Caribbean Princess Technical problems will persist into NEXT YEAR

[cruzrbachoua]

Wont be fixed til 2019

 

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[chisoxfan]

We are on a Jan 2017 Panama Canal cruise and I guess I am surprised at the continued concerns posted here.

First of all I can see no safety issue posed. If a repair could be scheduled quickly I have to believe it would be in the best interest of the cruise line to do so. While the reduction in port time is an inconvenience it does not materially (IMHO) change the character of the cruise we are on (primary interest in seeing PC). Frankly, in my mind the small port time changes are preferable to the chaos that occurred as a result of recent hurricanes in Carib. I am not a Princess apologist but see this issue down the list of what affects a cruise experience.

I did also note, despite some of the backlash on the boards, our cruise has been sold out for some time.

[spookyfudge]

We are on a Jan 2017 Panama Canal cruise and I guess I am surprised at the continued concerns posted here.

First of all I can see no safety issue posed. If a repair could be scheduled quickly I have to believe it would be in the best interest of the cruise line to do so. While the reduction in port time is an inconvenience it does not materially (IMHO) change the character of the cruise we are on (primary interest in seeing PC). Frankly, in my mind the small port time changes are preferable to the chaos that occurred as a result of recent hurricanes in Carib. I am not a Princess apologist but see this issue down the list of what affects a cruise experience.

I did also note, despite some of the backlash on the boards, our cruise has been sold out for some time.

 

 

You do realize they have decided to take the boat into repairs because one of the engines is now fully inopeable (see earlier post). Also if you go on the princess web site, a funny thing is occurring, the first couple of cruises in Jan now show a "sold out" on the cruise dates. I have been monitoring and that was not the case a few days ago (IMHO) so you may want to see if you are still going?

[chisoxfan]

You do realize they have decided to take the boat into repairs because one of the engines is now fully inopeable (see earlier post). Also if you go on the princess web site, a funny thing is occurring, the first couple of cruises in Jan now show a "sold out" on the cruise dates. I have been monitoring and that was not the case a few days ago (IMHO) so you may want to see if you are still going?

 

 

 

One propeller fully inoperable? I have to question a single post without any support other than this statement.

Apparently this line of reason escalates from one propulsion system inoperative to January cruises being cancelled ?

I had looked at the cruise many times and it had been shown as sold out many months ago so I don't believe this is a recent event.

Additionally, if you do a search of propulsion issues you will find numerous instances affecting all cruise lines albeit they may be more limited in duration than what the Carib Princess is facing.

I am not hiding my head in the sand. I understand there is an issue and that it will eventually be fixed. Without question it affects top speed and as a result port times were changed months ago. We received a 100 OBC. Not a great offer but again I do not feel the small changes are a game changer.

At this point, all we can do is have faith in Princess that concerning things in their control that they will not do anything that puts passengers at risk or negatively impacts this cruise any further. Based on what I understand I would not seriously consider cancelling this cruise if it was an option at this point. I would be more concerned with the weather or a noro virus outbreak than the propulsion issue. JMHO

[debr]

You do realize they have decided to take the boat into repairs because one of the engines is now fully inopeable (see earlier post). Also if you go on the princess web site, a funny thing is occurring, the first couple of cruises in Jan now show a "sold out" on the cruise dates. I have been monitoring and that was not the case a few days ago (IMHO) so you may want to see if you are still going?

 

The Jan. 13 sailing is NOT sold out ..

 

Debr

[chisoxfan]

The Jan. 13 sailing is NOT sold out ..

 

Debr

 

We are on Jan 27 cruise and while I have not checked recently it had showed as sold out or largely sold out since last fall.

[tailspintom]

Princess has finally decided to take the CB to drydock and address the problem. I imagine they will do the usual maintenance while there as well. Whether they have to change out the motor or repair it remains to be seen. It is a very large piece of equipment and to replace it probably will require cutting a hole in the side of the ship to get it out. With any luck this will fix the problems permanently with the CB propulsion problem. We were last on the CB in the fall of 2016 for a TA back to North America. While the ship was operating under reduced power, we made the trip on time without any adjustments to the itinerary.

We are scheduled to go on the January 13th cruise and the ports have changed moderately from the initial itinerary. So what (for us)? It is the Caribbean in January. Does one go on a cruise to the Caribbean for the rich historic experience? Not unless they are schooled in non- written, pre-colonial history.

 

I just assume that with the extended period of time in dry dock, Princess will do quite a lot of work that would normally take place at a different time or at sea. Why waste the time ans cost of dry dock to just lay idle while all that activity is taking place below deck?

[spookyfudge]

One propeller fully inoperable? I have to question a single post without any support other than this statement.

Apparently this line of reason escalates from one propulsion system inoperative to January cruises being cancelled ?

I had looked at the cruise many times and it had been shown as sold out many months ago so I don't believe this is a recent event.

Additionally, if you do a search of propulsion issues you will find numerous instances affecting all cruise lines albeit they may be more limited in duration than what the Carib Princess is facing.

I am not hiding my head in the sand. I understand there is an issue and that it will eventually be fixed. Without question it affects top speed and as a result port times were changed months ago. We received a 100 OBC. Not a great offer but again I do not feel the small changes are a game changer.

