I was on a ship that lost power in port. We returned from a visiting a port and all the people with walkers and wheel chairs were sitting near the entrance. They told us to use the stairs as the elevators were not working. It wasn't until we got onto another floor, we saw all power was lost. We parked ourselves in a lounge and talked to other passengers. No problem, it happens. We were only without power for about 20 minutes but they said later the power was off for two hours. Good thing we enjoyed our port day. It was before sail away and the rest of the cruise was perfect.
That's exactly what happened to 3,140 guests aboard Caribbean Princess on the early morning of June 5, 2026. The ship lost ALL main power TWICE in the Caribbean heat — and the situation drew immediate comparisons to Carnival's infamous 2013 "Poop Cruise."
Here's exactly what happened:
🔹 Date: Early morning of June 5, 2026
🔹 Location: Caribbean Sea, en route from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Port Canaveral, Florida
🔹 Ship: Caribbean Princess (3,142 max passengers, 23 years old, 112,894 gross tons)
🔹 Power outages: TWO complete blackouts, separated by about 15 minutes
🔹 Duration: Approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes of disrupted power
🔹 Impact: Loss of propulsion, air conditioning, lighting, and most onboard systems
🔹 Speed: Ship limped along at just 2 knots during the crisis
What the passengers experienced:
🔹 Total darkness in the early morning hours
🔹 No air conditioning in sweltering Caribbean heat
🔹 Sudden silence as engines went dark
🔹 The ship literally drifting in open water for a period
🔹 One passenger sitting on their balcony described the ship suddenly going quiet
🔹 Another said: "Just floating around again and the ship is going to hit some winds on the starboard side"
🔹 Family members on land briefly connected with worried passengers
How the crew handled the situation:
🔹 Captain immediately addressed passengers over the public address system
🔹 Engineers worked around the clock to restore power
🔹 First outage was resolved within about 15 minutes
🔹 A second total blackout occurred shortly after
🔹 Full power was restored after the extended outage
🔹 The captain still made it to a pre-scheduled "Coffee with the Captain" Q&A
🔹 One Reddit commenter praised the captain's communication: "He made it to the scheduled Coffee with the Captain Q&A and answered questions in a way everyone could understand. Well done."
Why this draws comparisons to the 2013 Carnival "Poop Cruise":
🔹 The Carnival Triumph incident in 2013 left 4,200 passengers without working bathrooms for days
🔹 Power outages create the worst possible conditions for cruise ship operations
🔹 No AC + no working systems + tropical heat = a quickly deteriorating situation
🔹 Caribbean Princess passengers were extremely lucky power was restored quickly
🔹 If the outage had lasted longer, sanitation, food preservation, and safety could have all been affected
The good news for Caribbean Princess passengers:
🔹 Power was fully restored after about 1 hour 15 minutes
🔹 The visit to San Juan on June 4 was the final port stop — no further ports to miss
🔹 The ship continued to Port Canaveral with no further issues
🔹 Disembarkation on June 7 happened on schedule
🔹 The next embarkation day (June 7) was NOT impacted
🔹 No one was injured
What this incident reveals about the cruise industry:
🔹 Even 20+ year old cruise ships can experience major system failures
🔹 Modern cruise ships are remarkably complex floating cities
🔹 Power redundancy is built in, but rare cascading failures CAN happen
🔹 Crew training for emergency situations is generally excellent
🔹 Most cruise ship incidents are resolved much faster than headlines suggest
🔹 Communication during incidents is critical — and Caribbean Princess's captain did this well
Lessons for cruisers:
🔹 Bring a small battery-powered fan in your luggage (just in case)
🔹 Have a flashlight or headlamp accessible in your cabin
🔹 Keep cell phones charged in case of an emergency
🔹 Know where the emergency stairwells are
🔹 Pack basic supplies — water bottles, snacks — that could last hours if needed
🔹 Travel insurance with trip interruption coverage is always smart
The reality is that most major cruise lines have outstanding safety records. Caribbean Princess has been sailing for over two decades without major incidents. The June 5 power outage was unusual, scary for those onboard, but resolved without injury or extended disruption.
Still, the incident is a sobering reminder that being out at sea on a giant ship means relying entirely on that ship's systems working. When they don't, even briefly, the consequences can be very real.
Our former Steveston neighbours were on a cruise from Tahiti to Hawaii and lost the air conditioning. Everyone slept on the deck. She said the crew were wonderful. They didn't get air conditioning for most of their cruise. They got 100% future cruise credit for their inconvenience.
