What Happens When A Cruise Ship Loses Power? These Passengers Found Out The Hard Way

While cruises are some of the best ways to take a break and get away, you may face more issues that will have you wishing you stayed on land. Recent occurrences like how cruise ship passengers are going overboard and the infamous "Poop Cruise" incident may make you want to think twice before going on a cruise. Those are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to headaches you may experience during your time on the open ocean.

In August, 2025, over 6,400 guests and 2,000 crew members on an MSC World Europa voyage found this out the hard way when the ship experienced electrical problems with its engines. The boat was about eight nautical miles off the coast of the Italian island of Ponza when the power shut off and the ship lost propulsion. The duration of this outage was not specified, but Italian officials said the ship's generators were able to maintain "essential services" for passengers. MSC told USA Today the outage didn't pose any safety issues and all guests were notified of the delay. Once propulsion was restored, the ship independently sailed back to Naples. So while this particular outage only stopped the ship from moving, which likely caused some delays, it could have been a lot worse.

This recent incident with MSC was not the first of its kind. In early August, a Celebrity Cruise ship also lost propulsion due to a three-hour power outage off the coast of Italy due to a technical issue. This one caused more of a headache for passengers as it shut off air conditioning and electricity.

Power outages on cruises are not uncommon. A modern cruise ship is basically a giant, floating resort that provides almost anything you can find on land: restaurants, theaters, water slides, rides, pools, arcades, casinos, mini golf, rock climbing walls, and so much more. It takes a lot of energy to power all of that plus the rooms for thousands of guests and crew members. Most cruise ships are equipped with backup generators, usually situated on the upper deck, that can provide power for essentials such as emergency lighting, elevators, radios, and fire-detection systems. Some can even re-start the engines if necessary. While this may add to your list of reasons you should never take a cruise, the possibility of a power outage should not hold you back. You should, however, know what to expect if this happens on your trip.

The first thing you're likely to notice in the event of a power outage on a cruise ship is lack of propulsion. The ship will likely stop moving and will instead drift until the power is turned back on. The interior lights may go out, like in the cabins and hallways. Air conditioning may stop working and elevators may be closed due to safety reasons. In dire situations, toilets and fresh water systems may stop working as well. To get through outages of all kinds, it will be in your best interest to not panic and comply with the guidelines provided by crew members who are trained to prioritize everyone's safety and ensure things go smoothly.