TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Passengers on the Norwegian Star who were supposed to be heading to Antarctica and South America on a 14-day cruise were outraged after the cruise line “secretly” changed the itinerary without the passenger’s knowledge, according to a passenger aboard.
Instead of heading to Paradise Bay in Antarctica, the traveler said it changed to a round trip just around South America. The woman, identified as Helen Midler, claims the Miami head office made the decision the day before the ship set sail on Jan. 31.
The cruise line claims the change in destination was due to “operational reasons,” according to the woman who shared the series of videos posted on TikTok under the username “ruinedvacation.” Midler said guest services were refusing to respond to the guests.
“We’ve not seen or heard from the captain, interestingly, not one announcement from the captain. Nothing,” Midler said. “So we’re angry.”
The decision to change the route on the Norwegian Star was allegedly based on a “go slow” order, but Midler claimed the passengers were not made aware of why.
Midler booked the cruise, which department from Buenos Aires, Argentina, two years ago and said she would never be able to afford this experience again after saving money.
“They have kept us in the dark, fed us B.S., not really given us the truth until we forced it upon them and we still didn’t have all the answers that we would’ve liked,” she said in reference to the cruise line.
Midler said Norwegian sent an email blast to guests regarding the change and attached a notice at bag check-in.
The cruise changed the name of the cruise to return trip South America, and eradicated Antarctica from the trip, Midler said in the video.
Later in the trip, Midler documents the ship passing Elephant Island, a stop on the ship’s original itinerary.
“We are all still devastated,” she said.
In a statement to WFLA.com, a spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Lines said:
“We are committed to providing exceptional vacation experiences, both aboard our ships and by taking our guests to some of the most sought-out destinations around the world. While we try to maintain original itineraries as much as possible, at times modifications are made to optimize the itinerary or to accommodate certain circumstances. To enhance the guest experience, the ship’s current itinerary was revised to allow more time for guests to explore Stanley, Falkland Islands. As such, the cruise by Paradise Bay, Antarctica was replaced with a cruise by Admiralty Bay, Antarctica.”