Cruise passengers were left furious after the Antarctica leg of their $13,000 trip was abruptly canceled after they had boarded the ship, with travelers accusing the company of “ripping them off”.
Passengers aboard the Norwegian Cruise Line ship were set to embark on a 14-day voyage to South America and Antarctica, but passengers claimed the name of the cruise was “secretly changed” on the app to “South America Round Trip” Then they set sail.
The last-minute change sparked fury from passengers who immediately expressed frustration over the itinerary change.
Now, those on board the ship have flooded social media and criticized Norwegian Cruise Line for changing their trip, not communicating with them, and refusing to give them a refund.
Passengers have been left furious after claiming Norwegian Cruise Line removed Antarctica from their trip and changed their itinerary once they were on board.
The cruise ship’s passengers were set to embark on a voyage to South America and Antarctica, but claimed the cruise ship’s name was “secretly changed” after setting sail.
Now, those on board the ship have flooded social media and criticized Norwegian Cruise Line for changing their trip, not communicating with them, and refusing to give them a refund.
Helen Midler She was the first passenger to take these issues to social media, as she has been sharing updates on her TikTok account, where she goes by @ruinedvacation.
in a viral videowhich has so far racked up more than 3.3 million views after being shared on February 9, urged people to “never book a cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line.”
She explained: ‘I’m on board the Norwegian Star. Our ship is not going to Antarctica.
“Yesterday they secretly changed the name of this cruise in the application from South America to Antarctica to Round Trip to South America.”
Helen noted that customer service had cited “operational reasons” for the itinerary change, however, she declined to provide further clarification.
He added: ‘They won’t get anywhere near continental Antarctica, which is what we paid for.
‘Everyone is angry. We feel like we are being deceived and scammed. We are being dismissed, ignored and denied answers.
‘They’re telling us we just have to accept it, guess what? We paid too much money, we’re too smart, we’re too angry to order another cocktail and accept the fact that our money has vanished into Norwegian Cruise Line’s pockets.’
Helen Midler was the first passenger to take these issues to social media, as she has been sharing updates on her TikTok account, where she goes by @ruinedvacation.
Another passenger, Eric Huang, told ABC News: ‘It’s largely been a disappointment, in terms of not knowing where we’re going. I don’t feel like I’ve experienced Antarctica on this cruise.’
At the end of the clip, the traveler pointed out that they were not ‘idiots’ and wanted ‘answers’.
In a follow-up clip shared on his TikTok account, he shared an update on February 10 before the ship crossed Drake Passage that night.
She said: “We are still very much in the dark, what we do know is that this decision was 100 per cent made by the Miami head office, it was not a decision related to weather or sea conditions.”
“It was made before departure, the decision was made on January 31.”
Helen added that staff had told her there had been an “explosion of emails” about the change, but assured viewers she hadn’t received it and neither had “many of our friends here on board… and I’m talking about hundreds of people”. we know.’
“We were told that a notice had been left at the luggage check-in, neither of us received a notice at check-in,” he said.
Helen also noted that they would be going to an island off the mainland, which was 124 miles from the original location.
He added: “They won’t get anywhere near continental Antarctica, which is what we paid for.”
Meanwhile, other passengers have taken to Facebook in a group titled Norwegian Star South America & Antarctica to express their disappointment.
Another passenger, Eric Huang, said ABC News: ‘It’s largely been a disappointment, in terms of not knowing where we’re going. I don’t feel like I experienced Antarctica on this cruise. I think I would have to go back to be able to do that.”
Meanwhile, other passengers took to Facebook in a group titled Norwegian Star South America & Antarctica to express their disappointment.
One passenger said, “I think as a form of protest for our upcoming cruises, we should all refuse to pay the service charges when we board the ship.”
Another user added: ‘We have bookings for the January 2025 voyage still showing Paradise Bay, however we will most likely cancel and find a more reliable cruise. NCL is doing a poor job of communicating with its customers.’
‘I’m on this cruise too. “I’m very bummed about this,” someone else said.
One passenger wrote: ‘No explanation… the whole ship is really angry. My wife and I only found out through whispers in the hallway. It changed a few days ago, the day we boarded, and again a few days ago. I’m not sure of the exact day because they didn’t tell us.
Although trip costs vary, one passenger claimed he spent a whopping $13,000 on the cruise.
According to the New Zealand HeraldA message was sent to passengers informing them that they would not be going to Antarctica.
It said: “While we try to maintain the original itineraries as much as possible, unfortunately, modifications are sometimes made to optimize the itinerary or to adapt to certain circumstances.”
“As such, to enhance the guest experience, the itinerary has been revised.”
A Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson told DailyMail.com: ‘We are committed to providing exceptional vacation experiences, both on board our ships and taking our guests to some of the world’s most sought-after destinations. While we try to maintain the original itineraries as much as possible, modifications are sometimes made to optimize the itinerary or to adapt to certain circumstances.
‘To improve the guest experience, the ship’s current itinerary has been revised to allow guests more time to explore Stanley, Falkland Islands. As such, the Paradise Bay, Antarctica cruise was replaced by an Admiralty Bay, Antarctica cruise. Additionally, due to a recent regulatory requirement in the area, the ship is operating at reduced speed, which also impacts its original itinerary.