Royal Caribbean passengers bound for the Bahamas woke up to a Canadian surprise.
The cruise line diverted its massive Oasis of the Seas to Halifax, Nova Scotia, last weekend after stormy weather made the original tropical route impossible. The ship had departed New Jersey on Oct. 18 carrying more than 5,000 people expecting a seven-day Caribbean getaway.
Passengers received roughly half a day’s warning about the switch. Many had packed for beach weather and suddenly needed winter layers they did not bring.
Marie Durning, a New Jersey resident, recalled her husband’s disbelief when the news arrived. “My husband said to me, ‘This is a joke, right?'” she told CTV News. Durning managed to find her winter hat and earmuffs, but admitted, “I forgot my scarf.”
The situation proved especially awkward for Canadian travelers who had traveled south specifically to escape the cold. Nicholas Meli of Toronto had driven seven hours with his family to reach the New Jersey port. “I’m very disappointed,” he told the outlet. “I am already from Canada, and I wanted to go to the Bahamas.”
Actress Mikayla Iverson captured the passenger frustration in an Instagram video filmed at Newark Airport after she landed. “Just got told after landing in Newark that our family Bahamas cruise leaving in literally 12 hours, we will now be going to Nova Scotia?!? And that we will not be allowed to leave the ship all week. @royalcaribbean, we don’t have the clothes for this,” she wrote in the post, which drew 1.4 million views.
The restriction on leaving the ship while in port added another sting to the changed itinerary. Some passengers coming from distant states had no opportunity to swap their suitcases for cold-weather gear.
Royal Caribbean offered cash compensation and travel vouchers to affected customers. The cruise line did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Not everyone let the disappointment ruin the voyage. Dwayne Hicks of Philadelphia gathered his group with a practical mindset before boarding. “Due to the fact that we spent a nice penny on this trip, I told everybody to take out their frustrations before they get on the cruise ship, because once we get on the ship, I don’t want to hear about that,” he told CTV News.
Fellow passenger Jim Matthews of New Jersey struck a similar tone. “It is the way the dice fell for us, but I’m grateful and I’m going to make the best of it,” he shared. “And I have found out that Halifax is a beautiful city.”