"Hello, this is Royal Caribbean International. We would like to provide you with important information regarding your sailing today, January 24, 2015, onboard Serenade of the Seas out of New Orleans. Last night, the ship experienced a water pipe break that flooded some electrical equipment onboard. All of the ship’s critical systems are operational. However, a few areas of the ship are without power. Because of this, your boarding today will be delayed. We ask that guests not arrive to the port before noon today. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation, and looking forward to welcoming you aboard."
The burst pipe is believed to have flooded areas of the ship, including cabins. As a result some guests have been forced to cancel their cruise. 300 cabins were first believed to be damaged, however that number has now increased to 417 cabins affected by the outage.
Areas currently without power include various passenger cabins, the theatre, medical facility, gym and all stateroom televisions.
Cynthia Martinez, global communications director for Royal Caribbean,, confirmed the power outage in a statement saying:
"Our team onboard is working to restore power to these areas as quickly as possible. It is with much regret that it was necessary to cancel some guests' reservations. We understand the anticipation and excitement leading up to their cruise, and we apologize for impacting their vacation."
The local Coast Guard inspected the ship, and the majority of guests have been allowed to board the ship. Due to the delayed embarkation, the ship will spend the night in New Orleans, before heading to Key West.