Today, May 15, the crew members onboard the cruise ship Majesty of the Seas took to the open deck and started a protest after receiving the news that their repatriation date was delayed. According to our source about 400 crew members are protesting right now after they found out that the scheduled repatriation date on May 14, was postponed once again.

“Our repatriation date was changed five times already, these are the dates we supposed to go home: 26 April, 28 April, 04 May, 14 May, now again it was re-scheduled,” the crew member says.

“We give them 5 days to send us home... until then we will staying here on the pool”

Crew Center received the following photos from several crew members onboard Majesty of the Seas. You can see from the photos the crew making a big banner that reads “How Many More Suicides You Need?” The banner was carried by several crewmembers in the protest around the open deck and later placed on a high point by the pool.

 "The reason for our protest is because constantly canceling our repatriation plan. Lying us from week to week.....last plan was to go on May 18, with the ship to Southampton, then again they canceled. Now they are calling UK crew members and telling them that they have charters to go home.....what about us"

One crew member sent us the following message “Please someone, help us, we are stuck on the ship exactly 60 days every day they are changing the date, we are from Europe and Celebrity and Royal Caribbean delayed our return home again. Just now Majesty of the Seas has changed the date to cross to Europe again!!!!!! This is impossible what there are doing to us!”

May 16 Update: Following the crew member's protest there was a meeting aboard Majesty of the Seas announcing the new plan for repatriation of the European crew.

Two options were presented

• - 1st Option: The crew to be transferred on Freedom of the Seas which will be used as a hotel ship in Barbados for and to be repatriated with charted flights. First charter flight is scheduled for the UK crew on May 18, after that charter flights for other European crew will be organized starting May 24. 
• - 2nd Option: The crew who decide to stay on Majesty of the Seas will sail to Southampton (departure date is still not confirmed). 

Some crewmembers believe that the second option will not be put in action due to the fact that there is no set date of departure and the minimum number of crew willing to take this option. The crew also points out that they are fed up with so many transfers and change of plans.

Majesty of the Seas original plan was to set sail to Europe on May 15. The European crew from other Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises ships finalized boarding on Majesty of the Seas one day ahead, on May 14. The captain already made the announcement they are ready and will sail to Europe the following day. Then the plan was changed once again, with the announcement that the ship will make a stop in Barbados on May 18, to disembark the UK crew and return them on a charter flight. The rest of the crew from other nations felt discriminated by this decision and decided to start a protest on the open deck.

If the crew transfer on the Freedom of the Seas there will be more than 3000 people on board, and with limited charter flights (approx. 2 per day) they will also need to wait for their turn to return home.

"Today we had a meeting with the captain and they ask who like to stay on Majesty and who like to move to Freedom of the Seas like that say they expecting flight after May 24 but without any guarantee for flight after 24... so now we have the option to stay here on Majesty and go to Southampton from 18 to 1 June or to go to freedom tomorrow and wait for flights after 24 May... but for now nothing is confirmed." one crew member says. 

Update May 17: We received the following message from a crew member onboard Majesty of the Seas “II would like to give you some updates. Soon after our protest, in just few hours Captain and Hotel Director came with some unconfirmed information regarding our charter flights from Barbados. Then just next morning we had a meeting in which they are offering us options to stay here on Majesty of the Seas or get transfer to freedom where we should be having flight starting from 24.may. And now there is no charters and still no transfers to the ship! They don't want to show us any confirmation, any mail from office just giving us minimal information and fake promise. Crew members said if this doesn't happen another protest will go on even on the Freedom of the Seas and other vessels as well”