Approximately 1,700 passengers boarded Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas in Vancouver on September 1, 2026, for an Alaska cruise originally scheduled to depart on August 30, 2026. The itinerary was shortened from seven nights to five nights before boarding due to maintenance issues.
Passengers boarded the ship while it was docked in Vancouver and used the vessel during the wait. Some areas, including the casino, remained closed. Passengers were allowed to disembark and explore Vancouver while awaiting departure, and some visited Whistler, Canada before boarding.
Royal Caribbean announced cancellation of the cruise later on September 1, 2026, instructing passengers
to leave the ship by midnight on September 2. Many passengers had already made flight and hotel booking arrangements and had to rearrange travel plans. Some stayed in vacation rentals in Bellingham, Washington.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson told USA Today and Fox News the cancellation was necessary to accommodate ongoing maintenance on Serenade of the Seas. The maintenance issue had been known to the company before the original August 30 departure date. No specific technical details were publicly provided.
Passenger Arielle Anderson, a lawyer from South Carolina, described panic on board, saying, “Everybody was kind of panicking, so we were
all just sitting in one of the bar areas, and everybody was just on their phones.” She added many had “been looking forward to this since Christmas.” Royal Caribbean offered affected guests full refunds, 100% future cruise credit, reimbursement for flight change fees, and pro-rated refunds for dining and beverage packages.
Serenade of the Seas resumed another Alaska cruise from Vancouver on September 6, 2026. Maintenance problems on cruise ships can affect thousands of travelers, especially after passengers have arrived at the departure port.
