The cruise ship Grand Princess, which lost power at sea Monday about 20 miles east of Hilo, canceled the rest of its Hawaii voyage Wednesday and offered its 2,592 passengers full refunds and airfare to San Francisco.
The ship docked Tuesday morning in Honolulu Harbor for repairs, according to Karen Candy, a Pacific Cruises spokeswoman in Santa Clarita, Calif.
“We had technical experts join the ship yesterday to inspect all systems and verify the safety of the ship. Lloyd’s Register reviewed all actions and cleared the ship to sail. In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard has been involved throughout the process and has also cleared the ship to sail,” Candy said. “However, while there is no impact to maneuverability or safety, the ship cannot attain maximum speed . Therefore, we must adjust the future itinerary.”
The cruise line canceled port calls to Nawiliwili, Kauai and Lahaina so the vessel could return to San Francisco as scheduled on Dec. 10.
The ship was moored at Pier 2 and left Wednesday night for Ensenada, Mexico.
“We regret that this situation has impacted the cruise and sincerely apologize that we’ve been unable to deliver the expected cruise vacation experience.,” Candy added.
The cruise line offered passengers a full refund and compensation, she added.
The vessel was on the fifth day of a 15-day cruise to Hawaii and Mexico when it experienced electrical problems about 20 miles off Hilo on Monday morning.
Princess Cruises, which operates the ship, said that at about 5:30 a.m. Monday the propulsion circuit breaker in the aft switchboard suffered “significant failure,” resulting in smoke.
No injuries occurred as a result of the incident, she said.
Passengers said that power was restored in about an hour.
Passenger Ed Arnow said the full refund is “great.”
Arnow said he and his wife, Jo, will remain aboard.
But Arnow said he was disappointed because the couple had planned to meet with their daughter, who lives on Maui.
Grand Princess was carrying 2,592 guests and 1,095 crew members on a 15-day Hawaii cruise that left San Francisco on Nov. 25.
