COSTA Fortuna Terrorists

:mad: Chris and Janet, a South Yorkshire couple were evicted by COSTA CRUISES as Israeli Terrorists.

Whilst enjoying a Christmas Cruise around the Mediterranean aboard the COSTA FORTUNA Chris and Janet, from Killamarsh, Sheffield, were deposited on the docks at Malta with their luggage, and told to find their own way home from the ship. “Reception phoned us at 09:00 Christmas morning” says Chris “to tell us they would be disembarking us from the ship next morning, when we arrive in Malta”.

This was the third day of a seven day cruise. Chris & Janet were offered no help in arranging transport, “not even a lift with the luggage from the ship to the taxi rank, some 750 yards away”. Just a note from the Maltese COSTA agent advising that there was a flight, via Glasgow to Manchester for 855 Euros per person.

Of the 3,190 passengers, Chris’s passport was found to contain an Israeli visa stamp from 1996 when he joined a British Legion Pilgrimage to visit his Granddad’s war Grave. After leaving Malta the ship was to visit Tripoli but according to the COSTA CRUISE staff, Chris would be “Thrown into a Libyan gaol” for having the stamp. “Its OK to laugh about it now” says Chris, “but on Christmas Day and Boxing Day we were frightened”.

“It was bad enough that COSTA CRUISES refused to compensate or even pay for the flights home, but they refused even to help and offered no sympathy” COSTA CRUISES state that all passengers must be aware of the customer information contained in their Brochure and on their web site which states:-

Libya – on arrival in Libya the local authorities will stamp your Passport. Please note that your Passport should not have any Israeli stamps or visas (even if expired).

Is this really a warning that you must not travel on COSTA CRUISE Ships visiting Libya, if you have previously been to Israel? “I think not” says Chris.

I am an inexperienced complainer, having had many, many wonderfull cruises.

If anyone has the knowledge of what should be done about this unfortunate experience, then please let us know.

I should have expected Compassion, if not Compensation, but the "Back office manager" would not even arrange transport to the Airport for us.

I have e-mailed COSTA.IT and Written to COSTA Managing Director UK&I

We booked through CRUISE CONTROL who are no longer trading and I have written to ABTA.

I don't want to appear without compassion about the experience, but Libya with its laws and policies is not a caribbean island that depends on tourism. Libya makes its own policies, moral or not, legal internationally or not. The cruiseline has no obligation to reimburse people who cause their own problems--Libya does not kid around about Israeli stamps in passports and that is the traveler's obligation to know and follow. I would expect complaining will fall on deaf ears. After all, there would not have been even three days of a cruise if staff had discovered the Israeli stamp at checkin. And personally, I would prefer getting off the ship to going to jail in Libya!

Well my complaining didn't fall on deaf ears.....:mad:

I had a letter from Cruise control offering £700 off my next Cruise. On condition I buy it from them, at full price and don't take it in peak times or Christmas/New year. Great as we only had 2/7ths of a Christmas cruise.

As I said to them, Where can I get a cruise on Costa where £700 is 5/7ths the cost of the cruise (For two people)???? I explained this to them, and rejected their offer.

So they again replied and now come the lies....... :confused:

Exactly 60 days before we sailed, they reckon that they, "left a message on your answer maching, telling you not to have an Isreali stamp".. I don't think so. AND "Our brochure forms part of the contract". We never knew that, and never saw a brochure anyway. "It states in on the tickets". The tickets are a 100 page booklet that arrive a week before sailing, and two lines on page 65 actually do state that "You should not have an Israeli stamp if visiting Libya" Well to me that means I might not be able to get off the boat. I'm tempted to give up and take their offer, but I'm so annoyed at they way they treated us on the boat and it's now nearly two months and I've only had these two, dissapointing, contacts with them. :eek:

Well my complaining didn't fall on deaf ears.....:mad:

I had a letter from Cruise control offering £700 off my next Cruise. On condition I buy it from them, at full price and don't take it in peak times or Christmas/New year. Great as we only had 2/7ths of a Christmas cruise.

As I said to them, Where can I get a cruise on Costa where £700 is 5/7ths the cost of the cruise (For two people)???? I explained this to them, and rejected their offer.

Are you talking about Cruise Control in the UK? Also known as bookmeacruise?

Just that they went bust in October last year.

I think that the message is clear. Arab countries will not accept any person's into the country with an Israeli stamp in their passport. We were warned about this on a sailing on Celebrity. Seems unfair, but that is the way it is.

Costa should have warned you ahead of time. Unfortunate and expensive for the traveler.

As I read this this thread I understand that this was an unpleasant experience --and I understand the traveler's frustration. But I have to say that the subject line is a bit misleading. It makes me think there were terrorists on the Costa Fortuna, and that is not what it's about at all. It gets our attention, but that is not what it's about, and I think this is misleading. Just my two cents. Sympathy but also my two cents.

:mad: Chris and Janet, a South Yorkshire couple were evicted by COSTA CRUISES as Israeli Terrorists.

Whilst enjoying a Christmas Cruise around the Mediterranean aboard the COSTA FORTUNA Chris and Janet, from Killamarsh, Sheffield, were deposited on the docks at Malta with their luggage, and told to find their own way home from the ship. “Reception phoned us at 09:00 Christmas morning” says Chris “to tell us they would be disembarking us from the ship next morning, when we arrive in Malta”.

