US couple out $3,500 over Alaska cruise ship cancellation in Vancouver

What was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Alaska ended up being a major disappointment for hundreds of cruise ship passengers after the vessel suffered mechanical issues and had to be docked in Vancouver over the weekend, to only later be cancelled outright.

The Radiance of the Seas vessel from Royal Caribbean International had issues before it even arrived in Vancouver, forcing passengers to miss out on two stops along the route in order to make it to Vancouver on time to pick up more passengers.

It was set to depart Friday, April 26 from Vancouver and head to Ketchikan, Alaska, before returning to Vancouver through the Inside Passage on May 3.

However, it was paused due to propulsion issues, and guests on board were offered to enjoy the activities and bar while they waited to leave on Sunday. They spent Friday and Saturday night on the ship while it sat at the harbour.

Among them were Christie Gransden and her husband, Don, who had flown from Detroit, Michigan, for the trip and were stuck on board waiting and wondering.

“A year and a half ago, I booked myself and my husband on our first Alaskan cruise. I worked tons of extra shifts, planned everything out to the T, and spent the money to make it a first-class Alaskan dream cruise vacation,” Christie shared about the trip.

Christie and Don Gransden on the flight. (Submitted)

On Saturday, the Facebook group Cruise News You Can Use shared a screengrab of a message delivered to guests about the mechanical issues and delays.

But, when Sunday arrived, it was determined that the repairs seemed to take longer than they expected, and guests were ordered off and everyone was given a refund.

“We were told on Friday that we’d sail Sunday the 28th. Then Saturday, the captain announced that the cruise was cancelled and we had to debark on Sunday by 4 pm,” Christie said.

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It was a big blow for many passengers who had been excited about the trip and who didn’t live locally.

“I do wish they had cancelled before we left and just refunded what we paid. We could have used the plane tickets to go somewhere else,” Christie explained.

“They kept stating that they were going to sail on the 26th, as planned,” she said about the messaging.

Stuck on the ship far, far, away from Alaska (Submitted)

Submitted

“[Royal Caribbean] is doing their best to make it up to us, and for that I am grateful. Honestly, though, I really wanted to go to Alaska. We’ll be heading home on Monday, and there won’t be any of the pictures I promised,” she added.

While they will get the refund for the cruise in a few weeks, the trip itself was not cheap, and they won’t get a big chunk of that back.

They paid US$2,700 for two first-class plane tickets, plus the hotel in Vancouver for the first night set them back C$300. Add in Lyfts, taxis, and food, it was an additional $200.

For Sunday night, after they eventually learned the cruise was cancelled, they had to pay for another hotel, which set them back approximately C$500.

Submitted

“Also, there was parking at the airport in Detroit. That was US$110. So we’ll say approximately $3,500 extra dollars,” Christie said.

“Royal really did a lot to make it tolerable. They did open the bars, but they were limited due to the international waters rules. Also, they couldn’t open the shopping, or the casino, also due to the port rules,” she said. “It really was a waste of perfectly good plane tickets and time to go from Detroit to Vancouver and just sit on a broken ship.”

The ship has remained in local waters, but an image from Canada Place on Wednesday afternoon shows it no longer occupies space in the docking area.

The Port of Vancouver confirmed that information, and it told Daily Hive that the vessel has been docked at Lynnterm Terminal in the Burrard Inlet while it is being repaired.

It’s believed that those repairs are completed, and it’s scheduled to depart for its next Alaska trip on May 3.

We’ve reached out to the company for comment.