At the Grand Princess CruiseMinus page you will find a complete list of this Princess cruise ship’s major accidents and cruise incidents. Reports are made by our own staff using official data from major online news media sources, Wikipedia and USCG (Coast Guard) reports.
Here we also post updates on Grand Princess cruise law news. They are related to recent crimes being investigated. Among those could be arrests, filed lawsuits, charges and fines, grievances, settled /withdrawn legal actions, lost cases, etc.
You can add more details or submit your own Grand Princess ship incidents (negative cruise experience reports) via the Cruise Minus “contact us” form.
This is link to the ship’s official site Princess. com.
Fire accidents
- March 31, 2008, local residents reported a fire accident when the vessel was maneuvering for docking in Ocho Rios (Jamaica). Witnesses said at
4:20 pm the vessel came to a halt, with a large amount of thick smoke surrounding it. The shipowner Princess Cruises later reported a breakdown of one engine and damages to another engine, but no fire – only billowing smoke from the engine room. The incident caused reduced cruising speed and late arrival in call port Grand Cayman. November 30, 2015, while en-rote from San San Francisco to Hawaii, the ship (carrying 2592 pax and 1095 crew) suffered an engine room fire accident, about 20 ml / 30 km away from Hilo Hawaii. The fire broke out on deck 4 at
5:30 am, and was caused by failure of a propulsion circuit breaker (aft electrical switchboard). Fire was extinguished by 8 am. No injuries were reported. Due to the outage, the ship lost propulsion power. One of the engines was damaged and it continued at reduced cruising speed (operating on 3 diesel generators). As result of the power outage, for some 20 min the vessel was drifting, on emergency lighting, and the air conditioning was limited. The ship was on the 5th day of a 15-days roundtrip San Francisco to Hawaii cruise itinerary (Nov 25 – Dec 10) with scheduled call ports Hilo, Honolulu, Nawiliwili, Lahaina and also Ensenada Mexico. The incident also caused an itinerary change. Port Hilo was dropped in order to proceed to port Honolulu. Engineers were deployed in Honolulu to assess fire damages and assist repairs upon arrival at 7 am (Dec 1). The ship remained at half propulsion power (sailing at reduced speed). After the damage assessment, further itinerary changes were implemented. Call ports Nawiliwili (on Kaui) and Lahaina (on Maui) were also dropped in order to return to San Francisco on Dec 10, as scheduled. As compensation, all passengers received a full refund, plus 50% future Princess cruise booking discount. Princess Cruises provided free airfare to all passengers willing to disembark in Honolulu and fly back to San Francisco.
Ship listing accident
- February 4, 2006,
2 hours after leaving homeport Galveston TX, the vessel sharply turned while cruising at
24 mph / 39 kph. This caused a
19-degree listing to port. Fact is, that 24-degree listing would have been a disaster. The result was panic and serious interior damages, among those smashed glassware and dishes, damaged shopping arcade merchandise, various objects (incl TVs) falling down, swimming pools partially emptied. Of all, 27 passengers and 10 crew suffered minor injuries (like bruises and cuts). The incident report mentioned a total of 82 TVs being destroyed. Later, the ship was assisted by USCG assets 8 ml / 13 km offshore in offloading a sick passenger and an injured crew. When the ship docked in next call port Costa Maya, Mexico, more then 300 passengers decided to cancel their voyage and flight back home. A severe listing (24-degree) was experienced by the Crown Princess ship in July 2006.
Tender boat accident (2016)
- December 4, 2016, a faulty tender platform caused damage to the ship’s hull, which led to the cancellation of the cruise due to needed repairs. No injuries among passengers or crew were reported. The accident occurred, after the cruise ship left port Honolulu (Hawaii), when a starboard-located tender platform opened for yet unknown reasons. The hull sustained a minor damage (opening above waterline) that required repairs in dock. This resulted also in an itinerary change – call port Ensenada Mexico was dropped. The Captain confirmed that the vessel was safe and secure, and updates to guests were regularly provided. The ship went back to Honolulu, arriving in port on December 5 for repairs. The accident happened on the 16-day Hawaii and Mexico cruise roundtrip from San Francisco CA (itinerary Nov 23 – Dec 8) visiting Hilo, Honolulu, Nawiliwili, Lahaina, and Ensenada (Baja California Mexico). As compensation, all passengers received 50% refund of the cruise fare paid, plus future Princess cruise onboard credit equal to the amount of the Hawaiian cruise fare refund. Princess Cruises also flew all passengers back to San Francisco (the scheduled disembarkation port). Also provided at the company’s expense were overnight Hawaii hotel accommodations and all the nedded transfers. All Travel Agent commissions were protected. After the repairs, Grand Princess will go into a scheduled dry-dock.
