Technical issues on Caribbean Princess

[jkrislc]

Clearly speed, rather than safety, is the issue. I am on the July 24 CB sailing and received the following itinerary change from Princess on April 21:

 

 

 

 

In both cases, it appears more time is required to get to the next port. Didn't understand the need for the changes at the time, but now makes sense.

 

I'm on the June 30th sailing and the only itinerary change we've had is to Edinburgh. We're arriving at 8 am instead of 7 am.

[CDKITTY]

I spoke with a rep from Princess yesterday. He stuck with the "technical issues" explanation just like he was reading from a prepared script. However, he did let slip that the needed repairs required the ship to be dry docked. He said that would necessitate cancelling a cruise. The rep mentioned that Princess did not want to do that as it would disappoint those who had bookings on that cruise.

[casofilia]

I think that the 8am rather than 7am docking in South Queensferry is a general one, maybe due to the availability of facilities at the wharf, the availability of a pilot or just the length of the passage from Invergordon.

[licram]

When will we know if they have to cancel a cruise? Will get ample warning ?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Colo Cruiser]

When will we know if they have to cancel a cruise? Will get ample warning ?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

Not if they don't get ample warning.

[Bucket List Bohemians]

I am on Oct. 7. Any thoughts about how they will do repairs ? Is there a chance theyll cancel our 2 week cruise to put it in dry dock. I'd be so disappointed. ...

[jovisoul]

I am on Oct. 7. Any thoughts about how they will do repairs ? Is there a chance theyll cancel our 2 week cruise to put it in dry dock. I'd be so disappointed. ...

 

I am on that same cruise and I am hoping/praying that they do not cancel.

[Mike147]

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.

It would seem that the time in dry dock was used to put in new pay restaurant and some other cosmetic things. I find it deceitful that Princess has no mention of this on their website. I believe all who have booked cruises between now and September 22 TA should be notified and be allow to cancel without penalty.

[Mike147]

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.

 

I believe you have made all possible excuses for Princess that are possible. I think you might feel different if you were booked on this cruise. I find it deceitful for Princess not to notify all passengers between now and Sept. 22 and inform them that they are booked on a ship which is not up to par. There is not a mention of any problems with the ship on their website. We were on NCL and missed one port due to a hurricane which surely was out of NCL's control and they gave us $200 on board credit. The 100 dollars obc for adding two additional sea days (now 10) is an insult.

[fishywood]

I believe you have made all possible excuses for Princess that are possible. I think you might feel different if you were booked on this cruise. I find it deceitful for Princess not to notify all passengers between now and Sept. 22 and inform them that they are booked on a ship which is not up to par. There is not a mention of any problems with the ship on their website. We were on NCL and missed one port due to a hurricane which surely was out of NCL's control and they gave us $200 on board credit. The 100 dollars obc for adding two additional sea days (now 10) is an insult.

 

According to your posts on the roll call thread you have already cancelled. So why keep flogging this thread--just to take a potshot at a ship's officer who is kind enough to provide their perspective? You also said on the roll call you book cruises solely for itinerary, but you obviously despise sea days. So perhaps you should be grateful you learned of these changes before final payment so you could cancel; I still don't get why you booked a Transatlantic in the first place.

[chengkp75]

I believe you have made all possible excuses for Princess that are possible. I think you might feel different if you were booked on this cruise. I find it deceitful for Princess not to notify all passengers between now and Sept. 22 and inform them that they are booked on a ship which is not up to par. There is not a mention of any problems with the ship on their website. We were on NCL and missed one port due to a hurricane which surely was out of NCL's control and they gave us $200 on board credit. The 100 dollars obc for adding two additional sea days (now 10) is an insult.

 

You are entitled to feel about me anyway you want. Those who have been on CC for a while know that I will place blame on the cruise lines when they deserve it, and forcefully, yet will not allow unfounded speculation to tar the cruise lines without justification.

 

Long time CC'ers will also know that I don't make comments about compensation, or customer service, since that is not my area of expertise. What one company does has no bearing on what another feels is justified.

 

Have you seen any cruise line mention a mechanical problem with a ship on their website? I doubt it seriously. If an airline or a bus company or a train has mechanical problems, do they post it on their websites?

 

I am not booked on one of these cruises, but I have spent 42 years making my living working on ships on the seas, and I know that things can go wrong at any time, just like driving your car. There are things you need to live with and accept.

