Oct 28, 2026
On October 21, more than 5,000 passengers who booked a Bahamas cruise ended up in Halifax after stormy weather forced Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas to change course.
The ship left New Jersey on Oct. 18 for a seven-day trip that was supposed to include Florida and the Bahamas. Instead, passengers were forced to trade tropical beaches for an autumn visit to Nova Scotia. In fact, some passengers only received several hours’ notice before boarding, according to CTV News.
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For Nicholas Meli, who drove with his family from Toronto to New Jersey for the cruise, the disappointment was straightforward.
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“I am already from Canada, and I wanted to go to the Bahamas,” he told CTV.
Royal Caribbean did provide passengers with cash and travel vouchers to help make up for the disruption. Some passengers welcomed the unexpected stop, including a Hamilton traveller who told CTV he actually enjoyed returning to Halifax.
For Canadians booking a cruise, the diversion is a reminder that you may not end up where the itinerary says you will. Even if your ship sails, weather or other circumstances can create a safety hazard and force an itinerary change, and your booking terms or travel insurance may leave you without any recourse for the change in plans.
Don’t assume insurance will cover a diverted cruise
Some Canadian travellers may believe that trip interruption insurance will provide some sort of financial reparation if bad weather forces the ship to change course. But a diverted cruise won’t necessarily qualify, even if it misses every planned destination.
According to Canadian government guidance, trip interruption insurance covers qualifying disruptions after you leave. Before you buy insurance, ask the provider whether you could claim any expenses if your cruise sailed for the full trip but replaced all its scheduled ports. Ask specifically what coverage applies and ask the provider to point you to the relevant policy wording.
If you book additional excursions, check their cancellation terms, too. You could lose those payments if the ship skips a port, and any compensation from the cruise line may not cover them.
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An approaching storm can limit your insurance options
Buying insurance early can help protect you against an unexpected storm, but it doesn’t guarantee a payout if your cruise changes course. Your policy still needs to cover the disruption and the losses you claim.
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For example, Travel Guard’s hurricane guidance says travellers must buy coverage before a storm is named. Policies purchased after that point exclude cancellation and interruption losses caused by that hurricane. This explains when coverage must be purchased, but it doesn’t establish whether a rerouted cruise would qualify.
Before you book, you may also want to check seasonal storm risks along your planned route. As you get closer to the departure date, review weather forecasts and destination advisories to understand what might affect your sailing.
Before booking, test your protection against a rerouting
Ultimately, travellers are responsible for reading the cruise contract’s provisions on substituted ports and cancellation charges. Then ask the insurer to explain, in writing, what would happen if the ship changed destinations but continued sailing.
Remember to check refund deadlines for independently booked tours before you pay. And if visiting one particular stop is critical to your plans, decide whether you can accept the possibility of missing it.
If your cruise changes course, keep the original itinerary, the operator’s notice and records of refunds or credits. Contact your insurer before you cancel any arrangements or pay for replacements. You never know what may or may not be covered.
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Colin Graves is a Winnipeg-based financial writer and editor whose work has been featured in publications such as Time, MoneySense, MapleMoney, Retire Happy, The College Investor, and more. Before becoming a full-time writer, Colin was a bank manager for over 15 years.
