Island Princess Departure Delayed After Guest Found Unresponsive
Key Aspects:
A 69-year-old male American guest passed away due to natural causes on Island Princess on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.
He was found shortly before the ship arrived in Souda, Greece, and Island Princess departed about 30 minutes late.
There has been no indication of foul play in the guest’s death and the cruise ship has continued her scheduled itinerary.
It was a sad day aboard Princess Cruises’ Island Princess on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, as a guest was found unresponsive in his stateroom and confirmed to have died shortly before the ship arrived in Souda, Greece.
According to the Greek news media Parakritika, the 69-year-old male passenger died from natural causes and was found unconscious in his stateroom by his wife. No specific cause of death has been released, nor is there any indication of foul play.
Other than his American nationality, no further information has been disclosed about the guest’s identity. This is standard practice to safeguard the privacy of the guest, as well as the privacy of their family members, friends, and traveling companions at such a distressing time.
Because of legal necessities for the guest’s body to remain on the ship for transport back to the U.S., Island Princess was delayed in her departure from the port.
The call to Souda is one of the last on the ship’s current sailing. The 25-night one-way transatlantic cruise departed Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Tuesday, October 6. Island Princess has already visited destinations in Bermuda, the Azores, Spain, France, and Italy.
The call to Souda was the first of three port stops planned for Greece before the ship arrives in Piraeus on Saturday, October 31 for debarkation. Following Souda, Island Princess is scheduled to visit Santorini and Mykonos.
Why Was Island Princess Delayed?
Because the 2,210-guest cruise ship is foreign-flagged (the ship is flagged in Bermuda), specific procedures had to be followed for the guest’s body to be transported out of Greece, and approvals were needed from the relevant Hellenic authorities.
Transporting human remains, whether a body or cremated ashes, can be a complicated process both for the country being left and the country where the remains are being imported.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is necessary to notify consular personnel, obtain export clearance documents as well as import documents, arrange appropriate packaging, and complete other necessary documentation to bring a body into the U.S.
AIS tracking data shows Island Princess departed Souda at approximately 8:30 p.m. local time, about 30 minutes behind her scheduled 8 p.m. departure. Tracking does show the ship calling on Santorini as scheduled on Thursday, October 29. Souda and Santorini are roughly 100 miles apart, and the ship was planned to be in Santorini from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Read Also: Do Cruise Ships Have Morgues? Find Out What Happens
It is not common for a guest to pass away during a cruise vacation, but such sad situations do happen. Cruise ships are equipped with medical facilities and do have onboard morgues for use when needed.
Cruise Hive has reached out to Princess Cruises about the incident but has not yet received a response at press time, and our thoughts are with the guest’s family members and friends at this difficult time.
Island Princess Departure Delayed After Guest Found Unresponsive