Cruise Ship Liner Refuses To Refund Passengers Despite Broken Ship Missing Key Stops

What do you get when you combine a miserly cruise ship company with a malfunctioning cruise ship that can only limp along at 16 knots (18 mph) as it plods along the South China Sea to tropical tourist paradises in Southeast Asia? Answer: angry passengers so mad they could sue.

This, precisely, is the predicament that's been facing the Anglo-German leisure giant, TUI Group, the world's largest leisure, travel and tourism company. One of its cruise ships, the MS Marella Discovery operated by Marella Cruises, remains crippled by a technical fault badly affecting its propulsion system. This engine problem has reduced the ship's speed to a mere 16 knots from its top speed of 24 knots for the past five weeks.

In itself, this malfunctioning engine wouldn't be a problem but Marella has kept Marella Discovery in operation carrying passenger who are now discovering to their horror their voyages are taking far longer than they anticipated. The result is a group of angry passengers demanding refunds, some of which TUI keeps refusing.

Her much reduced speed and the inconvenience this causes also means Marella Discovery can't stop off at all her planned ports-of-call on her Southeast Asian itinerary. Passengers will also have to endure 31 more hours at sea because of the ship's much abated speed.

Cruise passengers that booked in January were told Marella Discovery won't stopover at the famous Thai resort island of Koh Samui and the Malaysian city of Malacca.

In light of these stark realities for passengers, TUI said it's refunding the cost of any excursions affected. It also claims to have contacted all customers due to travel up to February 6 and will offer all passengers $325 (£250) in compensation. For passengers booked to travel in February, however, this sum has been reduced to $130 (£100) per person. Beyond this, TUI is refusing further requests for refunds.

Launched in 1996 and weighing 69,130 tons, Marella Discovery is a former Royal Caribbean International Vision-class cruise ship. She features a seven-story lobby, a rock-climbing wall, and a 9-hole miniature golf course.