Royal Caribbean Announces Allure of the Seas Will Undergo Repairs in February 2014

Royal Caribbean International has announced that a mechanical issue has made it necessary to perform unscheduled repairs to Allure of the Seas. The repairs will take place at Grand Bahama Shipyard, in Freeport, Bahamas, the week of Feb 24, 2014. As a result, it will be necessary to cancel the Feb 23, 2014, sailing of Allure of the Seas.

"We sincerely regret that we will be unable to deliver the Royal Caribbean cruise vacation that our guests were looking forward to," said Adam Goldstein, president and chief executive officer, Royal Caribbean International. "We understand that our guests' vacation time is very precious and can assure you that we did not take this decision lightly. But it was very important to us that we bring Allure back up to speed so that she could continue to deliver the amazing cruise vacations our guests expect."

Allure of the Seas has been experiencing unanticipated bearing wear in one of its three propulsion motors. All three motors are fully operational, and there is no impact on the maneuverability of the ship or on the safety of guests and crew. However, since the rate of bearing wear is directly related to ship speed, the ship's top speed has been limited. This has reduced the rate of bearing wear, and will ensure that all three propulsion motors are fully available for maneuvering and emergencies until repairs can be completed.

"While Allure could have continued to sail at a reduced rate of speed, we felt it was important to fix the problem as soon as possible," said William D. Baumgartner, senior vice president of Marine Operations, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "We explored numerous repair options. Unfortunately, there was no satisfactory solution that did not involve taking the ship temporarily out of service."

The company said guests currently booked on the Feb 23, 2014, sailing of Allure of the Seas will receive a full, 100 percent refund, or the option to sail on select itineraries at the same rate. Additionally, until the repairs can be made, it will be necessary to make minor adjustments to Allure of the Seas' eastern Caribbean itineraries. Allure of the Seas will now call on Nassau, Bahamas, from 7:00am to 1:00pm and on Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, from 11:00am to 5:00pm. There is no need to modify Allure of the Seas' western Caribbean itineraries.

So where will the displaced Allure of the Seas passengers go in February? Because a full refund has been offered to them, other cruise lines are standing by and ready to welcome them aboard. Norwegian Cruise Line says they would love to support the booked passengers whose cruise has been cancelled and the line says they might even be able to get a better cabin for the same or less money. Their newest ship, Norwegian Getaway sails from Miami doing an eastern Caribbean itinerary on Feb 22nd. Additionally, award-winning Norwegian Epic is sailing a western Caribbean itinerary. Travel agents can also offer "perks" because Norwegian's Cruise Event sale is on.

Image Courtesy Royal Caribbean International