Key Aspects:
- A burst pipe onboard Enchanted Princess caused massive flooding on Decks 5 and 6 on Friday, May 15.
- The ship was docked in Santorini at the time and crew members sprang into action for cleanup and repairs.
- There was no delay in the ship’s overall itinerary and some guests never even knew the leak had happened.
Hiking is a great way to see amazing vistas in Santorini, Greece, and while the island is not known for waterfalls, guests onboard Enchanted Princess got a rare glimpse of a waterfall during their visit on Friday, May 15, 2026.
Granted, the waterfall was actually on the 145,300-gross-ton ship and the 3,660 guests may not have been expecting a massive leak and flooding on Decks 5 and 6, but that is what they got.
A guest onboard shared footage of the incident on Instagram, showing the dramatic waterfall event through numerous short videos.
The leak occurred from the ceiling of the Crooner’s Bar on Deck 6 (Fiesta Deck), on the starboard side of the atrium just aft of the casino. So extensive was the deluge that water seeped across to the port side of the deck and cascaded down the atrium stairs.
Crew members worked swiftly to control the water, using pool towels to soak up the spillage and even scooping water into wastebaskets with a strange similarity to bailing out the ship. Portable dryers were then brought into service to dry out the flooring and finish the cleanup.
“Pipe that connects to the pool broke and caused the water to spill out,” the guest elaborated as the situation was clarified. “Crew did a FANTASTIC job cleaning up while we were in port all day.”
Various officers and technicians were keeping track of the situation, assessing damage, and working on repairs.
Within 36 hours, the leak was repaired and while dryers were still in use, the walkways and other impacted public areas on Enchanted Princess were reopened. One bar area remained closed as the final stages of the cleanup wrapped up.
“Princess crew has done incredible with cleaning up & minimizing impact to the guests,” the original poster noted, even explaining that some guests who had been out exploring Santorini at the time of the leak never even knew the incident occurred.
Enchanted Princess departed on her current 7-night sailing from Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy on Tuesday, May 12. Santorini was the ship’s second port visit after an earlier stop in Naples, and the ship has also visited Kusadasi in Turkey as well as Katakolon in Greece.
There appears to be no change in the ship’s itinerary and she is due back in Civitavecchia for debarkation on Tuesday, May 19. Likewise, there is no adjustment to her next 7-night sailing at this time.
Not the First Ship With Unexpected Water Events
Water is a huge part of the cruise experience, not only because cruising is literally on the ocean, but also for the pools and whirlpools onboard, fantastic beach days, onboard waterslides, waterparks at private islands, and more.
Not all water is an intentional part of cruising, however, and Cruise Hive has reported on other flooding incidents from burst pipes on different ships.
In fact, a very similar incident occurred in April 2025 when a pipe burst on Sky Princess, sister ship to Enchanted Princess, in nearly the same area.
Rough storms may also occasionally cause flooding when water intrudes from the outer decks. Pool overflows are another way onboard floods occur, such as when Harmony of the Seas made a sharp turn in January 2023 and caused the main pool to overflow with water cascading down six decks.
Sprinkler malfunctions and backed-up toilets are other ways that flooding may occur on cruise ships.
In every situation, crew members react swiftly to contain the water, stop the leak, and clean up impacted areas so guests’ cruise experiences can continue without being too waterlogged.
While such unexpected water might at first be unnerving on a cruise ship (and bring Titanic jokes out faster than one can say “Iceberg!”), many guests can look back at such incidents with a smile about the unique vacation memory they can laugh at later.
