The Coral Princess, P&O Princess’s newest ship, has canceled
its debut cruise for a second time, again citing delays at the
French shipyard. The inaugural Panama Canal cruise now is scheduled
to depart Jan. 3.
The first cancellation, announced Nov. 14, had delayed the
launch from Dec. 14 to Dec. 24.
“We deeply regret having to cancel this departure,” said Phil
Kleweno, Princess’s president.
“The shipbuilder, Chantiers de l’Atlantique, is working hard to
deliver the ship as quickly as possible, however the ship requires
additional work which will preclude the operation of the Dec. 24
sailing, he said.”
The builder, based in western France, has said it had problems
obtaining necessary equipment.
Princess, based in London, said its contract with Chantiers de
l’Atlantique will cover cancellation costs so the cruise line’s
earnings will not be affected.
Similar contractual protections helped the cruise line in
October when a fire at a Japanese shipyard caused severe damage to
the Diamond Princess, a ship that has since been renamed.
The almost 2,000 passengers booked on the Dec. 24 sailing of the
Coral Princess will receive a full refund and credit toward a
future cruise, the cruise line announced last week.
It also promised to protect travel agent commissions on paid
bookings.
The 88,000-ton Coral Princess, which will carry 1,970
passengers, will be the first in a new series of ships for
Princess.
It is scheduled to be christened Jan. 17 by President Mireya
Moscoso of Panama.
