Key Aspects:
- A powerful nor’easter is impacting New Jersey, where Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas was due to set sail on a 7-night Bahamas Voyage on October 12, 2025.
- Because of current conditions, the port has temporarily closed and the ship will be stuck in New Jersey until the stormy weather passes.
- Itinerary changes have not been confirmed at this time, but they are likely coming soon.
It’s no secret that stormy weather can be unpredictable, and Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas has had to change plans a second time to avoid a powerful nor’easter that is impacting the US East Coast.
The voyage in question is the Oasis-class ship’s 7-night sailing to the Bahamas that embarked in Cape Liberty, New Jersey, on October 12, 2025.
Just days ago, the cruise line notified passengers booked on this voyage that embarkation would be moved up by two hours to try to leave the port before the worst of the weather hit.
The plan was to depart at approximately 1 or 1:30 p.m. EST, instead of 3:00 p.m. EST.
But now that embarkation day is here, it’s no longer safe to try to out-sail the storm and the Port of New York and New Jersey has temporarily closed until the storm passes early next week.
For context, Cape Liberty is located in Bayonne, New Jersey, which sits within the New York Harbor on the Upper New York Bay.
New Jersey was placed under a state of emergency on the night of October 11 due to the weather, with flooding and wind advisories in effect for both New Jersey and New York through at least the evening of Monday, October 13.
New York was also placed under a state of emergency that will be in effect from 12 p.m. EST on October 12 through 8 p.m. EST on October 13.
“Flood & Wind advisory in effect from today 12 noon to Mon 10/13 6PM. The region is forecasted to experience sustained winds of 15-25MPH with 35-50MPH gusts,” Port of NY & NJ posted on X.
Several inches of rain are still expected to fall in the next day or two, and stronger gusts reaching up to 60 miles per hour have already been reported.
Ship Likely Stuck in Port Until Tuesday
As seen on cruise tracking data, the Royal Caribbean ship did briefly leave the pier to make way for a container ship, but she has since re-docked.
“It is now official, staying in port overnight per a ship announcement,” one current guest shared on Facebook. “Leaving dock briefly to make room for a container ship but then returning to the dock.”
Previous email communications from the cruise line to current passengers also make it clear that Symphony of the Seas will not leave the port until it is safe to do so.
“Due to the deteriorating weather conditions, we will continue to monitor the ocean storm system and only depart once we deem it is safe to do so,” Royal Caribbean wrote.
Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas Docked at Cape Liberty (Photo Credit: Brian Logan Photography)
Read Also: What You Should Know About Cruise Port Cancellations
Although the cruise line hasn’t announced itinerary changes just yet, they are likely coming.
The Port of New York and New Jersey isn’t expected to reopen until the morning of Tuesday, October 14, 2025, which coincides with when the 5,518-guest ship was supposed to make her first port call of the sailing in Port Canaveral, Florida.
“The Sandy Hook Pilots are not currently operating due to a temporary closure of the Port of New York and New Jersey until 11:00 AM on October 14, 2025,” a current passenger confirmed.
Port Canaveral will almost definitely have to be skipped, but there may still be hope for the other two ports on the itinerary.
As things currently stand, Symphony of the Seas is expected in Nassau, Bahamas, on October 15, and Perfect Day at CocoCay on October 16.
Additional cruise ships that are currently in New York Harbor, including MSC Cruises’ MSC Meraviglia and NCL’s Norwegian Getaway, may also be impacted by the weather-related closure.
TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 1 and American Cruise Lines’ ACL American Glory are also due to visit New York tomorrow, on October 13, and may need to make alternate arrangements.
Cruise Hive will continue to keep you updated as more details are known.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com
