Guests boarding Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas were surprised to find an embarkation delay for their voyage setting sail from Galveston, Texas on Monday, January 19, 2026.
While this is the season for fog that can cause significant cruise ship delays in the Lone Star State, the weather in Galveston on Monday was fair and balmy.
Furthermore, there are no technical or operational problems with Mariner of the Seas that contributed to the delay.
Instead, the problems have been with the cruise terminal itself, where a significant power outage hampered operations and caused hefty delays both for guests debarking the Voyager-class vessel as well as incoming guests.
While Royal Caribbean has not released an official statement for the delay, guests on the ship, as well as those arriving to board today, have been alerted to the difficulty and given rough guidance for the change.
“The terminal is out of power, boarding times rescheduled by 2 hours,” one incoming guest shared on Reddit. “If your scheduled arrival is 1p, arrive at 3p. Happy sailing!”
At this time, no definitive cause for the power outage has been confirmed. Guests have noted that equipment inside the cruise terminal is not functioning, including escalators, and it is taking longer than typical to process guests through customs and security.
“It’s in darkness. We had to bump our luggage down 4 flights of stairs,” one guest noted on Facebook.
While the situation is undoubtedly frustrating for everyone involved, cruise terminal staff are undoubtedly working to resolve the outage as quickly as possible. Depending on the cause, this may require service and maintenance professionals or other assistance before power can be restored.
Will the Next Sailing Be Delayed?
Mariner of the Seas is just finishing a 4-night sailing that departed on Thursday, January 15 and visited Cozumel, Mexico. Though the ship returned on schedule, the power outage delays are certainly having a knock-on effect for guests with post-cruise travel plans such as flights to catch.
The ship is due to begin a 5-night sailing with calls to both Costa Maya and Cozumel. The original schedule calls for Mariner of the Seas to depart Galveston at roughly 3 p.m., though with the delay, it is likely the ship will be leaving later then initially planned.
Because the itinerary includes a full day at sea before arriving in Costa Maya on Wednesday, January 21, there is certainly time to make up for the delay if it is not too extensive.
Many cruise ships sail at slower speeds during sea days to provide a less windy and more comfortable experience for guests on the open decks. Overnight, the ship will then increase speed on the way to the next port of call.
This gives Mariner of the Seas a margin for delay, though how much of a margin will depend on exactly when the ship is able to leave Galveston.
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If necessary, the port visits may be shortened or one port might even be cancelled if the ship would be unable to reach Mexico in time for a suitable visit. This does not seem likely, but it is something embarking guests should keep in mind.
Guests will be updated about any itinerary changes as soon as plans are confirmed.
Mariner of the Seas can welcome 3,114 guests onboard for each sailing. The ship is homeported from Galveston through October 2026, at which time she will move to New Orleans for the winter before deploying to Southampton in May 2027.
Are Any Other Ships Impacted?
Mariner of the Seas is the only Royal Caribbean ship docked in Galveston on Monday, but Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Legend is also back at her Texas homeport for the day.
There have been no reports that Carnival Legend is impacted in any way, as the power outage may be just at the Royal Caribbean cruise terminal.
The next Royal Caribbean ship due to dock in Galveston is when Mariner of the Seas returns on Saturday, January 24. Hopefully, full power will be restored long before the ship is ready for her next debarkation.
