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Technical issues on Caribbean Princess


maz48
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We are booked on the September 22nd westbound TA and have had an email this morning making fairly big changes to our itinerary due to 'technical issues' that will cause the ship not to be able to travel at full speed. Has anyone who has been on the ship recently heard anything about it? I imagine it doesn't affect other cruises too much till then, but going over the Atlantic at that time of year on a ship with problems doesn't thrill me.

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We are booked on the September 22nd westbound TA and have had an email this morning making fairly big changes to our itinerary due to 'technical issues' that will cause the ship not to be able to travel at full speed. Has anyone who has been on the ship recently heard anything about it? I imagine it doesn't affect other cruises too much till then, but going over the Atlantic at that time of year on a ship with problems doesn't thrill me.

There's something wrong with the ship that they can't fix between now and September????

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We're on the this cruise and the British Isles one prior to it, and we're very concerned since this is an issue that this ship had had for a while. How can they know there's an issue like this and not be able to fix it prior to the ta? Would they have the power to outrun a hurricane? Can/will this affect other cruises this summer? Our final payment is due next week, and we may be cancelling this cruise which is something we don't want to do.

Here's the memo we received--

<<ITINERARY CHANGE

 

Please be advised that Caribbean Princess has experienced technical difficulties which have resulted in our inability to operate at full speed. This in no way compromises the safety of our guests and crew which is our highest priority; however, our technical experts have determined that it is necessary to make the following changes to our itinerary. We will no longer call to Rotterdam, Vigo, or the Azores (Ponta Delgado). Instead, we will now call to Zeebrugge on Saturday, September 23, 2017, and to Bermuda (West End), on Wednesday, October 4. In addition, we will now call to Paris/Normandy (Le Havre) on Sunday, September 24 rather than on Monday, September 25, and to Lisbon on Wednesday, September 27 rather than on Thursday, September 28, and call times have been amended.

As a goodwill gesture, each guest will receive a refundable credit of $100 USD applied to their onboard folio. We regret any disappointment these changes may cause, and look forward to welcoming you aboard Caribbean Princess.>>

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Sorry to hear about the issues and the pending changes to your itinerary. We did the CB's Iceland/Norway T/A (Westbound) last September and sat bobbing around the anchor near Lerwick while they worked on some engine issues. I know it is extremely frustrating loosing out on some ports that you were looking forward to visiting. If I were sailing on this itinerary though, I would be disappointed but glad they didn't cancel the whole cruise.....:):):)

 

Fair Winds and a Following Sea

 

Bob

Edited by Woobstr112G
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The CB had propulsion issues when we cruised on her in July 2008 causing a deviation from the itinerary. Propulsion and other issues have surfaced periodically since that time to the point where we will not cruise on her again.

 

One would think the propulsion issue would have been successfully addressed in the last nine years.

 

PNG%20Sig_zps9bcbhaj9.png

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Maybe someone on board now can find out more? At a Meet the Crew-type event? Won't the ship have to do a TA to get from the Caribbean to Europe before September?

 

The ship is already in Europe doing British Isles since April. I don't know why they couldn't have taken care of these mechanical/technical issues during the 2 wk dry dock prior to the TA in April??? That's why I believe Princess is lying about the reason for changing itinerary. Doesn't pass the smell test.

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The CB had propulsion issues when we cruised on her in July 2008 causing a deviation from the itinerary. Propulsion and other issues have surfaced periodically since that time to the point where we will not cruise on her again.

 

One would think the propulsion issue would have been successfully addressed in the last nine years.

 

PNG%20Sig_zps9bcbhaj9.png

 

Lew;

 

That would be the obvious & smart thing to do. I wonder why that seems not to have been done?.....:):):)

 

Bob

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Why wasn't this addressed/corrected during recent dry dock? One poster on the roll call suggested there is another week of "off line" in late October for this ship.

 

So unsettling. I would not want to traverse the Atlantic in Sept without a 4th gear. With final payment next week, i think a lot of folks might let this one pass by. Esp for just $100 OBC. I feel badly for those pax, it's a tough decision and precious little time to make it.

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Why wasn't this addressed/corrected during recent dry dock? One poster on the roll call suggested there is another week of "off line" in late October for this ship.

 

So unsettling. I would not want to traverse the Atlantic in Sept without a 4th gear. With final payment next week, i think a lot of folks might let this one pass by. Esp for just $100 OBC. I feel badly for those pax, it's a tough decision and precious little time to make it.

 

My final payment for just the TA portion is due on July 9th. The more I think about it we would have to change a lot of reservations if we cancel this or move to another crossing. There is a good chance we will just grin and bear it. But I certainly wouldn't say I'm looking forward to this cruise.

