A dense winter fog on Saturday morning, December 6th, disrupted cruise ship operations along Florida’s west coast, enveloping Tampa Bay and necessitating the temporary closure of the Port of Tampa Bay (Florida US). The low visibility prevented safe navigation, delaying the docking of three RCI-Royal Caribbean vessels: Rhapsody of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas, and Grandeur of the Seas. Each ship’s arrival was postponed by at least 8 hours, affecting both returning voyages and the subsequent sailings scheduled to depart the same day.
All three vessels belong to Royal Caribbean’s Vision Class, among the older ships in the fleet, with gross tonnages ranging from roughly 73,800 to 82,900 tons and entry into service in the mid to late 1990s. Rhapsody of the Seas had been returning from a 7-night Western Caribbean itinerary and was scheduled to embark on another week-long voyage with calls to Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Belize. Enchantment of the Seas had completed a 5-night cruise to two Mexican ports and was preparing for another five-night journey visiting Costa Maya and Cozumel. Grandeur of the Seas had concluded a 7-night itinerary and was set to sail again for a week-long cruise calling Cozumel, Belize, Roatán, and Costa Maya.
Originally scheduled for early-morning docking, all three ships were unable to disembark passengers until late afternoon or early evening. For instance, guests on Rhapsody of the Seas who had appointments for terminal arrival around 11:00 a.m. were advised to plan for arrival between 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The delays affected passengers waiting to disembark as well as those preparing for new sailings. Port of Tampa Bay confirmed that all cruise traffic was delayed due to the fog.
Royal Caribbean communicated with guests via email to explain that the terminal would not be open for embarkation until the fog cleared, noting that boarding schedules would be adjusted accordingly. Rhapsody of the Seas ultimately received clearance to enter the bay first, allowing operations to resume in the late afternoon.