Royal Princess has reported she lost power in the Med!

[JimmyVWine]

This can only be good new for those of us who have bookings next summer on the Royal Princess. The negative reviews, combined with high airfare has driven down demand for our July 6 cruise. We have already had one substantial price reduction.

 

I couldn't disagree more. To follow the logic of your thinking, a ship could have so many problems and so many bad reviews that the cruise line is forced to give cruises away for free, and this would be a good thing. Penny wise and pound foolish. First of all, most people here are loyal (and satisfied) Princess customers. Who among us really wants Princess to be trotting out a product that is so inferior that they have to slash prices to sell the product? And that lost revenue has to be made up somewhere, and that somewhere can only be higher fares on other ships. And finally, if Princess cannot recoup the lost revenue, then the entire business would be in jeopardy. So one can rejoice short term about the fact that the new toy is having troubles resulting in fare reductions. But in the long run, is this a good thing? I don't think so.

[Pia1913]

I couldn't disagree more. To follow the logic of your thinking, a ship could have so many problems and so many bad reviews that the cruise line is forced to give cruises away for free, and this would be a good thing. Penny wise and pound foolish. First of all, most people here are loyal (and satisfied) Princess customers. Who among us really wants Princess to be trotting out a product that is so inferior that they have to slash prices to sell the product? And that lost revenue has to be made up somewhere, and that somewhere can only be higher fares on other ships. And finally, if Princess cannot recoup the lost revenue, then the entire business would be in jeopardy. So one can rejoice short term about the fact that the new toy is having troubles resulting in fare reductions. But in the long run, is this a good thing? I don't think so.

 

And here I sit, a loyal Princess customer; waiting for Wednesday's flight to Barcelona and to board the Royal on Friday. We're ready, but are we going? This is called a slight case of "agida." Rejoicing on anyone's troubles, be it industry or personal, is downright (you fill in the word).

[CruisinMaterial]

The reports on the "news" board are correct. It was 8 hours before we actually got underway and were sailing again about 10 pm or so last night. The crew has been fantastic and managed to pull together the formal night menu last night at the last minute!

The Captain has been very frequent in his updates, however at breakfast he announced that the rest of the cruise will be cancelled and passengers disembarked in Naples tomorrow and Wed. They need more time for the repairs. We won't be arriving in Naples until about 10pm tonight- about 14-15 hours behind schedule.

Princess is going to be taking care of everything-they are really going the extra mile to provide the appropriate service and have been more than accommodating! We are very impressed in spite of the huge disappointment- as we had been upgraded to a suite this cruise and the ship is beautiful, and the crew fabulous.

 

Sorry to read of the premature termination of your cruise. If you hear any more details about what they're going to do for the 'fixing' of the ship please relay them. I have friends who are sailing her when we she gets to FLL, should she get here. :cool:

 

I'm glad the crew is going above and beyond to make your final hours on the ship a great experience or at least as much as can be given the circumstances. :)

[RMM34667]

I miss her so much, and I'm just glad that I had a hand in her 'trip of a lifetime'.

 

Wonderful post! Thanks.

 

I know news will be slow on this but I'll be sneaking back all day to learn more. I know they will have everything worked out in 36 days.. But still, learning the rest of the current cruise was cancelled made my stomach flip.

[hubofhockey]

I couldn't disagree more. To follow the logic of your thinking, a ship could have so many problems and so many bad reviews that the cruise line is forced to give cruises away for free, and this would be a good thing. Penny wise and pound foolish. First of all, most people here are loyal (and satisfied) Princess customers. Who among us really wants Princess to be trotting out a product that is so inferior that they have to slash prices to sell the product? And that lost revenue has to be made up somewhere, and that somewhere can only be higher fares on other ships. And finally, if Princess cannot recoup the lost revenue, then the entire business would be in jeopardy. So one can rejoice short term about the fact that the new toy is having troubles resulting in fare reductions. But in the long run, is this a good thing? I don't think so.

 

You can disagree all you want. I am pretty confident that Princess will get the engine problems straightened out and the line will not be at risk financially. Also, prices are driven by supply and demand and fares are not increased to "make up for lost revenue". That's ridiculous. Do you think that they are not charging as much as they can for cruisefares on other ships? :rolleyes:

 

In any case, in the long run, this is a good thing. It never bothers me to see people who run businesses poorly get replaced and for new management to come in with fresh looks on how to do business.

