Arielle Anderson and her family boarded a Royal Caribbean cruise to Alaska this week, but the ship never left port. The 28-year-old from South Carolina said her mother booked the voyage as a gift, and they had been looking forward to the trip since Christmas.
About two days after they embarked in Vancouver, Canada, Royal Caribbean announced that the sailing aboard Serenade of the Seas had been canceled due to a mechanical issue. “To accommodate ongoing maintenance, we’ve had to cancel our sailing,” Royal Caribbean Group, the cruise line’s parent company, said in an emailed statement. The company apologized for the inconvenience but did not specify the nature of the repairs.
The trouble began before departure. On Aug. 22, the cruise line emailed guests, saying the weeklong Alaska itinerary would be cut to five days because of additional maintenance work. The original Aug. 30 sailing date was pushed back to Sept. 1. Passengers were offered refunds or the option to board the ship early and use it as a hotel while docked in Vancouver.
Anderson said her family nearly canceled but decided to continue, since they were flying in from different parts of the U.S. “It was going to be more of a hassle for us to cancel the trip and get refunded those tickets and do something else,” she recalled. They drove to Whistler to explore before boarding the ship on Sept. 1.
Once aboard, passengers were told they would need to clear immigration screening before departing. The announced times came and went without instructions. That afternoon, they learned the process had been delayed. While waiting, guests had access to much of the ship, though the casino was closed. Some chose to get off and explore Vancouver.
That evening, the mood shifted. “Everybody was kind of panicking, so we were all just sitting in one of the bar areas, and everybody was just on their phones,” Anderson said. “People were really upset because everybody was trying to find flights and hotels and stuff.”
Royal Caribbean gave passengers until midnight the following day to disembark. The canceled voyage had been scheduled to visit Sitka, Juneau, Ketchikan and Prince Rupert.
Compensation for affected guests includes a full refund, a future cruise credit equal to 100% of the fare, reimbursement for eligible flight-change fees, and pro-rated refunds for dining and beverage packages. Previously issued onboard credit remains valid.
This wasn’t the first time Serenade of the Seas experienced technical troubles. In July 2025, the ship returned to port for overnight testing after engine problems. Days earlier, its June 29 sailing skipped Icy Strait Point and scenic cruising in Tracy Arm Fjord due to technical issues, with passengers receiving onboard credit equal to one day of their cruise fare.
The cancellation stirred reactions across social media. One Reddit user called it “an immense disappointment,” saying it was his girlfriend’s birthday cruise with family and friends and had been “an utter disaster and disappointment from start to finish.” Another complained that only a few bars were open, with no shops or casinos. A different user wrote, “Oh my, what a disaster. Glad I canceled and didn’t board.”
Anderson’s mother found a rental car, and the family drove to a vacation rental near Bellingham, Washington. They kept their original flights home from Vancouver. “We just got an Airbnb down here, and have just been hanging out around here, hiking and whatnot,” she said. “Definitely not what we planned, but (we’re) trying to make the best of it.”
Royal Caribbean said repairs have been completed and the ship welcomed guests for its next scheduled seven-day Alaska cruise on Sept. 6.
