Passengers on P&O Cruises’ Azura experienced an unexpected disruption during their Canary Islands voyage when a burst pipe caused flooding in multiple cabins.
The incident occurred in the early hours of 12th January 2025, just two days into the cruise, leading to evacuations and leaving affected passengers frustrated.
UK couple Marcus and Melissa, who document their travels on their YouTube channel Fly Drive Explore, were among the passengers impacted.
They were woken at around 2 am by alarms and discovered their cabin on Deck 8 Midship submerged in water.
Crew members promptly evacuated the couple and other passengers from an estimated 20 to 26 cabins, directing them to Brodies British Pub to wait while the flooding was addressed.
As they filmed the incident, the captain’s announcement confirmed the flooding was caused by a burst pipe connected to one of the ship’s swimming pools on Deck 15, which had impacted multiple levels of the ship.
Delayed updates and frustrated passengers
Marcus and Melissa waited nearly two hours before being assigned a dry cabin to sleep in.
The next day, they returned to their original cabin to find it still soaked, with fans running to dry the space and their belongings left unsecured.
Despite assurances of compensation, the couple was disheartened by the lack of clear communication from reception.
They were eventually informed they would remain in their new cabin on Deck 3 Forward, which they described as less than ideal due to its smaller size, two single beds, and location above the ship’s thrusters, which disturbed their sleep each morning.
“The service in reception was terrible; they didn’t even know what was going on,” Marcus explained, noting the incident has made them reconsider sailing with P&O Cruises in the future.
The 3,100-guest Azura is scheduled to enter dry dock in March 2025 for regular maintenance following its Canary Islands season.
The work will occur between its last Canary Islands sailing, ending 8th March, and its Mediterranean homeport season from Malta, beginning 27th March.
P&O Azura isn’t the only ship to encounter such issues.
In fact, the day after the Azura incident, a burst pipe aboard Norwegian Epic left passengers without water in cabins and restrooms during its Caribbean voyage from Port Canaveral.
Fortunately in that instance, the problem was resolved within an hour.
In December 2024, Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas faced a water leak on Forward Deck 10 during a 3-night roundtrip cruise to the Bahamas, forcing several passengers to relocate.
Water leaks and burst pipes, while rare, highlight the importance of responsive crew action and clear communication during onboard emergencies.
Though passengers on Azura and other ships ultimately found safe accommodations, incidents like these underscore the challenges of managing complex systems aboard massive cruise vessels.
And of course, once you’re in the middle of the ocean on a ship that could be sold out, or close to it, your options for relocating passengers can sometimes be very limited!
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