At this point, all we can do is have faith in Princess that concerning things in their control that they will not do anything that puts passengers at risk or negatively impacts this cruise any further. Based on what I understand I would not seriously consider cancelling this cruise if it was an option at this point. I would be more concerned with the weather or a noro virus outbreak than the propulsion issue. JMHO

 

Not to get in a "cat fight" with you, but as of 2-weeks ago plenty of cabins were available on both the first and second cruise. I was using that as a comparisons for up coming cruise, just saying (IMHO).

[Shutterlady]

Just checked our January 2, 2019 cruise of the Panama Canal, still lots of rooms available,

[trbarton]

I’m on the January 13th Circle Caribbean cruise on the Caribbean Princess.

Here’s the latest information from Princess.

“ITINERARY CHANGE

Please be advised that due to cruise ship congestion in Curacao, Caribbean Princess will no longer call to Curacao on Wednesday, January 24, 2018. Instead, we will now call to Grand Turk from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM on Thursday, January 25.

PROGRESSIVE CRUISE CHECK-IN INFORMATION

 

To help facilitate a smooth start to your voyage we have implemented a progressive cruise check-in schedule. Please arrive at the check-in time listed below. If you have purchased a Princess Cruise Plus Package/Transfer, your check-in time will be provided at your hotel or the airport. Guests travelling on shared transport or arriving as a group will be checked in together. Priority check-in will be available to guests with a Preferred Boarding Pass within the allocated check-in times. Boarding will commence shortly after check-in. Please do not arrive prior to the start of cruise check-in as your cabin will not be ready.

12:30 PM - Aloha & Lido Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with A & L 1:00 PM - Dolphin & Emerald Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with D & E 1:30 PM - Caribe & Fiesta Decks - Cabins on these deck begin with C & F 2:00 PM - Plaza & Riviera Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with P & R 2:30 PM - Baja Deck - Cabins on this deck begin with B

ITINERARY CHANGE

 

Please be advised that Caribbean Princess has experienced a technical issue which 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, our technical experts have determined that it is necessary to make changes to our itinerary. We will still offer a full tour program in each port of call, and tours for new and rescheduled ports will be available shortly. We will now call to St Thomas on Tuesday, January 16, 2018 rather than call to Antigua on Wednesday, January 17. The call to St Maarten has been moved from Tuesday, January 16 to Wednesday, January 17, and we will now arrive in Princess Cays at 10:00 AM rather than 9:00 AM on Sunday, January 14. The revised itinerary displays in full above.

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.”

Tom😎

[chisoxfan]

Not to get in a "cat fight" with you, but as of 2-weeks ago plenty of cabins were available on both the first and second cruise. I was using that as a comparisons for up coming cruise, just saying (IMHO).

 

This was from Princess site today regarding Jan 27 cruise. As indicated I had found this cruise had sold out months ago ie, the reported propulsion issues did not seem to affect interest in this sailing. Not intending to be caustic about this but just supporting what I had posted earlier.

1 available date

2018Jan 27

 

DatesInteriorOceanviewBalconyMini-SuiteSuiteSat, Jan 27, 2018

Caribbean Princess

Sold Out

Sold Out

Sold Out

Sold Out

Sold Out

Guests 3 & 4 - same stateroomSold Out

Sold Out

Sold Out

Sold Out

Sold Out

 

 

 

 

[finucane]

Something to definitely keep an eye on...

[AF-1]

I read on another thread that the ship will go in for repairs May 2019; it will be an extended drydock. Question is; will the ship chug along for another 18 months

[finucane]

Question is; will the ship chug along for another 18 months

 

Hard to believe but it sounds that way...

[jovisoul]

I read on another thread that the ship will go in for repairs May 2019; it will be an extended drydock. Question is; will the ship chug along for another 18 months

 

I am pretty sure I’ve read that this problem has been going on for years, so yes, It will probably keep chugging along. I doubt they will take it out of the fleet and lose all the money before the 2019 scheduled repair.

 

We were on the 14-day Circle Caribbean cruise last October and had no issues. We are booked again for this October, although they changed the itinerary from Southern to Eastern, which I am not that happy about. So maybe the propulsion problem is getting worse all the time.

[satxdiver]

We are on the November Circle the Caribbean cruise and have been notified of an itinerary change. We will no longer be calling on Amber Cove in the DR and we will be departing Aruba, our last port stop, 5 hours earlier due to propulsion problems with the CB. It appears Princess has adjusted the CB's schedule this year to reflect the slower ship. We will all be given a $50 OBC.

 

We were on the CB on its TA return to NYC in 2016 and the ship was having propulsion problems at that time. The captain tried several times to get the propulsion repaired but was unsuccessful. On that cruise we did not have any port stops impacted by the problem and arrived in NYC on time.

 

Until the CB goes into dry dock in May 2019, the problems are going to persist and schedules changed. The ship is capable of running 18 knots or so, just not capable of running at full speed of 21+ knots.

[AF-1]

satxdiver, thanks for your excellent explanation.

