A small fire onboard Celebrity Infinity caused a power outage while the ship was docked in Kusadasi, Turkey.
Update (7/9): Guests onboard Celebrity Infinity were notified that the ship will remain in Kusadasi, Turkey, for the remainder of the cruise. The communication was posted to Reddit by one passenger onboard the ill-fated cruise.
According to Celebrity Cruises, Celebrity Infinity will sail directly to Athens, Greece, for disembarkation on Saturday, July 12. Disembarkation will proceed as scheduled currently, and the ship will continue receiving maintenance in Turkey. All remaining ports are cancelled on the itinerary, which included stops in Thessaloniki and Mykonos.
Guests will receive 50% off their cruise fare, which will be returned as refundable onboard credit. In addition, all guests will receive 50% of their cruise fare as a Future Cruise Credit for a future Celebrity cruise within one year.
Excursions for Thessaloniki and Mykonos will be refunded as onboard credit. Complimentary tours in Kusadasi are available on Thursday via the Celebrity app, which will “go beyond Kusadasi and Ephesus.”
Celebrity thanked guests for their patience and emphasized that safety remains their top priority. The cruise line stated, “We understand how disappointing this update may be, especially for those who were looking forward to the remaining destinations on our journey – we are deeply sorry, and our teams are working diligently to ensure your remaining time onboard is meaningful. Please know that this decision was not made lightly, and was taken with your safety and comfort as our foremost concern.”
Original Article:
The incident occurred on July 8, 2025, when Celebrity Infinity was docked in port. The ship was sailing on a 7-night cruise from Athens, Greece to the Greek Isles, including stops in Santorini (Greece), Kusadasi (Turkey), Mykonos (Greece), Kavala (Greece), and Thessaloniki (Greece).
The fire broke out on day three of the itinerary, leaving the ship stranded in Kusadasi, Turkey overnight.
According to guests onboard, the incident led to a total power blackout for several hours. This impacted air conditioning, communications, elevators, dining operations, and scheduled entertainment. Multiple passengers shared the news of Celebrity Infinity’s fire online to Reddit, detailing the situation and expressing their frustrations.
At the time of the fire, many guests were ashore enjoying excursions. Those remaining onboard experienced rising temperatures as the air conditioning failed during a particularly hot Turkish summer day. This time of year, Kusadasi can reach high temperatures in the 90s and low 100s.
“No power meant no communications, power to rooms, AC, delayed shows, delayed meals, and obviously disappointed guests,” wrote one cruiser on Reddit, noting that kitchens went into near total standstill until power was restored later in the afternoon.
When guests returned to the port, many faced long lines to board Celebrity Infinity as the power outage affected ship security scanners, forcing manual ID checks at the gangway.
Adding to frustrations, elevators remained out of service for hours after power returned. Several passengers described seeing older guests and those with mobility issues struggling to navigate stairs to reach their staterooms or public areas. While most guests remained understanding of the situation, many voiced concerns about the lack of clear communication throughout the day.
Missed port stop and compensation
To ensure guest safety and address potential system concerns, Celebrity Cruises announced that the Infinity would remain docked in Kusadasi overnight for further inspections and repairs. As a result, the ship canceled its planned visit to Kavala, Greece.
In an official letter delivered to guest staterooms, which was posted on Reddit, Celebrity Cruises stated:
“This decision has been made with the utmost consideration for your safety and comfort, which remain our highest priorities. We are very sorry for any disappointment and appreciate your continued understanding.”
To compensate guests for the missed port, Celebrity Cruises offered refundable onboard credits based on stateroom category:
- Deluxe Suites: $600 USD
- Aqua Class: $400 USD
- Doncierge: $400 USD
- Balcony: $300 USD
- Outside: $200 USD
- Inside: $200 USD
- Third and fourth guests received $50 USD per person
Additionally, any pre-paid Celebrity Cruises shore excursions booked for Kavala were automatically refunded as onboard credits to guests’ SeaPass accounts.
Mixed reaction from guests
While many passengers appreciated the compensation and praised the crew for working under immense pressure, others felt the onboard credit did not fully address the inconvenience caused by the blackout and missed port day.
“We had two full days of delay, so it is fair enough but nothing too generous,” one guest wrote, adding that a family they met onboard was seeking additional support after their elderly mother was trapped on a floor for hours due to non-functioning elevators.
Others highlighted how the crew continued working late into the night, preparing delayed meals, maintaining bar service, and fielding hundreds of guest concerns.
“Staff are working overtime, galley’s have been making late meals well into the evening, and the drinks are still flowing,” noted another cruiser, who commended the crew for maintaining professionalism despite the difficult circumstances.
Celebrity Infinity fire impact on itinerary
At the time of writing, Celebrity Infinity is expected to remain in Kusadasi until at least the afternoon of July 9th while specialists continue safety analyses and electrical repairs.
The ship hopes to resume its planned itinerary following clearance. Guests were informed that if repairs concluded on schedule, they would continue to Mykonos as planned. However, should delays extend further, the ship would remain docked until deemed safe for sailing.
I am on this cruise. We were just updated that we are not leaving port for a few more days. They are telling us they will get us to Athens on time. They offered us 50% of our fare as an on board credit and 50% off another cruise in next 12 months. Most passengers I am talking to are getting off the ship as they don’t believe we will make it back to Athens on time. All flights out of Turkey are booked so we are stranded. We are working with our travel agent for options to get out of Turkey. Mood on ship is bad.
UPDATE: Wednesday July 9, 2025. Infinity will stay in Kusadasi until Friday July 11th for ongoing repairs. Ship will then return to Athens. Guests to receive a healthy amount of OBC and a 50% off future cruise certificate. Free tours of Kusadasi being offered to guests. $500 airline credit to anyone wishing to disembark early.
Nobody is asking what caused the fire? Was on biard at time – ni toikets, lifts, lights or wifi for several hours. Mobility issues meant coukd not climb stairs we were not informed during this period as pa was not working – in dock but still no passengwr updates till piwer came on. To put into context the fire was not mentioned to oassengers by captain – we were tokd woukd muss next port but programme woukd be uodated and the sea day wiukd cover the remaining stops. A lot if angry oeople on board trying to diisinbark – nibody wanted a turkush holiday thus was a greek island cruise – only we are nit cruising!!