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I'm no expert on "propulsion problems" but if you compare the original and revised itineraries the obvious intent by Princess is saving fuel. Now I trust that Princess (or any other cruise line) would immediately take out of service a ship with engine room issues that could even remotely compromise safety or integrity. So my guess in this case is that the only effect the current ongoing problem has is on fuel economy. Which is why Rotterdam was scratched because of the redundant out-and-back on the North Sea from Southampton. (And this call would have always been at risk if there was even the slightest delay leaving Southampton and/or a forecast of poor weather on the approach).

 

For the rest of the cruise I personally would exchange Vigo and the Azores straight up for Zebrugge and Bermuda anytime; the $100 OBC is a nice bonus. Though I concede those who had already made arrangements onshore for the rescheduled port days will feel otherwise.

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Not same ship, but Coral had an engine offline that they originally thought was due to an obstruction on the propeller. If I remember what the Capt. said on the PA, they needed some time before they could put divers down to correct that... once divers took a look though it was a different problem. Then it took some more time to troubleshoot and then it sounded like they needed to wait another week or 2 for the part before they could make repairs.

 

It's possible they need time to fabricate something necessary for the repairs, and that it can only be done by a special shop and when the queue there allows? We're not talking about super mass produced engine parts that you can walk down to your local PepBoy to replace.

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I'll just answer a few of the questions posed here.

 

One, as for a problem that can't be fixed prior to September, this could be a problem requiring drydocking, and either dock space is not available or the line feels it isn't financially prudent to take the vessel out of service at this time (don't flame me, that is just what the line may be thinking). Or it could be that a part is required that is not available and needs to be manufactured. Not every part of these systems is "stocked on the shelf" and many are only produced when an entire unit is ordered, as they are not expected to fail.

 

To say that the propulsion issue has not been corrected in nine years is ludicrous. Many here on CC tend to lump a lot of things together into the blanket "propulsion issue", when these are complex machinery systems that have many components, any one of which can fail (and not the same one) and still be called a "propulsion failure". If your car has the "check engine" light come on several times over a period of nine years, do you feel that the problem has not been fixed?

 

How do you know the problem didn't come about after the drydock? There is no guarantee that everything will work for the next 5 years after a drydock.

 

Yes, it is unfortunate when this happens, but the airlines have to take equipment out of service unexpectedly all the time, the car rental companies have breakdowns (as does your own car, likely), so why are cruise lines held up as villians and conspirators when their source of income breaks down? The problem is that the unit cost of a cruise ship is vast compared to even the largest airliner, so there are no "spares" left around to jump in and fill the void.

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There's something wrong with the ship that they can't fix between now and September????

 

We are on the ship July 22 but did not receive any email so far about any schedule changes. I don't think full costs has anything to do with it since barrels are below $50.

 

But strange they can predict a problem in three months but can't fix it?

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We have two cruises booked on the Caribbean Princess before September. We have received nothing from Princess about any problem affecting our cruises. We enjoy cruising so much that a change in port schedule, while it might be disappointing, it would not cause us to cancel a cruise.

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I cruised on the Caribbean Princess from Mar. 11-19, 2017 and we didn't have any problems.

 

But the email that was posted and the story the OP was told don't make sense - how can Princess know there will be some unnamed problem in September requiring an itinerary change, but everything will apparently be OK all summer?? Princess must have a very good crystal ball! ;)

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how can Princess know there will be some unnamed problem in September requiring an itinerary change, but everything will apparently be OK all summer?? Princess must have a very good crystal ball! ;)

 

Why would they need a crystal ball?

 

All they need to know is that there is some operating restriction that is limiting them

to some speed, and that it won't be repaired before september.

 

Then, look at the upcoming itineraries, and determine if they can be maintained with the

new speed. If not, drop some ports, and keep chugging

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We're booked on CB for next March. Looking forward to a wonderful cruise and have no worries about the ship. Hope all who are booked on the affected cruise have a great cruise. I'm sure it's upsetting but it sounds as if Princess is doing what they can. Hopefully it doesn't cause too much disruption of plans.

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But the email that was posted and the story the OP was told don't make sense - how can Princess know there will be some unnamed problem in September requiring an itinerary change, but everything will apparently be OK all summer?? Princess must have a very good crystal ball! ;)
Perhaps the distances required for the remaining summer itineraries do not require the same propulsion needed to cross the Atlantic. Princess essentially added two sea days to the itinerary, which makes me think the ship will be going a bit slower than originally planned.
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