tip-top shape for you. See you onboard Radiance of the Seas!"

The next sailing is an open-jaw 7-night sailing from Vancouver to Seward that will visit Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, and Skagway in Alaska.

The trouble began for Radiance of the Seas last week when a repositioning cruise between Los Angeles and Vancouver when the ship encountered some sort of an issue with its propulsion, as it became visible only one engine was being used.

Guests were informed the ship would need to sail at a reduced speed, and as a result, the ship would skip the rest of the planned stops and go directly to Vancouver.

Radiance of the Seas has two Azipods, which are multidirectional pods that drive the ship and can be rotated 360 degrees and are have been the standard form of propulsion for all of Royal Caribbean's new cruise ships in recent years.

Radiance made it to Vancouver, but then informed guests on the April 26 7-Night Alaska Glacier sailing they would sail a shortened cruise because an additional two days of repairs would be needed.

Passengers boarded only to be informed a day later their cruise had to be cancelled in order to carry out the necessary repairs. 

Those on the cancelled sailing were issued a full refund, plus a future cruise credit that can be used for a future sailing.

2024 Radiance of the Seas Alaska season

Radiance of the Seas will offer 7-10 night Alaska cruises in 2024 that can also combine with Land Tours to offer immersive visits to Alaska, including in-land destinations such as Denali.

Radiance is sailing alternating, open-jaw itineraries between Vancouver and Seward.

Radiance of the Seas can accommodate 2,466 guests onboard (at maximum occupancy), with more than 800 crew members working on the vessel.

Radiance will remain in Alaska waters until her September 20, 2024 sailing.

More about Alaska cruises

• 50 tips for planning your Alaska cruise
• How to choose the right Alaska cruise itinerary
• What is the best time to cruise to Alaska?
• What Is an Alaska Inside Passage Cruise?
• What to pack for a cruise to Alaska?
• Best things to do on an Alaska cruise

Work is underway to repair Royal Caribbean's beleaguered cruise ship.

Radiance of the Seas is in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada after making it there last week following engine trouble.

Royal Caribbean was forced to cancel the next sailing after realizing the repairs needed were more substantial than originally thought.

Late on Monday, guests booked on the next sailing were sent an email update indicating work is underway and a new update will be made by May 2.

"As you may know, Radiance of the Seas encountered a technical issue with its propulsion system, resulting in the cancellation of our April 26th, 2024, sailing," the letter said.

"Repairs are still underway, and our teams are working diligently to address this issue. We want to assure you that we are doing everything possible to resolve it as quickly as we can."

While there is no formal update to share as to when it will be complete, guests can expect another update this week, "While we continue to make progress, we understand the importance of keeping you informed and will provide you with another update by May 2nd."

What happened to Radiance of the Seas?

The saga of Radiance of the Seas began last week during her repositioning sailing from Los Angeles to Vancouver.

During that cruise, guests were notified of a “technical issue with one of its propulsion systems" and that the ship would skip all the ports of call in order to get to Vancouver at a slower speed.

Radiance made it to Vancouver and then initially would be delayed by two days so that the engine problem could be resolved.

Guests were notified that the ship would welcome passengers onboard. but that the ship would remain in Vancouver for two additional nights in order to give the crew time to fix the propulsion issue.

Guests boarded the ship on time, but a new update came out on Saturday that the sailing would have to be completely cancelled.

All passengers had to disembark by April 28.

Compounding the problem is that this exact issue seemingly occurred less than a year ago.

Radiance of the Seas suffered a propulsion issue last summer that resulted in two cruises being cancelled in order to make the necessary repairs.

Radiance of the Seas was scheduled to depart from Seward, Alaska on September 1, 2023 and Vancouver, Canada on September 8, 2023 for seven-night cruises along the Alaskan coast. Both voyages were canceled due to a technical issue with the ship's propulsion system.

The ship underwent repairs and was able to resume sailing with the September 15, 2023 voyage.

