Key Aspects:
- Harmony of the Seas will be several hours late returning to Galveston due to a medical evacuation on the current sailing.
- Strong headwinds have made it challenging for the Oasis Class ship to make up for the evacuation delay.
- The next sailing will depart Texas three hours later than scheduled, but no port changes are anticipated.
Just as multiple ships are changing itineraries and even returning early to their homeports due to the impact of different storm systems, Harmony of the Seas is now delayed returning to Galveston, Texas, but not entirely because of weather.
The ship’s current 7-night Western Caribbean sailing departed on Sunday, January 25, 2026 to head for Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel. The Oasis Class ship will not be able to return on schedule on Sunday, February 1, however.
Royal Caribbean has reached out to guests booked on the next sailing to alert them to the delay.
“Due to a medical debarkation during the previous sailing, Harmony of the Seas will be arriving later than we initially planned. As a result, we are experiencing some delays at the terminal causing us to push our departure back,” the email notification explained.
Guest arrival times have been delayed by 3.5-4 hours, depending on the original arrival time guests selected when checking in for the cruise.
For example, guests who originally opted to arrive at Cruise Terminal 10 at 10:30 a.m. should now arrive at 2:30 p.m. The latest arrival time is now 5 p.m., and the ship will set sail at 6 p.m. instead of at 3 p.m. as previously scheduled.
Royal Caribbean is also reminding guests that the cruise terminal will not be open for embarkation until the new arrival windows, and travelers arriving earlier may be asked to leave and return at their new arrival time.
It will be necessary for debarking guests to have sufficient time to process through customs and leave the cruise terminal and parking areas before arriving guests can be accommodated.
Because Harmony of the Seas can welcome as many as 6,780 travelers when fully booked, it is necessary to ensure everyone debarks the ship before new guests can arrive.
Read Also: What Are the Different Oasis Class Ships?
At this time, there is no confirmation of any changes to the February 1 sailing despite the later departure. The ship is still scheduled to visit Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel as planned for the weeklong sailing. Any necessary updates will be communicated to guests as they are confirmed.
Coincidentally, Harmony of the Seas returned early last weekend due to Winter Storm Fern, making this the second weekend in a row where the ship’s schedule has changed.
Why Is the Ship Late?
Unfortunately, the current sailing hasn’t gone smoothly for everyone, and the medical evacuation required the ship to backtrack significantly to meet another boat near Cancun to transfer the individual who required urgent care.
Royal Caribbean has not released a statement on that evacuation, and it is not clear whether it is a guest or a crew member or what the medical emergency may have been.
Following the evacuation as Harmony of the Seas turned back north to continue toward Galveston, significant headwinds have impeded the ship’s progress.
Guests onboard have noted headwinds as high as 55 knots (63 miles per hour), and satellite tracking shows the ship moving at 19 knots against that wind in rough seas with waves as high as 11-12 feet. Such conditions make it difficult for the ship to reach her top cruising speed of 22 knots.
Announcements from the ship’s captain have informed guests that the ship will be arriving in Galveston at approximately 10 a.m., with debarkation expected to begin at 11 a.m.
These times are estimates only, but generally the cruise line does a fair job of predicting arrivals under these circumstances. Should any further delays be necessary, guests onboard Harmony of the Seas as well as those expecting to board the ship on Sunday will be notified.
