Power problem grounds Princess Cruises ship

Princess Cruises has canceled today’s sailing of the 1,950-passenger Sun Princess, citing a power problem.

The 18-year-old vessel had just emerged from a $30 million overhaul in a Singapore dry dock and had been scheduled to sail a 14-night voyage from the city to Freemantle, Australia.

In a statement sent to USA TODAY, Princess spokeswoman Karen Candy says a malfunction occurred in the ship’s switchboard resulting in “limited onboard power hindering (the ship’s) ability to run all hotel operations.”

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The Sun Princess is the second vessel this week operated by a major cruise line that has been beset by mechanical problems. Celebrity Cruises’ 2,138-passenger Celebrity Millennium made an unscheduled return to Ketchikan, Alaska late Sunday due to a propulsion issue and remains docked in the port today undergoing evaluation.

The problems come nearly six months after a string of mechanical issues on Carnival ships left many Americans questioning the reliability and safety of cruise ships.

Princess says the Sun Princess’ next sailing — an 11-night cruise from Freemantle to Singapore scheduled for Sept. 3 — will go ahead as planned after repairs are made.

Passengers on today’s sailing will receive a full refund, a credit for a future cruise and reimbursement for incidental costs related to the canceled sailing, Princess says.

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