| Date |
Ship |
2013 |
Incident |
| March 18 | Adonia | ITV reports two British tourists have been shot in Barbados during a reported attempted robbery attempt as they made their way to the P&O cruise ship Adonia. BBC also has a report: The Foreign Office is investigating reports two Britons were shot during a robbery while on holiday in Barbados. The pair, believed to be a man in his 70s and a woman in her 50s, were hit in Bridgetown during a stopover as part of a Caribbean cruise. P&O Cruises confirmed two of its passengers from the Adonia, which left Southampton on 8 January, were taken to hospital after an "incident". Local authorities are investigating, the cruise company added. The ship's staff and medical team are also providing support. "We are aware of an incident involving two British tourists in Bridgetown, Barbados," said a spokesman for the Foreign Office. "We are providing consular assistance. Adonia, which is currently on an 85-night world cruise, is due to arrive back in Southampton on 3 April. | Two passengers shot onshore in robbery attempt |
| March 17 | Ventura | Captain Greybeard at the Daily Mirror reports the ship returning from the Caribbean to the UK, is experiencing problems with its starboard propulsion motor and has had to replace a scheduled visit to Madeira next week with a brief stop at Ponta Delgada in the Azores. Ventura left Barbados on March 8 and called at Grenada, St Lucia, Antigua and Tortola before setting out across the Atlantic. It is due to arrive in Southampton on Friday March 22 and will then proceed to dry-dock in Bremerhaven, Germany, for a scheduled two-week refit. A P&O spokeswoman said that although the ship's speed was restricted by the propulsion problem, power and all other services are unaffected. "We are working with the manufacturers and shore support to rectify the issue," she added. | Propulsion problems |
| March 7 | Oriana | BBC reports a group of passengers has begun legal action after getting a vomiting bug on a winter cruise. More than 400 passengers on the ship were confined to cabins due to norovirus during a 10-day Baltic cruise from Southampton in December. Law firm Irwin Mitchell, representing 32 passengers, wants information on how the ship was cleaned following an outbreak on its previous voyage. P&O said it has "stringent" cleaning and hygiene processes on its ships. Suki Chhokar, of Irwin Mitchell, said: "Everyone who has contacted us for help have had their cruises more or less ruined as a result of the illness outbreak on the Oriana and all of them want answers over how the outbreak happened." Southampton Port Health Authority confirmed there were 417 cases of norovirus on the ship, which carried 1,843 passengers and departed on 4 December. | Lawsuit for illness outbreak |
| February 8 | Aurora | Tom's Cruise Blog reports there seems to have developed problems during her world cruise. A post on a forum includes this email to an about-to-embark passenger, advising them of a changed itinerary as a result of the problem: I am writing to you on behalf of your travel agent with some important news regarding your upcoming cruise on board Aurora’s 2013 World Cruise R301, departing from Auckland on Sunday 17th February 2013.While carrying out her World Cruise, Aurora has developed an unexpected fault with her port propeller shaft. There are absolutely no safety implications arising as a result of this fault, but it does have an impact on her maximum speed and repairs are required. To enable repairs to take place, Aurora will stay in Auckland for an extra day and will now depart on Monday 18th February. Embarkation for your cruise will still take place on Sunday, 17th February as planned. As a result of the extended stay in Auckland, the half day call to Napier and full day call to Wellington have unfortunately been cancelled. As a replacement, on departure from Auckland, Aurora will now sail directly to New Zealand’s Idyllic Bay of Islands for a full day call, arriving in the morning of 19th February. The revised itinerary is displayed in full below. | Propulsion problems - change of itinerary |
| January 12 | P&O Cruises | Merco Press reports the cruise line has scrapped stops in Argentina because of continuing tensions with the country over the Falkland Islands. Two of its vessels will no longer dock at three Argentine port destinations on around-the-world cruises. The decision was taken because there was no guarantee they will be able to dock. The ships – Arcadia and Adonia – are also visiting Port Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands, on the cruises leaving Southampton next month. Argentine port authorities have recently refused permission for other cruise ships to dock after they had visited the Falklands or have simply adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards radical groups hounding passengers or delaying docking operations. |
Canceled calls to Argentinian ports |
| January 10 | Aurora | The Edinburgh Evening News reports a woman whose dream cruise turned into a “living nightmare” has been awarded more than £8500 compensation – amid claims the ship’s drinking water was poisoned. The 65-year-old said scores of passengers were laid up sickon the Januray 2009 cruise while staff, wearing protective clothing and masks, carried out a deep clean of the vessel. “There were hundreds of us that were sick, the entire corridor I was on was ill. We were just handed antibiotics and isolated in our cabins where we were fed our meals on trays for a few days. “I felt worryingly weak and dehydrated and lost a lot of weight. I developed a constant feeling of nausea, tiredness and severe abdominal pains which still effect me even now. It was horrible." The ship was off the coast of Africa when it happened. Passengers had reported seeing so-called “grey water” – waste water – and claim staff told them it was the result of sewerage in the air conditioning. The ship's owners paid out the money on condition they did not accept liability. | Payout for illness |
| Date |
Ship |
2012 |
Incident |
