Medical Emergency Causes Significant Delays for Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas in Galveston

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Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas experienced an eight-hour delay returning to her homeport in Galveston, Texas, on Sunday, 15th December 2024, due to a medical emergency requiring an unscheduled evacuation.

Aerial shot of the world's largest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas.

The delay impacted both the debarkation of the prior sailing and the embarkation of the ship’s next voyage.

The delay stemmed from a medical emergency involving an elderly passenger on Friday, 13th December, two days before the scheduled return to Galveston.

The passenger, an elderly woman on her first cruise, showed symptoms of what might have been a stroke or aneurysm, prompting the ship’s medical team to order an emergency evacuation.

At the time, Harmony of the Seas had already left Cozumel, the final port of call on its itinerary, and was sailing back to Texas. Due to high winds, a helicopter evacuation was deemed unsafe, forcing the ship to reverse course back to Cozumel.

Harmony of the Seas could not divert to Cancun, which was closer, because the massive Oasis-class ship could not be accommodated at Cancun’s facilities.

The woman was successfully evacuated in Cozumel for medical care, but the time needed to complete the process caused a significant delay in the ship’s return to Galveston.

There are no further updates on her condition as of now, though her family has set up a GoFundMe account to assist with the expected costs of stabilizing her condition and transporting her back to the U.S.

Guests scheduled to board Harmony of the Seas for her next 7-night Western Caribbean sailing were notified of the delay and updated check-in times.

Originally, embarkation was planned to begin at 11 am, but the new schedule asked guests to arrive nine hours later than their originally selected check-in time.

  • Earliest check-in: Guests who originally had an 11 am check-in time were asked to arrive at 8 pm
  • Latest check-in: Guests with a 2 pm check-in time were asked to arrive at 11 pm

The cruise terminal remained closed until 8 pm to allow time for debarking passengers to leave the ship and avoid congestion at the terminal and parking facilities.

Compensation for guests

Royal Caribbean is compensating passengers affected by the delay with the following:

  • Onboard credits (amount varies by stateroom category)
  • Prorated refunds for pre-cruise purchases of Wi-Fi packages and drink packages impacted by the late embarkation

To accommodate late arrivals, dining venues onboard Harmony of the Seas, including the main dining rooms and Windjammer buffet, remained open longer than usual to ensure all guests could enjoy a meal after boarding.

Despite the delay, no changes are being made to the ship’s itinerary, which will visit Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel as originally planned.

While shorter delays are not uncommon in cruise operations, extended delays like this are rare.

Recently, Carnival Liberty experienced a similarly long delay in New Orleans due to a combination of events, including a medical emergency, an equipment issue, and a weather delay.

The delay of Harmony of the Seas highlights the complexities of managing medical emergencies at sea, especially for large ships like those in the Oasis class.

While the inconvenience is significant for incoming passengers, Royal Caribbean’s proactive communication, onboard credits, and the decision to keep the ship’s itinerary unchanged have been well-received by most travellers.

And of course, the most important thing is the welfare of the passenger who required emergency evacuation – hopefully they are able to make a full recovery.

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