Power problem grounds Princess Cruises ship

Princess Cruises has canceled today's sailing of the 1,950-passenger Sun Princess, citing a power problem.

The 18-year-old vessel had just emerged from a $30 million overhaul in a Singapore dry dock and had been scheduled to sail a 14-night voyage from the city to Freemantle, Australia.

In a statement sent to Paste BN, Princess spokeswoman Karen Candy says a malfunction occurred in the ship's switchboard resulting in "limited onboard power hindering (the ship's) ability to run all hotel operations."

The Sun Princess is the second vessel this week operated by a major cruise line that has been beset by mechanical problems. Celebrity Cruises' 2,138-passenger Celebrity Millennium made an unscheduled return to Ketchikan, Alaska late Sunday due to a propulsion issue and remains docked in the port today undergoing evaluation.

The problems come nearly six months after a string of mechanical issues on Carnival ships left many Americans questioning the reliability and safety of cruise ships.

Princess says the Sun Princess' next sailing -- an 11-night cruise from Freemantle to Singapore scheduled for Sept. 3 -- will go ahead as planned after repairs are made.

Passengers on today's sailing will receive a full refund, a credit for a future cruise and reimbursement for incidental costs related to the canceled sailing, Princess says.

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