Cruise ship carrying 2,000 returns to Melbourne after breaking down

A broken down cruise ship carrying more than 2,000 passengers has returned to Melbourne on Sunday morning, two days after it became stranded due to engine problems.

The Norwegian Star broke down after leaving port on Friday, and attempts to fix the issue while at sea failed, leading tug boats to drag the stricken liner back to port overnight.

The ship's next stop was supposed to be in Auckland, New Zealand, however the cruise operator has hinted that passengers will need to brace for an extended, five-day delay in Melbourne.

The setback has prompted the Norwegian Star's operator to offer flight credit to those wishing to get to New Zealand in a timely manner.

Also in a statement released by the operator, guests were also welcome to "stay onboard" and take advantage of free food and service while the ship is being repaired.

"All guests are welcome to stay onboard while the ship is docked and then continue onto Auckland on the revised itinerary once the repairs are complete," the statement said.

"We expect the itinerary that commences in Auckland on Feb. 18 to operate as originally scheduled."

The cruise line has also offered the more than 2,000 passengers a full refund and 50 percent off a future cruise if they choose to re-book, and despite the setback, some customers said they were happy with how the crew had dealt with the break down so far.

"They are trying to grant your every wish," one New Zealand-based passenger told News Corp on Sunday.

"There is a team of chefs on board, waiting to cook my meals for the next seven days."

Other passengers were not as satisfied with the customer service on board the stricken ship.

Joan Ursic said communication about the engine troubles had been poor.

"We still don't know if (the ship) will be fixed here in Melbourne," Ursic said.

"Nobody on board could answer how long it would take us to sail from Melbourne to Auckland. They couldn't even tell us how long the journey would take normally." Endit