Storm Forces Independence of the Seas to Abandon Bermuda for Canada
Key Aspects:
The October 24, 2026 sailing of Independence of the Seas will be visiting Canada instead of Bermuda for the 5-night cruise.
A gale warning off the East Coast of the U.S. makes sailing to Bermuda too unsafe and uncomfortable for the planned itinerary.
The ship will be staying overnight in Saint John, New Brunswick and guests are being provided with onboard credit as compensation.
Royal Caribbean has reached out to guests booked on the Saturday, October 24, 2026 sailing of Independence of the Seas to alert them to a complete itinerary change. Instead of the 5-night sailing heading for Bermuda, the 3,858-guest ship will be heading to Canada.
Guests were notified of the change late on Thursday, October 22, less than 48 hours before embarkation in Cape Liberty, New Jersey.
“Along with our meteorology team, we’ve been closely monitoring inclement weather developing off the East Coast,” the email explained. “The weather’s impact make is hard to provide you with a safe and comfortable journey to Bermuda.”
Independence of the Seas was to have had an overnight visit to King’s Wharf at the Royal Naval Dockyard from 9 a.m. on Monday, October 26 until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27. Because that is no longer possible, the ship will be sailing north.
“After exploring all of our options, we’ve decided to sail to Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada for an overnight stay instead,” the email confirmed.
The ship will arrive in Saint John at approximately 10:30 a.m. on Monday and will remain docked until 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Compensation Provided Per Stateroom
Royal Caribbean is providing guests a refundable onboard credit for this change. Each credit is per stateroom, with $150 USD for inside staterooms, $200 for outside staterooms, $300 for balcony staterooms, and $500 for suites. For third or more guests in each stateroom, an extra $50 will be added to the onboard credit.
The email notification also confirmed that any pre-paid shore excursions booked through Royal Caribbean for Bermuda will be automatically cancelled and refunded to guests’ onboard accounts.
Any credit amounts remaining at the end of the sailing will be refunded to the credit card associated with those onboard accounts.
Multiple Cruises Changing Course
Several different ships have made similar itinerary changes recently due to poor weather.
Cruise Hive reported that the October 18, 2026 departure of Oasis of the Seas from Cape Liberty was rerouted to Halifax, Nova Scotia instead of Florida and the Bahamas for its 7-night itinerary.
The October 17, 2026 departure of Vision of the Seas from Baltimore, Maryland was also rerouted to Canada with a visit to Saint John, New Brunswick instead of the original Bermuda itinerary for the 5-night cruise. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the last-minute change for that sailing, guests were not permitted off the ship to explore Saint John.
Ironically, less than a month earlier, the September 24, 2026 Vision of the Seas sailing was rerouted in the opposite direction, sailing south to Florida and the Bahamas instead of north to Canada and New England when a powerful nor’easter impacted multiple ships at the end of September.
Weather Update
The National Weather Service has a gale warning in place for the mid-Atlantic waters off the east coast, between the U.S. and Bermuda, in the wake of Post-Tropical Cyclone Josephine. The warning area extends from 60-250 nautical miles offshore.
Winds on Friday, October 23, are 15-25 knots, which will increase to 25-35 knots on Saturday and as high as 40 knots through Saturday night and into Sunday. Seas will range from 7-19 feet over the next several days, with scattered showers and thunderstorms throughout the region.
Storm Forces Independence of the Seas to Abandon Bermuda for Canada