Cruise passengers refused refunds for slow ship that misses key ports

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts

Get Simon Calder’s Travel email

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice

Britain’s biggest holiday company is refusing to offer refunds to thousands of passengers whose cruises have been drastically curtailed because of a faulty ship.

Tui’s Marella Discovery suffered an electrical fault on 9 December, about an hour after departure from Singapore. The company says there was “localised burning within the transformer housing”.

Rather than returning to the port for repairs, the captain decided to sail for Thailand, two days away, at reduced speed.

The company said that a repair will be carried out as soon as the replacement parts and equipment arrive. But meanwhile it is limited to around one-third less than its design speed of 24 knots (28mph).

One passenger, Fiona Wall, was appalled at the prospect of staying aboard “a damaged ship at reduced power and less stability”.

She told The Independent: “It was hardly relaxing being on a burning ship then out at sea for two days.

“The following day was rough resulting in a lot of people, including my husband, being stuck in their cabins with sea sickness. Had we had more stability and speed the ship would not have moved as much.

“The atmosphere onboard was bad: tension and bad feeling. The captain’s attitude was unprofessional, uncaring and unsympathetic.”

On arrival at Laem Chabang, the port for Bangkok, passengers were told the ship would continue the cruise in its damaged state, but at a reduced speed.

“It’s always at the back of your mind,” said Ms Wall. “What if something else breaks?”

For passengers who were aboard until the Malaysian island of Langkawi, the ship missed three ports of call: the Thai island of Koh Samui, this historic Malaysian port of Malacca and Sihanoukville in Cambodia.

Passengers spent two-and-a-half days extra at sea as the ship struggled to keep up with her schedule.

Those onboard were offered £250 each in compensation, typically one-eighth of the cost of the holiday – though for some passengers the payment represents as little as 7 per cent of what they paid.

Ms Wall, who was on the cruise to celebrate her 50th birthday, said: “We missed a third of the ports. Had this been down to bad weather I accept this to be bad luck. Engine failure is not bad luck. Not when it’s an ongoing problem.”

The damage has still not been repaired; the ship has been sailing without its full propulsion for three weeks.

Christmas guests who were expecting to spend 25 December on the island of Koh Samui instead found themselves at sea.

Tui has adjusted its plans for Marella Discovery by assuming she will continue at reduced speed until at least February. The travel firm has decided to miss out key calls – including Malacca and Koh Samui – and sharply reduce the time spent on land in other locations.

The Malaysian holiday island of Langkawi was supposed to offer a full day at the end of the cruise for some passengers, with an 8am arrival, but instead the ship is now due to arrive at 6pm, shortly before sunset.

Flights home at a reasonably civilised 10.40pm flight has been switched to 4.15am. Homebound holidaymakers will now spend 10 hours on the island – all of it in the dark.

Yet Tui appears to regard these changes as “insignificant”. Otherwise, it would be obliged under the Package Travel Regulations to offer each customer with a forward booking a full refund.

It is proactively paying £250 in compensation to passengers booked in January and £100 for those travelling in February.

The company’s terms and conditions say there is no guarantee “that the vessel will call at every advertised port of call or follow any particular route or timetable,” and that Tui retains ”the absolute right to change or substitute the advertised schedule and/or ports of call for any reason whatsoever”.

A spokesperson for the travel firm said: “Tui terms and conditions apply to all of our products and have been written in compliance with the Package Travel Regulations.”

But many people booked on future trips want to cancel, saying that the new itinerary has far less appeal – and involves too much time at sea.

Dozens of prospective travellers have contacted The Independent to express their dismay and frustration at the company’s intransigence.

Tracy Waldron is now expected to spend her 50th birthday onboard the ship rather than exploring the island of Koh Samui.

She told The Independent she is “very scared” at the prospect of sailing on a ship with a power problem.

“I had already telephoned and pleaded with Tui to allow me to cancel or amend my holiday to a resort based in Thailand to no avail. Tui aren’t budging.

“I’m now seriously considering whether my partner and I should put ourselves at risk, even if it does mean losing thousands of pounds.”

The ship started sailing for Royal Caribbean in 1996, and served as the Splendour of the Seas until 2016, when Tui took her over.

A spokesperson for Tui said: “We can confirm that due to an operational issue on Marella Discovery, the ship is now sailing at a slightly reduced speed.

“As a result, we have had to make some changes to the Enchanting Far East and Colours of the Far East itineraries. We’re contacting all affected customers to make them aware of the changes, prioritising those who are departing soonest.

“We’d like to sincerely apologise for any disappointment this may cause.”

Ms Wall said: “I can’t book again in a couple of months to see the missed ports. The chances are I will now never see Koh Samui, Malacca or Cambodia.”

She has asked Tui to reconsider what she calls its “paltry offer”.