Serenade Of The Seas accidents and incidents

31 August 2026Structural and Technical Issues

The August 30th, 2026, cruise from Vancouver was canceled after technical repairs could not be completed in time for the scheduled departure.

Passengers were instructed to disembark the ship by 11:59 PM (6:59 AM UTC) on September 2nd.

The canceled 7-night Alaskan Cruise" (itinerary Aug 31-Sep 6, roundtrip from Vancouver, BC Canada) included visits to Sitka (Sep 1), Tracy Arm Fjord and Juneau (Sep 2), Ketchikan (Sep 3) and Prince Rupert (BC Canada).

Before the cancellation, Royal Caribbean International advised passengers that maintenance work in Vancouver would require additional time and that the itinerary would be revised/initially delayed until September 1st. The reduced 5-night itinerary included only Ketchikan and Prince Rupert.

The prolonged delay left 2143 passengers staying on the docked ship for several days while repairs continued. The uncertainty also affected passengers’ ability to make alternative travel arrangements and adjust flights and other transportation plans.

As compensation, the company provided affected passengers with a full refund (100%) of the cruise fare and a full FCC (future cruise credit) equivalent to the original fare paid. The FCC can be used on another Royal Caribbean cruise and is valid for one year from the date of issue.

The company also reimbursed flight-change fees up to US$200 per person (for domestic flights) and up to US$400 (for international flights).

The nature of the technical issue was not disclosed.

During the Alaska 2025 season, several itineraries (in June and July) were changed or cancelled due to propulsion system malfunctions and repairs.

September 2025Cruise Illness / Virus Outbreaks

In September 2025, CDC reported that on voyage 24050 (Sep 19-Oct 2), a Norovirus outbreak infected 94 passengers (out of 1874, or 5%) and 4 crew (out of 883, or 0,5%).

The predominant symptoms were vomiting and diarrhoea.

The incident occurred during the 13-day "Panama Canal Cruise" from San Diego to Miami, visiting Mexico (Puerto Vallarta, Huatulco), Costa Rica (Puerto Caldera/Puntarenas), and Colombia (Cartagena).

22 June 2025Propulsion / Power Loss

In June and July 2025, Serenade of the Seas' Alaskan schedule was affected by propulsion/technical problems.

The important point is that the issues started before the July 6th sailing, rather than being a single isolated breakdown.

Affected sailings:

June 22nd - speed/operational concerns led Royal Caribbean to shorten the return routing, losing the second Inside Passage scenic-cruising segment, and changing Ketchikan call times.

June 29th - technical issue imposed speed restrictions; Icy Strait Point/Hoonah call was canceled, Tracy Arm scenic-cruising portion was affected, and the ship proceeded directly toward Ketchikan.

The June 22nd sailing was a 7-night Vancouver round-trip itinerary that originally included Vancouver, Inside Passage, Sitka, Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Inside Passage, and Vancouver. Royal Caribbean notified passengers shortly before departure that it would eliminate the second scenic-cruising day through the Inside Passage. The stated reason was to prevent potential delays and ensure a timely return in Vancouver. Ketchikan was moved from ~1 PM-8 PM to 11:30 AM-6 PM. The announcement showed that Royal Caribbean was already concerned about the ship's ability to maintain its schedule before the more obvious propulsion problems appeared at the end of June/beginning of July.

The scheduled June 29th sailing was the first to clearly document propulsion-related issues. The round-trip from Vancouver originally included Inside Passage (Jun 30), Sitka (Jul 1), Tracy Arm Fjord and Juneau (Jul 2), Icy Strait Point (Jul 3), Ketchikan (Jul 4), Inside Passage (Jul 5) and Vancouver (Jul 6).

Royal Caribbean told passengers that Icy Strait Point (July 3) had to be cancelled because of "speed restrictions from a technical issue onboard." Instead, the ship had a sea day and proceeded directly to Ketchikan. The precise mechanical fault was not disclosed.

Passengers reported that the ship didn't make the intended scenic passage through Tracy Arm Fjord as planned, as the vessel was unable to complete the glacier/scenic portion due to mechanical limitations.

The next scheduled itinerary (departure July 6th from Vancouver) originally included Vancouver, Inside Passage, Sitka, Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Ketchikan, Prince Rupert, and Vancouver. The ship departed Vancouver on schedule, but ~2 hours later it turned around and returned to Vancouver due to engine problems. 

