A cruise ship from Celebrity Cruises had to cut their 7-day cruise short after encountering mechanical issues.
The 2,138-passenger ship, Millennium, left Vancouver, Canada and was headed for Seward, Alaska. However, the ship didn’t reach the destination because of one of the propulsion units failing on the third day of their trip. They were stranded in Ketchikan. It is reported that the ship could have sailed at a slower speed with the one motor, but they decided not to “in an abundance of caution”.
Kip Wadlow, the Coast Guard spokesman, said the problem made the the ship have to return to Ketchikan. The Coast Guard ordered the ship to stay put until all of the issues were fixed, which resulted in the cancellation of the rest of the trip. Wadlow said the Coast Guard was working with Celebrity Cruises “to put the safety of the crew and the passengers first, ensure that they are protected and ensure that the vessel is capable of safely getting under way.”
Due to the mechanical issues, four other cruises have been cancelled as well. All of the passengers that were aboard Millennium will be receiving a full refund along with a voucher for a free cruise. They will also have the fare paid for their tickets to fly back home. Celebrity Cruises will also be offering the people who were booked on the other cruises, that were cancelled, full refunds and vouchers as well.
“A mechanical issue has made it necessary to perform unscheduled repairs on Celebrity Millennium,” Cynthia Martinez, director of global corporate communications for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., the parent company of Celebrity Cruises, said. “As a result, we have informed guests that we have had to cancel the following sailings: August 23, August 30, September 6 and September 13.”
