Medical emergency at sea: Symphony of the Seas diverts due to ill passenger

While most cruises sail smoothly from start to finish, every so often one voyage seems to attract a little extra drama—and that’s certainly been the case for Symphony of the Seas on her current 7-night Bahamas cruise.

As Every Cruise Thing previously reported, Symphony of the Seas was forced to remain in port for two nights after a powerful storm swept through the New York area. She finally set sail around 5 a.m. local time yesterday—about 36 hours behind schedule—prompting Royal Caribbean to drop her planned calls at Port Canaveral and Nassau. The ship is now operating a shortened itinerary featuring only one port: Perfect Day at CocoCay.

But the challenges didn’t end there. Shortly after 2 p.m. local time yesterday, Symphony began diverting toward the U.S. East Coast due to a medical emergency onboard.

With over 5,000 passengers, it’s not uncommon for someone to fall ill during a cruise. While modern cruise ships are equipped with advanced medical facilities, some situations require urgent care ashore. When far out at sea, that often means diverting closer to land to allow a medical evacuation by helicopter.

By around 4 p.m., Symphony of the Seas was roughly 10 nautical miles east of Baltimore when a helicopter arrived to airlift the passenger from the ship’s bow. Once the evacuation was complete, the vessel resumed her course at full speed toward CocoCay, where she’s expected to arrive on schedule tomorrow.

No update has been provided on the condition of the passenger, and our thoughts are with them. Despite the setbacks, Symphony of the Seas continues her voyage toward sunnier skies and is due to dock at CocoCay on time tomorrow.