Imagine packing for an autumn cruise through Canada and New England — only to discover you're actually going to the Bahamas.
That's the rather dramatic itinerary change facing passengers aboard Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas this week.
The ship was supposed to depart Baltimore on September 24 for a nine-night cruise north through New England and eastern Canada.
Instead, Royal Caribbean has scrapped the planned itinerary and is sending Vision of the Seas in almost the opposite direction — south to Florida and the Bahamas.
And if changing Boston, Maine and Canada for Nassau and Grand Bahama wasn't enough, the ship's departure has also been delayed by a day.
The reason is a powerful nor'easter affecting the US East Coast, which is already causing disruption to multiple cruise sailings.
Cruise ship Vision of the Seas in the port channel of the city of Santos. Santos, Brazil - February 19, 2011. — Photo by stlambauer
Canada and New England itinerary completely replaced
Vision of the Seas was originally scheduled to leave Baltimore on Thursday, September 24.
The nine-night autumn itinerary included:
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Portland, Maine
- Saint John, New Brunswick
- Halifax, Nova Scotia
It's a cruise designed around a very different kind of holiday from a tropical Caribbean itinerary — cooler temperatures, historic cities and, at this time of year, the possibility of spectacular autumn colours.
But with the nor'easter forecast to affect the New England coast, Royal Caribbean decided the ship couldn't safely and comfortably operate the planned route.
Passengers were advised:
“After exploring all our options, we've made the difficult decision to replace our Canada and New England itinerary with a Caribbean itinerary.”
The replacement cruise will instead call at Port Canaveral in Florida, Nassau and Grand Bahama Island.
That's not exactly a minor port substitution.
Passengers who boarded expecting Canada are now heading more than 1,400 miles in the other direction towards palm trees and beaches.
Hopefully nobody packed only jumpers. 😂
Vision of the Seas is spending the night in Baltimore
The weather has affected more than just the itinerary.
Vision of the Seas was already returning to Baltimore from its previous cruise when rough conditions and high winds delayed its arrival until approximately 2pm on September 24, rather than the usual early-morning arrival.
That delay flowed directly into the next sailing.
Embarkation for the September 24 cruise was pushed back, and rather than sailing that evening, Vision of the Seas is remaining overnight in Baltimore.
The ship is now scheduled to depart at approximately 3pm on Friday, September 25.
Passengers therefore get not only a completely different destination, but a delayed departure as well.
Prepaid Royal Caribbean shore excursions for the cancelled Canada and New England ports are being automatically cancelled, with refunds provided as onboard credit.
Passengers on the previous cruise were also affected
The September 24 passengers aren't the first Vision of the Seas guests to feel the effects of the weather.
Those aboard the ship's preceding sailing were advised that the return to Baltimore would be delayed because of unfavourable conditions and high winds.
For passengers whose onward travel was affected, Royal Caribbean offered reimbursement of up to US$200 per guest for domestic flight changes and US$400 per guest for international flight changes, after first asking passengers to pursue reimbursement through their travel insurance provider where applicable.
It's another reminder of why booking a flight too close to a cruise ship's scheduled arrival can be risky.
Even when the ship itself is perfectly operational, weather hundreds of kilometres away can completely rewrite the day's plans.
Carnival Venezia has also been caught in the weather
Vision of the Seas has experienced the most dramatic itinerary change, but it isn't the only cruise ship being affected by the nor'easter.
Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Venezia has also had successive sailings disrupted while operating between New York and Bermuda.
On its previous voyage, the ship shortened its time in Bermuda and left earlier than originally planned as conditions deteriorated.
Passengers subsequently reported rough seas during the journey back towards New York, while the ship's arrival on September 24 was delayed until around 10am.
That delay then affected the next group of passengers.
The September 24 Carnival Venezia sailing departed New York later than planned, while its own scheduled time in Bermuda has been dramatically reduced.
Instead of spending approximately 32 hours in Bermuda, passengers are now expected to have only around seven hours on the island.
That's nowhere near the complete geographical U-turn happening aboard Vision of the Seas, but it demonstrates how widely the weather system is affecting cruise operations along the US East Coast.
Why cruise lines can completely change an itinerary
Cruise itineraries are always subject to change.
Weather is one of the clearest examples of why.
Unlike a land-based holiday, a cruise ship can often avoid dangerous weather altogether by changing course — even if doing so means cancelling ports, arriving somewhere completely different or, in this case, replacing essentially the entire cruise itinerary.
For passengers, however, that can produce a very different holiday from the one they purchased.
Someone booking a Canada and New England cruise in late September may have chosen it specifically for the autumn scenery and destinations such as Halifax, Boston and Portland.
Nassau and Grand Bahama might be perfectly enjoyable alternatives, but they're certainly not interchangeable destinations.
Cruise weather disruption isn't always about hurricanes
The timing is particularly interesting after Hurricane Polo reached Category 5 strength in the Eastern Pacific this week, forcing cruise itinerary changes along Mexico's Pacific coast.
But the weather disrupting Vision of the Seas and Carnival Venezia isn't a hurricane.
A nor'easter is a powerful storm system affecting the eastern coast of North America, typically bringing strong winds, rough seas, heavy rain and potentially significant coastal impacts.
For cruise ships operating from ports such as Baltimore and New York, the resulting sea conditions can make sticking to the original itinerary impractical even when the storm never becomes a named tropical cyclone.
And this week's disruption shows just how substantial those changes can become.
From autumn leaves to palm trees
Cruise passengers generally know when they book that ports can change.
It's one thing to lose a port or have one destination substituted for another.
It's quite another to board expecting a cool-weather cruise through New England and Canada and discover you're going to Florida and the Bahamas instead.
Safety understandably comes first, and sending Vision of the Seas away from the storm gives Royal Caribbean a way to operate the cruise rather than simply cancelling it.
But there are probably a few suitcases onboard containing significantly more knitwear than the Bahamas requires.
And this one raises an interesting question:
If you'd specifically booked a Canada and New England cruise, would you be happy to still have your nine-night holiday in the Bahamas — or would you be seriously disappointed to lose the entire itinerary?