| October 18 | Ventura | From a reader: Reports are coming in that the ship has been seriously damaged during a recent Bay of Biscay crossing. The ship, currently on her way back to Southampton, hit bad weather last night whilst sailing through the notorious stretch of water and a rather large crack has now appeared in one of her higher decks. The gap seems to be at least 2 inches wide and passengers onboard say it runs the entire length of the deck with damage to the window pane on the deck below and the frame seeming out of place. Those onboard have stated the crack runs both vertically and horizontally. Passengers say the area has been sectioned off and passengers with balcony cabins on deck 14 have been told not to use their balconies. The damage seems to be around a weld however and not a weld directly. See photos here. BBC reports Repairs are being made in Southampton. Passengers described the crack on board P&O's Ventura cruise ship as three inches (60mm) wide, stretching the entire width of the aluminium deck. The company said an inspector from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency is on board and the crack raised no structural strength or safety concerns. | Serious crack |
| September 29 | Aurora | BBC reports rescuers searching for a 72 year old British woman who fell overboard from a cruise ship in the Mediterranean have found a body. The woman was reported missing on the Aurora ship as it sailed from the Portuguese city of Oporto to Barcelona on Friday, P&O Cruises said. The ship's crew were alerted and ordered an immediate search for the woman, who has not yet been named. The Aurora left Southampton for a 14-night western Mediterranean cruise on 26 September. | Pax overboard |
| September 6 | Azura | Gibrlatar Chronicle reports alaptop bag left unattended in the cruise terminal yesterday sparked the second bomb scare in less than a week. The bag was spotted by personnel from the Borders and Coastguard Agency, which alerted the Royal Gibraltar Police and the bomb disposal squad of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment. The area was cordoned off anµd a controlled explosion was carried out using a remotely operated robot known as ‘the wheelbarrow’. A manual search subsequently established that the bag was full of harmless personal belongings. The cruise ship Azura remained docked throughout the incident, though hatches were closed and any crew and passengers on board were asked to remain on the port side of the vessel, away from the terminal. Passengers returning to the ship after a day in Gibraltar were stopped at the security gate for approximately two hours until the incident was resolved. | Bomb scare |
| August 21 | Oriana and Artemis | The Guardian reports an Irish man who brought a civil claim against the owners of a cruise ship after he was the butt of jokes told by comedians on board two of its vessels has won an out-of-court payment. John Wolfe, 74, a retired builder from Dublin, claimed the jokes, which allegedly stereotyped Irish people, were deeply offensive and left him feeling humiliated. He complained to P&O after he and his wife Joan were on board a worldwide cruise on the Oriana five years ago and brought a claim against Carnival Plc, the owners of the company. During the trip, he claimed that two comedians entertained passengers by telling a series of Irish jokes in their routines. After allegedly receiving reassurances from the company such jokes would be banned and the Wolfes were given £1,000 of vouchers to spend, they were surprised and upset to hear similar jokes when they took another P&O cruise in 2008 - to the Caribbean on board the Artemis. Wolfe brought a civil claim against Carnival Plc - the owners of P&O - under race relations legislation as well as the European Union's race directive - a ruling which sets out the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin. The case was due to be heard at the Manchester Civil Justice centre but has been settled out of court. Wolfe, who represented himself during proceedings, said he couldn't comment on the settlement, but it is believed to be a five-figure sum. The claim that he had been a victim of racial discrimination was struck out by the court. At a hearing in May, District Judge Anthony Harrison said the case centred on whether Carnival was "vicariously liable" - that is, whether they were responsible for the actions of the comedians. Carnival argued that as the comedians were employed by a sub-contractor - and not directly by them - it is not responsible for the offensive jokes. The company also claims that as the alleged incidents took place outside UK waters, they do not fall under the jurisdiction of its laws. It argues that a settlement was reached with Wolfe following his first complaint and because he was given £1,000 worth of vouchers, this effectively precluded him pursuing a further complaint. A P&O spokesperson said: "We can confirm that this case has been resolved amicably out of court to the satisfaction of both parties." | Lawsuit for being brunt of jokes onboard |
| July 1 | P&O Cruises | The Guardian reports for daring to protest for little over an hour at their falling, meagre earnings – and despite the assurances of the ship's captain and P&O's British head office – the careers of about 150 people have been quietly, summarily ended. Just before Christmas last year, the letters arrived. Carnival had, they stated, listened to the crew. They were talking through the options for a "more guaranteed remuneration package at some point in the future". They were "working on a project to address the issues". As the Guardian reported in April, this new remuneration package would raise the lowest rate of basic pay to £250 a month. Additional bonuses, replacing tips, could be withheld from crew who failed to achieve satisfaction ratings of 92%. But Carnival's letter continued: "Unfortunately, the majority of the restaurant crew on the Arcadia chose not to wait … Instead these crew, which included yourself, chose to take industrial action … greatly impacting our customers. This behaviour is not something Carnival UK is prepared to tolerate." No waiter who took part in the protest would be re-engaged on any Carnival UK ship. Neither would they be offered any future contract by their employers, the Mumbai recruitment agency Fleet Maritime Service International. Enclosed was a letter from Fleet which added: "We have been provided with details regarding the situation from Carnival UK advising that they do not wish to re-engage you on a ship." It said that, "after careful consideration, we agree". | Workers sanctioned for job action despite assurance they wouldn't be |
| March 25 | Adonia | The US Coast Guard reports the ship experienced a fire. | Fire |
| March 4 | Adonia | I Love Chile reports all three ships have canceled port calls to Puerto Chacabuco, Chile (Patagonia region) because of protests by the Aysen "Tu Problema Es Mi Problema" Civil Movement. | Port call canceled |
