Saga Cruises, the British cruise shipping company that is part of Acromas Holdings group has decided to change the itinerary of its 1973 built Saga Ruby that will be retired soon, after one of the six generators on board failed, Cruise Critic reports on its website.

Instead of heading for a 31-night Caribbean itinerary as scheduled, the ship will continue in the Mediterranean, where it can operate normally at its current generator capacity.

"It was discovered that one of the six generators could not operate properly without a part that needed to be manufactured." Because the air conditioning needs to run at full capacity in the Caribbean, "The Captain decided that for passenger comfort, it would be better to change the itinerary," a spokesman for Saga was quoted as saying.

Of the 557 passengers onboard, less than 30 have returned to the U.K. and will receive a full refund. Those remaining onboard will receive a 40-percent refund.

"Having personally spoken to a great many passengers about our revised plans, I know that -- although some are disappointed about not proceeding as planned -- there is an understanding that this has been beyond our control, and it was better to find out now than in the heat of the Caribbean," said Robin Shaw, chief executive of Saga Shipping.