Propulsion problems are not uncommon

Cruise ships can run into mechanical problems, just like airplanes, buses, or trains.

In the grand scheme of how many cruise ships operate each week, breakdowns such as this are quite rare.

Radiance is not new, but Royal Caribbean invests a lot of money into routine maintenance.  However, engine problems will still occasionally happen.

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.

Radiance of the Seas is a 90,900 gross ton Radiance Class cruise ship. She had her maiden voyage in 2001.

Radiance is a smaller ship by today's standards, and has a capacity of 2,466 guests at double occupancy.

She is 962 feet long.

Royal Caribbean threw in the towel on Saturday and decided to cancel its planned sailing to Alaska after discovering repairs would take longer than expected.

Guests boarded the ship on Friday after being told their sailing would be delayed by two days, but would sail on Sunday. Radiance of the Seas was scheduled to depart on Friday, but the amended itinerary dropped a port visit so it could stay in Vancouver for a few extra days.

Around mid-day on Saturday while still in Vancouver, an announcement was made over the public address system to inform guests their sailing would be cancelled in order to fix an ongoing issue with its propulsion system. 

Guests are expected to disembark the ship tomorrow.

"As you are aware, our teams have been vigorously working to have Radiance of the Seas prepared to set sail on our shortened April 26th sailing," the letter given to passengers in their staterooms read.

"Despite our best efforts, circumstances beyond our control have delayed our sailing further."

"As a result, we'll regrettably have to cancel our April 26th, 2024 cruise."

The sailing will not occur at all, and guests must disembark the ship by April 28th at 4:00pm.

Royal Caribbean issued a further apology saying, "we understand the disappointment due to this unfortunate turn of events. We truly extend our sincerest apologies for the continued unforeseen disruptions to your vacation."

Royal Caribbean has not yet made a comment on exactly what is wrong with the propulsion system. 

How will passengers be compensated

All guests will receive a 100% refund for the cost of the cruise. This includes refunding passengers of any taxes and fees for the cruise. 

In addition to the 100% refund, guests will also be receiving a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) of 100% of their cruise fare paid to be used towards a future sailing. Royal Caribbean has stated guests will receive this FCC by May 10th. 

Passengers have been notified that they will be expected to disembark by tomorrow, April 28th 2024 by 4:00pm local time. 

Anyone that booked flights with Royal Caribbean will have their flight arrangements automatically re-scheduled.

The cruise line will reimburse any travel change fees up to $250 for domestic travel and $400 for international travel.

They will also reimburse up to $250 for hotel costs, per stateroom, per night, for two nights.

What happened to the cruise ship?

Earlier this week, Radiance of the Seas set sail on a 4-night sailing from Los Angeles to Vancouver. During the sailing guests were quickly notified  of a “technical issue with one of its propulsion systems" and that the rest of the planned port stops would be skipped.

Initially passengers for the April 26th sailing were given a letter onboard notifying guests of a delay that would be occurring due to the time it would need to take for crew members to fix the faulty engine and propulsion system.

Royal Caribbean notified guests that the ship would be welcoming passengers onboard but that the ship would remain at the embarkation port for two additional nights in order to give the crew time to fix the propulsion issue that has disabled one of the ship’s engines. 

The letter delivered to all passengers onboard stated the following message from Royal Caribbean, "While repairs for the technical issue that we encountered on our previous sailing are still underway, we discovered that we're going to need some extra time to get the ship in tip-top shape for you. Although we'll conduct our boarding as planed for our April 26th, 2024, Radiance of the Seas sailing, we'll now set sail on April 28, 2024.”

After delivering this message to all guests Royal Caribbean addressed the problem with the following apology, “We're terrible sorry for this last-minute change. We understand this news is disappointing, but we hope you'll join us on the alternate itinerary planned.” 

