Grandeur of the Seas Cruise Terminated in Freeport, The Bahamas: Passengers to Fly Home

Adam Goldstein meets with passengers aboard
Grandeur of the Seas

After assessing the damage from last night’s fire aboard Grandeur of the Seas, Royal Caribbean has made the decision to terminate the rest of the current voyage and arrange flights for all passengers to return to the ship’s homeport, Baltimore, Maryland.

Guests on Grandeur of the Seas’ current aborted sailing will receive a full refund of their cruise fare as well as a certificate for a future cruise.

Offering a first-hand account of the situation was West Michigan native Brian Goss, a former Grand Rapids Fire Department firefighter and current fire chief in Brentwood, Tennessee. Aboard at the time of the fire with his wife, children, and some friends, Goss offered a very positive assessment of the emergency to WOOD TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Goss said he wasn’t too nervous about the fire until crew members began one step of the ship's safety procedures. “Not really, until they detached and lowered the lifeboats,” Goss said. “That was a little unnerving.” He also said, “I assumed that the professionals fighting the fire had things under control, which they did. Shipboard firefighting is a unique animal and they are well-trained and well-practiced. I simply tried to help keep people calm at our muster station, as anxiety was high among some of the older passengers.”

The Captain & Royal Caribbean executives
meet with passengers aboard Grandeur of the Seas

No announcement has been made yet regarding future sailings, but it goes without saying that it’s unlikely that Grandeur of the Seas will be back in service for its next cruise. One fortuitous aspect of the ship reaching safe harbor in Freeport, The Bahamas is the availability of the island’s shipyard and dry dock facility where final repairs, shipboard operating enhancements, and the addition of new features to the fire-stricken Carnival Triumph were recently undertaken.

Images Courtesy of Royal Caribbean International