Nothing dampens the joy of a cruise vacation like a flooded cabin – especially when it happens more than once.
Unfortunately, this has been the experience of one couple that just disembarked from P&O Cruises’ Azura – which was operating simultaneous 7-night and 14-night sailings to the Canary Islands.
After the couple’s cabin flooded the first time, they were relocated to a new stateroom and figured that would be the end of their troubles.
However, it was not all smooth sailing from then on out. Their second cabin, which was located on deck 14, also flooded at around 4:30 a.m. one morning near the end of the voyage.
“Cabin was seriously flooded last night, for the second time! Wife woke up screaming as there was 4 inches of water in the cabin, she thought the ship was sinking,” the passenger shared in a cruise ship forum on Facebook.
Indeed, it wouldn’t be hard to think the worst after waking up from a sound sleep to a flooded room. But while the 3,100-passenger ship was not sinking, it still wasn’t an ideal situation.
The water did plenty of damage to the couple’s belongings – with pictures showing drenched shoes and a suitcase laid out on the bed to escape the flooding.
“Shoes and other items are ruined. Not having much luck with guest services. Now into our 3rd cabin,” the cruiser continued.
After the inconvenience of moving cabins twice in one sailing and the damage to their belongings, the couple has been seeking compensation – but has not been satisfied with the service they have received onboard.
“They just gave us a letter to speak to guest services when we return, customer service is poor,” the guest wrote in response to questions on his post.
All of Azura’s simultaneous sailings were scheduled to disembark by March 8, 2025, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands.
This means the couple is likely home or on their way there – and hopefully they’ll have more success finding a satisfactory resolution contacting the Carnival-owned cruise line from land.
Time For Refurbishment
Believe it or not, this isn’t actually the first major flooding incident experienced by guests of Azura this year.
During the voyage that embarked from Tenerife on January 10, 2025, a burst pipe from one of the swimming pools located on deck 15 led to flooding on the higher levels of the ship in the middle of the night – including inside an estimated 20 to 26 staterooms.
One couple who was evacuated as part of this incident shared a video of what it was like to be escorted from their cabin by crew members and reported that they had to wait nearly two hours before they were given a new, dry stateroom to sleep in.
While it’s unclear what caused the flooding on the most recent voyage, one has to wonder if it might be related to this incident – as their second soaked cabin was only one deck below the pools.
Read Also: From Mishaps to Maydays – Cruise Ship Accidents
But with the 2010-launched ship now entering her next stint in dry dock, hopefully her flooding days are behind her.
At only about 15 years old, Azura isn’t an old ship. In fact, cruise ships can stay in service for 30 years or more with the right maintenance.
As part of that upkeep, cruise ships are required to go to dry dock every three to five years for routine inspections, maintenance, or even big remodels.
The 115,055-gross ton vessel was last in dry dock in 2021, which means she was due – and she has been taken out of service for a three-week retrofit from March 9 until March 27, 2025.
As part of the refurbishment, bars, restaurants, cabins, and luxury suites will all be getting refreshed, work will be done on elevators and public toilets, and six whirlpools will be replaced entirely.