[finucane]

Well seems they are still ta king May and June 2019 bookings???

[WVBill]

Has anyone seen an actual explanation of the issue? "Technical Issue" and "Propulsion Problem" are very broad terms. Is there anyone who can say "The defimilarator in the ferbrance drive has become xradiated" or whatever.

Would 99% of the world even understand such an explanation? - no. Is it a Princess secret? - I doubt it. Does Princess "owe" us such an explanation? - not in the least.

[finucane]

Has anyone seen an actual explanation of the issue? "Technical Issue" and "Propulsion Problem" are very broad terms. Is there anyone who can say "The defimilarator in the ferbrance drive has become xradiated" or whatever.

Would 99% of the world even understand such an explanation? - no. Is it a Princess secret? - I doubt it. Does Princess "owe" us such an explanation? - not in the least.

 

Yeah, I kind of think they at the very least owe us honest answers to when they plan on resolving these so called issues that have been going on now for 6 +- years.

After all they sold us all on something then took it away with minimal compensation...

Not to mention them holding onto everyone's millions in deposits for up to 2 years.

Yeah I think they owe us some answers for us sticking with them and us being loyal longtime customers, and building their brand for them, it's a two way street...

I think most are not jumping ship, not yet anyway. We for one want to trust Princess, after all we have an investment in them.

JMHO!

[caribill]

Has anyone seen an actual explanation of the issue? "Technical Issue" and "Propulsion Problem" are very broad terms. Is there anyone who can say "The defimilarator in the ferbrance drive has become xradiated" or whatever.

Would 99% of the world even understand such an explanation? - no. Is it a Princess secret? - I doubt it. Does Princess "owe" us such an explanation? - not in the least.

 

That is exactly what the problem is. How did you find out?

[likeadisguise]

I heard...

[satxdiver]

Has anyone seen an actual explanation of the issue? "Technical Issue" and "Propulsion Problem" are very broad terms. Is there anyone who can say "The defimilarator in the ferbrance drive has become xradiated" or whatever.

Would 99% of the world even understand such an explanation? - no. Is it a Princess secret? - I doubt it. Does Princess "owe" us such an explanation? - not in the least.

 

I love the technical explanation.

 

The ship has two screws (propellers) each run by an electric motor. Each motor is connected to two onboard diesel generators producing the electrical power required. I have been told that for some reason one diesel generator cannot run at full speed delivering the electrical power needed by that screw. Each screw electrical motor needs 42,000 KW to run at full speed. The ship has a total of 4 generators used to produce the electrical power for the screw motors due to required redundancy. The diesel generators are over 2 decks high and occupy most of the bottom of the ship. It looks like they are going to have to take the CB into dry dock and tear down the underperforming diesel generator to fix the problem. Until that time the CB cannot achieve its designed 22 knots and run at a slower speed. Here is a general description of cruise ship propulsion to include diesel-electric propulsion.

 

http://www.cruisemapper.com/wiki/752-cruise-ship-engine-propulsion-fuel

[tailspintom]

I love the technical explanation.

 

The ship has two screws (propellers) each run by an electric motor. Each motor is connected to two onboard diesel generators producing the electrical power required. I have been told that for some reason one diesel generator cannot run at full speed delivering the electrical power needed by that screw. Each screw electrical motor needs 42,000 KW to run at full speed. The ship has a total of 4 generators used to produce the electrical power for the screw motors due to required redundancy. The diesel generators are over 2 decks high and occupy most of the bottom of the ship. It looks like they are going to have to take the CB into dry dock and tear down the underperforming diesel generator to fix the problem. Until that time the CB cannot achieve its designed 22 knots and run at a slower speed. Here is a general description of cruise ship propulsion to include diesel-electric propulsion.

 

http://www.cruisemapper.com/wiki/752-cruise-ship-engine-propulsion-fuel

This was a non-issue for us in January. We made our ports and had plenty of time in each to relax. On the sail from Grand Turk back to Fort Lauderdale, the ship was making 21 knots. Now, it might be the case that she can not sustain that speed for an extended period of time, but I have rarely seen any cruise ship make more than 18 knots over a long period of time during a cruise.

[WVBill]

I love the technical explanation.

 

The ship has two screws (propellers) each run by an electric motor. Each motor is connected to two onboard diesel generators producing the electrical power required. I have been told that for some reason one diesel generator cannot run at full speed delivering the electrical power needed by that screw. Each screw electrical motor needs 42,000 KW to run at full speed. The ship has a total of 4 generators used to produce the electrical power for the screw motors due to required redundancy. The diesel generators are over 2 decks high and occupy most of the bottom of the ship. It looks like they are going to have to take the CB into dry dock and tear down the underperforming diesel generator to fix the problem. Until that time the CB cannot achieve its designed 22 knots and run at a slower speed. Here is a general description of cruise ship propulsion to include diesel-electric propulsion.

 

http://www.cruisemapper.com/wiki/752-cruise-ship-engine-propulsion-fuel

 

Thank you. You have satisfied my curiosity. I understand ship propulsion systems (retired Naval Aviator) and assumed it was something like that. Whenever someone says something like "We have a technical problem" I just want to know more.