RCI-Royal Caribbean has informed passengers of booking cancellations for an upcoming cruise on Rhapsody of the Seas on Sunday, September 15th due to damage sustained by one of the ship’s lifeboats during a previous voyage.
As the vessel no longer meets the capacity requirements for lifeboat accommodation under the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations, the impacted bookings have been canceled.
SOLAS mandates that each passenger must have a designated seat on a lifeboat or life raft in the event of an emergency. With one lifeboat now out of service, the ship is unable to provide sufficient space for all passengers.
The cancellations affect only those passengers assigned to the damaged lifeboat. Affected guests will receive a full refund, along with an FCC/future cruise credit equal to the amount they originally paid. The FCC is redeemable through September 2025.
Rhapsody OTS is set to continue her regular 7-night roundtrip itineraries from San Juan (Puerto Rico), with stops in destinations St Croix, St Thomas, St Maarten, and Barbados. The ship will remain homeported in San Juan until her relocation to Tampa (Florida) in November 2025 (RepositionCruises.com).
The statement sent to guests whose cruises were canceled said:
"On our previous sailing, there was damage to one of our tender boats, which also serves as a lifeboat. This leaves the ship over capacity for the number of available lifeboat seats in the event of an emergency in our next sailing. Unfortunately, this means we’ll be unable to welcome you onboard.
"We know this is disappointing news and we’re terribly sorry for the impact on your vacation plans."
For more Rhapsody OTS incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.