The change in itinerary at the time meant that Radiance of the Seas would need to adjust its schedule and that some changes would be made to the current Alaska sailing. This included missing an originally scheduled port stop in Juneau Alaska. This sailing was meant to be the first of the Alaskan cruise season for Radiance of the Seas. 

However, there is now a more recent development that has completely changed this cruise sailing again for passengers currently onboard Radiance of the Seas. 

The second time this ship had a last-minute cancellation after guests boarded

It's deja vu for Radiance of the Seas as a similar situation occurred last year in Alaska that resulted in two cruises being cancelled, and one was after passengers had gotten onboard.

Radiance of the Seas was scheduled to depart from Seward, Alaska on September 1, 2023 and Vancouver, Canada on September 8, 2023 for seven-night cruises along the Alaskan coast. Both voyages were canceled due to a technical issue with the ship's propulsion system.

The ship underwent repairs and was able to resume sailing with the September 15, 2023 voyage.

The similarities less than a year apart are uncanny and quite unusual.

Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas will not have to cancel its next cruise, but it will need extra time to fix the issue onboard.

Guests on the April 26 sailing of Radiance of the Seas were advised on embarkation day that their sailing will still take place, albeit with an extra two days in port before they can leave.

Earlier this week, Radiance of the Seas suffered a propulsion issue that appears to have disabled one of the ship's engines.  

During the four night sailing from Los Angeles to Vancouver, guests experienced a brief stop and then the ship resumed sailing but with only one engine operational.  Guests were quickly informed the ship has, "a technical issue with one of its propulsion systems" and the rest of the planned port stops would be skipped.

Radiance made a direct course for Vancouver, where it was able to dock late last night and allow new passengers onboard today as scheduled.

Unfortunately, the start of the Alaska cruise season will be altered due to the propulsion issue.

A letter given to guests on embarkation informed them that the ship needs additional time to make the necessary repairs, "While repairs for the technical issue that we encountered on our previous sailing are still underway, we discovered that we're going to need some extra time to get the ship in tip-top shape for you."

As a result, the ship won't leave Vancouver until Sunday night, "Although we'll conduct our boarding as planed for our April 26th, 2024, Radiance of the Seas sailing, we'll now set sail on April 28, 2024."

While the ship will remain in port for a few days, the terminal will be closed so passengers will be unable to disembark to explore Vancouver during the delayed time.

In addition, the revised itinerary means it will skip a scheduled visit to Juneau, Alaska.

Radiance had planned to conduct its first 7-night Alaska cruise of the 2024 season with this sailing.

Compensation for the delay

Royal Caribbean apologized to guests for the inconvenience this technical issue has caused, which has now impacted two sailings.

"We're terrible sorry for this last-minute change. We understand this news is disappointing, but we hope you'll join us on the alternate itinerary planned," the letter said.

Radiance will sail the Inside Passage on April 29, followed by a visit to Icy Strait Point and Ketchikan, Alaska before returning to Vancouver.

Read more: Alaska cruise ports guide

In addition, Royal Caribbean is offering compensation for the last-minute change of schedule.

Guests will receive:

• A refund of two days of cruise fare in the form of onboard credit
• A Future Cruise Credit value of two days of the cruise fare paid to use towards the booking of another cruise
• Refunds for any shore excursions booked in Juneau in the form of onboard credit
• Complimentary drinks for the two days stuck in Vancouver
  • All drinks will be complimentary to guests on April 26 and April 27, 2024
  • Guests who bought a drink package will get a refund for those days in an onboard credit
• Guests will still get 7 Crown and Anchor Society points for the sailing

The problem with the cruise ship

Royal Caribbean did not specify exactly what the propulsion issue is, or what happened to cause it.

Royal Caribbean's only official comment on the problem is that the ship's "propulsion system experienced a technical issue."

Radiance of the Seas has two Azipods, which are multidirectional pods that drive the ship and can be rotated 360 degrees and are have been the standard form of propulsion for all of Royal Caribbean's new cruise ships in recent years.

