PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten -- Royal Caribbean canceled the Monarch of
the Seas' scheduled sailings through Feb. 14 and said the ship
would be brought to a shipyard for repair following its striking a
reef here Tuesday.
Passengers on the canceled Dec. 20 Christmas sailing will
receive a full refund and a free southern Caribbean sailing, to be
used for departures up to and including next year's Christmas
sailing on Dec. 19. Passengers on the canceled Dec. 27 sailing will
receive a full refund and their choice of a free cruise or a 50%
discount on a millenium cruise. Passengers on the other canceled
sailings will receive full refunds, the line said. Agent
commissions are protected.
All passengers on the ill-fated sailing will receive a refund of
the cruise fare and a free future cruise. The line picked up the
tab for the hotel accommodations food and air fare home, officials
said.
In the worst accident in Royal Caribbean's history, the Monarch
of the Seas sustained a gash 120 feet long and three feet wide in
its hull on the forward port side of the ship.
Royal Caribbean's marine department and representatives of various
regulatory agencies were on the scene. The U.S. Coast Guard was
sending a team of investigators "to take a look," a Coast Guard
spokesman said.
Analyst Paul Mackey, who follows the cruise industry for
Buckingham Research in New York, estimated the cost of the mishap
at least $26 million. "It's hardly catastrophic, but not pleasant,"
Mackey said. Royal Caribbean estimated that the financial impact
will be in the range of 5 to 8 cents a share.
The vessel, operating at 109% capacity, with 2,557 passengers on
board, hit a charted reef and began taking on water as it was
leaving Philipsburg, St. Maarten, on Dec. 15. A spokeswoman for the
line said the ship called at St. Maarten on an unscheduled stop due
to a medical emergency. The ship, which leaves San Juan, Puerto
Rico, on Sundays, usually visits St. Maarten on Fridays as part of
its southern Caribbean itinerary.
Within an hour of hitting the reef, the ship had water in three
of its 18 water-tight compartments. Captain Tore Myrha returned the
Monarch to Great Bay, brought the ship into shallow water, and
landed it on a sand bank about a half mile off shore, the cruise
line said. The ship remained disabled there at press time. The
cause of the accident had yet to be determined.
Passengers, who had been called to muster stations and outfitted
with life jackets, were taken ashore in local tender boats, a
process that took some four hours due to the large numbers
involved. Lifeboats were readied but not used because of prompt
local response, the cruise line said. There were no injuries
reported.
Passenger George Perez, contacted at the Maho Beach Hotel and
Casino, said he was satisfied with the way the captain and the crew
responded to the mishap. "It was an accident, and the crew did
their best," Perez said. He said the vessel did not appear to be
listing at any time, and he felt secure, especially when the
captain positioned the ship in the sand. "We were so close to the
beach that they could bring out boats in a couple of minutes,"
Perez said.
Passengers initially were brought to area hotels, while the
cruise line rushed to charter a dozen planes to return them to San
Juan and Miami. This was complicated by the fact that the incident
occurred so close to the Christmas holiday, officials said.
As a precautionary measure against environmental damage, the
ship put out oil booms. Officials said there had been some minor
leaking that was easily contained.
One agent, however, called Travel Weekly to complain that the
line was not protecting air fare for passengers on the canceled
Christmas sailing. The agent, who asked not to be named, said
finding clients an alternative trip to San Juan was next to
impossible, given the difficulty of booking air at Christmas
time.
A hot line was set up for those with questions, at (800)
722-5053.
Ernest Blum contributed to this report.