Aurora returns to Britain after troubled cruise

P&O cruise ship Aurora passengers are threatening legal action.

Travel Insurance News - 16/04/2009

<< Law firm sees rise in travel compensation claims | Travel News | Freedom Direct collapse affects thousands >>

The cruise bypassed three of its ports of call in New Zealand and two in the Pacific Islands due to engine trouble. On the £16,000 per passenger cruise round-the-world, it meant that passengers visited just two ports in 22 days of the 93 day cruise.

P&O has said that all passengers will receive £500 in compensation for the disruption, and also a refund equivalent to the value of four days on the cruise.

A passenger group formed during the cruise, however, called the Aurora Committee, which is threatening to sue the cruise line for more substantial compensation.

The problems on this round-the-world cruise were the latest in a series of mishaps suffered by the ship, which began when the bottle used in the vessel’s naming ceremony failed to smash.

Sixty-three-year-old committee member Jennifer Dunthorne, said on disembarking in Southampton: "I have just retired and this cruise is not something that I could afford to do again - it was a once in a lifetime chance to see some amazing places."

Dunthorne added: "We paid a lot of money for this cruise - some people even said they had saved for 20 years. There were people spending wedding anniversaries onboard and their cruise was ruined."

<< Law firm sees rise in travel compensation claims | Travel News | Freedom Direct collapse affects thousands >>