Caribbean princess having technical difficulties

[Steven_&_Daniel]

Apparently it's not going to be fixed anytime soon. We got the same email and we don't sail until January 2, 2019. I love how they said, "lead time needed to make the necessary repairs is several months" which, apparently is code for 'more than a year'!

 

We had the same issue on the Diamond in 2015 from Sydney to Singapore. They cancelled one of the ports entirely in order to disembark on schedule.

 

I checked the modified times on our new itinerary and they're very minor. But if they cut the shore times again, we'll consider changing to another cruise.

[idahospud]

Deb, that’s nice iof you! Actually, the Caribbean is our fallback position if life and health does not permit us to again do some longer distance exploring. We’ve had a narrow window of opportunity to do that and hope it continues a little while longer. Enjoy your cruises!

While I'd love to see you on the Caribbean Princess with us I would much rather you be healthy and doing your long distance exploring. No matter where you're traveling I'll be following along!

[pink845]

Gosh, not another technical issue with Caribbean Princess. This has been ongoing off and on since we cruised on her March Break 2011. I read about these technical issues each and every year. That time we left San Juan and ended up in San Martaan for three days then limped back to San Juan on one engine and they refunded us all our money and gave us future cruise credit as well. We stayed parked at the pier across from the Sheraton hotel during the day and at night, the ship shuffled back to the International Pier. They allowed us all to bring back booze non stop onto the ship while in San Juan, I guess as an appeaser. Turned out to be fine. We used the cruise credit for a future cruise and we got to know San Juan pretty well. All in all, it was okay. But I cannot believe issues with the engines still persist. Maybe time for new engines. I would caution anyone considering taking this ship to Europe as it takes 6 days to cross and when they continue to have engine problems (this is why they are constantly having to slow down) and shorten port visits and select ports within easy distance of each other, you would not want to get stuck out there on the vast Altantic Ocean or end up spending more time at sea as you transverse.

[MJSailors]

My DH and I booked a cruise for this March on the Caribbean Princess last Spring.

We chose the cruise primarily because Barbados was on the itinerary. For sometime now,I have been wanting to visit Barbados.

Early last Summer,we received an email that Barbados was being dropped from the itinerary due to propulsion issues.

We decided to cancel the cruise as the remaining ports were places we have visited several times.

I was disappointed about missing Barbados,so we began looking into a resort vacation in Barbados.

Then, my DD asked us to join her,DSIL and grandchildren on a cruise to Bermuda with Celebrity for July 2018.We put Barbados plans on hold as we would not miss the opportunity to share in the children’s first cruise. Very exciting for all of us !

With all that being said, I have a thought.

It seems the Caribbean Princess has had technical problems for many years now.

If Princess customers did not book cruises on this ship and chose other ships in the Princess fleet or other cruise lines, I think corporate would begin to take notice and take the ship out of commission to fix the issues once and for all.

Cruise companies do not want cruise ships to sale below full capacity.

They will offer generous incentives to fill cabins.

Something needs to be done to get a message to Princess and Carnival Corporation that expecting customers to book vacations on a broken vessel is not good business and shows lack of concern for passengers’ satisfaction.

There are other choices clients can make for their cruise/vacation plans.

[AF-1]

according to another thread; Princess has the ship scheduled for drydock in May 2019. It will be an extended dry dock to deal with the propulsion issue. Sorry that anyone who sails prior to drydock; they will have their itineraries tweaked and depending on where you are headed; some ports may be changed or dropped.

[fishin' musician]

This ship had propulsion issues in 2012. IIRC it went in for a "quicky" repair during the week prior to our Apr. 1 San Juan departure. During the weeks prior Princess was not confident the ship would be ready and allowed customers to rebook other sailings without penalty. We stuck it out and sailed with a nice upgrade and lots of vacant rooms.

[amypete]

S

 

 

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[finucane]

Something to definitely keep an eye on...

