Princess Cruise Ship Stuck in Port Due to Storm, Cancels Another
All cruise travelers know that poor weather can impact an itinerary, even creating last-minute changes while a ship is en route or before it ever departs the homeport.
Guests aboard Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess are experiencing just that as the ship has remained in Auckland, New Zealand two days past her originally scheduled departure that had been planned for Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
The sailing was to have been a 14-night transpacific repositioning cruise between Auckland and Honolulu, Hawaii as the ship makes her way to Seattle for the Alaska sailing season. Now, however, the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Tam have had other ideas.
The cyclone, while originally centered 1,100 miles east of Brisbane and 600 miles north-northwest of Auckland, has had significant impacts in New Zealand as the remnants have moved south.
The storm peaked with sustained winds of 60 miles per hour and gusts reported as high as 75 miles per hour, with localized flooding and extensive power outages in coastal areas.
In Auckland, wind speeds of 20-30 miles per hour were reported on Wednesday when Royal Princess was to have departed, with gusts nearing 50 miles per hour.
While the storm has now slowed enough to no longer be considered an active cyclone, those impacts are still being felt. On Wednesday night in Northland, the northernmost of New Zealand’s government regions and just north of Auckland, RNZ reports roughly 18,000 properties without power.
Because Royal Princess was to head for her first port of call – Pago Pago in American Samoa – straight into the path of the storm, the cruise line wisely opted to delay departure and wait for conditions to improve.
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Now, that port visit has been cancelled, as the ship will need to make up significant time on her way to Hawaii.
At this time, Royal Princess‘s visits to both Papeete, Tahiti on Wednesday, April 23 as well as Moorea Island in French Polynesia on Thursday, April 24 remain as planned.
Should sailing conditions prove too challenging, it is possible those visits may be changed or cancelled if Royal Princess needs to adjust her route or speed for smoother sailing.
Guests onboard the 142,229-gross ton vessel will be notified if any further changes are necessary, but the ship should be leaving soon.
“Weather conditions are expected to improve by tomorrow, and we anticipate our departure to be tomorrow afternoon on 18 April once the system has passed,” Princess Cruises confirmed in a statement.
“Princess will continue to monitor the forecasts and discuss with the local port authorities and will provide additional updates to our guests as details are known.”
All cruise lines closely monitor poor weather and developing storm systems and adjust routes, port visits, and yes, even departures as needed to ensure the safety and well-being of their guests and crew.
Guests will be refunded for missed port fees and taxes, as well as any shore tours booked through Princess Cruises for Pago Pago, as is standard procedure when a port must be cancelled.
Will Additional Cruises Be Impacted?
It is not unusual for multiple sailings to be impacted after a strong tropical cyclone or hurricane passes a popular sailing region. However, this will not necessarily be the case for the Royal Princess.
The ship is still expected to arrive in Honolulu as planned on Wednesday, April 30. Her next sailings – first to Los Angeles, then Vancouver, then Seattle – are not expected to be impacted. Of course, should the weather worsen, those plans may still change.
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Likewise, the ship should officially begin her Alaska sailing season with her May 17, 2025 departure – a 7-night Inside Passage itinerary with visits to Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria.
Royal Princess will remain offering Alaska cruises roundtrip from Seattle through her September 20 departure. That is her last visit to the Last Frontier for the season, after which she will reposition to Los Angeles to offer Mexican Riviera and California Coast sailings through the April 2026, until she returns to Alaska.
Princess Cruise Ship Stuck in Port Due to Storm, Cancels Another