Couple kicked off 24-day cruise of a lifetime
Elaine Chan and her husband had booked a 24-day cruise of a lifetime, but their trip was unexpectedly cut short on the fifth day.
The captain accused Ms Chan's 65-year-old husband - who did not want to be named - of pushing a member of the ship's crew during a brawl in St Petersburg two days earlier.
The captain then told them to disembark the ship at Helsinki, after handing them flight tickets back to San Francisco. They were told they must leave immediately, since their plane would take off just two hours later.
Having returned home, the couple began work on clearing their names and getting their money back. They say they were not involved in the incident and that the cruise line - Holland America - made an error of judgement.
The story was broken by consumer rights group Elliot Advocacy.
The group's Michelle Couch-Friedman said: “It's yet another troubling case of a company levelling a wild accusation at a customer and refusing to provide even a shred of evidence to support it. And it's the consumer who pays the price — financially and emotionally.”
The couple were called into the captain's office on day five of the cruise to discuss an incident during which some passengers were abusive towards crew members.
Someone had pushed one of the crew - and Ms Chan's husband was identified as the guilty party.
The couple have said they are willing to take a lie detector test - at their own expense - in order to clear their names.
The couple wrote to the cruise line, urging them to check CCTV footage of the incident.
The cruise firm does not appear to have responded to those specific requests, or to have provided any evidence.
However, the company's response included: “While we regret that this final response could not be more favourable, we do hope you will continue to include Holland America Line in your travel plans.
“Thank you again for your inquiry. I appreciate this opportunity to assist and hope you will sail with us again soon.”
Ms Couch-Friedman found this response somewhat confusing. If Ms Chan's husband had caused the trouble, why would the cruise line want them back on-board?
Speaking to news.com.au, a spokeswoman for Holland America Line said: “In rare instances when inappropriate guest behaviour violates the terms of their cruise contract, including not following the orders of ship's officers or making offensive physical contact with crew, guests are disembarked from the vessel.”
Get a Quote