[pablo222]

It never bothers me to see people who run businesses poorly get replaced

If only... At several places I have worked, kissing up to the boss was far more important than doing your job well.

[JimmyVWine]

Also, prices are driven by supply and demand and fares are not increased to "make up for lost revenue". That's ridiculous.

 

You are making my point for me! If the price on Royal cruises has to be slashed to get people on board, and, as you say, they cannot make up that revenue on other ships, then the net effect is a loss of revenue that is not recouped. All of that equals depressed stock value, layoffs, cutbacks in service, and, in the worst case scenario, bankruptcy. You can rejoice in the fact that this misfortue is saving you money. And you can claim (without support) that this lost revenue will not be made up in other areas. (The idea that the "suits" don't sit around the board room pontificating on how to make up lost revenue is comical). But what you are really reveling in is the downward spiral of a business. There are only three options for an underperforming ship. 1.) Fix the problems and get revenues back up to expectation; 2.) Live with the problem and recoup expected revenue from other sources; or 3.) Divest yourself of the underperforming asset. The fourth option, which you seem to favor, is to skip along merrily with the underperforming asset, giving great discounts to people who choose to sail on her, and live with those losses by not making up the difference elsewhere. I have never seen a business employ that strategy.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I just heard about this.

New ship with problems.

Glad the captain is keeping everyone informed.

Sorry to hear that the rest of the ports had to be cancelled.

Many years ago we were on the old Sky Princess when she lost power for a few hours. Thankfully it was not as serious as this sounds.

[billco]

This can only be good new for those of us who have bookings next summer on the Royal Princess. The negative reviews, combined with high airfare has driven down demand for our July 6 cruise. We have already had one substantial price reduction. Maybe this will drive another. This will be our third European cruise with Princess and we've enjoyed them all and expect nothing different from this one, except a much cheaper price. :cool:

 

I am sypathetic to those who missed the last four ports on the current cruise. We did the Grand Med itinerary on the Ruby Princess and it was an amazing vacation.

Hard for me to grasp that someone can rejoice in a misfortune and be sympathetic to those affected at the same time.

[hubofhockey]

Hard for me to grasp that someone can rejoice in a misfortune and be sympathetic to those affected at the same time.

 

Enage in hyperbole much? At no point am I rejoicing in the misfortune of others. I do believe the ship has repairable engine problems that will be repaired shortly and I do hope my cruise fare goes down.

 

You seem to be saying I can't feel badly for those impacted and still not hope this drives down the price of my cruise next summer. Gotcha.

[homeinboca]

My mom and dad had exactly one cruise under their belts when she passed away. That cruise, a 3-night to the Bahamas on Carnival Ecstasy to celebrate their anniversary, was the 'trip of a lifetime'. I had secretly upgraded them from a standard ocean view to the largest available suite on the ship. She talked about it for years, as if it were an Around the World Cruise. They had been as far as Bali, flown there by my brother on Garuda and had a wonderful time, but there was something about that single cruise that just hit the right mark with my mom. Their picture, exiting off of the gangway in Nassau, hangs above my work desk at home.

 

When she got real sick and I told the family I was cancelling my cruise on Sun Princess to be by her side, she literally threatened me "Don't you dare, I'll never forgive you!!! Tell me about it when you get back...", and she smiled and held my hand. So reluctantly I went, letting them know how to contact me just in case anything happened no matter how small. After I returned I told her all about my trip, and her eyes lit up like a child on Christmas Day! It was amazing and she was so thrilled! And five weeks later she was gone. I wish I could have done more. I wish I had cancelled that cruise but I didn't want to disappoint her. That was in 1997, and I still dream about my mom to this day. Someone told me that was her way of telling me that she's OK now. I miss her so much, and I'm just glad that I had a hand in her 'trip of a lifetime'.

 

Dave, what a wonderful post. It doesn't surprise me at all that this is how you act in your personal life, given how nice and giving you are on these boards. Let's hope they fix the problems with the electrical on the Royal once and for all and I wish you safe travels...

