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Passengers on a Norwegian Cruise Line Star Ship are majorly upset over a last-minute change to their itinerary.
Ticketed guests were told they would be travelling to South America and Antarctica. But it wasn’t until after they boarded the boat that they realised there had been a slight change of plans – their trip would only cover destinations in South America. One infuriated passenger took to TikTok to express her frustrations.
“Never book a cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line,” the account @ruinedvacation proclaimed in their 9 February video. “Our ship is not going to Antarctica. They secretly changed the name of this cruise yesterday on the app.”
The woman, who created her social media account to post about this situation, inserted a photo of the cruise title in the app. The first screenshot read: “14-Night Antarctica and South America.” The updated page read: “14-Day South America Round Trip Buenos Aires: Argentina & Chile”.
“According to customer service on the ship, this decision was made by head office in Miami before we departed, and it was for ‘operational reasons,’” the woman continued. “They refuse to explain what those operational reasons are. We know it’s not weather. So, what is the reason?”
Ultimately, the passenger was told the ship was under a strict “go slow order” which is why they had to cut Antarctica from the schedule.
“Is it saving fuel costs? Is it something with the ship, that it can’t handle the long journey? We don’t know,” she went on to say, noting how many passengers felt “scammed”.
The TikToker claimed that other bothered individuals have been gathering to try and find answers in the foyer of the ship. Yet, customer service was “refusing” to address their concerns and questions.
“They’ve sent a security officer out to calm us down, but we just refuse to be told, ‘sorry, we’re not going, and we’re not going to give you reasons’.” she said.
According to an NZ Herald report, passengers were notified of the trip change in a message blast. They were told that the cruise line tries to keep to the original itineraries as much as possible, but in certain cases, they’re forced to adjust.
“While we try to maintain original itineraries as much as possible, unfortunately, at times modifications are made to optimise the itinerary or to accommodate certain circumstances,” the message read. “As such, in order to enhance the guest experience, the itinerary has been revised.”
In addition to the discourse on the ship, guests have been discussing the situation in the “Norwegian Star South America & Antarctica” Facebook group, adding how they were especially “p***ed off”.
The Independent has contacted the TikToker and Norwegian Cruise Line for comments.
