Allure of the Seas, World's Largest Cruise Ship, To Undergo Repairs in February

Another cruise ship is being taken out of service to fix a mechanical problem.

Royal Caribbean has cancelled the February 23rd sailing for the world' largest cruise ship, Allure of the Seas. A problem with the ship's propulsion began in October, leaving the ship unable to operate at normal speeds. During maintenance, the propulsion unit will be repaired at a shipyard in the Bahamas, USA Today reports.

"We sincerely regret that we will be unable to deliver the Royal Caribbean cruise vacation that our guests were looking forward to," Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein said according to USA Today. "We understand that our guests' vacation time is very precious and can assure you that we did not take this decision lightly.
But it was very important to us that we bring Allure back up to speed so that she could continue to deliver the amazing cruise vacations our guests expect."

Due to the mechanical issue with of the ship's three propulsion pods, the ship has had to shorten its stays at ports during recent Eastern Caribbean trips. The cruise line says the problem is related to the ship's bearings, which was starting to wear down unexpectedly. The propulsion pod is still fully operational and the ship can still move without risking the safety of guests or crew, but the ship runs slower.
The rate of the wear on the bearing is directly related to the ship's speed and it cannot reach top speeds.

According to the cruise line, reducing the speed of the ship "has reduced the rate of bearing wear and will ensure that all three propulsion motors are fully available for maneuvering and emergencies until repairs can be completed."

Allure of the Seas is just one of many cruise ships that have experience issues with pod propulsion lately. Pods starts being used on ships in the 1990s. In August, Celebrity Cruises had to cancel several trips on the Celebrity Millennium due to pod propulsion issues.

The system is more efficient than other propulsion methods, but it is difficult to fix at sea. The Celebrity Millennium had to be taken out of service for several weeks to be fixed in dry dock.

Those who were booked on the February Allure of the Seas sailing will receive a full refund or the option to sail on "select itineraties" at the same rate for which they paid the fare.

The 6,000-passenger Allure of the Seas has a crew of more than 2,000 people. The ship is one of two that hold the title of the world's largest cruise ship. The other is its sister ship, Oasis of the Seas.