Cruise Ship Passengers Irate As P&O Cancels Luxury Cruise Days Before Trip

The abrupt cancelation of P&O luxury cruise trip days before the departure on Friday has left many holidaymakers angry and frustrated. Among the booked passengers included many honeymooners and first-time cruise travelers.

According to reports, the cancellation was caused by the breakdown of ship MV Ventura in the Canaries. The captain of MV Ventura had launched a distress signal to activate a rescue mission, Express UK reported.

MV Ventura with a capacity of 3,192 passengers lost propulsion when it was sailing to Lanzarote. The ship had to be towed back to the port of Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife by tugs. As a result, the rest of the cruise trip has been cut short and the ship will return to homeport Southampton.

The Carnival Cruise owned P&O Cruises officially announced that the breakdown of Ventura warranted cancellation of a four-day cruise starting Friday. It assured that passengers will get a refund plus a 20 percent discount on future cruises.

Holidaymakers and honeymooners devastated

According to cruise news, many holidaymakers who had planned the pre-Christmas cruise on Friday were devastated by the canceled trip which they booked under lucrative cruise deals.

One passenger Charlotte Puddy tweeted: “Absolutely devastated. Supposed to be our honeymoon! I know it's not your fault but not sure I want to book with P&O again.”

Another passenger Julie Wright also shared her disappointment: “This was our honeymoon and our first cruise. Can’t book anything else as a refund will be via cheque as the deal was through Thomas Cook.”

Technicians have been flown to Tenerife to repair the ship so that it can sail back to Southampton. Already two ports of calls have been canceled as part of the return journey without stops.

The Bahamas to boost cruise services

Meanwhile, CBS News has launched a step in augmenting relief work in the Bahamas recovering from Hurricane Dorian where rebuilding is in progress at Abaco and Grand Bahama Islands.

The hurricane had hit the business of Bahamas cruise.

According to reports, CBS News in association with non-profit Bahamas Relief Cruise and the Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line will bring more volunteers in the coming days to speed up pending projects.

They include rebuilding homes, businesses, using collected supplies and hardware. Volunteers will also build a clinic in Grand Bahama. Two volunteer cruises starting December 12th and 14th will ferry the volunteers. On Tuesday night an hour-long special on the mission was aired on CBS12 News.