Cruise Bruise Blog
January 9, 2009
January 9, 2009
Cruise Ship Electrical Problem Delays 101-Day Cruise

The passengers waiting to embark on their 101-day cruise aboard the
P&O Cruises Arcadia out of the Port Of Southhampton, England (United Kingdom) were stranded overnight on board.

Arcadia was initially expected to depart January 5th but before the master, Commodore Steve Burgoine, could put to sea it was discovered a problem had developed with the vessel's emergency electrical back-up system forcing the ship to stay in port.

According to a P&O Cruises company spokesman Arcadia and her 1,860 guests on board, were expected to leave the Eastern Docks at about 4pm. The ship actually left 33 hours behind schedule.

During the delay P&O Cruises supplied transport for any passenger who wanted to go into the city while on the ship all facilities were open as normal.

"The ship's new departure time will not have any serious, long term effect on the voyage,'' said a P&O Cruises' spokesman.

Arcadia is due back in Southampton on Thursday, April 16 after visiting more than 35 ports in 19 countries during the cruise.

MS Arcadia was launched in April 2005. The 86,799 ton vessel, with a speed of 22-knot (41 km/h; 25 mph) had a build cost of $400 million. The ship was scheduled for a refit November 26, 2008 to December, 20 2008.

The refit has not been without other problems. On the prior cruise the generator had failed on the ship, entailing an extended stay in Barcelona, and a rush back to the UK without making a planned call in Vigo.

January 9, 2009
At Least 340 Become Ill Aboard Cruise Ship Near Brazil

Unofficial reports coming from the MSC Cruises MSC Sinfonia say that the cruise ship has a record number of ill passengers aboard, some 340 (17%) of the passengers aboard are suffering form an unknown illness.

The illness is producing Norovirus type symptoms of severe diarrhea and vomiting according to a spokeswoman with Brazil's National Agency for Sanitary Vigilance. Though the outbreak could be related to drinking water and food handling.

The agency claims innspections found high amounts of chlorine in the cruise liner's drinking water and problems with the storage of perishable food items like mayonnaise.

MSC Sinfonia left Rio de Janeiro a week ago. MSC Cruises is a division of the Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Company.

January 9, 2009
Cruise Industry In Pain

Carnival Cruise (CCL) said December 8, 2008 that net revenue yields—a measure in the cruise industry of revenue compared to available ship capacity—would be off 11% to 15% in 2009.