Winter Storm Fern is impacting multiple cruise ships in the northeast, including Carnival Pride in Baltimore and MSC Meraviglia in Brooklyn, and now Odyssey of the Seas has joined that list.

The Quantum-Ultra-class ship is homeported from Cape Liberty, New Jersey, and will now be late returning to her Garden State homeport due to poor weather conditions. Naturally, this has the knock-on effect of shortening the next cruise by a full day.

Royal Caribbean has reached out to guests on the ship’s January 26 (now January 27) itinerary with their updated plans.

“Due to the major winter storm affecting much of the east and northeast US, and the impacts to land-based travel and port operations, we are delaying our arrival into Bayonne by one day,” the email sent to guests confirmed.

“This will allow for the weather to improve and shore based-operations to recover. For many guests experiencing difficulty getting to Bayonne, we hope this relieves some worry as you’ll have an extra day to make it there safely. We will now be sailing on Tuesday, January 27th with an updated itinerary.”

According to Flightaware, the three closest airports to the Cape Liberty Cruise Port are showing the following delays and cancellations on Sunday, January 25:

• Newark Liberty International Airport (12 miles away) – 20 delays, 909 cancellations
• LaGuardia Airport (20 miles away) – 32 delays, 899 cancellations
• John F. Kennedy International Airport (25 miles away) – 37 delays, 956 cancellations

As the storm is not expected to clear the East Coast until early Monday morning, additional delays are possible. Furthermore, flight schedules will be chaotic for several days following the storm as delayed travelers must catch up with their plans.

With Odyssey of the Seas now planning to set sail on Tuesday, guests will have extra time to even out their travel plans and arrive at the cruise terminal without missing the ship.

Itinerary Adjusted for Shortened Sailing

Odyssey of the Seas is returning from an 11-night (now 12-night) Southern Caribbean itinerary. The ship’s next sailing was to have been a 12-night cruise, but will now instead be an 11-night sailing, also with a Southern Caribbean route. Unfortunately, the shortened itinerary cannot accommodate all the originally planned ports of call.

“Due to this change, our calls to San Juan, Puerto Rico and Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas will be canceled and instead we’ll enjoy some extra time onboard,” the cruise line confirmed.

With no alternative ports available, this makes Odyssey of the Seas‘ upcoming itinerary as follows:

• Tuesday, January 27 – Depart Cape Liberty at 3 p.m.
• Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, January 28-30 – Days at sea
• Saturday, January 31 – St. Johns, Antigua from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Sunday, February 1 – Bridgetown, Barbados from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Monday, February 2 – Castries, St. Lucia from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Tuesday, February 3 – Philipsburg, St. Maarten from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, February 4-6 – Days at sea
• Saturday, February 7 – Arrive New Jersey at 6 a.m.

Any shore tours booked through Royal Caribbean for the now-cancelled visits to San Juan and Charlotte Amalie will be automatically cancelled and refunded.

While it will be disappointing for guests to miss these destinations, the extra time at sea ensures Odyssey of the Seas can adjust her sailing route to be as far as possible from any remnants of the storm, ensuring the smoothest possible conditions for guests to enjoy.

If there are any further adjustments to the ship’s itinerary, booked guests will be notified as soon as changes are confirmed.

Odyssey of the Seas Delayed by Fierce Winter Storm, Next Sailing Shortened