Dozens of cruise ship passengers are angry. They paid a lot of money to sail to Paradise Bay in Antarctica in February, but suddenly noticed that the ship’s destination had been “secretly” changed. “Instead of sailing to Antarctica via South America, it’s now just a trip around South America,” said Lauren Midler on Tiktok. “They tell us to just accept it, but we’re too angry to just order another cocktail and sit down.”
Source: Washington Post, NZ Herald, Good Morning AmericaYesterday at 1:03 PM
The Australian tourist noticed the change in the app of Norwegian Cruise Line, the shipping company with which she booked her dream trip. Lauren thought she could check off an item on her bucket list by sailing to Paradise Bay and paid a lot of money for it, $13,000 to be exact. But that dream fell through and she still doesn’t know why. Lauren – and many of her fellow travelers – want answers, but are always left behind.
Breathtaking images of Paradise Bay show why the destination was on Lauren’s bucket list — © Getty Images/iStockphoto
“We are sent away, ignored and they think we are idiots,” says the video that Lauren made while she was still on the cruise ship and shared on Tiktok. In this way, she wanted to denounce the situation and advise everyone against booking a cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line. “They treat us with contempt and disrespect. But we’re not idiots and we paid too much money to just accept this. The chance that we will see Antarctica is minimal, but we want answers.”
Falkland Islands
Lauren’s videos went viral in no time and were also picked up by the American media. This forced Norwegian Cruise Line to explain why the destination was changed and certain ports were no longer visited. “We want our customers to have a pleasant holiday on our ships, but sometimes we have to adjust things,” said a spokesperson for the shipping company. “We have adjusted the destination so that our guests can spend more time on the Falkland Islands. Because there was a speed restriction at Paradise Bay at the time, it was decided to visit another port in Antarctica.”
Penguins at Paradise Bay, but Lauren didn’t get to see that — © Getty Images/500px
Lauren had to hear that explanation through the media, but says on Tiktok that the statement is “nonsense”. “My first video got us invited to the captain’s house for tea. He stated emphatically and several times that the speed limit was not in effect and that we could have sailed to Paradise Bay without difficulty, but that the head office in Miami had decided that this was not allowed. And the Falkland Islands? They were not on my bucket list when I booked the cruise, but Antarctica was.” But according to her videos, she never got to see the continent.
Lauren is now back home and has received countless messages from people who have experienced something similar with Norwegian Cruise Line. “They promise all kinds of things, but then suddenly change the travel destination without letting anyone know,” it sounds in the latest update Lauren filmed. “They hide behind the fine print in their contracts and refuse to compensate anything. Anyone who has already complained to the shipping company will receive a standard response stating that they cannot do anything about it and that they hope you will sail again soon. Not so.”