Royal Caribbean confirms cruise ship fixed its propulsion problem and will resume cruises

Good news: Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas has made the necessary repairs to be able to resume cruises.

The cruise line was forced to cancel an Alaska cruise at the last minute on Radiance of the Seas due to a problem with the ship’s propulsion.

The cruise line confirmed the issue has been resolved.

Guests booked on the May 3rd, 2024 sailing received the email they were hoping for that their cruise is a go.

Radiance of the Seas repairs complete

The email sent overnight said, “We’re happy to share that our teams are finishing up the technical work onboard right on schedule and we’ll be ready to welcome you on May 3rd, as planned!”

“Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we work to get the ship into tip-top shape for you. See you onboard Radiance of the Seas!”

The next sailing is an open-jaw 7-night sailing from Vancouver to Seward that will visit Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, and Skagway in Alaska.

The trouble began for Radiance of the Seas last week when a repositioning cruise between Los Angeles and Vancouver when the ship encountered some sort of an issue with its propulsion, as it became visible only one engine was being used.

Guests were informed the ship would need to sail at a reduced speed, and as a result, the ship would skip the rest of the planned stops and go directly to Vancouver.

Radiance of the Seas has two Azipods, which are multidirectional pods that drive the ship and can be rotated 360 degrees and are have been the standard form of propulsion for all of Royal Caribbean’s new cruise ships in recent years.

Radiance made it to Vancouver, but then informed guests on the April 26 7-Night Alaska Glacier sailing they would sail a shortened cruise because an additional two days of repairs would be needed.

Passengers boarded only to be informed a day later their cruise had to be cancelled in order to carry out the necessary repairs. 

Those on the cancelled sailing were issued a full refund, plus a future cruise credit that can be used for a future sailing.

2024 Radiance of the Seas Alaska season

Radiance of the Seas will offer 7-10 night Alaska cruises in 2024 that can also combine with Land Tours to offer immersive visits to Alaska, including in-land destinations such as Denali.

Radiance is sailing alternating, open-jaw itineraries between Vancouver and Seward.

Radiance of the Seas can accommodate 2,466 guests onboard (at maximum occupancy), with more than 800 crew members working on the vessel.

Radiance will remain in Alaska waters until her September 20, 2024 sailing.

More about Alaska cruises