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Mayport casino ship cancels cruise after fire

MAYPORT, Fla. – A fire broke out on the Victory II casino ship in Mayport on Friday, and the cruise for Friday night was canceled.

Capt. Timothy Levensaler, of Victory Casino Cruises, said at about 11:30 a.m. the crew detected smoke in one of four engine rooms.

They shut the engine room down and deployed the extinguishing system, which put the fire out, Levensaler said.

He said there were 113 people on board and there was never any danger to any passengers. As a precaution, the ship was brought back to port.

Firefighters said there were large fans brought aboard to clear the smoke

Amy Ernest and her husband have never been aboard the Victory Casino Cruise, and the couple was scheduled to set sail Friday evening.

"We normally do things like this on our vacation, and I thought, 'This is nice to do something like this close to home,' and I'd surprise him and 'Surprise!' We're not going," Ernest said.

The evening staff passed out vouchers and meal tickets to anyone who made reservations.

The couple said they're happy the cruise line is taking care of the problem and giving them a reason to return.

"I think if they weren't doing anything to keep us satisfied that sure would not sit well, but the fact that they're giving an incentive to come back, that helps me want to come back," Ernest said.

Engineers will be working on the mechanical problem throughout the weekend to have the cruise ship back up and running on Monday.