Crown Princess to Return Saturday

Princess Cruises plans to operate the Crown Princess' next cruise from New York, despite a problem earlier in the week when the ship abruptly rolled 15 degrees to starboard while sailing 11 miles from Port Canaveral. More than 240 people were treated for injuries onboard, 98 of those sent to Florida hospitals and two critically injured. All are expected to recover, but the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board boarded the ship last week to investigate. No official cause was yet known at press time. But Princess said it still expected the 931-foot-long ship to be cleared by authorities to sail, and thus planned to shorten the July 20 cruise from nine to seven days, with a New York departure on July 22. Princess said it would refund 50 percent of the client's fare if guests opted to sail, or give a full refund to anyone who wished to cancel. Agent commissions were protected. Passengers on the ill-fated cruise earlier this week received a full refund of their cruise fare and reimbursement for additional expenses. Damage to the ship was described as mostly superficial and was being repaired quickly.