A Royal Caribbean cruise ship headed to New Jersey has been delayed after two passengers — including a 7-year-old child — were rushed off the vessel in “critical” condition in the Bahamas Friday afternoon.
The Oasis of the Seas was held up in Nassau and is now expected to arrive at its Cape Liberty home port in Bayonne around 2 p.m. Sunday, about eight hours later than originally scheduled, according to Cruise Hive.
A captain’s announcement stated that two people, including the child, were critically ill and were evacuated to hospitals on the island just after 1 p.m. on Friday, that outlet reported.
The nature of the illnesses and the current health of the sick passengers has not been announced by the cruise line
Royal Caribbean did not tell passengers that the illnesses were contagious or that they were at risk of becoming sick themselves, according to a letter to passengers shared to Facebook.
“As previously announced by our Captain, our medical staff determined that two of our guests needed urgent medical attention. We successfully debarked our guests so they could receive additional medical care. As a result, we’ll now be delayed in our return to Cape Liberty,” the letter from the ship read.
Royal Caribbean said that any flights affected by the change in schedule would be “automatically adjusted” by their flights team and that the cruise line would cover air change fees up to $200 for domestic travel and $400 for international travel, according to the letter.
The 10-deck, 1,187-foot-long cruise ship — one of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class vessels — is now moving at 20 knots (23 mph) towards Bayonne, according to a captain’s announcement, Cruise Hive reported.
Royal Caribbean did not respond to request for comment.
Read the full article here
