Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Inaugural cruise postponed
Royal Caribbean delays Odyssey of the Seas voyage after crew members test positive
The inaugural sailing of Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas cruise ship has been pushed back a month after eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19.
The decision wipes out a vacation for thousands of people who had planned to sail two weeks from now out of Port Everglades.
Royal Caribbean said it would contact booked passengers “with options.” The cruise line did not answer questions this morning about what those options would be.
Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley announced that the July 3 cruise would be delayed to July 31 “out of an abundance of caution” after the positive COVID tests.
All of the ship’s 1,400 crew members were vaccinated June 4 and would be considered fully
vaccinated Friday, well ahead of the cruise, Bayley said. The positive cases were identified after the vaccinations but before they were fully effective, he said in a statement posted Tuesday night on Facebook.
Most of the eight crew members have no symptoms, Bayley said.
Odyssey is the fifth in Royal’s Quantum class and the first to be based at a Florida port. It’s the 25th ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet.
The 16-deck vessel is 1,138 feet long — or longer than three football fields — and can hold 4,198 guests at double capacity, or a maximum of 5,498.
Unlike Royal’s sister brand, Celebrity Cruises, the cruise line decided not to sail with vaccination requirements and will instead conduct CDC-required test sailings to demonstrate the effectiveness of safety protocols developed to prevent onboard spread of COVID19.
Odyssey will feature the indoor sky diving attraction that was developed by former Orlando-based company iFly, bumper cars at sea and a massive gathering venue offering 270-degree views from the aft of the ship.