Massive Royal Caribbean ships have been unable to visit San Juan, Puerto Rico, for months due to ongoing improvements to the pier infrastructure. Most recently, more sailings aboard Icon of the Seas have replaced their visits to San Juan with other Caribbean ports.
The new string of changes affects cruises through July 2025. Guests booked on the May 3, June 7, June 21, and July 19 sailings received an email indicating they're no longer scheduled to call at San Juan.
"Before your vacation begins, we wanted to inform you about some changes to our itinerary. Due to ongoing improvements to the pier infrastructure in San Juan, the port operators have advised us that the port will not be ready in time for our visit," the email begins.
Three out of four of the voyages will now call at Ponce, Puerto Rico, while the July 19 voyage is skipping Puerto Rico entirely and heading to Phillipsburg, St. Maarten.
The email continues, "We'll now enjoy a visit to Philipsburg, St. Maarten on Day 4. We'll still visit Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, now on Day 5 instead of Day 4. Thank you for your understanding - it's exciting to share this new destination with you."
Instead of nixing Puerto Rico from the itinerary completely, the May 3, June 7, and June 21 voyages will visit Ponce instead of San Juan.
"Ponce has a captivating history as Puerto Rico's second-largest city is full of laid-back vibes and nostalgic charm. Enjoy a stroll through Plaza de las Delicias or unwind like a true Ponceño along La Guancha boardwalk," reads the email sent to booked passengers.
"Want to dine like a local? Set your sights on cocina criolla, a blend of Spanish, Taino, American and African flavors - be sure to try Puerto Rico's national dish, mofongo (fried [plantains] mashed with garlic and olive oil). Finish the day with a scoop of hand-churned, tropical-flavored, ice cream at King's Cream, open since 1964. Whatever you choose to do on your adventure, you're sure to have a memorable time."
Guests with pre-paid shore excursions in San Juan will receive an automatic refund to their original form of payment. No other compensation is being provided.
Read more: Icon of the Seas Cruise Ship: Review, Photos
Symphony of the Seas changes
Passengers aboard Symphony of the Seas' April 6, 2025, cruise were also notified that they'll be skipping San Juan.
"We’ll still visit Perfect Day at CocoCay, as originally planned. You’ll now get to explore the beautiful, Labadee, Haiti and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. [And] We’re dialing up the fun by adding an extra port to your itinerary! We’ll now visit Nassau, Bahamas on Day 3 of our sailing," reads the email.
The original 7-night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day cruise was scheduled to call at Perfect Day at CocoCay, San Juan, and St. Maarten, respectively. This means that other than CocoCay, the entire itinerary has been updated.
Ongoing issues docking in San Juan
Oasis and Icon Class ships have not visited San Juan since November 2024 because of ongoing construction with Pier 3-West.
The issue hasn't impacted all ships, as San Juan has more than one pier for cruises. For example, Adventure of the Seas, an older Royal Caribbean ship measuring 137,276 gross registered tons (GRT), successfully docked in San Juan on Tuesday, February 24, 2025.
In comparison, Icon of the Seas comes in at 248,663 GRT. Because of her size, Icon—and other Oasis Class ships—can only dock at Pier 3-West.
According to Cruise Mapper, Scarlet Lady, Sun Princess, Marella Discovery, and Viking Sea also arrived in San Juan on Tuesday, Feb. 25 without issue.
Large cruise ships, such as Symphony of the Seas, have been diverted from San Juan to alternative ports, including Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; and Nassau, leading to dismay from guests.
"These are major downgrades of ports…both Falmouth and Nassau suck and I tried to avoid them when initially booking the cruise," wrote one disappointed passenger on Reddit.
In January, local media outlet El Vocero reported that the Coast Guard was making progress in its repair efforts and claimed the pier could be fixed by late January. This, however, did not come to fruition.
The issue began in April 2024 when MSC Meraviglia collided with the pier and caused "catastrophic damage." San Juan Cruise Port recently filed a lawsuit against MSC, as well as its insurers, to recover some of the costs associated with the damages and repairs, as reported by The Street.
MSC is being accused of negligence for operating MSC Meraviglia with excessive speed and failure to follow proper docking procedures, including not using the available tug assistance or successfully aligning the vessel with the mooring dolphin.
A dolphin is a group of pilings that serve as a protective hardpoint along a dock and help secure a cruise ship to the pier.
The ongoing repairs are out of Royal Caribbean's hands, and the work is managed by the Puerto Rican authorities and is subject to Coast Guard approval.
