Royal Caribbean International has cancelled an upcoming cruise to sail a relief mission to Caribbean islands affected by Hurricane Maria.
The line has deployed Adventure of the Seas to help with evacuation and humanitarian efforts in the wake of Maria, which struck the region last week.
The 3,114-passenger vessel’s sailing tomorrow (September 30) has been cancelled after the ship was sent out earlier this week to make relief calls in the Puerto Rican capital San Juan as well as St Thomas and St Croix in the US Virgin Islands.
Adventure of the Seas is being used to aid the evacuation effortsin the destinations and transport supplies, the line said in an itinerary update on its website.
The ship will bring evacuees to Fort Lauderdale before returning to San Juan on October 6 to prepare for its next cruise the following day.
Royal Caribbean said: “We are very sorry for the impact this storm has had on your vacation.
“The cruise fare and fees will be 100% refunded to the original form of payment, and we are also offering a 25% future cruise credit, based on the cruise fare, if a new cruise is booked in the next 30 days.”
The line confirmed that pre-booked shore excursions will also be refunded.
A number of upcoming itineraries in the Caribbean have been changed due to the impact of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico as well as earlier storm Hurricane Irma affecting St. Maarten and St. Thomas.
Ships with altered itineraries in addition to Adventure of the Seas include Allure of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas.
“As the recovery effort remains fluid and each island is working diligently to get back to normal operations, we will continue to communicate any port changes approximately four weeks prior to departure,” Royal Caribbean added.