The Carnival Cruise Line's Paradise will not call on St. Thomas on Thursday July 27 nor Thursday, August 10 due to an ongoing mechanical problem with its propulsion system.
Carnival had already cancelled the cruise which was set to sail from Miami on Sunday July 23. The company said in a statement that pending repairs to the ship, an additional voyage was cancelled and the ship would resume service on August 13.
The Paradise had left Miami Sunday, July 16 bound for Cozumel, Mexico, Grand Cayman Islands and Ocho Rios, Jamaica. It returned a few hours later with a problem on one of its Azipod propulsion units.
Paradise, which has been in service since November of 1998, has the distinction of being the world's only smoke-free cruise ship.
It is to be dry-docked at Newport News, Va. For repairs, the company said.
Passengers on the cancelled voyages were receiving a full refund of their cruise and airfares, with a free future three to seven day cruise offered for passengers on the first cancelled voyage and a discount of 50 percent on a future cruise for passengers on the other three affected sailings.
West Indian Co. Ltd spokesman Calvin Wheatley said that Royal Caribbean's ship, "Enchantment of the Seas" will be in port on Thursday from 7 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.
