You’ve picked the perfect itinerary. The custom “Family Cruise 2026” t-shirts are packed. The shore excursions are booked, special dining reservations made, and drink packages purchased. After spending years saving, months planning, and weeks anticipating your international cruise, you finally get onboard — only for your itinerary to be changed at the last minute. Now what?
Cruise ship itinerary changes, while uncommon, can occur for a variety of reasons, usually due to weather conditions (especially during hurricane season) and medical emergencies. Just this week, a Royal Caribbean ship was diverted from its planned route around the Caribbean because of a storm developing on the East Coast. Instead of visiting beautiful, sunny islands, the ship was rerouted north to Canada. Passengers, who were notified shortly before the Oasis of the Seas departed from New Jersey on October 18, began sharing their complaints on social media.
