Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Stuck In New York Harbor As Furious Passengers Vent Over Nor’easter Delay

When passengers boarded Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas on Sunday, they have been prepared for every week of sunshine, ocean views, and adventures in three Caribbean locations. However as an alternative of setting sail from Cape Liberty, New Jersey, as deliberate, their trip began with rising uncertainty about whether or not the ship would ever go away port.

Over the weekend, a Nor’easter slammed the East Coast, bringing sturdy winds and tough seas together with it. As climate alerts unfold via the tri-state space, company on board Symphony of the Seas realized that their week-long voyage would unfold a lot in a different way than deliberate on account of the storm. Here is what occurred, and what annoyed passengers stated in regards to the modifications.

Nor’easter Storm Left Passengers Stranded Aboard Royal Caribbean’s Symphony Of The Seas In New York Harbor

On Sunday, October 12, a passenger aboard Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas, one of the world’s largest ships that costs $1 million a day to run, shared on Facebook that an onboard announcement confirmed the ship wouldn’t be departing on schedule. In line with the passenger, the Sandy Hook Pilots Association—accountable for guiding vessels out and in of the Port of New York and New Jersey—had suspended operations attributable to a robust Nor’easter transferring up the East Coast.

The passenger additionally shared a message reportedly despatched to company on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, which confronted comparable delays due to the identical storm:

“The Sandy Hook Pilots aren’t at the moment working attributable to a brief closure of the Port of New York and New Jersey till 11:00 AM on October 14, 2025. This can be a deliberate operational halt, possible associated to a latest discover from the pilots themselves. The closure is short-term and doesn’t point out a everlasting drawback with the pilots or their operations.”

According to a report by PBS News, the Nor’easter triggered main coastal flooding from Virginia to New Jersey, in addition to low-lying areas in New York Metropolis. The storm additionally introduced wind gusts exceeding 55 mph in New Jersey, Lengthy Island, and southern New England.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul adopted with an emergency declaration for eight southern counties, advising residents to keep away from journey and keep alert.

Royal Caribbean Issued A Revised Itinerary

In response to the damaging Nor’easter situations, Royal Caribbean launched a revised itinerary for the Symphony of the Seas. As an alternative of departing Cape Liberty, New Jersey, on Sunday, October 12, the ship was rescheduled to go away on Tuesday, October 14, at 11 a.m.

Symphony Of The Seas Updated Itinerary

Two ports of name have been additionally faraway from the itinerary: Port Canaveral, Florida, and Nassau, Bahamas. The ship is now anticipated to sail on to Good Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private Bahamas island, arriving on Thursday, earlier than returning to Cape Liberty for debarkation on October 19.

Livid Passengers Vented Their Frustrations Over The Nor’easter Delay On-line

Whereas many passengers on Fb expressed understanding of the delay, saying “higher protected than sorry,” others voiced frustration over the surprising flip of occasions. What was initially deliberate as a week-long, three-destination cruise shortly grew to become what some described as a “cruise to nowhere.”

They wrote:

• “So principally in port for 3 days. No buying. No playing. And pretending your view is [better].”
• “Feels like RC has lots of explaining to do. They [knew] earlier than we boarded that there was a difficulty, but allow us to board so we [could] sit in Jersey for two days??”
• “Unacceptable, pilots aren’t even wanted anymore. USCG ought to step up and ensure the ships get out. How did RC not learn about this?”
• “After being on the cruise to nowhere two weeks in the past (September 28), I [would] like to see what compensation they provide to those passengers.”

Thankfully, the Symphony of the Seas was capable of persist with the revised itinerary, avoiding any further delays or cancellations as soon as situations improved.

A Passenger On Board Confirmed The Ship Set Sail Early This Morning

In a Facebook update, a passenger aboard the Symphony of the Seas confirmed that the ship departed sooner than anticipated, setting sail at 5 a.m. this morning. Regardless of the disruption brought on by the Nor’easter, the passenger remained optimistic and expressed gratitude in direction of the crew.

“We pulled away from the pier at 0500 this morning. Many due to the Port Pilots and your complete crew of the Symphony. Now let’s all have a tremendous cruise to CocoCay,” wrote the passenger.

Even with the constructive replace, with two ports faraway from the itinerary and days misplaced because of the delay, many commenters questioned what Royal Caribbean deliberate to do to compensate company—if something.

How Royal Caribbean Is Dealing with Visitor Compensation After The Nor’easter Delay

In line with a member of the Symphony of the Seas unofficial Fb group, a memo despatched to company outlined Royal Caribbean’s compensation coverage following the Nor’easter-related delay. The cruise line provided 50% off all drinks for passengers, together with a $35 non-refundable onboard credit score for individuals who had already bought drink packages. Company have been additionally allowed to go away and reboard the ship to discover New Jersey and Manhattan, so long as they returned by midnight every night time.

Shore excursions initially scheduled for Port Canaveral and Nassau have been robotically refunded as onboard credit score, with funds anticipated to return to passengers’ playing cards inside 14 enterprise days after disembarkation. As well as, Royal Caribbean supplied a Future Cruise Credit score equal to the worth of two days’ cruise fare, redeemable towards any crusing departing on or earlier than October 12, 2026.

Whereas the state of affairs aboard the Symphony of the Seas was removed from best, Royal Caribbean did step as much as deal with the disruption. Do you assume passengers have been compensated pretty for the inconvenience?