"Give Us Our Money": Cruise Passengers Demand Refund After Sudden Itinerary Change

Cruise passengers were outraged after sudden changes to their itinerary on Carnival Vista.

Photo byInside Edition

A Carnival Vista cruise ship was forced to alter its Caribbean itinerary at the last minute, leaving passengers disappointed and frustrated.

According to news reports, the unexpected change, announced just before departure, disappointed passenger as their dream vacation plans were thrown into disarray.

Originally scheduled to visit Turks & Caicos, Aruba, and Curacao, the cruise ship was diverted to closer-to-home destinations, including The Bahamas.

Passengers were met with a mix of anger and confusion when the announcement was made, with some demanding refunds and others expressing concerns about the unexpected change.

Video of the passengers chanting "Give us our money" made the rounds on social media as the story spread and was picked up by major news outlets like Inside Edition.

"I spent $6,000 just to get here," one passenger cried in a video recorded on board. "This is unacceptable."

Photo byInside Edition

Carnival attributed the itinerary change to an engine issue that limited the ship's cruising speed.

"We apologize for this unanticipated disruption to your vacation plans and are disappointed that we will not be able to deliver the cruise we had planned," the cruise line said in a statement.

Despite the company's apology, many passengers felt that Carnival should have been more transparent about the engine issue before they boarded the ship.

"They knew about the problem prior to us getting onto the ship," passenger Ashley Ball claimed. "They just didn't say that until we were already on the ship."

To compensate for the disrupted itinerary, Carnival offered passengers a full refund or a $400 voucher to use on board. However, some passengers felt that the compensation was inadequate given the significant change in their vacation plans.

In addition to the itinerary change, another family's cruise vacation was further marred by a flight delay that caused them to miss the boarding window for the Carnival Vista.

Tisha LasSaine, the family's matriarch, described the experience as a "nightmare" as she struggled to obtain a refund from Delta Airlines.

While LasSaine was eventually able to secure a full refund, the incident highlighted the challenges passengers can face when unexpected travel disruptions occur.