Thousands of cruise travelers are facing major disruption after two onboard medical emergencies prompted one of the world’s largest cruise ships to make an urgent change of course.
Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas was heading back to Cape Liberty when it was diverted to Nassau, Bahamas, so that two passengers could be taken ashore for immediate medical care.
Among the two critically ill guests is a seven-year-old child.
The unplanned stop has set off a wider travel headache, affecting both passengers aboard the 226,000-ton Royal Caribbean ship and thousands of people due to embark on its next sailing on Sunday.
Guests who had anticipated arriving in New Jersey at about 6am Sunday were told the ship is now expected to reach port closer to 2pm, putting flights, hotel reservations and onward travel arrangements at risk.
And the fallout is expected to continue even after current passengers disembark.
The following Oasis of the Seas cruise has been delayed by up to eight hours, forcing the cancellation of its planned Port Canaveral, Florida, visit.
Royal Caribbean informed guests on board through a letter outlining the abrupt itinerary change.
Oasis of the Seas made a dramatic course reversal after two passengers needed emergency medical care
“As our Captain previously announced, our medical team determined that two guests required urgent medical attention,” the cruise line said.
‘We successfully debarked our guests so they could receive additional medical care.’
But getting those passengers to hospital required a substantial diversion from the ship’s journey north.
‘As a result, we’ll now be delayed in our return to Cape Liberty,’ the letter continued.
‘We plan on arriving at approximately 2:00pm, with debarkation starting around 2:30pm. We appreciate your patience and understanding, knowing we’d do the same for you or a loved one in a similar situation.’
The first emergency involved a young child. With the ship already sailing away from the Bahamas, the captain made the decision to turn the enormous liner around and head back toward Nassau, so the youngster could be transferred to hospital.
Then, as the ship raced back toward the Bahamian capital, another passenger also fell critically ill, according to CruiseHive.
Both passengers were ultimately taken off the ship in Nassau.
One of the medical emergencies involved a critically ill seven-year-old child. A second passenger then became critically ill while the ship was already racing back toward Nassau
Royal Caribbean has not disclosed the nature of either illness or provided updates on the patients’ conditions, and there is no indication the two medical emergencies were connected.
But the dramatic U-turn put the vessel so far behind schedule, that making up the lost time before Sunday’s planned arrival became impossible.
Tracking data showed Oasis of the Seas was already roughly 120 miles northeast of Nassau, east of Treasure Cay, when it reversed course.
That left the ship with hundreds of additional miles to cover before it could resume its long journey north to New Jersey.
Royal Caribbean is now offering assistance to those forced to scramble for new travel arrangements.
Each stateroom will receive 60 minutes of complimentary internet access so passengers can contact airlines, hotels or relatives together with up to $400 in compensation per passenger to offset any flight change fees.
Both passengers were taken ashore in Nassau, pictured, for further medical care. The emergency diversion means the liner is expected back in New Jersey around eight hours late
Thousands of vacationers also preparing to board Oasis of the Seas for her next seven-night Bahamas voyage have also been told their plans are changing before they have even set foot aboard.
The ship will now depart eight hours later than planned and instead of heading to Florida, the ship will sail directly to the Bahamas.
The ship was once the world’s largest cruise ship when she entered service and can carry more than 6,000 passengers at full occupancy, in addition to thousands of crew.