Passengers Injured as Crown Princess Tilts on Voyage from Sydney to New Zealand

• Crown Princess has tilted while sailing through Milford Sound.
• Three crew members and 13 passengers sustained minor injuries.
• Watch videos and see photos of the incident below.

A passenger has recounted the harrowing 40 seconds onboard the Crown Princess when the vessel tilted sideways.

On February 26, the Crown Princess tilted while sailing in New Zealand’s Milford Sound, causing the ship to rock sideways suddenly.

The crew’s swift action meant that only 13 passengers and three crew members sustained minor injuries.

Wild footage from inside the ship’s kitchen shows staff holding onto the counters, with utensils, bowls, pots and pans flying through the galley.

The ship did not suffer any structural damage.

The 14-day round-trip from Sydney to New Zealand continued as scheduled.

The video below shows the pool flooding after the ship tilted.

Another video shows the state of the kitchen following the tilt.

According to passenger Martin Wise, the ship tilted for around 40 seconds.

“I felt the boat starting to slant and tip,” Mr Wise, who was in the sixth-floor dining room, told NZ publication Stuff.

“Then it lent over quite a bit and really started moving along at a high speed and we could see the sea looking very high out of the restaurant windows.”

He said cups, glasses, and plates “went flying” around the room.

“[And] crashing could be heard around the area and a huge crash from the kitchen.”

“On a frightening scale, I’d put it at 8.5 to 10,” he said. “This is our seventh Princess cruise and nothing’s ever happened like this before.”

But despite the scary experience, he said he would not stop cruising.

Princess Cruises told 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 photos below were taken by a passenger onboard, Kerry Burchett.

Milford Sound is known for harsh weather conditions, but luckily, modern cruise ships are built to withstand it, with the worst case being minor damage, as in this case.

Cruise Hive reports a similar case recently where Explorer of the Seas was suddenly hit by heavy winds, but once again, only minor damage was sustained and no itinerary challenges were required.

In fact, on Crown Princess, many passengers didn’t even realise anything happened and simply kept enjoying their cruise in peace.

Tilting on a cruise ship is extremely uncommon, and even when it does occur, it very rarely creates a significant safety risk to passengers.