Symphony of the Seas will depart on December 1, 2024 for a seven-day trip to the Eastern Caribbean – but it won’t be the route her 5,518 guests originally booked.

Sailing the round trip – that is based in Miami, Florida – would visit San Juan, Puerto Rico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and CocoCay, Bahamas. But due to an ongoing problem at the San Juan cruise port, this route is no longer possible.

“We were recently informed by the Port Authority in San Juan, Puerto Rico, that due to technical issues with the pier and the work that needs to be done and approved by the USCG for accepting a vessel of our size, to accommodate our route adapt to our pace,” Royal Caribbean wrote a letter to affected guests.

While guests can still experience Perfect day at CocoCay – the cruise line’s private island destination in the Bahamas – visits to San Juan and Philipsburg have been replaced.

The Oasis-class ship will now visit Falmouth, Jamaica, and Labadee, Haiti – where Royal Caribbean has another exclusive resort-style destination.

“We apologize for the inconvenience caused by these changes. Nevertheless, we are excited to visit our private destination and a new port with you!”, the letter continued.

Falmouth, Jamaicais known for its history, culture and natural beauty – from waterfalls and swimming holes to pristine beaches.

The newly planned visit to Labadee may be extra exciting – and perhaps controversial – just for Royal Caribbean recently returned to his private destination in October after a months-long hiatus due to safety concerns.

That said, the cruise line has reassured guests that the destination is safe as Labadee is far away away from civil unrest takes place elsewhere in Haiti and is heavily guarded by private security.

When will San Juan resume full activities?

Neither San Juan authorities nor Royal Caribbean have confirmed exactly what is wrong with the cruise port or how long it will take to resolve.

That said, the right staff in San Juan are certainly working hard to resolve the issue – as the cruise port has big goals expand its cruise ship activities. But without knowing the details, it’s impossible to estimate exactly how long the repair will take.

Symphony of the Seas won’t be returning to San Juan until Christmas Day, so hopefully everything will be repaired, inspected and approved by the appropriate officials by then.

However, it is also entirely possible that other large ships that sail earlier to the popular Caribbean port will be affected.

Medium to large cruise ships – such as Serenade of the Seas, Celebrity ApexAnd Top Celebrities – are currently due to visit the port before the end of November.

Also read: San Juan Cruise Port – Amenities and What’s Nearby

This is also not the first route to be disrupted for the 228,081 gross tons Symphony of the Seas because of the unresolved issues in San Juan.

An earlier sailing to the Eastern Caribbean, which departed from Miami on Sunday, November 17 also had a trip change because we can’t visit Puerto Rico.

In this case, the visits to San Juan and Philipsburg were replaced by visits to Labadee and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

Royal Caribbean has not publicly offered any compensation for the changes to either the November 17 or December 1 sailings – although the cruise line said its official letter could be used to make a travel insurance claim if necessary.

Typically, Royal Caribbean will cancel any shore excursions booked through the cruise line in these cases, but guests booked with other companies or tour providers must adhere to their specific supplier’s cancellation policy.