Consumer advocate article: "This is what happens when you're kicked off your cruise"

Holland America 24 day cruise, I found it interesting: https://www.elliott.org/blog/kicked-off-your-cruise-refund-from-holland-america/

Oh. I thought I was going to read what happens when you're kicked off your cruise. All I read was a lawyer trying his case in a court of public opinion.

Oh. I thought I was going to read what happens when you're kicked off your cruise. All I read was a lawyer trying his case in a court of public opinion.

Not even a lawyer.

I am more interested in the incident being in St Petersburg. I am guessing this was a tussle over ship’s excursions getting priority ..

So this is a case of a woman speaking on behalf of her husband....for an incident that did not occur in her presence. Hmmm.

HAL is not in the business of just booting revenue generating passengers. If they say he assaulted a crew member, then he most likely did. They don't need to show the wife crap. It's the husband who needs to speak up and admit to his wife what he did.

Is it usual for the cruise line to pay for the passenger/s to get home?

Oh. I thought I was going to read what happens when you're kicked off your cruise. All I read was a lawyer trying his case in a court of public opinion.

Me too.

Can't imagine laying a hand on an employee ANYWHERE and not getting ejected or even arrested.

There is a lot of missing information in this article.

Passengers are not just kicked off a ship without good cause (and evidence).

If this happen in the debarkation area, there would be security personnel and video cameras. The people involved would also have to be "dinged" off the ship if they had succeeded in leaving.

The handling of the situation onboard seems about right if the husband pushed a crew member. However, I really have to wonder about Seattle's response. Are they really so tone deaf that they would include these stock paragraphs?

While we regret that this final response could not be more favorable, we do hope you will continue to include Holland America Line in your travel plans.

Thank you again for your inquiry. I appreciate this opportunity to assist and hope you will sail with us again soon.

Whoa! If this man was involved, why not show the video to the shocked wife to prove he did it? Cameras are pretty much everywhere on those areas of the ship and on the dock, aren't they? Also, if the man assaulted a crew member to the extent that he required medical attention, why didn't the security officers in that area immediately detain him?

I find it odd that HAL would have given the couple an air ticket home. My understanding has been that if you are removed from the ship for such a reason, you have to get home at your own expense. HAL would have no responsibility to pay your way.

It would make sense that the couple would be allowed to stay on board until the ship reached a port where they could be disembarked without need for an individual visa.

What I find wrong, however, (assuming the wife had behaved herself---both during the alleged altercation and in talks afterwards---) is why she would be removed from the ship, too.

Were it I, and my husband were being removed for wrongdoing, I would at least want to be given the choice to stay or go with him. I see no reason to be given punishment if I wasn't being accused of wrongdoing.

There is a lot of missing facts in the posted article. Without the facts, speculation and judgement is useless.

There is a lot of missing facts in the posted article. Without the facts, speculation and judgement is useless.

I don't know if anyone else read the Comments section following the article, but the speculation there is incredible.

The handling of the situation onboard seems about right if the husband pushed a crew member. However, I really have to wonder about Seattle's response. Are they really so tone deaf that they would include these stock paragraphs?

 

While we regret that this final response could not be more favorable, we do hope you will continue to include Holland America Line in your travel plans.

Thank you again for your inquiry. I appreciate this opportunity to assist and hope you will sail with us again soon.

Agreed.

Wow.

Assuming this is true (because a lot of it smells fishy) what an inappropriate response.

Why not say “ we kicked you off for bad behavior and we really want you back again in the future”????

I don't know if anyone else read the Comments section following the article, but the speculation there is incredible.

On the bright side, there are a lot of judgmental people commenting who claim they won't be sailing with HAL. :)

Agreed.

Wow.

Assuming this is true (because a lot of it smells fishy) what an inappropriate response.

Why not say “ we kicked you off for bad behavior and we really want you back again in the future”????

If true, they should have had someone with more expertise respond... or at least vet it.

Maybe the Captains wife and kids wanted to come on board and the ship was full, so he conspired with the disembarkation crew to set up an incident to free up a suitable cabin, and the Chans were the selected bunnies ....

Come on folks, strap your tinfoil hats on, and come along for the ride!

Does not concern us. We do not know all of the facts. So why bother commenting?

Would Holland America debark a passenger or crew member who assaulted me and pay his airfare home? If there was any proof that the passenger had assaulted a crew member, Holland America should have turned the assailant over to local authorities for prosecution. Why was nothing done or said until later? Was there no concern that the alleged assailant would strike again?

Does not concern us. We do not know all of the facts. So why bother commenting?

Because we can?

I am more interested in the incident being in St Petersburg. I am guessing this was a tussle over ship’s excursions getting priority ..

I must have missed the St. Petersburg item... can you please provide a link? This interests me as I have an upcoming cruise which stops in St. Petersburg and we are taking independent tours.

I must have missed the St. Petersburg item... can you please provide a link? This interests me as I have an upcoming cruise which stops in St. Petersburg and we are taking independent tours.

There's no separate link, just a brief reference in the article:

Your husband participated in a scene where staff members were verbally abused. This abuse became physical when he and another guest attempted to push their way off the ship in port at St. Petersburg. As a result, a staff member required medical attention. As stated by the Captain in your verbal interview and in our previous correspondence, this is a violation of Section 4 of the Cruise Contract, and so the decision was made to remove both parties from the ship at the next port of call (Helsinki).

I must have missed the St. Petersburg item... can you please provide a link? This interests me as I have an upcoming cruise which stops in St. Petersburg and we are taking independent tours.

It is described in the link in the first post.

Not to get too far off track, but one reason why I doubt I'll cruise the Baltics again via cruise ship is the tough line taken by many of the cruise lines now that prohibit independent passengers from disembarking until the ship tours are gone.

This was tried by Princess about 6-7 years ago and the result caused such an outcry that they backed off it. Not least of which Princess was trying to say their new policy was mandated by immigrations officials at the port --and then said officials came out and denied that this was the case....

Now, it seems (from reading the Baltics forum) that the cruise ships have successfully lobbied with Russian authorities to make sure this does happen.

Very glad I went when I did and if I do go back to St. Petersburg it will either be via ferry from Finland or on a land trip to avoid this kind of nonsense.

Thanks Foremco and cruisemom42! Senior moment I guess... ;)

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On the bright side, there are a lot of judgmental people commenting who claim they won't be sailing with HAL. :)

Wonder if any of them are posters here?:'):'):'):')