Serenade OTS  remained in Port Vancouver overnight while engineers worked on it. The ship ultimately departed ~6:30 PM on July 7th, roughly a day late. The scheduled visit to Sitka (Jul 8) was canceled and replaced with a sea day. Port stay times for Juneau, Ketchikan, and Prince Rupert were revised, and July 12th became a sea day.

Royal Caribbean never publicly identified the precise component that failed, while unofficial reports used various descriptions: technical issue, engine issues, propulsion problem, speed restrictions. But none establishes exactly whether the root cause was an engine, shaft, gearbox, propeller, azipod, control system, etc.

Contemporary reporting explicitly connected the July 6 incident with the problems on the preceding voyage.

26 February 2025Crew / Passenger Injuries and Overboards

(CruiseMapper-emailed report from Kelsey/received March 3, 2025)

Serenade of the Seas, 2/23/25-2/28/25 sailing dates.

Sometime during the evening of February 26th, a medical emergency caused the ship to divert to the Cozumel port to offload the ill or injured person. They did close down the casino, as I believe that is where the person had the medical emergency.

The Costa Maya port did proceed as planned. The medical emergency occurred that evening as we were returning back to Tampa Port. We were traveling between the mainland and Cozumel when it occurred, and the ship turned off into the Cozumel port somewhere around 23:00 on Feb 26th. The day at sea and return back to port went on as scheduled. 

The incident occurred during the 5-day "Western Caribbean Cruise" (itinerary Feb 23-28, roundtrip from Tampa, Florida USA) visiting Cozumel (Feb 25th) and Costa Maya (Feb 26th). The ship stayed in Cozumel for 52 min (AIS data) on Feb 27th (between 04:06 and 04:58 UTC).

14 May 2024Fire Accident

(CruiseMapper-emailed report from P. H./I wish to stay anonymous)

On May 14, 2024, the Serenade of the Seas experienced a fire in a stateroom on deck 7 (cabin 7174).

It occurred at approximately 1:07 pm (ship time). Unofficial cause - overloaded electrical outlet, extensive damage to the stateroom. The crew had it extinguished within minutes.

I am currently on the Serenade of the Seas on the Ultimate World Cruise.

Note: The accident occurred while the ship was in the Indian Ocean, en route from Dubai (UAE) to Port Louis (Mauritius).

11 February 2024Crew / Passenger Deaths

On February 11, 2024, just before the arrival in Port Long Beach (Los Angeles, California USA) a female passenger passed away. The guest and their family, we have nothing further to share at this time.

Reportedly, the elderly woman died in her stateroom. According to Royal Caribbean, the woman was booked on an itinerary segment and not part of the Ultimate World Cruise's full itinerary.

Of all passengers, just ~800 were booked on the full itinerary, while many were booked on shorter segments.

The incident occurred during the 274-day "Ultimate World Cruise" (itinerary December 10, 2023, through September 10, 2024, roundtrip from Miami, Florida USA).

You can see the voyage's full itinerary (port visits by date) the ship's Wiki page.

01 January 2023Coast Guard Medevacs

On January 1, 2023, a 43-year-old male passenger was medevaced by a USCG boat dispatched from Coast Guard Station Cortez (Bradenton, Florida USA). The man (a British national) was suffering from chest pain/possible cardiac arrest.

The ship was en route from Florida to The Bahamas when USCG Sector St Petersburg was contacted (being the closest station) for assistance at ~5:30 pm (~22:30 UTC). Then USCG St Petersburg called USCG Cortez from where was deployed a rescue boat, meeting the liner at ~8:30 pm (~1:30 UTC) approx 17 mi (27 km) off Anna Maria Island. The man was offloaded/winched and transferred to USCG Cortez, from where was ambulanced by a paramedics unit from Manatee County.

The incident occurred during the 7-day "Bahamas Cruise" (itinerary Dec 31 - Jan 7, roundtrip from Tampa, Florida USA) with call ports Freeport, Nassau, Bimini Cruise Port (North Bimini Island's Resorts World Bimini) and CocoCay.

10 March 2022Coast Guard Medevacs

On March 10, 2022, a 34-year-old male crew (suffering from abdominal pain) was medevaced from the ship, approx 80 mi (130 km) west of Tampa Bay.