| February 27 | Adonia | The Buenos Aires Herald reports provincial authorities stopped a cruise ship flying under the Bermudan flag from docking in Tierra del Fuego on Monday, upping the ante in Argentina's spat with Britain over the Malvinas. The Star Princess was prohibited from docking in the southern Argentine port of Ushuaia, capital of Tierra del Fuego province, because Bermuda is an overseas territory of Britain, Argentina's state news agency Telam said on Monday. Britain hopes to share in any Malvinas Islands windfall when oil starts flowing there later this decade. Other media also report P&O's Adonia was also denied docking priveleges (see The Sun). | Refused port entry |
| February 22 | Aurora | The Australian reports a British cruise ship passenger has been arrested in Sydney after he allegedly tried to smuggle 30kg of cocaine into Australia. He was stopped by Customs and Border Protection officers last Friday at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, after a sniffer dog detected the scent of drugs. He was found to be hiding several silver packages inside a wetsuit he was wearing under his clothes, and another 25 packages concealed in three suitcases. Officers from the Australian Federal Police estimate the man was carrying a total of 30kg of cocaine. He has been charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border protected drug and is due to appear in Sydney Central Local Court on Wednesday. The offence carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of up to $825,000. The arrest follows an international investigation during which US authorities arrested an Australian man and two New Zealanders on board the same ship when it docked in San Francisco on January 25. Around 13kg of cocaine was seized and all three people were charged with offences relating to its possession. | Drug bust |
| February 14 | Aurora | San Francisco Weekly reports federal agents announced today that they seized 13 kilograms, or close to 29 pounds, of cocaine from a cruise ship docked in San Francisco last month. According to a statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a joint operation among federal agencies and local law-enforcement led to two separate discoveries of a large amount of coke on a cruise liner at Pier 35 on Jan. 25. The ship had arrived from Curacao, according to CBP. The search of the ship was said to be a routine inspection similar to those conducted on all vessels that arrive in San Francisco from foreign countries. Federal agents discovered seven kilos of cocaine in the cabin of Ahmed Rachid, an Australian national, according to CBP. An additional five kilos were discovered in the cabin of New Zealand citizens Tony Wilkinson and Kirstie Harris. All three were arrested. | Drug bust |
| January 7 | Adonia | BBC reports workers at a Cornish shipyard have been given four days to complete emergency repairs on the ship. The Southampton-based Adonia is due to arrive at Falmouth Docks over the weekend but needs to sail next Friday on a an 87-night world cruise on 13 January. One of the directors for A&P Falmouth, Peter Childs, said it would be a 24-hour-a-day job to complete the work. Though the ship is the newest in the P&O fleet, it was built in 2001 as Renaissance Cruises' R8. After Renaissance ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy in late 2001, the vessel was seized by creditors and laid up in Marseille, France. In 2003, the vessel re-entered operation, this time as the sole cruise ship in Swan Hellenic's fleet. The vessel was named Minerva II. On 7 April 2007, the Minerva II completed her final voyage with Swan Hellenic and was transferred by the parent company, Carnival Corporation & plc, to Princess Cruises. She was renamed Royal Princess and entered into service for Princess in April 2007. On 18 June 2009, fire broke out in her engine room, disabling the ship, while on a 12-day Holy Land voyage and just left Port Said, Egypt. She waited to dock in Port Said for an assessment of the damage. On 9 December 2009, it was announced that Royal Princess was to transfer to the P&O Cruises fleet. The ship entered service with the company on 21 May 2011, and was renamed Adonia. | Emergency repairs |
| Date |
Ship |
2011 |
Incident |
| October 28 | Ventura | USA Today reports several UK news outlets today are reporting on a dramatic rescue of a man who plunged off a cruise ship in the Atlantic. The London Evening Standard says passengers on the ship were roused out of sleep before sunrise this morning by emergency horns and the launch of lifeboats as crew members searched for the unnamed person, who was pulled out of the ocean alive. The news outlet says the man was spotted by passengers. "It has all been very dramatic," one passenger on the ship told the Evening Standard. "It was pitch black. This guy is so, so lucky." There's no word on how the man went overboard or whether he was a passenger or a member of the ship's crew. The ship is on a 15-night voyage to the Caribbean out of Southampton, England. See also the Daily Echo. | Person overboard / rescued |
| September 30 | Aurora | The Portland Press Herald reports the cruise ship arrived in Portland (UK) at 9 a.m. Thursday and planned to leave at 6 p.m. that same day. But "electrical problems" stopped it from departing, according to passengers and city officials. The ship had planned to leave at 5 p.m. Friday, however it wasn't until 8:45PM before the ship was cleared to sail. The Harbormaster confirmed electrical issues caused the delay, but said he didn't have further details about the problem. Aurora officials didn't immediately respond to a message for comment. | Electrical problems - Delayed departure |
| June 7 | Arcadia | The Telegraph reports a group of 2,000 elderly British cruise ship passengers docked at Los Angeles for a short stop-off during a five-star cruise around America it was, in the words of one of them, more like arriving at Guantanamo Bay. During their £10,000, two-and-a-half month “Alaska Adventure” tour from the Arctic to the Caribbean, the passengers on the luxury P&O liner Arcadia had become more than accustomed to passing US immigration with little formality. By the time they docked at Los Angeles on May 26, for a one-day visit it was their 10th stop on US soil. But when a handful of them questioned whether the lengthy security checks at the port were strictly necessary for a group of largely elderly travellers officials were not amused. Although they had already been given advance clearance for multiple entries to the country during their trip, all 2,000 passengers were made to go through full security checks in a process which took seven hours to complete. The fingerprints of both hands were taken as well as retina scans and a detailed check of the passport as well as questioning as to their background. Passengers claim that the extra checks were carried out in “revenge” for what had been a minor spat over allegedly overzealous security. They complain that they were “herded like animals” and made to stand for hours in temperatures up to 80F with no food or water or access to lavatories. Some are said to have passed out in the heat while others were left confused and bewildered. When one lady asked in desperation whether she could use a bathroom, one immigration official is said to have replied: “Do it over the side, we won’t mind.” To compound the situation, the officials' computer broke down and further delays resulted. The immigration delays forced P&O to extend the stay in LA by a day forcing it to cancel a later stop-off at Roatan, Honduras. | Customs and immigration nightmare |
