Angry passengers on a luxury cruise have gone on a hunger strike after the ship was forced to abandon its $8,000 trip to Antarctica.
What was meant to be the trip of a lifetime for 170 passengers has turned into a nightmare after an engine failure put the adventure on halt.
The Swan Hellenic ship set off from Cape Town earlier this month but after it suffered an electric motor failure, the company had no choice but to cancel the entire Antarctic leg of the trip.
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Instead, the vessel has been crawling towards Argentina at a painfully slow speed of 6.9 mph.
Passengers have been offered the choice of a 50% refund or a 65% future cruise credit but they’re not happy.
After hearing that they would not be getting a full refund, some of them have taken matters into their own hands and have started a hunger strike.
In a letter to the company, a group of passengers wrote: “For a majority of us, this is our first time visiting Antarctica, and potentially the last opportunity for many.
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“Some guests are elderly, disabled, and have struggled already to get to this point, only for the trip to be cut short. For many of us, visiting Antarctica is a life-long bucket list that we want to achieve before death or disability.”
The chief executive of Swan Hellenic, Andrea Zito, said: “We deeply regret having to alter the itinerary due to technical issues. But we believe our offer is fair. Some passengers have already accepted it and even rebooked future trips.”
In a statement, Zito continued: “The initial unease has largely subsided. A select few chose to stage a hunger strike in their protest which is rather counterproductive. We are working towards a swift end to this action.”
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He went on to add: “We feel we have offered a very generous compensation package, beyond what is legally required.”
But it isn’t the only cruise ship that has sparked controversy recently.
Another ship has finally set off on its round-the-world adventure after it spent four months stuck in Belfast.
The Villa Vie Odyssey was meant to leave Northern Ireland in May for a three-year trip but was delayed due to unexpected repairs.
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It meant that passengers were stranded in the country for the summer, and couldn’t leave due to fears that they might miss the ship’s departure.
This was due to there being no telling of when the vessel could set sail.
It finally set off last month.