For months, passengers aboard one of Royal Caribbean’s largest cruise ships have missed visiting one of its planned cruise ports because of damage to the pier.
Repairs taking place at the only terminal in San Juan, Puerto Rico that can accommodate Royal Caribbean’s mega-Oasis-class ships are taking longer than expected, forcing the cruise line to cancel Symphony of the Seas’ most recent Caribbean itinerary destinations.
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The last-minute itinerary changes left many passengers disappointed, but cruise lines have no control over ports. In the meantime, the best it can do is find an alternative port to visit.
On recent sailings aboard Symphony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean has replaced San Juan and St. Maarten with visits to Falmouth, Jamaica, and the cruise line’s private destination in Labatee, Haiti, according to the Royal Caribbean Blog.
On a message board on the Royal Caribbean blog, passengers expressed their disappointment at the changes to their itineraries.
“I’ll be sailing on the Symphony in February,” JChipps said. “It was frustrating for me because I did choose this trip to go to a port I hadn’t been to yet. And paid a fortune for it.
But passengers may not need to worry about Symphony of the Seas itinerary changes for much longer. New reports out of San Juan suggest the port may soon be able to welcome the ship again.
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LOIC VENANCE/AFP/Getty Images
Port of San Juan Pier 3 West reopening process underway
In April 2024, an incident occurred at West Pier 3 in the Port of San Juan, resulting in the loss of a dolphin mooring structure near the main pier, and the U.S. Coast Guard took over operational control of the facility.
In November, the Coast Guard announced that the terminal would remain closed to cruise ships until further notice, pending a required satisfactory assessment study and then a Coast Guard on-site inspection of the facility. The port’s other terminals remain open to cruise ships but cannot accommodate the giant Oasis-class ships.
“Since the loss of the facility’s mooring structure, Coast Guard preventive personnel have been actively working with the San Juan Cruise Port and the Puerto Rico Port Authority to determine whether the structure remains suitable for cruise ship operations,” Luis J. Rodrigo said Capt. St. John’s, U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan commander and San Juan Port Capt.
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Captain Rodriguez continued: “We understand the inconvenience this causes, however, it is critical to ensure the safety of the port, cruise ships and the thousands of people who operate on or visit the island through the port facilities.” My team is ready to take action as soon as we receive the long-awaited study from the San Juan Cruise Port and Puerto Rico Port Authority.”
The assessment studies have been submitted to the Coast Guard for review, according to recent reports in local media.
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San Juan docks to reopen as soon as January 20
According to Puerto Rican newspaper El Vocero, the San Juan cruise port is working to meet Coast Guard requirements in order to reopen its terminals in the near future.
The newspaper received a statement from the cruise port stating that “a team of engineers has completed all necessary structural assessments of the pier, which have been submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) for review.”
It is expected that West Pier 3 will receive Oasis-class ships again as soon as this month. El Vocero reports that “all regulatory and operational conditions are expected to be met by January 20, 2025, allowing the largest cruise ships to arrive for the remainder of the season.”
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The Coast Guard has not released an update on the status of the pier. Its November announcement about the terminal closure stated that its operational controls must be lifted before the terminal can be reopened to cruise ships.
Once a satisfactory assessment study is submitted to the Coast Guard, San Juan Prevention Division port facility personnel will conduct an on-site inspection of West Pier 3 to confirm the assessment results and determine if operational controls can be released.
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