| June 2 | Oriana | Media in Norway reports the ship has a sizeable dent in the stern after bashing into a solid stone quay at her last port of call, Kristiansand in Norway The vessel was leaving harbour at about 5.30 on Wednesday evening when the incident happened. A water pipe and an optical cable on the quay were damaged and the ship's stern was stoved in (see pics with news article). The ship proceeded on its voyage to Southampton after it was inspected and cleared. | Collision with pier |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2010 |
Incident |
| 30.12.10 | Aurora | Associated Press reports police in St. Maarten say cruise ship crew member from India has been shot in an attempted robbery. His wounds are not life threatening. The attack occurred on Wednesday near two brothels in the former Dutch Caribbean colony. The man told reporters at the hospital that he was walking from one brothel to another to look for a friend when an armed man approached him and demanded his money. He said he told the robber to take his money when the man suddenly shot him and fled with nothing. A search is on for the suspect. | Crew shot ashore |
| 21.9.10 | Arcadia | BBC reports a coroners inquest heard that A 22-year-old junior waiter working on board the cruise hanged himself after being caught stealing tips from a restaurant. Sumith Gawas, from Collem, Goa, in India, killed himself in his cabin on the P&O Cruise ship Arcadia while it was docked in Southampton. Mr Gawas was caught emptying the tips box by his colleagues in a self-service restaurant on 16 July this year. Deputy Southampton Coroner Gordon Denson recorded a verdict of suicide. The coroner said the shame of the theft had clearly led to him taking his life. | Crew member suicide |
| 24.8.10 | Artemis | The Western Telegraph reports the ship, which was scheduled to visit Milford Haven (Wales) tomorrow will be unable to make the call due to weather conditions. It was to be the first P&O cruise liner to visit the port and the first time the company had docked in any Welsh Port. | Skipped port call |
| 7.8.10 | Oriana | From a passenger: On 5 August the ship was delayed 4 hours sailing away from Dubrovnik as the computers operating the steering system crashed. This resulted in a mid day rather than early morning arrival in Venice.
On 7th August there was a small fire aboard one of the tender ships carrying passengers to and from Split. No report of damage or casualties. |
Delayed departure/ arrival |
| 8.5.10 | Artemis | The Daily Mail reports passengers on a Mediterranean cruise are 'in revolt' after engine problems caused them to miss out on several stops of their voyage. The itinerary originally included ten ports in six countries, featuring Barcelona, Cannes, Rome, Naples, Athens, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Majorca, Valencia, and Gibraltar during a 20-night journey. But technical difficulties forced the ship to abandon the original itinerary and instead call at Rome, Cannes, Barcelona and Palma, Majorca. Passengers have been left furious by the unscheduled changes to the itinerary and have now set up a committee to represent the 1,200 passengers in urgent talks over the disruption of the holiday cruise. One passenger said: 'People are extremely angry and it is not stretching the point too far to say they are in revolt over the way this cruise has been handled. 'Before we left Southampton we received a letter from P&O Cruises advising us we would be missing out Valencia and each passenger would receive £150 to spend on board during the voyage. 'Then, while we were at sea, the bombshell was dropped that due to continuing problems with the ship's fourth engine we would now not be calling at Naples or Gibraltar. 'Some people have paid £2,000 each for this cruise, others made arrangements to meet friends at ports we are not now visiting, and the advertised itinerary has been drastically changed. 'According to a letter we received in our cabins from the captain we will each be receiving a refund of £200 when we are back home.' The P&O Cruises' spokesman said the company has now doubled each passenger's on-board credit from £150 to £300. In a brief statement the company said: 'Due to a technical issue Artemis is operating at reduced speed therefore it has been necessary to make changes to the current itinerary. The ship returns to Southampton on May 16. See April 7 below for a similar incident. |
Engine problems - missed ports |
| 10.4.10 | Aurora & Arcadia | The Daily Mail reports passengers on both ships have been told to keep their cabin lights off and not venture out onto the promenade deck between the hours of 6.30pm and 7am while sailing through the Gulf of Aden. Despite the blackout, they were permitted to leave their cabins. The policy comes in the wake of increased concern about threat from Somali pirates in the area. | Lights out |
| 7.4.10 | Artemis | A poster at Cruises.co.uk writes, We have just returned from a Caribbean cruise on Saturday which had to leave out St Barts Island, but gave us £150 spending extra spending money each due to an engine problem. The ship needed the time in getting back to Southamton. Good cruise - old but very good ship and a good size with 1200 guests and easy to meet people. | Engine problems - missed port |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2010 |
Incident |
| 18.9.09 | Aurora | From a passenger: Aurora suffered
a loose starboard anchor during Atlantic crossing, night of Sept
3rd/4th, requiring ship to stop and haul it back up into its housing
and securing. On the same cruise, while leaving New York berth, Sept.
