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Royal Caribbean’s cancellation of an Icon of the Seas stop left some cruise passengers hugely disappointed and others wildly celebrating — sparking a debate over whether the port was worth visiting at all.
The stop — Costa Maya, a cruise port on Mexico’s Caribbean coast — was scrapped from Icon of the Seas’ Sept. 26 itinerary after a maintenance issue apparently kept the ship in Miami overnight.
The vessel was scheduled to depart Miami on Saturday but remained in port until Sunday, according to a Royal Caribbean notice sent to passengers as reported by Parade magazine.
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A copy of the notice shared on Reddit said the ship would depart Miami on Sunday, Sept. 27, instead of Saturday, Sept. 26. “Day 3 will now be a relaxing Sea Day in place of our visit to Costa Maya, Mexico,” the notice said.
Digital reached out to the Royal Caribbean Group for comment.
Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, seen above, remained in Miami overnight after required maintenance delayed its scheduled departure. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The Reddit user who shared the news added that passengers were being offered at least $300 in onboard credit as compensation — with the amount varying by cabin type.
In response, many Reddit users surprisingly applauded the change.
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“Just got this. $350 to miss the worst port of the itinerary made my day!” one Redditor said. “Might go to the Supper Club with that, lol.”
Wrote another person, “Three hundred dollar credit, and you don’t have to go to Costa Maya? That’s a gigantic win.”
Some travelers welcomed the unexpected sea day after Royal Caribbean removed Costa Maya, seen above, from Icon of the Seas’ itinerary. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The strong reaction to the Costa Maya stop prompted questions from other travelers.
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“Given all the Costa Maya comments, I have to ask: What’s so bad about that stop?” a Redditor asked.
Some travelers criticized Costa Maya as underdeveloped and said there was little to do around the cruise port area. (iStock)
“It’s so [run-down], half empty, and smells,” one person said, also complaining about seaweed in the area.
“It’s a bit underdeveloped and small,” another weighed in. “Nothing much to do really right around the port area.”
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Other passengers, however, were disappointed about missing planned excursions to see the ancient ruins at Chacchoben, a Maya archaeological site near the port.
Some Icon of the Seas passengers had planned excursions to Chacchoben, a Maya archaeological site near Costa Maya. (iStock)
“My daughter is a bit bummed, as our ruins excursion there was what she was looking forward to the most,” one passenger said.
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Another said, “I’m bummed to be missing our Chacchoben ruins tour, but we’ll live.”
