1,000 Cruise Ship Passengers Stranded, Forced To Sleep On 'Horrendous' Basketball Court

Passengers sailing in a P&O cruise ship had a horrendous time when they got stranded in Monte Carlo port following bad weather and a stormy sea made their return to the cruise ship impossible at night.

According to cruise news, the British holidaymakers aboard P&O’s Azura luxury cruise ship finally spent the day and night in the high-rolling harbor town.

The ship has a guest capacity of over 3,000 passengers at double occupancy. Reports said thousands of those cruise passengers had to sleep on ‘horrendous’ basketball court.”

There was anguish over the callous handling of the situation and for asking passengers to sleep on tables or makeshift beds on a basketball court. They could have been accommodated in one of Monte Carlo’s five-star hotels.

Cruise passenger Julie Rowson, of Cannock, Staffs, said: “It was horrendous. It’s spoilt our holiday .”

According to Julie, instead of spending the day in the most luxurious and expensive place on earth they had to spend the night sleeping on a floor.

“I’m very angry and upset. It’s a disgrace. It was very cold. There were a lot of elderly people there.”Julie added.

Julie was accompanied by her husband Paul and two children. She alleged that they were just given towels by P&O people.

Unexpected turn during Mediterranean cruise

The Monte Carlo stop had an unexpected twist. P&O Azura was sailing a 14-day Mediterranean cruise based out of Southampton, UK. The scheduled call at Monte Carlo was from 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM. The next call had to be Ajaccio, France on Sunday.

A spokesman for P&O Cruises said: “Due to unexpected poor sea conditions it was necessary to stop tender operations in Monte Carlo.”

The cruise line said shelter and food were provided by the ship’s crew for all guests under cruise deals when they were onshore.

“All guests are now back on board. We are so sorry that this happened,” it added.

The vessel will be back on homeport on October 5. The Azura is now heading for Cartagena in Spain before sailing for Southampton.

Best sights during Mediterranean cruises

Generally, Mediterranean cruises extend from the northeastern part of Italy, Croatia into the Adriatic Sea. Major stops include Turkey, the Greek Islands, and Egypt or Israel.

There are many beautiful cruise ship ports in the Mediterranean.

Seville port is located close to Barcelona and is a popular Spanish harbor at the center of the Andalusia area. Seville hosts a massive gothic cathedral, the Alcazar complex. Although it is smaller than Barcelona, it offers visitors a good spectacle of natural beauty and rich history.

The Barcelona port city in the Mediterranean receives more cruise ships than any other port. It is located in the Mediterranean Sea and is a must-visit at least once in a lifetime.

Famous artworks and shopping on the Rambla are opportunities to spend time. For some adventurous exploring, a visit to Bunkers del Carmel will be ideal. It is a park outside of the city offering spectacular views of the city.