Cruise Ship Turns Around After 2 Passengers Fall Critically Ill

A Royal Caribbean cruise ship was forced to turn around in the middle of its trip after two passengers became critically ill, including a 7-year-old child.

The Oasis of the Seas was about 100 nautical miles from Nassau on Friday, Sept. 18, when the first passenger needed emergency medical attention. Nassau had the closest available hospital, so the ship changed course and headed back toward the Bahamas.

Then another passenger became critically ill. Passengers told CruiseHive that the captain announced one of the passengers needing medical care was a 7-year-old child. Royal Caribbean has not released the medical conditions of either passenger.

Both were eventually taken off the ship in Nassau so they could receive additional medical care. For the roughly thousands of other people on board, the emergency meant their cruise — and everything they had planned around it — was suddenly running several hours behind schedule.

The Ship Was Supposed To Be Back In New Jersey on Sunday

The Oasis of the Seas left Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey, on Sept. 13 for a seven-night, round-trip sailing to the Bahamas. It was supposed to return Sept. 20.

Instead, Royal Caribbean warned passengers that the ship would arrive about eight hours later than originally scheduled because of the medical emergency.

In a letter shared with guests, the cruise line confirmed that the two passengers had been successfully taken ashore so they could receive additional medical treatment. The company also offered passengers some help with the fallout from the delay.

Each stateroom was offered 60 minutes of complimentary internet access so guests could change flights and make other travel arrangements. Royal Caribbean also offered up to $200 per person for domestic airfare change fees and up to $400 for international airfare change fees.

That was particularly important for passengers who had flights waiting for them after the ship returned to New Jersey. An eight-hour delay isn't something most people can simply absorb when there's a plane ticket involved.

The Oasis of the Seas eventually made it back to Cape Liberty on Sept. 20. But the late arrival created another problem: the next group of passengers was already waiting to board.

The Next Cruise Was Delayed, Too

The ship's next sailing was scheduled to leave Cape Liberty at 3 p.m. Sunday. That didn't happen.

According to Men's Journal, passengers were given new arrival windows beginning at 6 p.m. instead. They were reportedly warned not to arrive ahead of their assigned time because they could be turned away while the ship was still being prepared. The itinerary also changed.

The cruise was expected to skip its planned Sept. 22 stop in Port Canaveral, Florida, and sail directly to Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay destination in the Bahamas. That meant passengers who had planned to spend the day in Port Canaveral had to change their plans, too.

Royal Caribbean was reportedly refunding prepaid excursions for the canceled stop. Affected staterooms were also set to receive onboard credits ranging from $100 to $200, depending on the cabin category. So an emergency involving two passengers ended up affecting the schedules of people on more than one sailing.

Why The Ship Turned Around

Cruise ships have medical facilities and medical personnel on board, but there are limits to what can be handled at sea.

When a passenger is seriously ill, the ship's location becomes a major factor. A hospital may be hours away, and continuing toward the next scheduled port could put even more distance between a sick passenger and the care they need. In this case, Nassau was the closest available option.

The Oasis of the Seas was already about 100 nautical miles away when the first passenger needed emergency care. Rather than continue the voyage, the ship turned around. The second medical emergency happened while the ship was returning to Nassau. Royal Caribbean later told passengers that both guests had been successfully taken ashore. The company also thanked passengers for their patience and understanding, saying it would make the same decision if one of their passengers or a loved one were in a similar situation.

The cruise line has not said what caused either passenger to become critically ill. It also has not provided a public update on their conditions. For the passengers who were on board, that left a very different cruise from the one they had expected.

The Oasis of the Seas still made it back to New Jersey. Passengers still got home. The next sailing still went forward. But there were delayed flights, changed arrival times, a canceled port stop and a whole lot of rearranging along the way. And it all started with two people who needed medical attention far from shore.

For them, getting to a hospital mattered more than keeping the cruise on schedule. The ship turned around and took them there.

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