Grandeur Returns To Bermuda Following Fire
Following a major fire that damaged the ship extensively, the cruiseliner Grandeur of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean vessel, is berthed in Dockyard after missing its last six scheduled trips, including three stops in Bermuda.
The fire originally broke out on May 27, 2013, canceling the active cruise and displacing 2,224 guests and 796 crew members. In the end, the ship suffered extensive damage, causing it to be taken out of commission for similarly extensive repairs throughout the month of June and into July.
While guests who had their travel plans canceled during the repair period were out of a trip, Royal Caribbean did offer full refunds, along with a 25 percent discount on a subsequent trip on any of its vessels.
After spending six weeks in a shipyard in the Bahamas as it underwent repairs, the Grandeur of the Seas made its way to Baltimore last week, picking up thousands of passengers before embarking on its first voyage since the fire, and docking in Bermuda this past weekend for the first time since May.
While some repairs are still ongoing – one lounge and 78 staterooms remain inaccessible – that work is expected to be completed in short order, making the liner able to carry passengers at full capacity during its next voyage.
“We did a lot of work in the aft section of the ship, starting on decks two and going up through decks five. That’s where all the damage from the fire occurred, said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo with Royal Caribbean International.
“A lot of steel was damaged, so there was structural damage in many of the crew areas. As for public spaces, not very many were affected.”
Grandeur of the Seas was originally scheduled to make 12 stops in Bermuda this season,
welcome back.