Fire breaks out aboard Royal Caribbean cruise ship

Jason · May 27, 2013

Passengers aboard Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas were awakened and sent to their muster stations after a fire on one of the cruise ship's decks early Monday morning. No injuries were reported.

Royal Caribbean International said the fire was discovered at 2:50 a.m. ET on the mooring area on deck three of its 11 decks. The company said the fire was extinguished and the affected area was cordoned off. Guests were allowed to return to their staterooms, the company said, at 7:15 a.m. ET.

The extent of the fire was not immediately clear but RCI said all systems were still operating on the ship. A picture tweeted by RCI public relations showed the rear of the ship at port with significant fire and smoke damage.

Medical staff reported two guests were treated after fainting, with one report of high blood pressure and another of cramps.

"In an abundance of caution, the captain deemed it necessary to muster all guests at their assembly stations. All 2,224 guests and 796 crew have been accounted for, and there have been no injuries of guests or crew reported. The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority, and we will continue to focus on their needs and concerns," according to a statement from the company.

The incident follows a series of high-profile cruise ship mishaps. The Carnival Triumph was idle for nearly a week at sea in the Gulf of Mexico following an engine room fire on its way from Galveston, Texas, to Cozumel, Mexico in February. In April, it broke away from its mooring in Mobile, Ala. while 800 people were on board.

Grandeur had just begun to sail earlier this month out of the Port of Baltimore after $48 million in upgrades. Its new amenities include a 220-square foot poolside movie screen. It is Royal Caribbean's second-smallest class of ship at 74,000 tons

Grandeur of the Seas was en route to CocoCay, Bahamas, as part of a seven-night trip that left Baltimore on May 24. It arrived in Freeport, Bahamas, "for further evaluation" at 10:15 a.m. ET today, the company tweeted, and will dock overnight there.

"Some guests are staying onboard, while others have chosen to spend the day on shore," the company said.

The itinerary included port calls to Port Canaveral, Fla.; CocoCay and Nassau, Bahamas.

Just last week, the Cruise Lines International Association introduced a cruise passenger bill of rights, stating when cruise lines will issue full or partial refunds for canceled or interrupted voyages, which many companies already offer.

In April, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. reported first quarter profit of $76.2 million, up from $47 million in the same quarter last year. Revenue increased 4.2 percent to $1.91 billion. The line has 21 ships and brands including Celebrity, Azamara, Pullmantur and CDF Croisières de France.

Catherine Banks of Legacy Travel said initial reports seem to indicate the ship is functioning normally.

"If this had happened by itself and not in the shadow of everything that's happened, it wouldn't be on anybody's radar," Banks said referring to recent cruise industry troubles.

Entering peak travel season, the cruise industry is especially sensitive to negative publicity, though RCI has not reported any major problems.

Carnival, the largest cruise operator, which has also had the most ship malfunctions, had recently lowered its earnings outlook based on cancellations. And with much of a cruise company's revenue collected from on-board expenses, fewer people on board will crunch their bottom line.

"Carnival will do whatever they have to do. They will not sail with empty cabins," Banks said.

By Susanna Kim, ABC News

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coloradocruisers · May 27, 2013

Another reason to participate in the muster drill. Glad noone was hurt.

Jan115 · May 27, 2013

Just a week ago we read about her new renovations and returning to Baltimore. Glad to hear everyone is accounted for and there were no injuries.

crazy4disney · May 27, 2013

This was not some little fire... it looks like there is really a lot of damage. From passenger accounts onboard, though, the crew has been just amazing throughout all of it. Adam Goldstein himself is onboard now, assessing things and speaking with passengers. Sounds like RCI is handling this well!

Photo:

https://twitter.com/RoyalCaribPR/status/339031221185171457/photo/1

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_Z_Wln5cY4

WeCruiseToo · May 28, 2013

from http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentPage.do?pagename=important_updates

Grandeur of the Seas Update

May 27, 2013, 8:00 p.m. EST

Grandeur of the Seas – Current Sailing
Unfortunately, the damage caused by the fire on Grandeur of the Seas will require us to cancel the rest of the current sailing. We are currently working on making the necessary arrangements to return all guests to Baltimore, Maryland, tomorrow.

Royal Caribbean International is deeply sorry for this unexpected development in our guests’ vacation. We understand that this may have been a very stressful time for them. And we also know that it has significantly impacted their vacation experience. We appreciate their patience and cooperation in dealing with this unfortunate situation.

Grandeur of the Seas – May 31, 2013 Sailing
Unfortunately, due to the time needed to repair the damage caused by the fire, it is necessary to cancel Grandeur of the Seas’ next voyage, which was scheduled to depart Baltimore, Maryland, on Friday, May 31. We are deeply sorry for this unexpected development in our guests’ upcoming vacation.

A dedicated telephone hotline has been established for guests on these two sailings. Guests may call us at 1-888-824-0012 in the U.S. or +1-408-916-9000 internationally.

We continue to assess the situation onboard Grandeur of the Seas and gather the necessary information in order to make a decision regarding future sailings. We encourage guests on future sailings of Grandeur of the Seas to monitor this website or our Twitter handle @RoyalCaribbean for an update on your voyage.

WeCruiseToo · May 28, 2013

Seems like Royal Caribbean is handling this well. It will be interesting to see how the media plays it…

DebbieandJerry · May 28, 2013

I can just bet that the media will make this another cruise disaster. From everything that I have read and heard (so far), RCL did an amazing job. And, I'm told a Carnival ship was on standby to help with any passengers.

No word on how this fire started? Right??