Star Princess Update | The Mail Buoy

« Older: More New Ships Coming Newer: MSC Announces Changes to 2007 Plans »

It’s been a perfect storm of sorts for us here… We go away for a long weekend with the intention of posting from the road which proves to be more difficult than we expected… and several big stories hit the wires…

We’ve been silent about the fire onboard Princess Cuise Lines’ Star Princess not just because we’ve been working remotely, but also because there was extensive media coverage of the incident in the first 24-48 hours. There really wasn’t much for us to report on that hadn’t been repeated often in the TV, radio and newspaper coverage. Now that the cameras and microphones have moved off to other stories, we intend to move in and ensure that the story isn’t forgotten.

The following statement was issued by Princess Cruise Lines on March 23 at 6PM Eastern: “Star Princess is currently docked in Montego Bay following a fire aboard the ship early this morning as the ship was in transit between Grand Cayman and the Jamaican port as part of a seven-day voyage. The origin of the fire is still unknown, and Princess is cooperating fully with investigators from the U.S. Coast Guard and other regulatory agencies to determine the cause and assess the damage.

Princess Cruises extend their deepest sympathy to the passengers and their families who were personally affected by the fire, in particular the family of the passenger who passed away, along with those passengers who experienced smoke inhalation injuries. This is the first time such a tragedy has occurred during the history of our company, and we are devastated by this incident. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the fire.

Following an assessment today of the damaged cabins, Princess Cruises believes that the best course of action is to terminate the current cruise in Montego Bay. All passengers currently onboard will be flown home over the next two days, and will receive a full refund of their cruise and air fare. In addition Princess will cover any out-of-pocket travel expenses our passengers may incur for this change of plans. We will also provide passengers with a future cruise credit equal to 25 percent of the cruise fare paid on this voyage.

Passengers in the cabins affected by the fire — which number approximately 100 — will be provided accommodations at hotels ashore in Montego Bay tonight, and the other passengers will remain on the ship until their flights home over the next two days. The ship is safe and is fully operational and continues to provide passengers with full services.

The following cruise, scheduled to depart Fort Lauderdale on March 26, will also be cancelled. Similarly, passengers booked on this sailing will receive a full refund, the same 25 percent credit towards a future cruise, and Princess Cruises will additionally cover out-of-pocket travel expenses as a result of the change.

Over the course of the next few days Princess Cruises will fully assess damage caused by the fire and plan to make the necessary temporary repairs to enable the ship to maintain its onward schedule. A plan for the repairs to the affected cabins will also be drawn up, and passengers booked in those cabins will be advised as soon as possible of our forward plans.

A special number has been set up for inquiries from immediate family of passengers who are currently onboard: 1-800-693-7222.

For additional information, please visit the Princess Cruises website at Princess.com”

The following statement was isssued by Princess Cruises on March 24 at 6PM Eastern The investigation into the fire that occurred onboard Star Princess is currently underway and Princess Cruises is working in tandem with authorities in the UK, Bermuda and US to assess the damage to the cabins, and also to determine the cause. At this time the ship remains docked in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Princess Cruises anticipates that the assessment will continue through the weekend, and on Monday Princess Cruises should be able to provide a more definitive update on the situation to passengers booked on upcoming cruises.

Because the investigation is in the early stages, Princess Cruises does not have any information about the cause of the fire at this point. Princess Cruises is focused on their passengers, and arranging for their homeward travel and comfortable accommodations onboard the ship or at shoreside hotels until that time.

A special number has been set up for inquiries from immediate family of passengers who are currently onboard: 1-800-693-7222.

For additional information, please visit the Princess Cruises website at Princess.com” The most recent update that we have is from March 25 at 6:30 Pacific: ” Star Princess sailed from Montego Bay, Jamaica this evening at 9:00 pm local time and is currently en route to the Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, where we will commence the repair process. The ship is expected to arrive at the shipyard on Monday morning.

We continue to assess the damage as well as the cause of the fire.

We anticipate that on Monday we should be able to provide a further update on the situation to passengers booked on upcoming cruises”

We will continue to follow this story and will post additional updates as they are received. In addition we will be closely following the status of the Star Princess and intend to post here was we get further information regarding the repairs onboard as well as when Star Princess is expecting to return to service.