 

Ron

[hubofhockey]

You are making my point for me! If the price on Royal cruises has to be slashed to get people on board, and, as you say, they cannot make up that revenue on other ships, then the net effect is a loss of revenue that is not recouped. All of that equals depressed stock value, layoffs, cutbacks in service, and, in the worst case scenario, bankruptcy.

 

I highly doubt that a blown enging will lead to your doomsday scenario. It could lead to loss of market share that other cruise lines would capitalize on and jobs could get moved among cruise lines as the better run companies get bigger and the lesser ones get smaller. I hardly made your point that Princess would raise prices on other ships. ;)

[SeagoingMom]

I hope it's still under warranty.

 

And, complaining about this will probably cut into complaining

about balcony size and no middle stairs.

 

But, I'm sure soon enough, order will be restored.

You can't possibly be taking about CC! How long have you been with us? :rolleyes: The electrical problems will fade from memory, but the balcony size and middle stairs issues will live on!! ;)

[ibfern]

I'm not nervous. I'm not anxious. I am packing. We leave for Barcelona on Wednesday to board the Royal on Friday. I have confidence that all will work out well.

 

I am with you on that! :D

[baldercash]

Power Outage Hits Royal Princess; Ship Heads Slowly to Naples, Cruise Cancelled

September 23, 2013 By: Susan Young

http://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/power-outage-hits-royal-princess-ship-heads-slowly-naples-cruise-cancelled-42671

 

 

Royal Princess' Seawalk

 

 

Another cruise ship has had power issues and this time it’s a sparkling new one. The 141,000-ton Royal Princess, which was christened and launched in June by the Duchess of Cambridge, had a power failure on Sunday en route from Mykonos, Greece to Naples, Italy.

 

Princess Cruises (http://www.princess.com) said neither the ship nor its 3,594 passengers and 1,336 crew members onboard were in any danger. After assessing the unexpected mechanical issue, though, Princess has canceled the rest of the ship’s 12-day cruise.

 

"The ship’s technical team continued to evaluate the problem overnight and, upon further assessment, it became apparent that repairs need to be made to fully resolve the situation,” the line said in its latest statement.

 

“We sincerely regret this means the remainder of the current cruise will be canceled,” Princess said, also noting it was making flight arrangements to help guests return home after the ship arrives in Naples on Tuesday, a day later than expected due to the vessel's slower-than-normal speed.

 

Guests are expected to spend Tuesday night onboard and depart the ship on Wednesday. Passengers were enjoying the seventh day of a 12-day cruise from Venice to Barcelona.

 

As a result, they'll miss going ashore to explore Rome and Florence (Livorno), two bucket-list destinations for most first-time Mediterranean cruisers. They’ll also miss a port call at Toulon, France.

 

Royal Princess' Atrium

 

Princess’ Care Team has been sent to Naples to assist passengers and make flight arrangements. In addition, the line said it will provide a full refund as well as a 25 percent future cruise credit to guests on the shortened voyage.

 

The power problem surfaced at 1:30 p.m. local time on Sunday. Princess told Travel Agent that the captain notified guests of the situation, the ship slowed to conserve existing power and the ship’s emergency generator kicked in to maintain such important services as lighting and toilets.

 

Some passengers told CruiseCritic.com (http://www.cruisecritic.com) that they experienced power outages of 3.5 to six hours. Guests also reported issues with air conditioning, electrical and plumbing, but Princess told the online consumer cruise site that those issues were unrelated to the outage.

 

What’s the status of the ship’s next cruise? The line said: "The impact of the repairs on the next Royal Princess cruise, scheduled to depart from Barcelona on September 27, is not yet known and we will keep passengers fully advised as details become known."

 

Power issues have plagued several ships this year, most notably Carnival Triumph after an onboard fire earlier this year.

[Northender]

What’s the status of the ship’s next cruise? The line said: "The impact of the repairs on the next Royal Princess cruise, scheduled to depart from Barcelona on September 27, is not yet known and we will keep passengers fully advised as details become known."

 

Thank you baldercash for the link. The above is the part that could be troublesome. A lot of folks leaving for Barcelona in the next day or two. One couple is leaving tonight.

