Royal Caribbean reported a fire onboard Grandeur of the Seas early this morning and after assessing the damage, the cruise line has decided to cancel the remainder of the cruise.
Royal Caribbean issued a short statement on its decision via social media, "We have assessed the damage to Grandeur of the Seas and have made the decision to cancel the remainder of this voyage. We are currently arranging flights for all guests onboard to return to Baltimore, Maryland tomorrow. Guests on this sailing will receive a full refund of the cruise fare as well as a future cruise certificate. Information about upcoming sailings onboard Grandeur of the Seas will be posted as soon as it is available."
Royal Caribbean also set up a phone hotline for getting more information on the cruise, especially about people who may be on the ship. The toll free number is 888-824-0012. International callers should call +1-408-916-9000.
A fire broke out at 2:50am on Monday and while no one was hurt, the ship's Captain decided to muster all passengers as a precaution. The fire was put out at 4:58am and the ship was redirected to Freeport for further evaluation.
Royal Caribbean reported no injuries beyond passenger calls for incidents such as fainting, reports of high blood pressure and an ankle sprain.
Throughout, the ship’s power, propulsion and communications systems functioned uninterrupted.
Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein and a Guest Care team are en route to Freeport to meet guests.
Grandeur of the Seas was supposed to sail to CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island. Instead it sailed right to Freeport, Bahamas for evaluation.
The Grandeur of the Seas sailed out of Baltimore, with a stop at Port Canaveral before the fire.