8th, no. 2 bow thruster burned out, causing loss of power with tugs
required to return ship to berth. Failed thruster was isolated by ships
staff (1 of 3). Lloyds assessor inspected and allowed ship to
continue to Newport RI, 5 hours late. During homeward voyage the final
port of St John's was missed due to high winds in the area south of
Newfoundland. Aurora encountered force 12 winds for a time. Note:
4 of 17 planned port calls to St. John's, Newfoundland have been
cancelled this year, ostensibly because of weather conditions (Eurodam
August 22, Auror September 18, Crown Princess September 20, Norwegian
Jewel September 26). |
Mechanical problems - missed port |
| 28.3.09 | Aurora | The Daily Telegraph reports passengers have staged a revolt after visiting only two ports in 22 days. This is in the aftermath of problems reports below on March 3. A protest group – dubbed the Aurora Committee – is now threatening legal action to compensate for the cruise, which some passengers had saved for 20 years to afford. | Passenger revolt |
| 3.3.09 |
Aurora | From a passenger: We broke down - 4 hours after leaving
Sydney the Captain announced there was a major problem with the port propulsion system (the Port Shaft Thrust Bearing that has gone). We can only do 13/14 knots and will miss Wellington and Napier, instead heading straight for Auckland. Instead of 2 days it will take 4 to get there. Experts are flying to Auckland as the repairs cannot be done at sea. There's a general downturn in the atmosphere... big difference in comparison to yesterday leaving Sydney after having 2 amazing weeks in Australia. Some staff on board are already aware that we are staying in port for at least 2 days. Possibly longer. No need for a dry dock or anything as the bearing can be replaced internally. |
Propulsion problems -- Delayed |
| 15.1.09 |
Oceania | Holiday
Insiders reports police are investigating how a male passenger died
during a planned scuba diving trip during the ship's stop
in Tortola. The company said “Onboard sales of that particular
excursion have been suspended pending an investigation. The dive was
for PADI certified and experienced divers only and was operated in full
cooperation with PADI best practice and procedures. |
Death on shore excursion |
| 11.1.09 |
Ventura | The Sunday
Times (London) reports on a holiday cruise, ending in Barbados,
that has been described by some as a cruise from hell. The article
states: "Cruising etiquette went overboard with the new breed of
cut-price passengers, who tried to reserve sun beds all day by draping
towels over them and allegedly sent their underage children to the
ship’s 12 bars to stock up on alcohol. A brawl between two families
from Manchester apparently broke out over who was drinking the better
champagne. Children threw food at stewards and abused the ship’s
officers when asked to stop. Even the captain was booed when he tried
to count down to midnight on New Year’s Eve. And bad weather meant the
ship missed three of the six islands on its itinerary. Instead, it made
an unscheduled stop at St. Vincent to put ashore two youths (and their
guardian) who were behaving badly. |
Cruise from hell |
| 4.1.09 |
Arcadia | Cruising
Talk reports that the ship dad an extended stay in Barcelona due to
a mechanical problem during the current cruise. One report said it was
the pods and another her stand-by generator. Her call at Vigo was
cancelled and passengers have received £100.00 in compensation.
She is due to arrive in Southampton about 06.00 hrs on the 5th January
2009 and expected to sail for Palma at 17.00 hrs. UPDATE: The ship arrived in
Southampton early, however its departure was delayed. This
Is Hampshire reports that a problem had developed with the vessel's
emergency electrical back-up system forcing the ship to stay in port.
The spare parts are being flown to Southampton from Italy. P&O
Cruises says, "The situation is still being assessed but it is hoped
that the ship will leave later today." |
Engine problems |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2008 |
Incident |
| 19.10.08 |
Arcadia |
BBC
reports that seven people were arrested in an early morning drug
raid on board the P&O cruise liner Arcadia in Southampton. Four of
those arrested had a total of approximately 30 kilos of cocaine
strapped to their bodies. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigators
and UK Border Agency officers seized the drugs, which have an estimated
street value of £1.2m. The seven - from Birmingham and Manchester
- are in custody and investigations are ongoing. None of those held is
a crew member, a statement issued by HMRC said. |
Drug bust |
| 21.9.08 |
Ventura |
From a passenger: Captain announced that due to
forecast force 4 to 5 winds tomorrow, the
berth assigned at Livorno will not be safe for the ship to dock.
Alternative arrangements have been made for anchorage at La Spezia, 40
miles further north. Tours will be rescheduled or cancelled. |
Itinerary change |
| 8.8.08 |
Acadia |
It has been reported that the ships is currently running
slow due to a propulsion unit failure. The cruises that are affected
are J817, J818, J820, J821 and J822Y. Passengers booked on these
cruises are being notified of all itinerary changes that are necessary.
Repairs will be undertaken during her scheduled drydock refit in
November 2008. |
Propulsion problems |
| 7.7.08 |
Aurora |
From a passenger: The
captain has just announced that due to problems with one of the
propulsion units the ship will be 12 hours late arriving at Reykjavik.
The port call at the next Icelandic, Akureyri has been cancelled and
pax will be given further info regarding future ports after the
unit has been inspected by experts who are being flown to Iceland to
try and sort out the problem. The ship is at present sailing out from
Nuuk in Greenland at around 16 knots and expects to be in Reykjavik by
8pm Thursday. UPDATE July
12: The problem has been
solved by the experts flown out to us. We are now running on both
engines.We will be missing our stop at Alesund (Norway) but due to
popular demand Akureyri has been reinstated. As a goodwill gesture P
& O has given a £100 per person credit to cabin accounts. |
Propulsion problems |
| 7.7.08 |
Arcadia |
It has been reported that the ship is experiencing engine
problems and running slower than normal. Port arrival times have been
altered but no ports have been dropped. |
Engine problems |
| 27.5.08 |
Ventura |
The 3,000-passenger ship was turned away from La Rochelle
after striking port authority employees blockaded the road in and out
of the port. A scheduled call in Brest May 28 was also disrupted by
shipyard workers who formed picket lines and burned tyres and wooden
palettes on all routes out of the port and into town. |
Canceled port call |
| 11.3.08 |
Artemis | The ship left Southampton for the Caribbean on March 10 but
was forced to detour to Falmouth for repairs after suffering damage to
the anchor stowage area on the bow in stormy weather. The damage does
not affect safety but repairs were needed before the ship headed across
the Atlantic. The ship should be ready to leave Falmouth March 12. |
Storm damage |
| 28.1.08 |
Oceana | A passenger was gunned down
after docking on Venezuela’s paradise island of Margarita aboard the
ship. According to The
Sun, the 53 year old man was buying a cold drink as his wife
popped into a
shop when the mugger thrust a pistol in his chest and demanded his
cherished £10,000 Rolex watch. He ignored him, turned away – and
was shot. As he collapsed with blood pouring from his wound, the gunman
fired two more bullets which narrowly missed him. The attacker then
pistol-whipped him around the head before grabbing the 18-carat gold
watch. Amazingly, the bullet had missed the man’s heart by millimetres
and passed straight through his body with only minor damage. He
returned to the ship after a hospital visit and continued on the cruise
(although he refused to leave the ship the remainder of the 14 day
cruise). |
Passenger shot on shore |
| 4.1.08 |
Oriana | A passenger writes that after
departing Madeira for Southampton on the homeward journey the ship
experienced a force 10 storm wich lasted for at least 12 hours.
