Royal Caribbean International said the debut of the 4,200-passenger Odyssey of the Seas has been delayed from November 2020 to April 2021.
"The health crisis has unfortunately impacted shipyard operations, as well as our supply chain," the cruise line said in a letter to travel advisors. "As a result, the debut of our newest fleet member, Odyssey of the Seas, will be delayed, resulting in the unfortunate cancellation of all sailings between November 5, 2020, and April 17, 2021."
The 168,000-gross-ton Quantum Ultra-class ship will spend its inaugural season sailing Eastern Mediterranean cruises from Rome, before arriving to the U.S. in November 2021. Originally, the ship was to first homeport at Port Everglades and operate Caribbean cruises over the winter.
"We are saddened to have to share this news," Royal Caribbean said. "There's nothing we wanted more than to launch this revolutionary ship this fall - but trust us when we say that Odyssey will be well worth the wait!"
The compensation options from our global suspensions will also apply to these impacted sailings, including a 125 percent future cruise credit or the "Lift and Shift" that protects pricing and promotions and moves the guests to the same itinerary, length, product, and stateroom category as the original sailing within four weeks of the original sail date in 2021.
Travel agents with affected clients will be notified directly with the details.
The company also revealed that two onboard activities will not be included on the Odyssey of the Seas. There will no longer be a trapeze school in the SeaPlex. Also, guests must be at least 7 years old to jump, and at least 13 years old to jump with a virtual reality headset, on the Sky Pad.
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