Celebrity Infinity Lost Power Off the Coast of Greece—And the Next Cruise Was Cancelled

A Celebrity Cruises ship experienced a complete power failure early Saturday morning near Greece, leaving passengers without air conditioning, lighting, or even working toilets. The incident was serious enough that Celebrity cancelled the ship’s next scheduled sailing entirely.

The Celebrity Infinity suddenly lost electrical power at approximately 3:00 a.m. on February 15 while near Piraeus, Greece. The 13-night Mediterranean cruise had departed Barcelona on February 3 and was scheduled to conclude in Athens the following day. Instead, tugboats were deployed to assist the disabled vessel as the crew worked to regain control.

What Went Wrong

The power outage affected essential ship services across the board. Passengers reported losing air conditioning, lighting, and even basic facilities like toilets during the blackout. While the ship’s crew worked to restore power and manage the situation, the timing couldn’t have been worse—the cruise was just one day from its scheduled conclusion.

Celebrity Cruises hasn’t disclosed the specific technical cause of the failure, but the company acted quickly to address the immediate crisis and make decisions about the ship’s next sailing.

Next Cruise Cancelled

On Sunday, Celebrity informed guests booked on the ship’s following voyage that their February 16 sailing was cancelled. That 11-night Mediterranean itinerary was set to visit popular ports including Mykonos, Katakolon, Iraklion (Crete), Rhodes, Limassol (Cyprus), Antalya (Turkey), and Kuşadası (Turkey).

The cancellation suggests the technical issue requires significant repair work that can’t be completed quickly. When a cruise line cancels an entire sailing rather than attempting repairs during a port call or short delay, it’s typically a sign of a more complex problem.

What Guests Are Getting

For passengers on the disrupted cruise that ended early, Celebrity is providing compensation including a $300 reimbursement per stateroom, a refund of the cruise fare for the unused final day, and onboard credits equivalent to one day of the cruise.

Guests whose February 16 sailing was cancelled are receiving full refunds of their cruise fare, including all non-refundable deposits and pre-paid amenities, plus a future cruise credit valued at 100% of their cruise fare.

Why This Matters

Power failures on cruise ships are relatively rare, but when they happen, they’re extremely disruptive. Modern cruise ships are essentially floating cities that depend entirely on electrical systems for everything from propulsion to basic sanitation. A complete power loss doesn’t just inconvenience passengers—it can pose safety concerns and require tugboat assistance, as happened here.

The Celebrity Infinity is a 20-year-old ship that has experienced technical issues before. In July 2025, the ship was delayed for four days in Turkey due to technical problems. While older ships can still provide excellent cruise experiences, they do require more intensive maintenance and are more susceptible to mechanical failures than newer vessels.

For guests with upcoming Celebrity Infinity sailings beyond the cancelled February 16 departure, it’s worth monitoring updates from Celebrity Cruises about whether subsequent itineraries will proceed as scheduled or if additional maintenance time will be needed.

Source: Royal Caribbean Blog