 

And I love your comment about the drydocking. All cruise lines will spend several hundreds of thousands of dollars (the dockage fee for a drydock to hold the CB is in the $20-30,000/ day just to rent the dock, let alone do any work) placing a ship in drydock just to install a new restaurant. There are legal requirements to perform certain maintenance to the ship's propulsion, etc, while in drydock, and this is overseen by third parties (class and flag state) not the cruise line. Maintenance programs these days are mandatory and audited on an annual basis by these same third parties to ensure the ship is as reliable as possible. If all they wanted was to install a restaurant and do cosmetics, they would not need to spend the money on a drydock. Those hotel refurbishments are done at this time because the ship is empty, but the technical work is the critical path for the drydock timeline.

[Mike147]

No problem. I thought you were allow to ask questions, post comment etc. You will not hear any further from me. Enjoy your cruising. And yes I do choose by itinerary and I've never seen a TA that had 10 out of 15 sea days.

[Astro Flyer]

I don't think that the Chief (chengkp75) has ever worked for Princess so there's no reason for him to be an apologist for Princess.

 

I believe that he has worked as a chief engineer on another cruise line (NCL?) and his objective insights based on 40+ years at sea are always greatly appreciated as he takes his time to enlighten us.

 

CC is a great source to exchange information & even to respectfully disagree. I certainly don't envy anyone booked on the Caribbean as passengers attempt to gather information to decide what to do as a result of this technical issue.

Edited June 13, 2017 by Astro Flyer

[fishywood]

And yes I do choose by itinerary and I've never seen a TA that had 10 out of 15 sea days.

 

Good thing you were not on the 13 night New Orleans to Dover cruise with only two ports (Miami and Ponta Deldgada) or the 16 night Venice to Ft Lauderdale with only four ports (Katakalon, Gibraltar, Funchal and Bermuda) that I have taken.

[GonzoWCS]

I don't think that the Chief (chengkp75) has ever worked for Princess so there's no reason for him to be an apologist for Princess.

 

I believe that he has worked as a chief engineer on another cruise line (NCL?) and his objective insights based on 40+ years at sea are always greatly appreciated as he takes his time to enlighten us.

 

CC is a great source to exchange information & even to respectfully disagree. I certainly don't envy anyone booked on the Caribbean as passengers attempt to gather information to decide what to do as a result of this technical issue.

 

It sure sounded like an engineering analysis. and as I always say in my engineering world (Aerospace) anything made by man, and/or woman breaks. And I agree CC is really great for exchanging information and stories.

 

Cheers

GonzoWCS

[bananavan]

We were on Caribbean Princess in 2012 right after this:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1594445&highlight=Caribbean+Princess+2012+Drydock

 

We took a 28 dayTransatlantic followed by the trip around the UK and there were still some issues.

 

I booked the CB for the September 10th and 22nd. I booked this last year.

I canceled a week or so ago.

The issues with the food was my reason. We were about to spend a great deal of money being in Mini suites and flying first class and could not justify sitting around moaning about how bad things were.

I would be so annoyed to get the news that there were more propulsion issues with this ship.

We have at least 100 days on this ship alone. She was showing her age and the food was not that great this past December. I think that the people who are still planning to take this cruise deserve more than they are getting from Princess. And I am NOT one who is ever on the compensation bandwagon. Too much goes into the planning of a 6 week trip (in our case) to find out just before final payment that things have all changed.

Good luck to those who are on this trip.

[1965]

I have a totally selfish question, and it may have been discussed here. I read random comments, not all the comments. We're on this cruise, doing the entire 27 days, Southampton to Ft. Lauderdale. Several on our roll call have now cancelled. Those of you with more experience might know-Will there be any benefit to those of us staying with the cruise, other than the $100 pp onboard credit? Might there be some nice upsells due to the now vacant cabins? Might they decide to increase the OBC? We've cruised quite a bit, but have not had an itinerary changed prior to cruising. Thanks for any information.

[Astro Flyer]

It sure sounded like an engineering analysis. and as I always say in my engineering world (Aerospace) anything made by man, and/or woman breaks. And I agree CC is really great for exchanging information and stories.

 

Cheers

GonzoWCS

There is always a chain of events that leads up to any failure. And in between engineering & operator there are many people who could break any link to prevent a failure.

 

As you wrote, anything made by humans is subject to breaking & hopefully someone breaks a link in the chain of events to prevent any failure. Unfortunately due to a variety of factors that doesn't always happen.

 

Chief attempted to objectively point out that possibility but not everyone is willing to accept that unfortunately things break. And from failure comes solutions to prevent a recurrence & thus a safer system.

