Emergency scare rocks major cruise ship company as another voyage is canceled
A cruise ship experienced an emergency scare off the coast of Greece this past weekend — requiring help from Greek authorities, according to the local coast guard.
One passenger took to Reddit to describe a chaotic scene aboard the Celebrity Infinity cruise ship on Sunday, Feb. 15. "Lost power off the coast of Piraeus (Athens) at 3 a.m.," the Reddit user wrote.
"Saw multiple tugboats coming over. No air con (rooms are super stuffy), no lights, no running water, no flushing toilets, no hot water/coffee, no elevators," the person continued on social media.
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"No ETA on fix. Heard ‘bravo, bravo, bravo’ over the announcements."
"Bravo, Bravo, Bravo" (or "Code Bravo") is a common emergency code used on cruise ships to signal a fire or another serious emergency.
The Hellenic Coast Guard’s Joint Search and Rescue Coordination Center told Port Authorities of Piraeus and Keratsini about "the loss of control of a cruise ship… due to a malfunction in the electrical distribution panels, in the sea area outside the port of Piraeus," according to a translated press release.
Four tugboats helped the Infinity arrive safely at the port.
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The vessel's next slated voyage, an 11-night trip from Piraeus (Athens), Greece, was canceled.
Fox News Digital reached out to Celebrity Cruises for comment.
The cruise was scheduled to go to the Greek Isles and Turkey, according to Cruise Fever.
The Celebrity Infinity is a mid-size cruise ship operated by Celebrity Cruises.
The ship can accommodate up to 2,170 passengers. It went through a major renovation in 2015.
The ship with the malfunction was slated for a port call in Piraeus — the main port in Athens — on Feb. 15.
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Passengers were on a 13-day voyage that departed Barcelona on Feb. 3; it was due to end in Piraeus-Athens on Feb. 16.
"The 1st Port Department of the Central Port Authority of Piraeus prohibited its departure until a certificate of damage repair was presented by the classification society monitoring it," the press release from the local coast guard said.
The alert originally said the incident occurred on Feb. 14, but the coast guard later amended the statement, saying the emergency occurred on Feb. 15.
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"It’s been an interesting 24 hours. About 2:40 a.m. [the] night before last, I woke to a sound that sounded like an electrical transformer blowing. Sure enough, the ship lost power," a passenger wrote on an Instagram account known as ttalkscruising.
"We were very close to porting in Athens, Greece, so the tugs just pushed/pulled us in," the passenger continued.
"At first, they made leaving the ship optional, but by noon they were telling everybody they must exit the ship and find a hotel room."
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Celebrity Cruises sent out a letter to booked passengers for the upcoming voyage to the Greek Isles and Turkey.
"We want to share an important update regarding our upcoming sailing on Celebrity Infinity," the letter read, as Cruise Fever reported.
"During the previous voyage, the ship experienced a technical issue and while experts have been working diligently, we need additional assessments and repairs," the company said.
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"After carefully considering all options, we’ve made the difficult decision to cancel the Feb. 16, 2026, sailing… We sincerely apologize for this unexpected change and [the] disruption this causes to your travel plans," the letter continued.
"While we can’t give you back the time you invested in your vacation, we are committed to ensuring you feel fully supported as you adjust your plans," it concluded.
The letter also detailed credits and refunds passengers would receive.
"Kudos to all the crew of the Celebrity Infinity! They handled this whole mess with grace. They were having to write down, by hand, every person as they exited the ship," ttalkscruising added on Instagram.
"This was a massive undertaking, and we forget how paralyzed a lack of technology makes us," the passenger said.
"They strived to make everything as easy as it could be."