Technical incidents
- September 8, 2005, the ship reported engine (propulsion?) problems on the Eastern Mediterranean cruise while was en-route to Istanbul Turkey. On the current itinerary, the scheduled stops in Turkey (Istanbul and Kusadasi/Ephesus) were replaced with Greece (Samos and Piraeus/Athens). Repairs were done in homeport Venice Italy. As compensation, all passengers received US$400 in onboard credit. September 13, 2005, while operating in the Eastern Mediterranean, unfinished repairs of the ship (when the vessel was docked in Venice Italy) caused reduced cruising speeds and shortened port stays in several call ports in Croatia and Greece. February 1, 2006, major itinerary changes was made due to “technical issues”. For the remainder of the 2006 season, all visits to call port Grand Cayman (1/2 day stay) were cancelled and replaced with call port Playa Del Carmen, Mexico (1 day stay /8 am to 6 pm). Also port stay times in Cozumel Mexico Belize City were extended. November 4, 2006, at
7:30 pm, upon leaving call port Livorno (Italy) the ship run aground at
0,5 ml /
1 km off the harbor’s entrance, doing a very soft stop. During the next 30 min, the crew tried various combinations of speeds and directions to move the vessel. At
8 pm the vessel regained its way forward. November 22, 2008, the ship’s arrival in Civitavecchia (port to Rome, Italy) was delayed due to mechanical (propulsion ) issues. Passengers later reported the vessel was lurching and shuddering. Then the ship experienced power loss two times (first for
5 min, then for
15 min) and drifted for
30 min before some propulsion was restored. Docking in port Civitavecchia was assisted by 2 tug boats. Unofficially, crew stated the ship lost a generator and damaged one of the stabilizers. No injuries were reported. November 29, 2008, propulsion problems (bow thruster malfunction) and safety reasons (strong winds) forced the ship to alter its course and anchor outside English Harbour (Antigua) instead of docking at St John’s. March 28, 2012, USCG reported the ship experiencing a maneuverability problem. August 4, 2014, at
4:50 pm (after
40 min into the voyage), engine issues (propulsion?) caused a small listing and forced the ship to return to homeport Seattle WA, where was assisted by a tug boat. It was officially announced that during the incident, the vessel had its propulsion and steering systems fully operational. October 28, 2016, while sailing off the California’s coast (en-route from Ensenada Mexico to San Francisco), the vessel temporarily lost propulsion at
6 pm. The incident was caused by an engine room water leak entering the propulsion motors’ electrical transformers. The current and next Mexican Riviera itineraries (roundtrip from San Francisco) were not affected.
Crew & Passenger Death accidents
- July 12, 1999, a male passenger was reported missing and presumed fell overboard in the Mediterranean Sea. The body was never found. November 13, 2013, a 54-year-old female passenger was reported missing and later pronounced fell overboard intentionally. The woman was last seen
0:30 pm. USCG was called at
1 pm. The accident occurred
750 ml / 1200 km northeast of Hilo, Hawaii. January 7, 2014, a 34-year-old male crew jumped overboard in a suicide attempt while the ship was en-route to Hawaii from San Francisco CA. The man (of Filipino origin) was reported missing approximately halfway between San Francisco and Hilo, Hawaii. The USCG was alerted at
12:30 am, but the conducted search operation didn’t find the body.
Crew & Passenger incidents (injuries, crimes)
- April 1, 2006, two crew intentionally jumped overboard while the ship was in homeport Galveston TX. The incident resulted in all the crew being grounded on the ship. Both jumpers were arrested and escorted by the police to the Galveston International Airport. March 25, 2007, two passengers (22-year-old male, 20-year-old female) accidently fell overboard but were rescued alive. Both fell in the water from their cabin’s balcony at
1:30 am. Diring the incident, the ship was
150 ml / 240 km off the Galveston coast. The search and rescue operation conducted by the ship lusted
4 hours. The woman returned home, while the man continued on the voyage. The incident report mentioned that both were trained for water survival. The man was an USAFA cadet (US Air Force Academy, and the woman was a lifeguard. There were some speculations about this incident being a stunt to demonstrate the industry’s capability to effectively save overboard passengers. May 7, 2011, the ship made an unplanned stop in Bermuda due to a medical emergency. A 57-year-old male passenger was offloaded and transported to KEMH (King Edward VII Memorial Hospital). The ship was on a Transatlantic repositioning cruise en-route from Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale Florida) to UK. On the previous day, Crown Princess did the same, stopping in Bermuda for a medical emergency (pax evacuation). October 30, 2011 (law news), a 46-year-old crew (of Jamaican origin) was charged with drug smuggling into the UK, and was sentenced to 8 years in jail by the Southampton Crown Court. The man (Anthony Spence, who worked on the ship as bar supervisor) attempted to smuggle cocaine (1,3 kilos, 100% purity) with street-value worth of GBP435,000 ( USD700,000). He was detained by the UK Customs on July 16, after leaving the docked ship in Southampton, England. When the police examined his bag and rucksack, they found a total of 17 packages. The cocaine was given to him in call port Gibraltar (along the cruise itinerary). When officers searched his cabin, they found more than GBP16,000 cash. The arrested crew admitted his drug trafficking attempt. January 12, 2013 (law news), two male crew (aged 26 and 27, both of Italian origin) were charged on Jan 24 with a sexual assault of a female crew on Jan 12. Both men were bailed US$5,000 each. Since the vessel’s flag-state is Bermuda, the lawsuit was filed in Hamilton (Magistrates Court). Trial was on April 27. October 18, 2015, a 57-year-old female passenger was medevaced after sustaining a heart attack on the ship. The woman was airlifted and transported by an USCG Dolphin helicopter dispatched from San Francisco. When the incident occurred, the ship was located
80 ml / 130 km southwest of Monterey CA, operating on a 7-days Baja Mexico and California cruise itinerary from homeport San Francisco (Oct 17-24) with call ports Santa Barbara, Long Beach, San Diego and Ensenada.