Guests booked on Symphony of the Seas‘ February 15, 2026 sailing have learned they will not have quite as much time as originally planned in Nassau, capital of the Bahamas.

The notification email explained the change and how the itinerary of the 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise has been adjusted.

“As part of our ongoing itinerary planning process, we’ve modified our upcoming sailing. To maintain smooth sailing and comply with safe speed restrictions during our cruise, we’ve adjusted our departure time from Nassau, Bahamas on Day 7,” the email confirmed.

“We’ll now depart at 4:30 PM instead of 6 PM. Not to worry, the rest of the itinerary remains the same.”

Any shore tours booked through Royal Caribbean will be adjusted to the new port time if necessary. If the tours cannot be accommodated, they will be automatically cancelled and refunded to guests’ original form of payment.

While the change is a minor one, it may impact any guests who might have hoped to enjoy options such as a sunset cruise or an early dinner in Nassau before returning to the ship.

If guests have arranged independent tours, they will need to contact their tour operators for adjustments or cancellations as necessary.

To be clear, the ship’s arrival in Nassau at 9 a.m. is also the same. The times for the rest of the sailing remain unchanged as follows:

• Sunday, February 15 – Depart Miami at 4 p.m.
• Wednesday, February 18 – St. Maarten from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Thursday, February 18 – St. Thomas from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Sunday, February 22 – Arrive in Miami at 6 a.m.

The other days of the sailing (other than Saturday’s visit to Nassau) are days at sea, giving guests plenty of time to enjoy all the Oasis-class ship has to offer.

Symphony of the Seas can welcome 5,518 guests at double occupancy or up to 6,680 travelers when fully booked. The ship is also home to roughly 2,200 international crew members.

Why the Change?

While there was initially some speculation that Symphony of the Seas might be experiencing propulsion difficulties or other technical problems leading to a reduced sailing speed, this is not the case.

The notification email is clear that the change is to “comply with safe speed restrictions,” though it does not indicate what those restrictions may be.

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It is not unusual for seasonal speed restrictions to be related to migratory patterns and routes of marine wildlife, such as whales. Slower speeds permit the mammals to move out of the way more easily as ships approach, or ships could better see and move around groups of whales. There is no evidence whatsoever that there is any technical problem with Symphony of the Seas.

Multiple Sailings Impacted

If this is indeed a seasonal restriction, it is possible that additional sailings may have similar changes. Booked guests should stay in close contact with Royal Caribbean for updates to their itineraries if necessary.

Guests booked on sailings in December 2025 as well as into March 2026 have reported identical changes, though individual sailing dates have not been confirmed.

Whether or not a single cruise will have such an itinerary change will depend on the preplanned times for Nassau and if an earlier departure is necessary to comply with the restrictions.

These types of simple itinerary adjustments are not uncommon, particularly as environmental restrictions or policies may be implemented long after a sailing is originally planned and offered for sale.

Why Symphony of the Seas Won’t Stay in Nassau as Long as Planned