It was difficult to remain in bed during the night due to the
pitching and rolling. On comparing
notes with other passengers in the morning (walking wounded) many
experienced cuts and bruises - but the main thing that emerged was how
terriyfying the whole experience had been and people were amazed how a
ship the size of the Oriana had been so badly buffetted.
Bizzarely, when we received the 'captain's log' of the journey on the
final day of the cruise there was absolutely no mention of the force
10, nor about the fact that we had a loss of all electrics (no engines,
toilets, lifts, etc) for about an hour mid Atlantic when we just
drifted, on the outward journey. The ship was on a 21 day
cruise
from/to London which crossed the Atlantic to BVI and returned from
Barbados via Madeira. |
Extremely high seas |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2007 |
Incident |
| 13.11.07 |
Artemis |
A passenger on board the ship contacted the BBC to say the
vessel was not allowed to land passengers in Tripoli on Tuesday morning
for a planned day trip. A P&O spokeswoman said the vessel was
heading to its next destination, Malta, earlier than scheduled. Cruise
passengers and others have been denied entry into the country
since November 11, even if they have valid visas. |
Cancelled port call |
| 12.11.07 |
Aurora |
A British
newspaper reports that a 30 year old Indian waiter has been jailed
for
sexual assault of a 14 year old girl on a Mediterranean cruise. The
court heard how the waiter, who befriended the girl while serving her
family's table in the dining room, had persuaded the girl to follow him
while
she was waiting for a friend outside the restaurant one evening.
He led her around the ship to a toilet cubicle, locked the door
and sexually assaulted her.
He was sentenced to 15 months. |
Child sexual assault |
| 30.9.07 |
Oceana | A
67 year old woman died after going missing overboard on a 2 night
cruise from Southampton to Zeebrugge return. Her husband reports
that
she was last seen at 5:45 AM; police were notified at 7AM. The
ship
was approaching Southampton when she went missing -- he body was
recovered at Thrne Channel in the Solent near Cowes (Isle of Wight). |
Person overboard -- Body recovered |
| 13.8.07 |
Oriana | Whilst in Corfu the ship's crew carried out an exercise that involved lowering a ships tender with 5 crew members onboard. When winching the tender back up, the lifting eye broke and the tender swung down breaking the other eye and plunged into the water. One crew member was rushed to hospital with severe crush injuries (spleen etc.) and 3 others were treated in the ship's medical centre. Efforts to lift the striken tender back on to the bow of the Oriana failed so it was in Corfu. | Crew accident |
| 7.5.07 |
Oceana | Controversy is brewing in the UK over the ship's rescue on
May 3 of even Algerians from a small boat off the Balearic
Islands. Despite the rescue, one man died; six suvivors were
landed at Southampton where the ship ended its cruise, though it had an
intermediate stop at Gibraltar. The British Home Office said
people rescued at sea should be disembarked at the nearest place of
safety (in this case Gibraltar). The men's eligibility for
admission to the UK is being considered in line with immigration
rules. See BBC
News online for more. |
Rescue controversy |
| 29.3.07 |
Aurora | A Japanese man snuck onboard for a free one-week voyage
before being caught in Hawaii, police said Thursday. Osamu
Ikegame, 40, said he could not stop himself when he saw the Aurora
docked in Yokohama and climbed a 2.5-metre (eight-foot) fence at the
harbour, according to police. He then successfully blended
in with passengers and boarded the
round-the-world cruise on March 20, said a spokesman for harbour police
in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. The free ride ended in Hawaii after the
cruise operator found out he had no ticket. So much for ship
security!!! |
Security Breach |
| 5.3.07 |
Aurora |
The ship said it would likely cancel future calls at Nha
Trang (Vietnam) because the 50 m high ship was not permitted to pass
through the the Vinpearl cable car system (which had a 49 m
limit). Nha Trang authorities said the requirement aimed to
guarantee safety for ships and the cable car system, which only began
operation last month. The ship, instead, was forced to dock
outside the port and to transfer passengers to oter ships before they
could disembark. The ship fears its passengers would face
difficulty as a result of the required transfer. |
Port dropped? |
| 13.1.07 |
Artemis | Currently half way through her 80 night African & Asian
Odyssey cruise, the ship has canceled today's call at Laem Chabang (for
Bangkok) in Thailand, ‘following advice received from our security
services relating to the security situation in Bangkok.’In place of the
Laem Chabang calls and ‘as a gesture of compensation’ stops at
Singapore and Vung Tau (Phu My) have been extended to two days. |
Cancelation for security |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2006 |
Incident |
| 24.10.06 |
Arcadia |
Encountered rough seas which caused several passengers being injured, at least one medevac from Ponta Delgado (Azores). Next port of call is Antigua on 29 October. Several passengers onboard with severe bruising from falls etc. October 25: Arcadia is having a bad day today too. The fire alarms are going off all the time. Captain is investigating the cause, as yet unknown.. | High Seas / Injuries |
| 1.4.06 |
Artemis (1) |
The transatlantic crossing from Southampton to the Caribbean was, according to one passenger, had been the worst 9 days at sea thay had ever had. The Atlantic was rough - waves splashing up to top deck, gale force winds, and televisions flying everywhere. They said they were very scared. The ship wasn't able to get into port for the Azores due to the weather so today was their first day in port. The Gastro bug has also struck and only the dining room is open to everyone. Toilets and other rooms have been closed off. | Rough Seas |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2005 |
Incident |
| 12.1.05 |
Aurora |
Since limping back to port on Sunday at the end of the
previous cruise the ship has remained in Southampton rather than
embarking on its 103-day round-the-world cruise. Repairs were
undertaken and there is hope the ship would depart by Tuesday of the
following week. It departed on Wednesday but engine problems
returned. The cruise was canceled. |
Propulsion problems Cancelation |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2004 |
Incident |
| 28.1.04 |
Oceana (2) |
The
U.S. Coast Guard ordered the ship out of St. Thomas
harbour on
Tuesday morning after it failed to provide a list
of names and citizenship of its 2870 passengers and crew. Tenders
filled with passengers were sent back to
the ship. The ship continued to its next port: Antigua |
