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Royal Caribbean’s ‘Utopia of the Seas’ experienced an hours-long delay while departing Port Canaveral in Orlando, Fla., on July 20
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Passengers on Utopia of the Seas reportedly faced hours-long delays due to mechanical issues before departing Port Canaveral in Florida
The ship’s itinerary was adjusted, with Nassau becoming the first stop followed by Perfect Day at CocoCay
Utopia of the Seas, part of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class, took its maiden voyage in July 2024
Cruise passengers preparing to depart for a four-day, round-trip Eastern Caribbean sailing were reportedly met with an hours-long delay due to mechanical issues on the vessel.
Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas cruise ship was scheduled to depart Port Canaveral outside Orlando, Fla., on Monday, July 20 at 4 p.m. local time, according to CruiseMapper. The initial schedule was set to include a stop at the company’s Perfect Day at CocoCay on July 21, a call to Nassau on July 22, then a day at sea before returning to Florida. However, passengers on board the vessel reported mechanical issues preventing an on-time departure.
“This is my 51st cruise and I’m experiencing a first… I’m on the Utopia of the Seas and it’s currently 9:36 and we still haven’t left Port Canaveral. We were supposed to leave at 4!” travel agent Alyson Tunnell, a passenger on board, wrote on Facebook. “We are having some sort of mechanical issue.”
The ship reportedly remained docked in Orlando well into the night. Data from Marine Vessel Traffic shows Utopia of the Seas did not make it out to the Atlantic Ocean until the early hours of Tuesday, July 21.
The ship’s cruise director, Marc Walker, took to Facebook that morning to give an update on cruise operations. “Good morning! Yesterday was a long day for many of the crew. Here I am filing our updated daily TV show after midnight (just 6 hours ago),” he wrote.
In the comments, passengers were quick to commend the crew’s quick decision-making. “When all of the changes were announced last night, I knew you and your crew were busy recreating schedules to make everything seem like it was meant to be,” one user said. “Excited to have a flip flop day with Coco Cay.”
According to Cruise Hive, the vessel adjusted its itinerary to put Nassau as its first port of call on July 22, before visiting CocoCay on July 23.
A schedule for Nassau Cruise Port shows Utopia of the Seas arrived in the Bahamas around 6:30 a.m. local time. The ship is scheduled to depart at 5:30 p.m.
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PEOPLE has reached out to Royal Caribbean for more information on the delay.
Utopia of the Seas took its maiden voyage in July 2024. The 236,000 gross tonnage vessel can accommodate up to 2,290 crew members and 5,668 guests at double occupancy. It is the sixth and newest member of the company’s Oasis class fleet.
Read the original article on People
