Early this morning a magnitude 8.8 earthquake occurred in Chile, resulting in a tsunami warning issued over a wide area of the Pacific Ocean rim. Princess Cruises currently has eight ships sailing in the region's waters, and none are adversely affected at this time.
The safety and security of our passengers and crew is our foremost priority and we continue to monitor events and, if necessary, modify itineraries to avoid any unfavorable sea conditions.
Star Princess Sailings in South America
Star Princess is currently sailing in South America and is en route to Valparaiso, Chile, where the cruise is scheduled to conclude on Tuesday, March 2.
Voyage 9005: Arriving Valparaiso Tuesday, March 2
We have been in close communication with management onboard Star Princess and, where possible, our contacts in Chile. Based on the information we currently have obtained, we do not anticipate any changes to our arrival in Valparaiso on March 2. The ship's call to Puerto Montt tomorrow is scheduled to proceed as planned. The authorities in Puerto Montt have confirmed that the port is open and fully operational. Officials have also advised that the city and surrounding area has suffered minimal damage and virtually all tours will operate as planned.
We are aware that the airport in Santiago is currently closed and appears to be closed through Monday, March 1. We are reviewing the impact of that closure and will provide updates as they become available.
Voyage 9006: Departing Valparaiso Tuesday, March 2
Star Princess is still scheduled to arrive on Tuesday in Valparaiso, Chile on Tuesday, March 2. Based on information that the Santiago airport will be closed for the next 72 hours, at this time we expect embarkation to commence as planned.
However, this is a very fluid situation and could change at any time. We encourage passengers to make any necessary adjustments to plan their flight to arrive in Valparaiso on Tuesday, March 2.
Pacific Tsunami Warnings
The Princess ships cruising in areas of the Pacific Ocean rim that have received tsunami warnings, are not adversely affected. As necessary we are making itinerary adjustments to ensure the safety of our passengers and crew. The location of our ships and their status is as follows:
Coral Princess is at sea, en route to Costa Rica and is unaffected.
Dawn Princess is in Auckland, New Zealand today, and has had to make operational adjustments.
Diamond Princess is at sea in Australia waters and is unaffected.
Golden Princess is in Ensenada, Mexico today and is unaffected.
Island Princess arrived at Huatulco, Mexico today but had to depart because of the sea surge.
Pacific Princess was slightly delayed arriving into Suva, Fiji, but is otherwise unaffected.
Sapphire Princess is turning around in Los Angeles today, but because the Port is currently closed embarkation will be delayed.
Sun Princess is at sea in New Zealand waters and will visit Fiordland National Park tomorrow as scheduled, however the time will be reduced. As we receive new information, we will continue to keep our passengers advised of any changes to their cruise itineraries. In the meantime, our thoughts are with those in Chile who are affected by the devastating earthquake.
You are right, Neal. As far as the Tsunami, it could have been tons worse. An official from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centr summed it up best when he said that we had ".. dodged the bullet on this one."
I've been reading the roll call on the DS and these poor passengers are so confused. Evidently Princess isn't quite sure what they are going to do and a lot of the cruisers were planning to fly to Santiago this weekend. Of course, their flights have been cancelled and they can't get on other flights because they are full. Most of them are going to miss their ship. Princess is saying they should try to get to another port and join them but isn't offering any assistance at this point.
I think some people are concerned that their cruise insurance won't cover this because it's an "Act of God."
I remember having a vacation messed up because of Mt. St. Helens exploding. I was flying up to Washington State when it erupted in May 1980. My flight got cancelled and the first time I was allowed to fly on the same ticket (w/o penalty) was a week later, didn't allow me to take full advantage of a holiday weekend and going days later put me into the next fiscal year at my company. So I certainly feel for these people. And many commenting on the thread that Garry is referring to are acknowledging concern for the Chilean people going through this disaster.
It is confirmed that the Star Princess will remain off the coast of Chile and serve as a floating hotel to stranded passengers. The Santiago Airport, nearby the ship's current location has been severely damaged and is planned to fully re-open in the next several days. Certain portions of international terminals have already re-opened, but limited flights are still a problem.
The earliest the ship will depart is 6 pm on Wednesday, March 3. Passengers will be allowed to stay until 24 hours until the ship departs.
The next ships in the region are Oceania's Insignia and SilveSea's Silver Spirit, March 7 and 8 respectively.
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