Cancelled port call |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2003 and earlier |
Incident |
| 25.9.03 |
Oceana |
Nine
passengers' hair turned green after using the onboard
swimming pool. The cause is not known, but as a "gesture of
goodwill, the passengers were referred to the ship's beauty salon for
corrective treatment. |
|
| 12.3.03 | Oriana |
While crossing the North Pacific an auxilliary engine failed, causing the other three engines to stop. Ship drifted for two hours and proceeded at reduced speed after it was restored. Arrived in San Francisco two days later only slightly later than scheduled. | Engine failure |
| 28.9.00 |
Oriana |
The ship was hit by a 40 foot wave which smashed through six cabins as she sailed from Southampton to New York. Passengers wand crew were hit by flying class, but none seriously injured. Arrival in New York will be delayed. See: Report on the Investigation of Wave Damage to the Passenger Cruise Ship Oriana in the North Atlantic Ocean on 28 September 2000, Marine Accident Investigation Branch Report 36/2002 | Weather |
| 2.5.00 |
Aurora |
The ship had to return to
Southampton one day into her mainden voyage and abandon a two week
Mediterranean cruise. The problem was an overheating propeller
bearing. |
Engine
problems - Cancelation |
| 24.4.98 |
Victoria
(3) |
A 77 year old British man was reported missing by his
wife. The man has been seen at 11 PM when the couple went to bed
byrt was not there when she awoke at 6AM. |
Missing |
| Date |
Ship |
2012 |
| December 11 | Oriana | The Sun reports passengers were last night threatening a mutiny after more than 150 were hit by the winter vomiting bug. Crew members taped off areas of the ship “like a crime scene” and the liner smelt of sick, according to trippers on board. At least 150 reported being ill — but travellers said the figure is more like 300. Angry passengers claim the captain has ignored their plight and blamed them for bringing the bug on board. They plan to confront the crew before they dock at Southampton tomorrow. Retired fireman Dave Stringer, 57, said he was charged £55 for an injection to ease symptoms. Dave, from Walsall, West Mids, said: “There might be a riot because the captain and crew just refuse to listen. “We’ll refuse to disembark unless we get some answers. This hasn’t been a holiday — it’s been a cruise to Hell.” Another British passenger said: “It is a scandal — misery on the high seas.” The liner set sail on December 4 for a tour of the Christmas markets of Zeebrugge, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Oslo and Hamburg. But within hours the bug swept through the 1,843 passengers. Many travellers say the virus had hit the ship’s previous cruise and staff were suffering when they boarded. The Daily Mail reports the number ill is now 400 (December 13th), that passengers are being restricted to their cabins, and that they are being told if they get sick it is their own fault for not taking proper care to remain clean. |
| January 26 | Aurora | The CDC reports reports 142 of 1742 passengers (8.24%) and 8 of 824 crew (0.97%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. Two CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officers and an epidemiologist will board the ship on arrival in San Francisco on January 25, 2012 to conduct a targeted environmental health assessment and evaluated the outbreak and response activities. Stool specimens will be sent to the CDC lab for testing. The cruise began January 4 and ends January 26. |
| Date |
Ship |
2011 |
| December 30 | Aurora P&O Cruises |
The Daily Echo reports around 25 passengers were showing symptoms of norovirus last night. Sick passengers are being told to isolate themselves in their rooms while a “comprehensive” disinfection programme is rolled out on the ship, which set sail from Southampton last week. Yesterday the vessel was on a day call in Tenerife ahead of the next leg of its 15-day voyage – a cruise to Gran Canaria. Aurora is due to return to Southampton on January 4. |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2010 |
| 2.4.10 | Oceana | The Southern Daily Echo reports 120 passengers who were struck down with a vomiting bug while on board a Southampton cruise ship, arrived back in the city this morning. Passengers reported contracting the norovirus bug while on a 14-night cruise around the Caribbean. Passengers were left furious after they discovered they had to pay for treatment on board. A spokesman for the cruise company said the fees should be reclaimed through travel insurance policies as they were no longer free on board following a change of policy. Despite the outbreak P&O said the ship was scheduled to leave on time for a two night cruise at 5pm today. |
| 12.1.10 | Aurora | Cruises.co.uk has a posting about an illness outbreak on the early stages of a world cruise. As stated, Already the buffet restaurant has been closed for four days and the Captains party has been postponed twice. It is unclear the extent of the illness. |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2009 |
| 16.6.09 | Oriana | From a passenger: More cases of novovirus on oriana on cruise starting after previous cruise with 50 confirmed cases (see May 31 below). New passengers were not informed of outbreak before sailing on June 1st. When returned to Southampton on June 15th outbreak still ongoing. |
| 31.5.09 | Oriana |
Posters at P&O Cruises Community indicate there is a norovirus outbreak on the current cruise. Passengers were first notified on Friday (May 29) -- one passenger writes: We have just sailed away from Madeira and the Captain has annouced it is with regret that we have a norovirus outbreak onboard. All usual emergency procedures are now in place, anyone else coming down with it to ring 999 switchboard and stay in cabin, no self service allowed, so waiters will serve our food by tongs from now on, and a reminder to wash hands for 20 seconds when using the loo etc. Another writes today: We have not been told how many people have noro onboard, but it is enough to put out emergency procedures onboard, so enough to declare publicly we have a problem. There were 2 new cases yesterday and 2 more today the Captain said in his announcement at 12.15pm , 1/2 hr ago. On June 1, a passenger says there were 50 confirmed cases. |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2008 |
| 27.12.08 | Artemis | The ship reported 4 (0.69%) crew and 54 (4.80%) passengers had reported ill with gastrointestinal illness on a 14 day cruise ending today in New Orleans. |
| 6.6.08 |
Ventura |
The Telegraph in London reports "passengers on the £300million
cruise ship
Ventura have been struck down by an outbreak of the potentially lethal
norovirus." The newspaper quotes a P&O spokesperson as
saying, "There has been an increased incidence of a
gastrointestinal illness
among the passengers on Ventura over the last three days ...
