After three cancelled cruises and plenty of worry for guests booked on the next sailing, Princess Cruises has confirmed that Regal Princess is now fully repaired and ready to welcome guests once again.
This means the planned November 17, 2024 departure will set sail as planned for her 7-night Western Caribbean itinerary. Homeported from Galveston, Texas, Regal Princess will be visiting Costa Maya, Roatan, and Cozumel on this first sailing back in service, weather permitting.
“We’re reaching out with an important update about your upcoming Regal Princess Cruise departing from Galveston on Sunday, November 17,” the notification read. “We’re pleased to share that essential repairs on the ship have been successfully completed, and we are ready to welcome you aboard for your voyage.”
Regal Princess has been out of service since October 27, following her transatlantic cruise from Southampton, UK. During that oceanic crossing, a small engine room fire and minor power outages were reported.
The October 27 and November 3 departures were cancelled to permit emergency repairs. While those repairs were completed, another issue developed with yet another power generator and the November 10 departure also had to be cancelled at the last minute.
“As you may be aware, three previous sailings were cancelled due to power generator issues,” the cruise line explained. “We understand the concerns these cancellations may have caused, but rest assured that Regal Princess is now fully operational, and we are ready to sail. Our team has worked tirelessly to ensure the ship is fully prepared and up to our high standards of safety, comfort, and enjoyment.”
To be clear, at no time while the ship was sailing were safety or navigational systems compromised, and all repairs are now fully complete. The ship is certified as seaworthy and ready to return to service without any compromises or difficulty.
The 142-229-gross-ton, Royal class vessel can host 3,560 travelers on each voyage, and is also home to 1,300 international crew members to ensure everyone truly feels like royalty onboard.
Rash of Cruise Technical Problems
For cruise fans, it may seem as though there have been a recent rash of “technical difficulties” that have led to ships being removed from service.
For example, Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas had “technical concerns” that required repairs while the ship was docked in Yokohama, which delayed the vessel’s return to Shanghai and cancelled the following cruise, the planned November 9, 2024 departure.
In late August, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Vista was removed from service for propulsion-related repairs that had been plaguing the ship for several weeks, disrupting port visits and causing delays. The ship returned to service for her September 15 departure and has been sailing smoothly ever since.
Carnival Vista Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Wirestock Creators)
In late April and early May, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Sun had various technical issues, including malfunctioning air conditioning and power outages. This led to the ship being docked in Cartagena, Colombia and her Panama Canal transit rescheduled, though the cruise was not cancelled.
While so many problems for different ships of different cruise lines may seem concerning at first, it is important to remember that cruise ships are highly complex machines that run 24/7/365. Despite rigorous maintenance and inspection schedules, it is not surprising nor should it be unexpected that some problems can occur.
Read Also: What a Cruise Ship Engine Room Looks Like
While cruise lines do not want to cancel sailings and disappoint guests, they do their best to keep everyone updated as much as possible and provide whatever information is available so travelers can adjust their plans as needed.
When cancellation is necessary, refunds are typically available, as well as additional compensation such as future cruise credits or discounts so guests can rebook their cruise vacations at a great value.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com
