According to several cruise news sources an engine room fire broke out on the Royal Princess.
As per Princess Cruises;
News Article 6/18/2009 Royal Princess Update - 2:00pm PST
At approximately 8:10 pm local time, an engine room fire broke out aboard Royal Princess, as the ship was departing Port Said, Egypt.
The fire is now extinguished, and the ship is currently anchored approximately five miles off the coast of Port Said.
All passengers and crew have been accounted for, and passengers remain at their emergency stations as a precautionary measure until further notice. The ship is operating on emergency power and lighting.
Assessments of any damage will be made over the next several hours, at which time we will be able to provide further information about how the remainder of the cruise may be impacted.
We will continue to provide updates on a regular basis.
Royal Princess is carrying 733 passengers and 393 crew. The ship is on the fifth day of a 12-day Holy Land sailing between Civitavecchia and Athens.
Phone numbers have been established for inquiries from family of passengers and crew (only please) currently onboard Royal Princess:
For inquiries about family: 800-693-7222 For inquiries about crew members: 661-753-2804
Dwayne
Posts: 10131 | Location: South Carolina | Registered: August 22, 2005
News Article 6/18/2009 Royal Princess Update - 6:00pm PST
In order to fully assess the impact of the engine fire that occurred earlier this evening, we plan to bring Royal Princess back into Port Said, Egypt tomorrow.
The assessment process includes flying various technical experts and regulatory authorities to the ship for a complete inspection, and they should be arriving onboard by tomorrow evening. So while our own assessment will occur throughout the day tomorrow, we expect the full assessment to be complete on Saturday. This means Royal Princess will be spending Friday and Saturday in Port Said.
Our ship's crew, local representatives ashore and the Princess Care Team, who are currently en route to the ship, will be doing their best to make passengers comfortable during this time, and it is also our intention to make tours available for passengers.
Once the assessment is complete we will have an understanding of how the remainder of the cruise, or any future sailing, will be affected, and also what compensation we will be offering to passengers.
We understand this is a disappointing development, and we apologize for the disruption to our passengers' cruise. We will be keeping our passengers fully informed throughout this process and we deeply appreciate their patience and understanding.
We will continue to provide regular updates on our web site.
For US press inquiries: Julie Benson 661 753 1530
For UK press inquiries: Michele Andjel 77 3073 2072
Dwayne
Posts: 10131 | Location: South Carolina | Registered: August 22, 2005
That's horrible, thank the Lord no one was injured, though. I really liked the Royal, it was just what a cruise ship used to be like. Small, intimate, elegant, and a great crew. I sure hope they can make repairs and get back under way. I also hope Princess will do the right thing by their passengers.
I also hope Princess will do the right thing by their passengers.
From some news sources I've heard they are! Full fare refunds with flights, transfers, and hotel accommodations. Plus a 25% credit for a future cruise.
Princess has not updated their news link at this time though, so I can't confirm this.
Dwayne
Posts: 10131 | Location: South Carolina | Registered: August 22, 2005
Dwayne - Thank You for the news update but I still won't be booking on her - instead I've decided to book the RCCL Allure for late 2011 with my nieces!
BillyBuzzy
Posts: 1338 | Location: Connecticut | Registered: January 19, 2006
Billybuzzy, that's going from tiny to huge. The Royal is like the ships of the past, easy to get around, great crew, small but elegant. The Allure is HUGE
penny - I know and my nieces had just about talked me into it but the engineroom fire discouraged them and we all agreed to do the "big" thing. I'll be doing some big ones in the next two years - I've got staterooms booked on the CCL Dream, the NCL Epic and now the RCCL Allure!
Don't panic for me -I've got a few smaller ships in between the giants on my schedule. I did promise my No.1 before she passed away in April to keep on cruisin' - I am keeping to our plans!
BillyBuzzy
Posts: 1338 | Location: Connecticut | Registered: January 19, 2006
I am so glad to hear you are keeping your promise. You know she's with you on every cruise, too! Sure wish we were going on the Epic together. It'd be great to meet you! Maybe you could talk my hubby into cruising more
penny- Right now you'll be disembarking the Epic and I'll be in the embarkation line (Oct. 30th 2010 cruise) meaniing we'll be within yards of each other facing the opposite directions! Maybe ,just maybe... one can also change dates .. It would be neat!!-
My plans are always flexible!! Easier to convince your No.1 when it's done face to face!!
BillyBuzzy
Posts: 1338 | Location: Connecticut | Registered: January 19, 2006
Didn't he have a birthday last year too??? Gee Penny he has it awful good!!!! It's a great gift!!! My No.1 and I did it for each other many times over - She was a cruiser from the get-go (And I never needed to be convinced to set sail -anytime and anyplace - so long as I could take leave)!
Just the Ice Bar alone on the Epic will be worth the cost of the cruise (Only 14 Ice Bars in the World!) and NCL prices are actually quite good right now!!
BillyBuzzy
Posts: 1338 | Location: Connecticut | Registered: January 19, 2006
I couldn't believe the price, with 1/2 off deposit, I just couldn't resist. I'm going to have to put off our Panama Canal until 2011, but I am so excited to see the Epic. She really looks like she's wearing a hat from the outside, but the interior looks spectacular. I'm sure heads will turn when she sails into port.
My hubby has never cruised on NCL, in fact, he never cruised until he met me. I've tried to turn him into a cruiser, but it just hasn't worked. He always has a wonderful time, but would rather be sitting in his recliner with me waiting on him. Might be his idea of a vacation, but not mine
penny - I'm sure he'll warm up to cruising after a few in the Epic's Ice Bar! I think the angle you view the Epic from has a lot to do with one's perception of her appearance. From another angle she really does not appear ungainly as her intial press photos made her look!. I just don't understand why NCL released views of her from that less than complimentary angle!!
BillyBuzzy
Posts: 1338 | Location: Connecticut | Registered: January 19, 2006
Hi ivanai31, welcome to Cruise-Chat. The reason we talk about the passengers on this board is because it is a board for passengers and not crew members. We do have crew members stop by once in a while, but not often. You must be very proud of your boyfriend. They did a great job putting out the fire and keeping everything under control. No injuries were reported, at least publicly, which is wonderful.
LOL I just stepped off the Spirit this morning and I'm already trying to con my son into convincing my hubby to take me on the Oasis for my birthday in December! A brilliant plan, don't you think? He'd rather be home as well. He's rather fond of my cooking!
