Guests booked aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Grandeur of the Seas on the ship’s November 4, 2022 sailing have been notified of a delayed embarkation, pushing back arrival times at the cruise terminal by three hours or more. This can cause problems for arriving travelers, but is not expected to strongly impact the overall cruise.
Guests Notified of Delayed Embarkation
Guests booked on the impacted sailing of Grandeur of the Seas have received email notification of the change in embarkation times.
“Boarding for your sailing will begin later than originally expected and as a result, your current arrival window is no longer available,” the email read. “We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused by this.”
Guests are advised to select a new embarkation window via Royal Caribbean’s website or the official cruise line app, with boarding expected to begin after 3:30 p.m. Travelers who arrive too early may be turned away until their later boarding time.
Other Options for Travelers
While the delay is only a few hours, it could cause complications for travelers arriving for their cruise. While local passengers driving to the port only need to similarly delay their own departure from home, it is important to note that the new embarkation window does intersect with end of day work traffic, which can be significant in downtown Miami.
Travelers flying in to Miami or other regional airports on the day of the cruise may want to consider slightly later flights if they can change their arrival plans, or else opt for one of the many amazing things to do in the area, such as a trip to the beach, visiting the award-winning Miami Zoo or the Miami Seaquarium, taking a bus tour, exploring a local park, or other options.
Guests who are arriving in Miami a day or two before the cruise and have hotel arrangements may want to call their hotel to see if they can arrange for a later check-out on November 4, or likewise enjoy some of Miami’s many attractions before heading to the cruise port later than originally planned.
Why the Delay?
No reason has been given for the embarkation delay, but there could be several possibilities. Ongoing port operations, other marine traffic, local construction in the pier area, or U.S. Coast Guard operations could all impact a cruise ship’s schedule.
Fortunately, the Vision-class ship will not be debarking guests that morning, so no one will be delayed arriving back at the homeport. This is because Grandeur of the Seas is currently sailing 4-5 night itineraries from Galveston, but will be repositioning to Miami in early November.
In fact, the ship’s slightly delayed departure on Friday, November 4, is the first sailing from Miami as the ship begins to offer Eastern and Southern Caribbean itineraries for the winter, until it relocates to Tampa in April 2023.
The November 4 cruise is a 9-night Southern Caribbean sailing, visiting six different ports of call including St. Kitts, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, and more.
The ship will debark its last Galveston guests two days earlier on November 2, and then make the move from Texas to Florida without carrying passengers. This means its arrival in Miami can be very flexible.
The few hours of delay at embarkation is not likely to impact the rest of the ship’s itinerary, especially since the first day of the cruise is a day at sea and the ship’s speed can easily be adjusted to compensate for the brief delay.
Grandeur of the Seas is the oldest ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet, having entered service for the cruise line in 1996. Up to 1,992 guests can enjoy the vessel at double occupancy, and as many as 2,440 passengers may be onboard when the ship is fully booked.