Serenade OTS was without passengers and at anchorage/drifting off Tampa (Florida USA).

For the emergency medical evacuation, the USCG Air Station Clearwater dispatched an MH-60 Jayhawk/rescue helicopter crew. The man was flown to Tampa General Hospital in stable condition.

January 2022Cruise Illness / Virus Outbreaks

(Coronavirus) On January 8, 2022, due to several COVID outbreaks in the fleet, RCI-Royal Caribbean decided to cancel the following cruises in 2022:

• Serenade OTS (January 8 thru March 5), resuming services on April 26
• Jewel OTS (January 9 thru February 12), resuming services on February 20
• Symphony OTS (January 8 thru 22), resuming services on January 29
• Vision OTS (February 4 thru 25), the planned restart was postponed for March 7.

Serenade OTS had a total of 9 voyages canceled (all 7-day Western Caribbean itineraries leaving roundtrip from Tampa Florida), restarting on April 26th with the 5-day Alaskan repositioning cruise from Los Angeles (California USA) to Vancouver (BC Canada).

All affected bookings received full refunds, including non-refundable deposits (if any paid).

December 2019Cruise Illness / Virus Outbreaks

(CruiseMapper email from Jim D) On Dec 21, 2018, 12-night cruise on Serenade OTS had a significant norovirus outbreak. The ship went into to protocol with 2 days left in the sail. However, the ship failed to report anything to the passengers until the last night requesting a form to be filled out so they would know if you experienced any GI issues. We know it was Norovirus as my wife and I were both affected. We visited the ship's medical facility and filled out the CDC report as presented to us by the ship's medical staff. Given the late outbreak, we know of one other couple that developed symptoms 10 hours after the end of the cruise.

The incident occurred during the 12-day Southern Caribbean Holiday cruise (itinerary December 21 - January 2) roundtrip from homeport Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) with call ports Charlotte Amalie (St Thomas, USVI), Philipsburg (St Maarten), St Johns (Antigua), Oranjestad (Aruba), Willemstad (Curacao) and Kralendijk (Bonaire).

19 December 2017Crew / Passenger Deaths

On December 19, 2017, a total of 14 cruise ship tourists were killed in a bus crash accident near Mayan ruins (Yucatan Mexico). Of all the 27 passengers (from the Serenade ship, but also from Celebrity Equinox), 15 died (including the Mexican tour guide) and 18 were injured (3 seriously, 13 hospitalized).

The tour company (Costa Maya Mahahual) operated the excursion from port Costa Maya (approx 160 km / 100 km south of Playa del Carmen). The bus (Mercedes Benz) ran off the road and flipped over on the highway while en-route from Costa Maya to Chacchoben Ruins (approx 110 ml / 170 km south of Tulum).

The crash was due to negligence of the bus driver and exceeded speed limit. None of the passengers was using seat belts. During the accident, the Serenade ship was on 7-day Western Caribbean cruise (itinerary Dec 15-22) roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale to Key West FL, Roatan, Costa Maya and Cozumel.

24 January 2015Structural and Technical Issues

On January 24, 2015, while the ship was docked in Port NOLA New Orleans, just before embarkation a major power loss incident affected 417 cruise cabins (~800 passengers). The accident was caused by a broken water pipe, which resulted in partially flooding. Besides the affected staterooms, other parts of the ship also experienced electrical problems. Royal Caribbean refused to refund the affected passengers, offering only partial cruise credit.

On December 10, 2020, CruiseMapper received the following email from Allen Burkall.

"I read your information about a power failure onboard the Serenade of the Seas in January 2015. The information is incorrect if it was the cruise we were on. During our cruise, there was a power failure while at sea and we were towed to port of New Orleans. We were told the power failure was water shorted out electrical after coming through a hatch. There were rough seas and while waiting for an evening performance to begin in the main venue the power went out. We were actually told something about the helicopter deck."

13 October 2012Crew / Passenger Deaths

On October 13, 2012, a male crew was pronounced missing and presumably overboard. The ship was on an Eastern Mediterranean cruise and en-route from Mykonos Island (Greece) to Salerno (Italy). The man (of Philippine origin) was working on the ship as a cabin steward. Reviewing CCTV camera records showed him at ~1 am walking through a door. A search and rescue operation was conducted by Italy Coast Guard assets (5 boats, 2 aircraft), but the body was never found.

