Royal Caribbean shortened a Spectrum of the Seas cruise from Shanghai after Typhoon Saudel closed the port and prevented the ship's preceding voyage from returning as scheduled.
The affected sailing had been due to depart on Friday 28 August 2026. It instead left Shanghai on Saturday 29 August and was reduced from four nights to three.
The revised itinerary includes a call at Seogwipo on Jeju Island, South Korea, followed by a day at sea before the ship returns to Shanghai early on Tuesday. The planned visit to Okinawa was cancelled.
Port closure keeps ship at sea
Royal Caribbean told affected passengers that it had been monitoring Typhoon Saudel as the storm moved towards Shanghai. The closure of the port required Spectrum of the Seas to remain at sea for an additional night, creating a knock-on delay for the following cruise.
The Hong Kong Observatory recorded Saudel as a typhoon with maximum sustained winds near its centre of 130km/h at 8am Hong Kong time on 28 August. It weakened after moving inland across eastern China and had been downgraded to a tropical depression by 29 August.
The disruption was the second weather-related delay involving Spectrum of the Seas during August. An earlier sailing was affected by Typhoon Dolphin.
Refunds and future cruise credit offered
Guests who continued with the shortened voyage were offered a prorated refund for the missed cruise day, initially applied as refundable onboard credit.
Royal Caribbean also offered future cruise credit as a gesture of goodwill. The value of the additional credit varies by accommodation category, ranging from $100 for guests in interior and ocean-view cabins to $250 for suite guests. Third and fourth occupants receive $50 each.
Prepaid Royal Caribbean shore excursions for Okinawa were cancelled and refunded to passengers' onboard accounts. Guests will continue to receive Crown & Anchor Society loyalty points based on the original four-night itinerary.
Passengers permitted to cancel
Passengers who no longer wished to travel on the shortened cruise were given the option to cancel and receive a full refund of their cruise fare and prepaid Cruise Planner purchases.
Royal Caribbean said flights booked through its own service would be adjusted automatically. For independently arranged travel, the company offered reimbursement of certain non-refundable change fees and associated expenses, including qualifying hotel and meal costs, up to $200 per guest per day.
The operational changes and passenger arrangements were set out in communications distributed by Royal Caribbean to affected guests. No separate public announcement had appeared in the cruise line's newsroom when this article was prepared.