Passengers aboard the RCI-Royal Caribbean ship Ovation of the Seas staged demonstrations at the vessel’s guest services desks after the scheduled scenic transit to Hubbard Glacier was removed from the current Alaska itinerary.
Video recordings and social media posts circulating online showed groups of guests chanting demands for the restoration of the glacier visit following the Captain’s announcement of the itinerary revision.
The disruption was understood to be linked to redevelopment work underway at Port Seward.
According to passenger accounts, the itinerary had originally been scheduled to conclude in Seward before operational and construction-related issues prompted a late change of arrival port to the Whittier Cruise Terminal shortly before departure.
The alteration reportedly created additional navigational and scheduling constraints for the vessel. Passengers stated that the captain advised the ship would need to enter the narrow approach to Whittier during the early hours of the morning, amid heavy marine traffic, in order to maintain the revised timetable. As a consequence, the scenic cruising segment at Hubbard Glacier was withdrawn from the voyage plan.
For many aboard, the cancellation represented the loss of one of Alaska’s principal cruising attractions. Hubbard Glacier is widely regarded as a defining highlight of itineraries through the region’s glacier-lined waters.
Some passengers further alleged that members of the crew had indicated the glacier call might have been in doubt earlier in the voyage, a suggestion that contributed to dissatisfaction on board. Those claims, however, were not publicly confirmed either by the ship’s command or by representatives of Royal Caribbean International.
For more Ovation of the Seas incidents and accidents, see the ship's CruiseMinus page