Princess Cruises has been forced to cancel an existing cruise and the next one due to be run by Royal Princess following an engine room fire.
The blaze broke out last Thursday evening as the ship with 733 passengers on board was off Port Said in Egypt on the fifth day of a 12-day eastern Mediterranean itinerary (see previous TravelMole story).
The cruise has now been cancelled as well as the next sailing which had been due to start on June 25.
“The impact is more extensive than originally thought and the ship must be moved to a shipyard to complete the necessary repairs,” a statement from the cruise line said.
Passengers on both cruises are being offered full refunds plus a future cruise credit equal to 25% of the fare paid.
The line spent the weekend securing flights fro passengers to return home from Egypt
Passengers’ homeward flights, transfers and associated hotel accommodation will be at Princess’ expense, the company said.
“We deeply appreciate our passengers’ patience and understanding during what is an unfortunate development.”
by Phil Davies