[mellon1]

We were on Caribbean Princess in 2012 right after this:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1594445&highlight=Caribbean+Princess+2012+Drydock

 

We took a 28 dayTransatlantic followed by the trip around the UK and there were still some issues.

 

I booked the CB for the September 10th and 22nd. I booked this last year.

I canceled a week or so ago.

The issues with the food was my reason. We were about to spend a great deal of money being in Mini suites and flying first class and could not justify sitting around moaning about how bad things were.

I would be so annoyed to get the news that there were more propulsion issues with this ship.

We have at least 100 days on this ship alone. She was showing her age and the food was not that great this past December. I think that the people who are still planning to take this cruise deserve more than they are getting from Princess. And I am NOT one who is ever on the compensation bandwagon. Too much goes into the planning of a 6 week trip (in our case) to find out just before final payment that things have all changed.

Good luck to those who are on this trip.

 

We were on CB in Jan/Feb 2017 for 34 days and had a wonderful time. Food in MDR was excellent, as well as Crown Grille. Never do buffet and burgers, pizza and hot dogs was as expected. This was one of our best cruises.

[donaldsc]

Maybe I'm a glass half full sort of guy, or perhaps just a fool, but I'm booked on the TA. Have received the e-mail and my only reaction was "bet I'll get an upsell offer pretty soon".

 

We're the sort to cruise for the ship, not for the ports, so the changes don't especially distress us. I'm quite certain that Princess wouldn't send the ship off with the slightest doubt of her safety. Never been to Bermuda and quite looking forward too it.

 

As said, perhaps I'm just eternally optimistic, but I'm looking forward to September 22nd as much or more than I was before receipt of the mail. Now, if a few more complaints result in a bit more generous cabin credit, all the better.

 

Actually knowing how cruise companies consistently lie, I am quite confident that they would. Read your cruise contract. They could legally board you and spend the week at the dock. More likely they would legally board you and go out however far they need to go so that they can open the casino and spend the week w/o moving.

 

I am not sure how likely it is but I am sure that the cruise company bean counters have thought of it.

 

DON

[nukesubsailor]

We have 24 days aboard the Caribbean Princess booked between now and the transatlantic cruise. With all the time and planning we have done plus the cost of airfare already paid, there is no way we would cancel just based upon this "technical issue" announcement.

People need to keep in mind that Princess Cruises is a highly regulated business. That regulation is to ensure the safety of passengers, that passengers pay a lot more to cruise, and that the regulators have job security.

[spunkie4]

We are on the full 27 days. Checked our excursions today, in hopes Belgium was listed. It was not. However, on the second call to Paris, we had scheduled Saint Michaels Mount. This had been removed. We have not received a notice of the cancelled excursion. So, check your excursions to be sure everything is as you wish.

[beg3yrs]

I don't think that the Chief (chengkp75) has ever worked for Princess so there's no reason for him to be an apologist for Princess.

 

I believe that he has worked as a chief engineer on another cruise line (NCL?) and his objective insights based on 40+ years at sea are always greatly appreciated as he takes his time to enlighten us.

...

 

Chief doesn't work for a cruise line. He's never said what line it is but based on some previous posts it's a commercial cargo carrier.

[Astro Flyer]

Chief doesn't work for a cruise line. He's never said what line it is but based on some previous posts it's a commercial cargo carrier.

I based my post on his signature which states "Former cruise ship Chief Engineer". I seem to recall a prior connection to NCL and I think that you're correct about his current assignment

 

Whichever is correct, I've read enough of his posts throughout the years for me to know that he's highly credible, educated & experienced about ships.

 

A couple of years in the USN taught me that it's the chiefs who keep the ships running smoothly! ;)

[SeaDog-46]

A similar problem effected Sea Princess a couple of years ago. She was hobbling around Asia & Western Australia not able to make full speed. After some time - in Fremantle the repair work was to take place. The part that was manufactured had arrived - may have been a generator crankshaft - Chief Eng. may know.

Passengers boarded & ship was to be delayed a day to finish the work. Then it was announced that the 14 day cruise to Brisbane was cancelled & passengers were to leave. During inspections one prop. shaft had been found to be "bent" - it was now a drydock job. This was the story on cc.

The only drydock able to take Sea Princess in Australia was the navy dock in Sydney. It was going to be available & the ship sailed south about with no passengers to Sydney.

The work in the drydock took longer than anticipated & the following 14 day cruise was also cancelled. Total 28 days of cruises lost to Princess.