Royal Caribbean canceled a planned visit to San Juan Puerto Rico, amid protests against the governor in the capital of the US territory.
Owen Torres, a spokesman for Royal Caribbean, said that in light of current unrest in San Juan they had canceled Tuesday’s call to Puerto Rico and continued to monitor the situation closely to make adjustments as necessary to ensure the safety and security of their guests and crew.
Empress of the Seas, which was scheduled to stop in San Juan on Tuesday, July 16, was rerouted to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Passengers will receive refunds for all prepaid shore excursions. Tortola was on the itinerary as a planned stop on Wednesday, July 17.
The ship left Miami FL on Saturday on an 8-day Caribbean voyage with stops planned for Royal Caribbean's private island, CocoCay Bahamas, San Juan, Tortola BVI, and St Thomas USVI.
Thousands of protesters marched in San Juan, Puerto Rico to call for Gov. Ricardo Rossello's resignation. Nearly 2 years ago, Hurricane Maria exposed the dysfunction of Puerto Rico, collapsing neglected infrastructure and leaving several thousand dead on Rossello’s watch. Last week, a couple of his top former officials were arrested by the FBI on corruption charges.
The scandal threatening to buckle the 40-year-old governor centers on an online chat with 9 other male members of the administration. The leak of 889 pages of the private chat sank Rossello into the deepest crisis of his career.
Future stops in San Juan haven't been canceled but Royal Caribbean is "monitoring the situation and will make adjustments if necessary."