Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas Cancels Alaska Cruise, Leaving Passengers to Arrange Flights Home
If you were booked on the Aug. 30/Sept. 1 Serenade of the Seas sailing out of Vancouver that skipped Sitka, Juneau, Ketchikan and Prince Rupert, Royal Caribbean says you're entitled to a full refund, your existing onboard credit, a future cruise credit for 100% of fare, and reimbursement for eligible flight-change fees — contact Royal Caribbean directly to process these. The ship resumed sailing Sept. 6, so check whether that or a later departure affects your rebooking options.
This is the second Serenade of the Seas Alaska sailing this summer undone by mechanical trouble, following the July engine issue that cut short a stop in Sitka and June 29 problems that scrapped Icy Strait Point and Tracy Arm Fjord. That pattern, not a one-off glitch, is what I'd watch here. Royal Caribbean's compensation this time is unusually generous — full refund plus a 100% future cruise credit plus flight-fee reimbursement — which tells me the line knows repeat mechanical failures on one ship are becoming a credibility problem worth buying back. Passengers win on paper, but anyone who booked flights or hotels around a rigid Alaska window still ate real disruption, as the Reddit complaints about closed bars and casinos suggest. In the reader's shoes, I'd book refundable fares and travel insurance before sailing on this particular vessel again.