Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas was stuck in Progreso, Mexico, overnight due to technical issues. As a result, the ship's return to New Orleans, Louisiana, has been delayed.
User cgbdpm shared the news to a Royal Caribbean Blog discussion forum on Oct. 24, saying, "Currently on [Brilliance] of the seas in Progresso, Mexico. We should have left port 2 hours ago and captain said engineers said we should be underway hopefully soon. Sounds like engine issues."
CruiseGus later commented that the ship was just sitting in port with the casino closed. "Big revenue lost," they added. Not only that, but they mentioned that the bars were "slammed."
The issues come at the end of a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise from New Orleans, Louisiana. Progreso was the last port of call, following Cozumel, Mexico, and Grand Cayman.
As of 11:00am EST on Friday, October 25, the vessel's location has moved, indicating the ship has successfully departed Mexico.
"We are moving.. I will update when they give us an arrival time for New Orleans," commented cgbdpm on the discussion forum.
Brilliance of the Seas, a 90,090 gross registered ton ship launched in 2002, is due back in New Orleans on Saturday, Oct. 26. However, Brilliance was supposed to have a full day at sea en route back to Louisiana. Now, the ship is expected to arrive in NOLA around 5:00pm, delaying the next cruise's departure.
The Radiance Class vessel is scheduled to depart on a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Progreso on the 26th. However, Royal Caribbean emailed impacted guests informing them of a delayed embarkation process.
"We’re excited to welcome you onboard Brilliance of the Seas for our October 26, 2024, sailing! Before you head to the terminal, we have an important update to share with you," the email reads.
"To ensure a smooth boarding process, all guests should plan on arriving at your new arrival time as listed below. All guests must be checked in and onboard by 11:00 PM and we'll now set sail at 11:30 PM. Additionally, arriving earlier than your adjusted time will result in being turned away until your new check-in time. Please arrive no later than 10:30 PM."
Moreover, the email states that while no ports of call have been canceled, the times will differ because of the delayed departure. Additionally, Monday will be a sea day, with Cozumel's stop being moved to Wednesday.
Brilliance will be docked in Grand Cayman from 8:00am to 4:00pm on Tuesday, Oct. 29, Cozumel from 10:00am to 6:00pm on Wednesday, and Progreso from 9am to 6:00pm on Thursday. Then, the ship will have one day at sea before returning to NOLA on Saturday, Nov. 2.
As compensation, Royal Caribbean is providing guests with a refund of one day's cruise fare as onboard credit, as well as a pro-rated refund for prepaid daily packages and gratuities. Any unused credits will be refunded to the card on file up to 14 business days from disembarkation.
Issues earlier this year
During her stint in Australia and the South Pacific, Royal Caribbean canceled a 5-night cruise onboard Brilliance of the Seas due to unexpected technical issues.
The previous 11-night sailing was also impacted, with the ship canceling its scheduled stops in New Caledonia, Mystery Island, Port Vila, and Luganville. Instead, the vessel returned to Sydney, Australia, 4 nights earlier than anticipated.
Moreover, the April 4, 2024, cruise's departure date was pushed back to April 7.
Brilliance of the Seas isn't the first Radiance Class ship to struggle with technical problems
Last September, Radiance of the Seas canceled two Alaska cruises because of unplanned technical problems with the ship's propulsion system.
Passengers on the Sept. 1 sailing were informed on embarkation day that their cruise was canceled. As guests had already boarded the ship, Royal Caribbean let them stay onboard for two nights to give them time to adjust their travel plans. The Sept. 7 cruise was canceled as well.
The issues continued into 2024, with Royal Caribbean altering a 4-night open-jaw sailing from Los Angeles to Vancouver. Though passengers disembarked on April 26 as scheduled, all stops along the way were canceled, and Radiance arrived in Canada at around 9:00pm on April 25, spending the night in port.
Subsequently, the April 26 cruise was canceled, too. Passengers found out after they had boarded the ship. Guests boarded as planned after being informed that their departure would be delayed by two days to allow ample time to fix the issue.
However, around mid-day on Sunday, an announcement was made informing passengers that their cruise would have to be canceled to fix the ongoing technical problem.