19 September 2012Crew / Passenger Deaths

(overboard) On September 19, 2012, while the ship was in the Mediterranean (Adriatic Sea) and en-route to Venice Italy, an unidentified male crew went overboard. The accident occurred near Ancona, and between 4 and 5 am, when passengers reported a person falling into the sea. Sea conditions were rough, with winds exceeding 60 mph / 100 kph. A search and rescue operation was conducted by Croatia and Italy Coast Guard assets, but the body was never found.

14 April 2012Crew / Passenger Injuries and Overboards

(sexual) On April 14, 2012, a local resident was arrested in St Kitts (West Indies, Caribbean) and charged for sexually assaulting a female cruise ship passenger. The crime was committed while the young woman was on a catamaran tour, and on the boat. The incident occurred while the ship was docked in St Kitts (at Port Zante).

27 January 2012Crew / Passenger Injuries and Overboards

On January 27, 2012, 13 passengers were injured during a bus crash accident on an organized by Royal Caribbean shore excursion in St Thomas. A female passenger suffering hip fracture was hospitalized, the other passengers sustained minor injuries. The tour vehicle was a “safari bus” (open-air). The accident happened near Beacon Point on a steep road.

25 August 2011Other Incidents

On August 25, 2011, a total of 145 passengers missed the Royal Caribbean cruise (roundtrip itinerary from San Juan Puerto Rico). The ship left the homeport early to avoid bad weather (caused by Hurricane Irene). Departure was scheduled for 8:30 pm, but the vessel was forced by port authorities to leave 3 hours early.

Of all passengers left behind, 15 had airfare purchased through RCI and were compensated with 2 hotel stays, then flown to Aruba to catch up with the ship. The other passengers were not compensated and left on their own.

29 October 2010Drug Smuggling

On October 29, 2010, while the ship was docked in homeport San Juan Puerto Rico,  US Customs officers (CBP) seized drugs onboard (cocaine and heroin) in 2 separate incidents. CBP personnel was conducting random cabin inspections using sniffer dogs. First, they discovered 3 brick-sized cocaine packages located in a passenger stateroom between the beds.

In the second incident, a luggage inspection exposed a large number of shoes, inside which the officers found heroin wrapped in duct tape. The estimated worth of the drugs was USD 324,000 (heroin) and USD 84,000 (cocaine). Four passengers were arrested and charged with drug trafficking.

May 2009Cruise Illness / Virus Outbreaks

On May 9, 2009, the ship was on a 14-night Panama Canal repositioning cruise to Alaska from Florida, While in Icy Strait and en-route to Sitka AK, a female crew (working as dining room waitress) was tested H1N1 positive (infected by swine flu virus /influenza). Two other crew were reported with swine flu symptoms a week ago.

19 August 2008Crew / Passenger Injuries and Overboards

(sexual) On August 19, 2008, a female crew was sexually assaulted in her cabin by a 30-year-old male crew (of Turkish origin). The man was arrested in Juneau AK after she complained to the local police.

November 2006Cruise Illness / Virus Outbreaks

October-November 2006, CDC reported on voyage Oct 29 to Nov 11, a Norovirus outbreak (gastrointestinal illness) infected 68 passengers (out of 2023, or 3,4%) and 9 crew (out of 854, or 1,1%).

All sick suffered from Norovirus symptoms (vomiting, diarrhoea) and were quarantined to their cabins.

On the next voyage (Nov 18 to 25), another Norovirus outbreak affected a total of 101 passengers (out of 2241, or 4,5%) and 3 crew (out of 848, or 0,4%).

27 August 2006Propulsion / Power Loss

On August 27, 2006, upon embarkation passengers were informed that the vessel will be operating at reduced cruising speed due to a propulsion problem (malfunction of one of the Azipods). Ports of call were not dropped, but arrival/departure port times were altered.

23 January 2004Ship Listing

On January 23, 2004, the ship sharply turned causing 13,5 degree listing for 20 sec. The incident was caused by a human error (miscommunication between crew). As a result of the listing, the indoor pool overflew and flooded a stairway. A total of 24 passengers and 4 crew sustained minor injuries.