 

Can you imagine being a CSR for Princess right about now.:eek:

[KathyJ]

The above post by baldercash is as much as we know at this point. We are all waiting for letters specific to our situations. In the meantime it is a beautiful sunny day, the water is beautiful and the drinks are good!

As you can imagine with almost 4000 people there are a lot of different scenarios happening about where people are going etc. Princess is also covering the expenses to get home- flights, hotels, etc.

Kathy

[Pia1913]

The above post by baldercash is as much as we know at this point. We are all waiting for letters specific to our situations. In the meantime it is a beautiful sunny day, the water is beautiful and the drinks are good!

As you can imagine with almost 4000 people there are a lot of different scenarios happening about where people are going etc. Princess is also covering the expenses to get home- flights, hotels, etc.

Kathy

 

Are you saying you're still on the ship after 6 PM? We just saw something that said all passengers were already off. In Naples. And that ship now had full power.

[OCruisers]

The above post by baldercash is as much as we know at this point. We are all waiting for letters specific to our situations. In the meantime it is a beautiful sunny day, the water is beautiful and the drinks are good!

As you can imagine with almost 4000 people there are a lot of different scenarios happening about where people are going etc. Princess is also covering the expenses to get home- flights, hotels, etc.

Kathy

 

Kathy, thanks for your updates from the ship.

 

LuLu

~~~~

[gracie65]

So sorry to all those on The Royal this week. I can relate to how you feel as we were on The Crown last year that returned after the noro outbreak. I don't know how many are posting here that are on this week but we had insurance outside of Princess. We were able to turn down the flight home offer and at least stay in Fort Lauderdale and have 3 more nights of vacation. I learned from others then with The Princess plan you pretty much had to take what they set up. The day we got back to port I did a priceline bid and got The W for 160.00 a night. We stayed within the allowance under the trip interruption coverage and got reimbursed just a few weeks after filing the claim.

 

I hope they get everything up and running properly and don't have to cancel or shorten the next sailing.

[Pam in CA]

From cruiselawnews.com

To be honest, I don't believe much from Cruise Law News. :( It's not an independent news organization but the work of James Walker who lives to sue cruise lines for any perceived infraction or issue. He's like a pitbull. If you want to sue a cruise line, you'd want him as your lawyer but he is the furthest thing from objective when it comes to news.

 

The fact that they're not sure whether to cancel the next cruise means to me that they haven't been able to identify source of the electrical problem which is why they're canceling the cruise. It may or may not be something serious. Obviously, temporary repairs haven't worked and they need more time to identify and fix the problem without passengers onboard using services.

 

I guess we'll see.

[-Lew-]

Marine Traffic show the Royal still at sea approaching Naples...

 

Lew

 

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

We will have to wait to hear from Princess what caused the problems.

 

The Royal has more back up and built in redundancy than any ship in the fleet

 

So did all these systems work OK

 

Is the break down something that will affect the two ships under construction

Or is it something like a tubro unit that failed when l was on the Sun something that could not be fixed quickly but not serious

 

Princess has a chance to take a bad news story and turn it into a good news story they need to tell us everything as soon as they can. And then take the best care possible of the passengers onboard

Yours Shogun

 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Forums mobile app

[simbasmom]

And here I sit, a loyal Princess customer; waiting for Wednesday's flight to Barcelona and to board the Royal on Friday. We're ready, but are we going? This is called a slight case of "agida." Rejoicing on anyone's troubles, be it industry or personal, is downright (you fill in the word).

 

OMG-I really feel for you! I pray everything works out OK. DS is staff on a different Princess ship, and the staff members of different ships "talk" to each other regularly. I'd offer to keep you updated, but as I've learned, you get quicker information here on cruise critic than anywhere else! Good luck.

[mabones]

I have a flashlight that is called "larry". True! My BIL is an Electrician & he bought a bunch of them at the Electrical Supply Store. It is about 6-8" long & about as wide as a large Sharpie. It comes in Bright Yellow so that you can find it & it is also Magnetic so that you can just place it on the Wall of the Stateroom, because the LED lights are located on the side. I also bring a couple battery operated puck lights. One is always used in the Bathroom @ night. All you need to do is tap the top & it turns on.