They were prepared for a winter vacation in the Caribbean sun – instead their cruise ship headed to Canada via Boston. Guests of the MSC “Meraviglia” experienced this unpleasant surprise.
A user of the social media platform Reddit writes: On Friday evening around 8 p.m. local time – and therefore less than 24 hours before departure on Saturday at 3 p.m. – he received an email. The content: an “important update on your trip tomorrow from New York City.”
It’s going to Boston instead of Orlando
“We have significantly changed the itinerary of your cruise due to expected poor weather in Florida and the Bahamas.” In the Caribbean, wind speeds of more than 40 knots are expected, “which would make our maneuvers unsafe.”
However, the alternative route goes in a completely different direction both climatologically and geographically: Boston, Portland and St. John, Canada, are now on the itinerary.
“It’s never happened to me before”
If you do not wish to accept this change, the cost of the trip will be reimbursed – in the form of an MSC Cruises voucher. “We built our plans entirely around this cruise,” one disgruntled guest wrote on the Reddit platform. “In the thirty years I’ve been cruising, nothing like this has ever happened to me.”
Passengers from Europe were probably hit even harder. t-online spoke to a tourist from Germany on the phone who was on board and wanted to remain anonymous – “because I want to keep an eye on possible legal action.”
“I wanted to lie on the beach”
Like all the other Europeans she spoke to, she did not receive an email from MSC. “We found out when we got to the ship and wanted to board it. Then it was too late to cancel the trip.” This was very annoying for her: “I wanted to snorkel, I wanted to lie on the beach. The only reason I flew to New York City was because of the trip.”
This is also reflected in her choice of clothing: according to the young woman, she was packing for a trip to the Bahamas: summer dresses, skirts, bikinis. ‘I wanted to go to the beach. Now I’m on board in Boston and can’t even go outside because it’s five degrees.” It’s also very windy there. To make matters worse, the weather has improved further south, where the trip was actually supposed to go: in Orlando, Florida it was 20 degrees on Monday – with no wind.
How do the passengers cope with the circumstances? Many Americans have exercised their cancellation rights; of the original 5,400 travelers, only 2,800 are still on board. For the most part, people are taking it calmly, Deutsche says. “We only start drinking alcohol here after breakfast.” According to the young woman, the spa on board was not an option for her, despite the unpleasant weather outside. Entering it would cost her a surcharge of more than $300.
Used sources:
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
