Passengers on a luxury liner staged a mutiny after their cruise turned into "the holiday from hell".
The 2,000 tourists on the Norwegian Spirit paid up to $10000 each for a once-in-a-lifetime "mystical fjords" tour, with excursions in France, Amsterdam, Norway and Iceland. But passengers described the two-week cruise as "the worst trip ever" after the ship – which set off from Southampton on September 27 – failed to dock in Le Havre or Amsterdam, apparently because of high winds.
They were taken to Norway but the ship berthed in a "deserted" town which was closed to tourists, with the famous fjords viewable only from a distance. A stop in Reykjavik was cancelled and replaced with a trip to Greenock, near Glasgow – but the 275m-long ship was refused permission to dock there on Monday morning, and the captain decided to head to Belfast instead.
Worst trip ever: Angry guests vented over the hijacked itinerary and faulty facilities. Photo / Twitter.com
By this point, passengers had endured three days at sea and the ship's sewage system was "failing". Many passengers said food served in the restaurants had gone stale. There was further fury when US-based operator Norwegian Cruise Line declined full refunds and offered passengers only a 25 per cent voucher towards a future cruise.
Footage shows hundreds of passengers protesting in the ship's grand atrium amid chants of "shame on you", "we want refunds" and "get us off this ship". The passengers, including British, American and Chinese tourists, can be heard shouting "take us back to London" in front of crew members and security guards. One demanded: "I want to see the captain. He should be out here."
Guests were told that they would be missing out on destinations and spending nights at sea. Photo / Twitter.com
The "near rioting" was filmed on passengers' phones but one tourist claimed the crew turned off the ship's internet to stop the footage going online. Passengers later held up placards saying "shame on you" and "we want refunds".
Deena Roland, 48, from Taunton, Devon, who was travelling with husband Adrian, 48, said: "There are a lot of angry people on this ship and the lack of adequate explanation as to what's going on almost caused a riot this morning.
"It's been a nightmare of a holiday, and now many of the toilets in the cabins are overflowing with sewage. It's really not my idea of a luxury cruise break."
Tourists, can be heard shouting "take us back to London" Photo / Twitter.com
Debbie Fuller, from Los Angeles, said the crew seized some passengers' passports without explanation. She added: "They won't speak to us or tell us anything.
"We were promised such an incredible trip to all these amazing places but it turned into the holiday from hell."
Cody McNutt, 31, from Denver, Colorado, said: "We made an unscheduled stop at a small Norwegian town but we soon found out it had been closed to tourists since September 25, so there was nothing for us to do and not even anywhere to get something to eat. Today has been the last straw. We should have been going to Iceland."
Yesterday many passengers left the ship after it stopped in Belfast and decided to make their own way back to London.
After three days floating around the Atlantic the bathrooms are backing up, not flushing, and out of order today on Norwegian Spirit. pic.twitter.com/CFBANWycWX
The 76,000-ton Norwegian Spirit offers guests 17 dining options, including a steakhouse and Japanese restaurant, 12 bars and lounges, a casino, spa, theatre, fitness centre and aqua park for children. Luxury suites cost up to $10000 per person and feature a living room, dining room and separate bedroom, as well as a 24-hour butler and concierge service. Prices for cabins start at $3500 for "inside" rooms, rising to more than $4000 for rooms with an ocean view and balcony.
Norwegian Spirit: Guests were paying up to $10,000pp for the 'luxury' cruise. Photo / Wikimedia Commons
A spokesman for Norwegian Cruise Line said: "Norwegian Spirit was forced to cancel her call to Greenock due to weather conditions as well as a delay caused by a departing Navy vessel that experienced a technical malfunction."
