RCI-Royal Caribbean updated the situation with its Quantum of the Seas ship needing to slow her speed and skip Alaska glacier visits.
Passengers booked on Quantum OTS on August cruises were emailed to inform them that the liner would skip glacier viewings on the sailing and the August 1, 8 and 15 (7-day long Alaskan roundtrips from Seattle Washington) were impacted.
A new email was sent on Sunday, July 3, to passengers booked on Quantum OTS to update the situation as to why the change was necessary.
According to RCI, the max speed limitations were caused by "a technical issue with one of the engines."
However, RCI reminded that the liner has 4 diesel engines, only one of them required repairs, and the repair parts were delayed.
"Quantum has four engines. One requires some repair and there's a delay in receiving the parts needed. Additionally, another engine is scheduled for routine maintenance soon, which means we'll have to reduce our overall speed during these sailings."
"While we're doing everything we can to expedite this, the global supply chain situation that we're all experiencing is further impacting the delay."
RCI added they had tried to find an alternative but the logistics were not simple.
"We've been working tirelessly to find a way to visit Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier for your sailing, but this would result in drastically reduced port times.
"And given that there's always a risk of missing the Glacier due to weather, it's best to go with the surer option of keeping better times in port. The decision to modify our itinerary wasn't taken lightly.
"We've done everything possible to minimize the impact to your time with us and are sorry for the inconvenience."
RCI included a change to the compensation for the 7-day "Alaska Glacier Cruise" itinerary change: the amount of onboard credit offered is one full day of the cruise fare paid, per person; unused onboard credit will be available to be refunded back to the client's credit card.
If not visiting the glacier causes someone to no longer wish to sail, Royal Caribbean will allow a cancellation.
Passengers have until July 17 to change their minds in case they no longer wish to sail. They can get a full refund, including non-refundable deposits and pre-paid amenities.
Guests have to contact their travel agent to cancel and should get a refund within 14 business days.
RCI will allow the refund amount to be moved to a different voyage.
For more Quantum Of The Seas incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.