During the previous sailing, the ship came to a stop in the ocean briefly before resuming sailing with only one engine.

It remains to be seen if this issue will be fully resolved by April 28.

Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas has encountered a propulsion issue that has slowed the ship, and will now head to its final port of call.

Guests onboard Radiance of the Seas were alerted by the ship's Captain of the issue, which occurred on Tuesday as the ship was sailing up the west coast of the United States.

Radiance of the Seas is sailing an open-jaw 4 Night Pacific Coastal Cruise to move the ship from Los Angeles to Vancouver and get the ship in position for her 2024 Alaska season. An open jaw cruise is one that begins and ends in a different port.

The Captain spoke to guests over the public address system to inform them of the issue, "Our teams have discovered that radiance of the seas is experiencing a technical issue with one of its propulsion systems, resulting in the ship being required to sail at a much slower speed."

He emphasized the ship is still safe to operate, "Please know your safety and comfort, along with that of my crew are my top priorities and our ship remains seaworthy and safe. It's just slower."

He did not specify exactly what the propulsion issue is, or what happened to cause it.

Radiance of the Seas has two Azipods, which are multidirectional pods that drive the ship and can be rotated 360 degrees and are have been the standard form of propulsion for all of Royal Caribbean's new cruise ships in recent years.

Guests could see only one Azipod is being used once the incident occurred.

As a result of the slower speed, Radiance of the Seas now needs to skip the rest of the ports on its itinerary and go straight to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

According to the Captain, Radiance of the Seas will arrive there on Thursday, April 25th in the evening between 9 and 10 p.m. The ship can then be ready to disembark guests on April 26 as scheduled.

Radiance of the Seas is a 90,900 gross ton Radiance Class cruise ship. Her maiden voyage was in 2001.

Radiance is a smaller ship by today's standards, and has a capacity of 2,466 guests at double occupancy.

She is 962 feet long.

Compensation

Letters were distributed to guests in their staterooms to confirm the changes.

As a result of the altered itinerary, guests can expect a partial refund for the disappointment. Royal Caribbean is not obligated to offer compensation for technical problems, but tends to do so as a gesture of goodwill.

Guests will receive 50% of their cruise fare paid back as an onboard credit.

Any shore excursions purchased for ports that will be skipped will be refunded fully as an onboard credit.

The onboard credit can be used onboard the ship, and any unused credit will be refunded back to the credit card on file within 14 business days after the sailing concludes.

What about the next cruise?

A propulsion issue on Radiance of the Seas is cause for concern for anyone with an upcoming sailing booked on her as to what impact it may have on it.

In the letter given to guests onboard Radiance, the ship's staff conveyed a message for back-to-back cruisers that are booked for the next sailing.

 "Our teams are hard at work to correct this issue and our current progress is meeting our timeline. However, we'll need to be docked to complete the required repairs," the letter explained.

"At this time, we intend to sail as planned on April 26th, 2024, and we are committed to keeping you informed every step of the way."

"We'll provide you with another update by April 26th."

Guests booked on the April 26th sailing also received an email summarizing the same information mentioned previously in this article.

Recent propulsion problems for Radiance

Radiance of the Seas has had some bad luck lately with its propulsion system.

Last year, Radiance encountered a propulsion issue during her Alaska season that cancelled a few cruises at the last-minute.

Two cruises were cancelled before Radiance could resume sailings.

Cruise ships have redundant engines for this situation

As the Captain of Radiance of the Seas explained, propulsion issues like this are not unheard of and the ship is quite safe to sail on.

Cruise ships can sail with less than both engines running. In fact, it's common not to have all engines going at once in order to conserve wear and tear.

When a situation like this occurs, the ship can still operate at a reduced speed safely.

Historically, ships with propulsion problems have been able to sail and either make repairs along the way, or hold off until a scheduled upcoming dry dock. The incident with Radiance last year having to cancel a couple of cruises was certainly an outlier.