Royal Caribbean Embarkation Delay Two Days Before Sailing
Every cruise guest wants to maximize their time on board, whether that means selecting the earliest possible terminal arrival time, strategizing those first few chaotic minutes after embarkation, or heading straight to one’s stateroom.
Guests boarding Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas in Los Angeles, California on Friday, July 11, 2025, however, will have to wait a bit longer to get started on their cruise vacation.
The cruise line has emailed booked guests with an update, notifying them that the ship will be undergoing cleaning and maintenance just prior to embarkation. During that time, the cruise terminal will not be open.
“Prior to boarding, Navigator of the Seas will conduct routine cleaning and maintenance. During this time, the terminal will not be open for embarkation, and we will need to push back our boarding,” the email explained.
Guests must now arrive anywhere from 30-90 minutes later than their originally selected cruise terminal arrival times. Earlier arrival windows have the longest delay, while the latest (and typically least popular) arrival times are not delayed as much.
For example, guests who selected to arrive at 10:30 a.m. must now arrive at noon, and likewise, guests who planned to arrive at noon must now wait until 1:30 p.m.
The only times that aren’t delayed by a full 90 minutes are the 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. arrival times. Guests with those pre-selected arrival times should all plan to arrive at the Los Angeles Cruise Terminal by 2:30 p.m.
It must be noted that 2:30 p.m. is the latest possible arrival time and all guests should be checked in an onboard Navigator of the Seas no later than 3 p.m.
At this time, there is no change to the ship’s 7-night Mexican Riviera itinerary, and there have been no adjustments to the visits to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.
Why Is the Cleaning Necessary?
Royal Caribbean has not given any further details about why the “routine cleaning and maintenance” may be necessary, as it is certainly not something that happens before every cruise departure.
There has been no official report of a gastrointestinal illness outbreak onboard Navigator of the Seas. It is possible there may have been some cases reported but without reaching the threshold of an official outbreak, and this extra cleaning could be simply a precaution.
Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas (Photo Credit: Martin Augustus)
Another possibility could relate to the previous cruise, ending on July 11, which is a themed Art Cruise sailing. It may be that different spaces could have been converted for that voyage’s special activities, and now those spaces must be cleaned and restored for regular sailings.
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This would take extra time and could necessitate the slight delay for the next embarkation.
Guests booked on future cruises might be concerned that their sailings could be similarly impacted, but there is no indication that any other departure dates will have delayed embarkation.
The 140,000-gross ton, Voyager class Navigator of the Seas is homeported from Los Angeles year-round, offering 3-, 4-, 6-, and 7-night Mexican Riviera itineraries.
The ship can welcome 3,386 guests at double occupancy, or up to 4,000 guests when fully booked with all berths filled. Also onboard are 1,200 crew members who work hard to ensure everyone aboard has a fun and relaxing cruise vacation, no matter when they board the ship.