This was the third day of a seven day cruise. Chris & Janet were offered no help in arranging transport, “not even a lift with the luggage from the ship to the taxi rank, some 750 yards away”. Just a note from the Maltese COSTA agent advising that there was a flight, via Glasgow to Manchester for 855 Euros per person.

Of the 3,190 passengers, Chris’s passport was found to contain an Israeli visa stamp from 1996 when he joined a British Legion Pilgrimage to visit his Granddad’s war Grave. After leaving Malta the ship was to visit Tripoli but according to the COSTA CRUISE staff, Chris would be “Thrown into a Libyan gaol” for having the stamp. “Its OK to laugh about it now” says Chris, “but on Christmas Day and Boxing Day we were frightened”.

“It was bad enough that COSTA CRUISES refused to compensate or even pay for the flights home, but they refused even to help and offered no sympathy” COSTA CRUISES state that all passengers must be aware of the customer information contained in their Brochure and on their web site which states:-

 

Libya – on arrival in Libya the local authorities will stamp your Passport. Please note that your Passport should not have any Israeli stamps or visas (even if expired).

 

Is this really a warning that you must not travel on COSTA CRUISE Ships visiting Libya, if you have previously been to Israel? “I think not” says Chris.

WHY THEY COULD NOT JUST STAY ON SHIP, NOT GOING ON SHORE IN LYBYA?WHO WOULD KNOW ABOUT ISRAEL VISIT?I THINK EVEN KIDS KNOW IF YOU BEEN IN ISRAEL YOU NOT GOING TO ARABIC COUNTRY:cool:

VERY STRANGE FOR ME ALL THIS STORY

Nope, Costa is at fault here. Like the poster I would just presume I could stay on the ship. They should make absolutely clear that even if you stay on the ship your passports would be checked. Very lacking on Costa's part.

Nope, Costa is at fault here. Like the poster I would just presume I could stay on the ship. They should make absolutely clear that even if you stay on the ship your passports would be checked. Very lacking on Costa's part.

who would chek your pasport if you on the ship you have your pasport in you safe in your cabin:confused: or its different in Lybia?As I said before very strange for me all this situation,I wish we could konw more about it

I JUST CHEK COSTA WEB SITE AND ITS SAYS THAT EVEN US CITIZEN ARE NOT ALLOW ON SHORE,SAME AS PEOPLE WITH ISRAEL STAMP,NOTHING SAYS THEY WILL BE SEND HOME,SO AGAIN FOR MY POINT OF VIEW SOMTHING VERY VERY STRANGE HERE

Its like anything else. ALWAYS read the terms and conditions.

When I booked my cruise with Costa direct, it was the first thing that was mentioned to us, that if we had an Israeli stamp on our passport we would need to obtain new passports.

When you book a holiday it is YOUR responsibility to ensure they have ALL relevant visa/passports/requirements etc for any countries you may be visiting.

Would be interested to hear back from the Original Poster re Cruise control though!!

I bet if nobody booked a cruise that stopped in Libya, they would change the itinerary.

Do the Libyans go on the ship and drag people out of their cabins off to jail? Where's the media coverage on that?

Theron

As someone who works for a cruise line that visits Lybia, the authorities have been known to refuse permission for cruise ships to dock if it is believed that there are passengers on board who have such stamps in there passports.

For those who diss Lybia - it is a fantastic country with a amazing history that beats hands down the boring caribbean. While many of its politics are poor, lets not forget that many countries - not least the US, have poor political situations and history's but the best way of living in a peace together is to understand each others culture, and the best way of doing that is to visit each other

As someone who works for a cruise line that visits Lybia, the authorities have been known to refuse permission for cruise ships to dock if it is believed that there are passengers on board who have such stamps in there passports.

For those who diss Lybia - it is a fantastic country with a amazing history that beats hands down the boring caribbean. While many of its politics are poor, lets not forget that many countries - not least the US, have poor political situations and history's but the best way of living in a peace together is to understand each others culture, and the best way of doing that is to visit each other

tHIS IS NOT POLITICAL SITE,THIS SITE FOR CRUISES ONLY,SO KEEP YOUR POLITICAL COMENTS FOR YOURSELF PLEASE.LYBIA MAYBE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY,AS MANY OF OTHER ARABIC COUNTRIES,BUT ITS NOT SAFE! BECAUSE OF TERRORIST TO GO THERE,SO WHY SHOULD WE?

COSTA SHOULD CANCELL THOSE PORTS ,EVEN I DONT THINK IT IS COSTA PROBLEM IN THIS SITUATION WITH THOSE PEOPLE BEEN REMOVED FROM CRUISE.I REALLY AGREE WITH OTHER POSTERS THAT ITS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SHURE I HAVE PROPER DOCUMENTS FOR MY CRUISE.

As much as I want to keep politics away from this sity there it just a little history for Frugaleruiser.

1.Hitler attacked the Europe in 1939?in 1941 he came to Russia,but if I remember right Americans opend second front in 1944,when russian army together with others allready been in Germany?so if I remember right Europe should thanks themself for freedom and Russians ,not americans.

With all my love and respect to America ,please do not make empty coments and do not insult others.Lets keep this board for cruise coments only.

This was made political by the original poster--it was, in fact, a post about a cruise, but the subject line implied that the issue was terrorism-- needlessly misleading and provocative, no matter how readers may react to the actual issue once we figure it out.

I agree with GB--Probably best to just let the thread fade away now--the current argument has nothing to do with cruises OR the original issue. Shall we all just let it go now?