Imagine booking a tropical vacation only to end up nearly freezing in Canada instead.

That's what happened to more than 5,000 cruise passengers when last week's nor'easter off the East Coast forced Royal Caribbean to significantly change the route for one of its cruises.

Oasis of the Seas was scheduled to depart from New Jersey on Oct. 18 and make a seven-night journey with stops in sunny Florida and the Bahamas. But the weather had other plans.

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'This is a joke, right?'

“Along with our meteorology team, we’ve been closely monitoring inclement weather developing off the East Coast for our Oct. 18, 2026, Oasis of the Seas sailing," Royal Caribbean said in a letter sent to passengers before departure. "The weather’s impact makes it hard to provide you with a safe and comfortable journey to Florida and the Bahamas. So, after exploring all of our options, we’ve decided to sail to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, for an overnight stay instead.”

That letter was sent late the night of Oct. 17 or early the morning of Oct. 18, the day of departure, according to reports. So, many passengers likely woke up the morning of the cruise and learned the news, giving them just a few hours to pack or buy warmer clothes.

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“My husband said to me, ‘This is a joke, right?'” passenger Marie Durning told CTV News.

Passengers were prepared for warm temperatures in the Bahamas — lows in the 70s — but ended up in frigid Canada instead. Temperatures dipped into the mid-30s in Halifax on Tuesday night, the night the ship was docked there. The ship remained out at sea the rest of the trip, where Royal Caribbean said highs would only reach the mid-50s.

The cruise line offered passengers between $200 and $600 in refundable onboard credits, depending on their room category. Each paid passenger also received a 50% Future Cruise Credit.

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That same nor'easter — which later formed into Subtropical Storm Josephine — would disrupt another warm-weather Royal Caribbean cruise route later in the week, according to Royal Caribbean Blog, an independent site not affiliated with the cruise line.

Independence of the Seas was originally scheduled to depart Saturday from New Jersey and spend one night in Bermuda, but the storm caused the cruise line to change its destination to Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Similar weather — highs in the 50s, lows in the 70s — is expected there.