Royal Caribbean CEO Gives Update on Radiance of the Seas Repairs

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley issued an update on repairs to the line's Radiance of the Seas cruise ship on Wednesday, confirming that an Azipod issue will result in two cruise cancellations this month.

"As our guests know we canceled our September 1st sailing due to a technical issue with propulsion. One of the ships Azipod’s had a problem requiring highly specialized technicians from Northern Europe to travel to Alaska to fix and repair that problem," Bayley wrote in a Facebook post.

"While repairs are progressing well, we will not be ready for our September 8th sailing. We are sorry for this news and understand the disappointment. All of our guests booked on the September 8th sailing will receive an email explaining all the details for their refund etc.," he added.

The ship is expected to be ready in time for its September 15 departure.

"To our September 15th guests we are confident repairs will be completed in the next few days in time for your sailing and we will keep you informed should that change," said Bayley.

"To our shipboard crew and shoreside staff who have worked tirelessly to manage this situation and support getting our guests home safely a big thank you and to our guests whose vacation was so rudely interrupted our apologies," Bayley concluded.

The cruise line boss also shared a link to the Azipod page on Wikipedia. The marine propulsion unit consists of a fixed pitch propeller mounted on a steerable gondola or pod containing the electric motor driving the propeller, which allows ships to be more maneuverable.

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