- P&O’s Pacific Adventure was supposed to stop at multiple ports in New Zealand, The Guardian reported.
- But it was turned away due to invasive species on the hull, and poor diving conditions stopped it being cleaned.
- Passengers have been suffering from sea sickness, and can receive a refund and $200 onboard credit after an outcry.
Passengers on a P&O cruise have been stuck onboard and suffering from sea sickness after the ship was turned away from New Zealand, The Guardian reported.
The cruise was supposed to stop at multiple ports in New Zealand after departing Sydney in Australia last Monday.
But the Pacific Adventure was prevented from docking in New Zealand, which has strict biosecurity laws, due to invasive species attached to its hull, per The Guardian.
Divers were scheduled to remove three juvenile mussels and one Lace Coral, but diving conditions were worse than anticipated, The Guardian reported.
As a result, passengers have been left at sea for longer than expected. One passenger, Jake Welch, told The Guardian: “The sick bags are quickly disappearing from the stairwells.”
The cruise has been rescheduled to only stop at three ports in Australia, according to The Guardian.
“My wife and I are on this crummy cruise to nowhere, very disappointing, never travelling on P&O again,” said one passenger on a Facebook page created for the cruise.
Welch told The Guardian that P&O initially offered a 50% “future cruise credit” scheme to passengers, which prompted an outcry.
The operator is now offering passengers a refund and $200 onboard credit, per The Guardian.
“We have listened to the feedback from our guests and understand not all of them wish to cruise with us again,” a P&O spokesperson told the newspaper.
“Again, we apologise for the change in itinerary, and thank our guests for their patience and understanding.”
P&O Australia did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment, sent outside local working hours.
