A 69-year-old American passenger has died aboard Princess Cruises’ Island Princess, with the ship’s departure from a Greek port delayed while authorities completed arrangements for his body to remain on board.
The man was found unconscious by his wife in their stateroom shortly before the vessel arrived in Souda, Crete, on Wednesday, 28th October 2026.
According to Greek media reports, his death is believed to have been due to natural causes. No specific medical cause has been disclosed, and there is no indication of foul play. PATRIS.GR+1
The incident occurred towards the end of a 25-night transatlantic cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Athens, Greece.
Departure Delayed As Authorities Complete Formalities
Island Princess was delayed in departing Souda as arrangements were made for the passenger’s body to remain aboard the vessel.
Greek authorities were required to complete the necessary formalities before allowing the ship to leave port with the deceased passenger.
Because Island Princess is registered in Bermuda, procedures governing the transportation of human remains aboard foreign-flagged vessels had to be followed.
Local reports confirmed that the necessary arrangements were completed and the ship was permitted to depart with the passenger’s body still on board.
The vessel left Souda approximately 30 minutes later than scheduled, at around 8.30pm local time.
Island Princess Continues Towards Athens
The passenger’s death occurred during the final days of Island Princess’s transatlantic voyage, which departed Port Everglades on 6th October 2026.
After leaving Souda, the ship continued to Santorini, where tracking records confirmed its arrival on Thursday, 29th October.
The vessel was also scheduled to visit Mykonos before concluding its 25-night itinerary in Piraeus, the port serving Athens, on Saturday, 31st October.
No further disruption to the itinerary had been reported following the ship’s departure from Souda.
The passenger’s identity has not been publicly disclosed beyond his age and nationality.
At the time of reporting, Princess Cruises had not issued a public statement about the incident.
