Propulsion Issues Wreak Havoc on Ruby Princess’s Alaska Cruise

Ongoing propulsion issues onboard Ruby Princess have the passengers feeling more cold toward Princess Cruises than Alaska’s glaciers. 

The problems became apparent on embarkation day, July 9, 2025, right around the time that the 3,080-guest ship set sail from her homeport of San Francisco, California, on an 11-night cruise to Alaska.

“They announced over the PA right about 4 PM on embarkation day (Wednesday) in SF that due to a propulsion system issue we will be traveling slower than anticipated until it’s resolved,” a current passenger relayed.

This meant that the voyage would begin with three sea days instead of two, and the first port call on Ketchikan would be pushed back from July 12 to July 16 to accommodate the slower speeds.

Indeed, cruise tracking data shows the 113,561-gross ton ship sailing at speeds of 12.7 knots per hour, when her average is usually much closer to 23 knots. 

“So Ketchikan (which was supposed to be Saturday 7/12) and been rescheduled Wednesday 7/16. Our first stop will now be Juneau on Sunday 7/13 — three sea days to start the trip instead of two,” the guest confirmed.

The visit to Juneau was already planned for July 13, so this isn’t a change. The following call on Skagway on July 14 was also unimpacted. 

However, continued propulsion issues have still not been resolved as of day six of the voyage.

This led to the last-minute cancellation of the scenic cruising day through Endicott Arm on July 15, which guests were not happy about. 

“On the Ruby and we were just informed that we will not be doing the scenic cruising to Endicott Arms at 8am. So, the issues are not fixed. What a disappointment,” another passenger shared.

The extended port call on Victoria, Canada, which was scheduled for July 17, has also been replaced with a shorter day in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, which is closer to both Skagway and Endicott Arm.

The 2008-launched ship will depart Prince Rupert at 2 p.m. local time, most likely to ensure she returns to San Francisco timely for disembarkation on July 20.

Victoria is an extremely popular port (I’m partial to Butchart Gardens personally) and the ship wasn’t supposed to depart until 10:00 p.m. to allow for ample exploration.

Understandably, this final change has also been met with anger and disappointment. 

The Impact on Cruisers 

With the majority of the itinerary rearranged by the ongoing propulsion issues and some bucket-list destinations nixed entirely, many onboard are not happy. 

As compensation for the inconvenience, Princess Cruises has provided guests with a $50 onboard cruise credit, which some don’t feel is enough. 

“Just boarded the Ruby Princess to only hours later hear an announcement from the Captain announcing a major malfunction of the propulsion and as a result we will miss some of our stops,” one such cruiser said on embarkation day.

“Such a joke that they wait to tell us just as we are setting sail. And offer only $50 in reimbursement. Should be half or or more of our fees. Never cruise on Princess again.”

Per the cruise contract, the cruise line is allowed to change the itinerary for a variety of reasons, so guests are not necessarily entitled to a bigger credit or refund here. 

At this time, it’s not clear what is causing the propulsion issues, but the voyage would have been delayed in San Francisco or cancelled entirely if the problem was severe enough to pose a safety risk at sea. 

Trained engineers and maintenance teams are onboard for every voyage, and have likely been working to resolve the issue behind-the-scenes the entire time. 

But as this matter seems to be taking a while to resolve, there is a possibility that the 11-night Alaska cruise that embarks from San Francisco on July 20 could also be affected. 

Booked passengers should keep an eye out for any updates from the cruise line, just in case.

Catie Kovelman

Catie is an award-winning journalist and researcher. By day, she helps market new movies and TV shows as a senior research manager. But by night, she loves writing cruise news. In addition to Cruise Hive, Catie has contributed to a variety of newspapers, magazines, and other online publications, such as The Plaid Horse, Unwritten, YourTango, Fangirl Nation Magazine, Chapman Magazine, the Orange County Register, and Voice of OC.