It’s been anything but smooth sailing for a boatload of passengers bound for Tasmania in the coming days after what was supposed to be a Kiwi cruise unexpectedly turned into a Tassie adventure.
Thousands of ‘angry and disappointed’ passengers aboard P&O’s Pacific Adventure cruise ship were denied entry into New Zealand for their 13-day journey when border control refused the ship access to its waters.
The ship was originally scheduled to have its hull cleaned in the Bay of Plenty, but adverse weather conditions prevented divers from being able to undertake the job.
Now the ship, which departed from Sydney on Monday, is set to visit the coastal town of Eden in New South Wales, along with Hobart and Port Arthur during revised cruise route.
“We apologise that the itinerary has had to be amended,” a P&O spokesperson told Nine.
“A change in the forecast conditions made it too dangerous for divers and therefore we are unable to gain clearance to enter New Zealand.”
P&O Cruises Australia said guests had been warned in advance before taking the cruise that ‘significant changes to the itinerary’ were possible due to New Zealand’s stringent biosecurity requirements.
“Guests have been offered additional compensation in light of this change to their itinerary.”
Several passengers took to social media to vent their frustration at the last-minute change of plans, including some from Hobart, who will be back where they started in the coming days.
‘We are not allowed to dock in New Zealand so we are now on the ship for another 3 days before we finally see land. Definitely not what I signed up for…’ posted one passenger.
READ MORE: Passengers furious after ‘tropical’ pacific cruise diverted to Hobart
‘Holiday has turned into a nightmare,’ another said. ‘Get me off this boat and give me a full refund.’
Another passenger urged fellow travellers not to direct their frustration at the staff over the revised itinerary.
‘I’m very upset about this also but the staff don’t deserve to be abused and yelled out for something they didn’t do,’ they said.