"Enhanced sanitation protocols have already been implemented
to help minimize transmission to other passengers. The captain is
regularly updating the passengers and crew on the situation. Unwell
passengers are asked to comply with the doctor's instructions and
isolate themselves in their stateroom until non-contagious. "They
have been asked not to proceed ashore, and any shore excursion costs
are refunded. Room service is provided to affected passengers and every
effort is made to make them as comfortable as possible." The latest
cruise left
Southampton last Friday and is due to call next at Cannes in France and
then Rome. It is due back in Britain June 13 after further visits to
Corsica and Gibraltar. |
| 9.4.08 |
Aurora |
The Hong
Kong Information Services Department reports that the Centre for
Health Protection is following up on a British
report
concerning four cases of hepatitis-E infection involving four men on
the world cruise which took place January 7 to March 28. The UK Health
Protection Agency has been working with the cruise
operator and port health authority to distribute health advice to all
passengers. People who have been aboard the vessel should seek medical
advice if they come down with hepatitis symptoms. Hepatitis-E is a
viral infection highly endemic in Central and
Southeast Asia, and North and West Africa, as well as Mexico. It is
acquired by ingestion of contaminated food or water. Its incubation
period ranges two weeks to two months. Symptoms include fever, malaise,
anorexia, nausea, abdominal pain, dark urine and jaundice. UPDATE APRIL 30: The BBC
reports the number reported coming down with Hepatitis E is now
confirmed at 7. |
| 26.2.08 | Artemis | The ship reported 7 (1.22%) crew and 61 (5.57%) passengers had reported ill on an 18 day cruise ending in Fort Lauderdale today. |
| 24.1.08 | Arcadia | The ship reported 11 (1.24%) crew and 80 (4.16%) passengers had reported ill on a cruise ending today in New Orleans. |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2007 and earlier |
| 22.9.07 |
Aurora | More than a dozen passengers were told not to disembark in
Halifax while Canadian officials investigated a possible outbreak of
Norovirus. Health Canada officials took tests of about 20 people
suffering from acute gastroenteritis. There have been no
subsequent updates. |
| 26.10.06 |
Oriana |
From a reader: The current 13 night Mediterranean cruise from Southampton to various ports and back to Southampton (October 19 - November 1) has been hit by the norovirus bug. This has been reported on the cruise connections website of P&O where passengers on the cruise have reported this, and I have friends on board and have spoken to them. All reports state that the crew have dealt with the outbreak in excellent fashion but various things like the buffets and BarBQ's have been curtailed. |
| 1.4.06 |
Artemis |
The transatlantic crossing from Southampton to the Caribbean was, according to one passenger, had been the worst 9 days at sea thay had ever had. The Atlantic was rough - waves splashing up to top deck, gale force winds, and televisions flying everywhere. They said they were very scared. The ship wasn't able to get into port for the Azores due to the weather so today was their first day in port. The Gastro bug has also struck and only the dining room is open to everyone. Toilets and other rooms have been closed off. |
| 18.1.06 |
Oriana |
There are reports of a norovirus outbreak on the current
cruise which began January 8. The ship is embarked on a world
cruise. |
| 27.5.05 |
Oceana |
According to the British media, about 200 passengers (10%) on the ship have reported being ill from norovirous. The ship left Southampton on a 17-night Mediterranean cruise on May 19 and returns June 5. |
| 4.3.04 |
Oriana |
The
ship left Barbados February 20 and is due to arrive
in New Orleans on March 5. As of March 3rd, the
ship reported that 65 passengers and 9 crew members had reported
illness likely caused by Norovirus |
| 31.10.03 |
Aurora |
Around
580 passengers and
28 crew infected with Norwalk-like virus on this cruise that begin in
Southampton on October 20. The ship was refused permission to
dock
in Greece. It stopped in Gibraltar November 3rd. Cruise
ended in Southampton November 6. |
| 25.9.03 |
Oceana |
95
passengers were struck by
a minor gastro-intestinal illness during the voyage. The source
is
unknown. |
| 10.12.02 |
Oceana |
The
ship was denied access to St. Maarten after it was
reported that 269 passengers and 24
crew had contracted Norwalk-like virus. The two week cruise
began November 29 at Fort Lauderdale. (Note: The ship received
a score of 95 in its VSP inspection on the day the cruise began.) |
| 20.2 - 14.3.01 |
Oriana |
51 passengers (3.02%) and 36 crew members (4.42%) reported
ill. |