[AF-1]

I guess since I am not a sea merchant; I don't have a clue as to why the company would wait so many years to make a permanent fix to this problem. From the likes of this and other threads; this has been an issue since 2011; that's going on 7 years; and another 17 months before they make a permanent fix. I guess when you chug along the Caribbean you can get away with adjusting your itineraries; and transatlantic crossing don't really affect port calls. Oh well I guess when I sail her in Feb on 2019 she will still be limping. No big deal. I would book another ship; but this one is hosting a rock and roll oldies show; so I have to take ship in order to see the groups. Again, not a big deal

[caribill]

I guess since I am not a sea merchant; I don't have a clue as to why the company would wait so many years to make a permanent fix to this problem. From the likes of this and other threads; this has been an issue since 2011; that's going on 7 years; and another 17 months before they make a permanent fix.

 

The 2011 problem was fixed years ago.

 

The current problem is about a year old. Reason to wait until 2019 is that there is now a scheduled dry-dock then. To have one earlier would mean canceling at least two weeks of cruises, greatly upsetting anyone who had bookings at that time.

 

So Princess made the choice to disappoint passengers for more than a year with some shorter port times and some different ports instead of disappointing a smaller number of passengers by cancelling their vacations totally.

 

Your guess is as good as mine as to which is the better option overall.

[Grego]

according to another thread; Princess has the ship scheduled for drydock in May 2019. It will be an extended dry dock to deal with the propulsion issue. Sorry that anyone who sails prior to drydock; they will have their itineraries tweaked and depending on where you are headed; some ports may be changed or dropped.

 

That is the real story and what folks have to keep in mind is that there is no way the ship is going to sail if there is any chance it would put the passengers and crew in any danger.

[AF-1]

The 2011 problem was fixed years ago.

 

The current problem is about a year old. Reason to wait until 2019 is that there is now a scheduled dry-dock then. To have one earlier would mean canceling at least two weeks of cruises, greatly upsetting anyone who had bookings at that time.

 

So Princess made the choice to disappoint passengers for more than a year with some shorter port times and some different ports instead of disappointing a smaller number of passengers by cancelling their vacations totally.

 

Your guess is as good as mine as to which is the better option overall.

 

Thank you for your excellent explanation. Wait and see. I am scheduled to sail in Feb 2019; so I already know the propulsion won't be fixed. I would change to a different ship; except the cruise I am going on is a rock and roll cruise and the tour operator has booked the Caribbean Princess for this date. No biggie

[Little Sister]

I guess since I am not a sea merchant; I don't have a clue as to why the company would wait so many years to make a permanent fix to this problem. From the likes of this and other threads; this has been an issue since 2011; that's going on 7 years; and another 17 months before they make a permanent fix. I guess when you chug along the Caribbean you can get away with adjusting your itineraries; and transatlantic crossing don't really affect port calls. Oh well I guess when I sail her in Feb on 2019 she will still be limping. No big deal. I would book another ship; but this one is hosting a rock and roll oldies show; so I have to take ship in order to see the groups. Again, not a big deal

Which date are you sailing, and can you tell me more about the "rock and roll oldies show"?

[AF-1]

Sure little sister. It is from 16-23 Feb 2019. Seversl cruise lines have these themed cruises. Anything from jazz to motown to flower power to blues to the 80’s to malt shop memories. Depending on your age you can book a cruise with groups or artists from the 1950’s or 60’s or 70’s or 80’s. You pick which cruise line and what time of year. Most of the companies that book these book two cruises per year. One in wonter and on in fall. I will be on Caribbean princes next year and the groups i am seeing are mostly from the 1960’s Official lineup has not been announced. Just google theme cruises and you can see who is playing on which ship

[Little Sister]

Sure little sister. It is from 16-23 Feb 2019. Seversl cruise lines have these themed cruises. Anything from jazz to motown to flower power to blues to the 80’s to malt shop memories. Depending on your age you can book a cruise with groups or artists from the 1950’s or 60’s or 70’s or 80’s. You pick which cruise line and what time of year. Most of the companies that book these book two cruises per year. One in wonter and on in fall. I will be on Caribbean princes next year and the groups i am seeing are mostly from the 1960’s Official lineup has not been announced. Just google theme cruises and you can see who is playing on which ship

Of course its the cruise AFTER mine---Missed again. Drat!

