Two Alaskan Ports Canceled on Royal Princess Cruise Due to Engine Trouble

Engine issues on the 3,560-passenger cruise ship Royal Princess are keeping the ship from reaching typical cruising speeds.

Because of the propulsion problems, Princess Cruises has been forced to cancel two ports of call on the Alaskan voyage but is offering what I think is a very generous 50% refund.

Not every cruise goes according to plan. In this case, some savvy cruise ship tracking sleuths discovered that the thirteen-year-old Royal Princess was moving at a fairly sluggish pace at the time.

As it turns out, there is a reason for that.

A letter was sent to guests on the Royal-class vessel yesterday, explaining why the ship was moving at slower speeds as it made its way northward from Seattle.

“We are currently experiencing a technical issue with our engines that does not affect the safety of our guests or crew but does restrict our ability to proceed at the required speed to maintain our itinerary as planned. Our technical teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible”, the letter stated.

Slower speeds mean that the ship will not be able to stick to the originally planned schedule. Two ports of call will have to be skipped: Juneau and Ketchikan.

Instead of heading straight to Alaska’s capital, the ship will enjoy an extra sea day as it heads to Skagway for its first port of call on Tuesday, September 15.

Ketchikan was supposed to be the destination for Thursday, September 17, but instead the ship will head to Victoria, Canada.

Princess Cruises Compensation

While these cancelled ports of call are a disappointment to guests who book a cruise like this for the destinations, Princess Cruises is offering a pretty generous reimbursement offer.

The letter explained:

“As a gesture of goodwill due to this itinerary change, and as a gesture of goodwill for your understanding, you will receive a refund of 50% of your cruise fare. You will receive a refund of monies paid to Princess to the original form of payment in 10 to 15 business days.”

50% of that cruise fare will be coming right back to cruisers on the ship, and they still get to enjoy the beautiful vessel for the full duration of the sailing. And obviously, they will be spending more time on the ship than previously thought.

Any passengers who had booked shore excursions for Juneau or Ketchikan will also be getting that money credited back to their onboard account. And with a couple extra sea days thrown into this voyage, that money will certainly come in handy.

Cruiser Reaction

Cruisers currently on the ship and recent passengers have been sharing their thoughts online about the status of the ship.

Here is what people on and off the ship have been saying on Facebook:

“We are on it now. Trying to make the best of it but obviously very sad and disappointed!!!”

“While disappointing, we will still be going to Skagway, which is what we are really looking forward to. Hoping the engine crew can get things remedied while in port. We will be refunded our excursion fee. I wonder if we will be compensated for the port fees we’ve paid and provided with a future cruise credit… At the end of the day, this is a beautiful ship, and each day is an adventure. We are blessed to have a captain who is looking out for the safety of his passengers and crew.”

One passenger who just got off the ship before this current sailing noticed some physical signs that something might have been off in the engine room:

“We disembarked yesterday. During our cruise there was a bit of shaking felt in common areas of the ship. We were relieved it wasn’t noticeable in our cabin E214. Not sure if other cabins (maybe more aft) felt the vibrations.”

Of course, leave it to veteran cruisers to help keep things in perspective when life hands you extra sea days:

“The fact is its still an amazing vacation. Your not at work, your being waited on hand a foot, there is still so much beauty everywhere. When life throws you lemons make lemonade.”

All in all, while missing Juneau and Ketchikan definitely isn’t ideal, most passengers seem to be making the best of their time in Alaska, especially with that 50% refund sitting in their pockets.

Ship Still Sailing at 16 Knots

Tracking data from sites like VesselFinder confirm that the ship is still moving north at about 16 knots. So, it’s not like the ship is floating around aimlessly in the water.

And while this speed might sound like a decent pace, an average ship’s cruising speed is anywhere from 20 to 22 knots, with Royal Princess’s registered speed being about 22 knots. When scheduling offers only tight windows of time, even a small change in a ship’s speed can force itinerary changes like this. 

The ship is currently just off the coast of Prince of Wales Island, one of the islands along the Alaskan panhandle.

Upcoming Dry Dock

It won’t be long before Princess Cruises can take a deeper look into some of the issues impacting Royal Princess. The ship is already scheduled for a dry dock in Singapore from October 16 through November 1, 2026.

A 27-night sailing from Seattle to Singapore begins on September 19.

After this two-week plus dry dock the ship is scheduled to offer sailings out of Australia through April, 2027.