If there was a cruise ship equivalent of having an earthquake, it would be listing or tilting. While it is rare, unpredictable weather can cause ships to move in a way they are not supposed to but are built to withstand.
Unfortunately, this can cause damage and even injure passengers — and that is exactly what happened on Princess Cruises’ Crown Princess on February 24th, 2025.
As the ship entered Milford Sound in New Zealand, it listed causing panic throughout the ship as objects went flying. Some passengers said they were told to go to their cabins, but others were not.
Water from one of the pools on the lido deck flooded a dining area, but the crew worked quickly to clean it up. Items from onboard shops and galleries fell off of shelves, some breaking when they hit the floor.
Many passengers on this ship have taken to social media to report that they did not hear sirens, and no announcements were made suggesting that passengers should return to their cabins.
Princess Cruises confirmed that a total of 13 guests and three crew members had minor injuries. It’s also reported that the captain announced that the ship listed 14°.
Princess Cruises said in a statement to Cruise Hive, “On February 25, while in Fiordland, New Zealand, Crown Princess encountered strong winds during a course change, causing the ship to briefly tilt beyond its usual movement before stabilizing. Our crew responded quickly to correct the situation, and at no point was the safety of the ship compromised.“
“Additionally, a small amount of water from the Lido Deck pool briefly entered the Horizons food court, but the area was quickly cleaned and reopened. There was no structural damage to the ship,” the cruise line added.
No structural damage was reported and the ship has already resumed the cruise as planned.
The 3,080-passenger Crown Princess is currently on a 14-day round-trip cruise out of Sydney, Australia — making stops all around New Zealand.
The ship’s very first stop after a few days at sea was Fjordland National Park. When entering the Milford Sound area, the ship was hit by strong winds, which led to its listing.
Milford Sound in New Zealand is known for being one of the rainiest places on earth — averaging 182 days of rain each year. The weather is often unpleasant and unpredictable, making it difficult for any vessel to navigate this fjord.
However, the risk is usually worth the reward as this area has stunning waterfalls and rainforests — truly showcasing New Zealand’s natural beauty.
The 113,561 gross ton Crown Princess headed out of Fjordland National Park to Dunedin on February 25, thankfully avoiding another tilt. The rest of its itinerary includes stops in Christchurch, Wellington, Tauranga, Bay of Islands, and Auckland.
Tilting is rare, but it can happen at any time — still it poses little risk to passenger safety.
How Common are Tilts?
Tilting or listing is quite uncommon — though not unheard of. It is usually caused by extreme and severe weather — but unlike the incident on the Crown Princess, it typically occurs on the open ocean.
On November 7, 2024, Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas was hit by a squall — which is a sudden gust of intense wind or a localized storm. Similarly, only minor injuries were reported, and no changes were made to the itinerary.
Crown Princess itself has quite the history when it comes to tilting. This ship launched in 2006, and on July 18 after being in service for just about a month, it had a severe tilting incident.
The vessel was just off the coast of Port Canaveral, Florida, when the automatic steering system initiated a turn to port. The second officer made the mistake of disengaging the automatic steering — which caused the ship to tilt about 24°.
Read Also: Can a Cruise Ship Tip Over? – All You Need to Know
This mistake caused 14 serious injuries and an additional 284 minor injuries to passengers and crew — plus there was considerable damage done to the at-the-time new ship.
Now, close to 20 years in service, a lesser accident has occurred — this time due to weather instead of a technical error.
Cruise ships tilting in fjords is not common, but fjords have unpredictable weather and narrow navigation channels.
Ships stabilizers actually reduce up to 90% of tilting. Tilting-related injuries occur on <0.01% of cruises — and of that small percentage, the majority are minor injuries such as bruises or sprains.
Some of the passengers currently on the Crown Princess that were on lower decks did not even realize the tilting was occurring — likely because their cabin was close to the stabilizers.
You can breathe easy though, as cruise ships are extremely safe — plus the crew is trained to keep passengers safe above all else.