[AF-1]

I know how you feel. Day late and dollar short. Have fun out there.

[Hlitner]

It just occurred to me that this makes at least 2 Princess ships (Caribbean Princess and Golden Princess) that can no longer maintain their schedules due to propulsion problems. Not good!

 

Hank

[AF-1]

when a pattern starts to set in then people may start to worry. I remember several years ago Carnival, the parent company couldn't catch a break. Ships breaking down, medical emergencies, another ship getting towed hundreds of miles to port. Not good

[cruisingrob21]

from the note from princess in the personalizer, it sounds like the reason for the delayed drydock is due to the lead time. On our voyage in feb 2019, we will get into some ports later and maybe leave an hour earlier. We also got $50 per person for it it seems, so that pays for half the tips, combined with the sip and sail and specialty dining, im not even close to complaining.

 

Please be advised that Caribbean Princess is experiencing a technical issue that has 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, as the lead time needed to make the necessary repairs is several months, our technical experts have determined that we must revise your itinerary.

We have amended our call times to Princess Cays, San Juan and Amber Cove. Please see the revised itinerary for details.

As a goodwill gesture, each guest will receive a refundable credit of $50 USD applied to their onboard folio. We regret any disappointment these changes may cause, and look forward to welcoming you aboard Caribbean Princess.

Now if they could only get ***** to work before our cruise...ha, doubt that will be working either. A day on a slow boat with less tech is better than any day in the office!

[AF-1]

My travel agent just sent me the port info change and $50 credit for our Feb 2019 cruise. Actually it looks like the only difference is two of the four ports have been shortened by 30 minutes. Not a big deal

[Little Sister]

I booked this cruise specifically for the Domincan Republic stop. We are looking to retire there in 4 years, and thought we could go visit the town we are looking at. I read that there is a chance Princess could drop it as a stop, so now I am looking at other lines to sail there. I love Princess, but am not comfortable that they can keep the itinerary. Anyone else leery?

[Drews_Cruise]

I booked this cruise specifically for the Domincan Republic stop. We are looking to retire there in 4 years, and thought we could go visit the town we are looking at. I read that there is a chance Princess could drop it as a stop, so now I am looking at other lines to sail there. I love Princess, but am not comfortable that they can keep the itinerary. Anyone else leery?

 

They dropped the Dominican Republic from our cruise next month so I think your right to look for other options. Its all about how quickly they can get somewhere when they are not operating at full speed. I did the CB last year and have scheduled it this year and again next year, so I'm not concerned about the ship itself. My only concern is that Princess knows what ports they cannot make , yet they continue to offer them and when people book, they cancel it. ;p:confused:

[Little Sister]

They dropped the Dominican Republic from our cruise next month so I think your right to look for other options. Its all about how quickly they can get somewhere when they are not operating at full speed. I did the CB last year and have scheduled it this year and again next year, so I'm not concerned about the ship itself. My only concern is that Princess knows what ports they cannot make , yet they continue to offer them and when people book, they cancel it. ;p:confused:

I agree with you on not being concerned about the safety on board, but again, would be upset to miss the DR. I believe I will cancel and book on another ship. Thanks for your comment!

[SteelMagnolia9]

Final payment on my booked Eastern Caribbean Voyager cruise departing May 1st was February 15th. I’d been on the fence with this cruise since they cancelled Barbados a few months ago due to propulsion problems and substituted St. Maarten. I cancelled late in the day of final payment. I told the representative when I called why I was cancelling. I hope to book a similar itinerary to the original on another ship at a later date. I decided I didn’t want to spend budgeted travel dollars and be disappointed if any other changes were made after final payment or while on the cruise.

[AF-1]

I received an email from my travel agent stating Princess would be adjusting port times for my Feb 16, 2019 cruise. They are shortening 2 of the 4 port stops by an hour; plus $50 OBC; so that is not a big deal.