Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas will be arriving back to her homeport of Galveston, Texas significantly later than anticipated on Sunday, December 15, 2024. As the ship was completing her current sailing, an emergency evacuation was needed, which has led to a delay of more than eight hours.
Guests setting sail aboard Harmony of the Seas for her next cruise, a 7-night Western Caribbean sailing, have been notified of the delay and given updated arrival windows to check in to the cruise terminal.
“Due to a medical debark on our previous sailing, Harmony of the Seas will be arriving later than originally planned,” the email notification said. “Because of this delay, the terminal will be closed until 8:00 PM.”
Originally, the earliest arrival times at the cruise terminal began at 11 a.m., but travelers are now being asked not to arrive until nine hours after their selected arrival time.
For example, guests with that early arrival window are now asked to arrive to the cruise terminal at 8 p.m. The latest arrival time was originally 2 p.m., but those guests should now plan to arrive for check in at 11 p.m.
Updated announcements onboard Harmony of the Seas indicate the ship may begin debarkation at approximately 4 p.m., but this does not necessarily mean any earlier embarkation update for incoming guests.
It is important that incoming passengers not arrive at the cruise terminal before their newly adjusted time in order to ensure that debarking guests are able to leave smoothly and there will be fewer snarls in the cruise terminal or parking facilities.
Incoming travelers will be relieved, however, that there is no need for itinerary adjustments for their 7-night cruise. Harmony of the Seas will still be able to visit Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel as planned in the coming week.
Furthermore, guests are being offered onboard credit as compensation for the very late embarkation. The amount of credit varies based on the type of stateroom. Similarly, guests will also receive prorated refunds for pre-cruise purchases of Wi-Fi access and drink packages impacted by the significant delay.
Dining options, including the ship’s main dining rooms as well as the Windjammer buffet, will also be open later than planned so incoming guests can enjoy their first meal onboard, even if it is not at the anticipated time.
While shorter delays do occasionally happen with cruise ships, lengthy delays are rare. Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Liberty recently had a similarly long delay following three different events that impacted the ship’s return to New Orleans.
Why the Lengthy Delay?
The significant delay for Harmony of the Seas is due to an onboard emergency on Friday, December 13, as an elderly woman traveling with her family on her first cruise began experiencing symptoms that might indicate a major stroke or aneurysm.
The onboard medical team quickly determined that an evacuation was necessary. At the time, the Oasis-class ship had already departed Cozumel – her last port of call – several hours earlier. The ship reversed course to return to the island for the emergency debarkation.
At the time, a helicopter evacuation was not possible due to high winds that would have made such an operation too hazardous. Similarly, Harmony of the Seas was unable to reroute to Cancun – which would have been closer for emergency debarkation – because the ship’s size could not be accommodated.
Family members have established a GoFundMe account in anticipation of the significant costs associated with bringing the woman back to the United States after her condition is stabilized.
At this time, there are no further updates on the woman’s condition or whether or not she is yet able to be transported.
Cruise Hive’s thoughts are with the guest as well as her family members and friends at this very difficult time, with hopes that all travelers are understanding about such unanticipated delays.
By Melissa Mayntz from Cruisehive