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Empress of the Seas sailings cancelled due to renovation delays
Royal Caribbean International has cancelled an additional seven sailings due to further delays in the renovation of the Empress of the Seas.
The line had already scrapped its first six cruises from late March due to the overrun and now adds sailings scheduled for April 25, April 30, May 5, May 9, May 14, May 19 and May 23 to the cancellation count.
The ship’s refurbishment has proven to be more complex than expected, the company said.
"As work has progressed, we learned that more significant infrastructure and physical improvements across the ship’s multiple galleys and provisioning areas were needed to meet our high standards," a Royal Caribbean statement said.
"We decided that instead of simply repairing the five galleys, we would completely rebuild them, starting from scratch with entirely new infrastructure and all new equipment, at a cost of $10 million."
The 1,800-passenger ship had rejoined the Royal Caribbean fleet after sailing for sister brand Pullmantur.
Ship renovation work began in February.
The line said guests booked on the cancelled sailings can get a full refund.
They can also re-book for the same cruise fare on sister ships Majesty of the Seas or Enchantment of the Seas through June 27 or take a later sailing on the Empress of the Seas until July 23.
All guests who re-book will be given onboard credit.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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