Island Princess Fire Sparks Early Morning Emergency Response

Just hours after attending a muster drill for the first night of an 18-night voyage to Canada and Greenland, passengers aboard Island Princess were rushing to their muster stations due to a fire.

The 92,822-gross-ton Princess Cruises vessel had departed from New York City at 4 p.m. on July 14, 2025, and less than 12 hours later experienced an emergency.

A passenger aboard the cruise shared a video of passengers making their way to their muster stations carrying and wearing lifejackets.

The fire was reported around 6 a.m. Nova Scotia time, and according to guests, an alert was sounded.

The captain announced shortly afterward that it was “contained and under control,” though firefighting efforts were still underway at the time to ensure there was nothing missed.

Just after 7 a.m., the captain returned with the “all clear.”

“It took about an hour to put it out,” said the guest. “No reports of any injured crew members or passengers.”

The incident appears to have occurred on Deck 12 in the galley that serves the ship’s Lido area, which serves a casual buffet.

“Lido smelled of smoke and had limited food available as of 30 minutes ago, but no other disruptions,” came the early reports.

No official statement has been issued by Princess Cruises as of press time on July 15, 2025, but onboard communication has confirmed the emergency has passed and the ship is continuing safely on its voyage.

Island Princess is scheduled to arrive at its first call, Halifax, Nova Scotia, on July 16. The ship will also visit nearby Sydney, Nova Scotia, and St. Johns, Newfoundland, before crossing the Labrador Sea to Greenland.

Up to 2,210 passengers will then enjoy stops in four Greenlandic ports – Nanortalik, Qaqortoq, Paamiut, and Nuuk – before returning to New York on August 1, 2025.

Swift Response Praised

While fires on cruise ships are rare, they are considered one of the most serious emergencies that can occur at sea. When a fire occurs, it must be handled immediately to prevent smoke or flames from spreading.

Every major cruise line, including Princess Cruises, maintains a trained firefighting team onboard. These crew members are part of the ship’s safety operations and are trained to contain and put out fires.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) requires ships to have stringent fire safety regulations in place, including fire-resistant materials, automated detection and suppression systems throughout the ship, and clearly marked escape routes.

In the case of Island Princess, the fire was located in a galley, a known high-risk area due to cooking, grease, and electrical connections. 

Passengers praised the crew’s quick response albeit a scary moment.

Said one passenger, “Good reactions by the crew and captain.” He added he was an ex-aircraft carrier sailor and that fires occurred onboard a couple of times a week. 

“I know it’s not as common on cruise ships, but a good crew and quick reaction time can usually take care of business,” he said.

In addition to the fire, another guest shared that Island Princess also had a medical emergency in the middle of the night. 

“Last night, around 2 to 3 am, there was a medical evacuation via helicopter and this morning around 6 am, there was a fire on deck 12, which was just put out,” he said. “Things have been exciting thus far on my first Princess cruise!”

Lissa Poirot

Lissa Poirot has been covering travel for more than a decade, including sites such as TripAdvisor, CruiseCritic, The Points Guy, Family Vacation Critic, and Family Traveller. Her love of travel has led Lissa to visit more than 43 countries and has her on a mission to see every state in the U.S. (only 4 states to go!). When she's not traveling, she's exploring new attractions and events on the weekends, be it in New York City or Philadelphia, as Lissa lives between both fabulous cities.