'I've had a great time!' Chuffed cruise passenger makes most of being stranded on ship
A cheerful cruise passenger has been praised for his extremely positive outlook after he found himself stuck on the luxury ship while it was stranded off the coast of Australia for two days.
Francis Lahue and his wife were passengers of the Norwegian Star as it faced engine problems on Friday morning after leaving port.
The luxury cruise was forced to bob without direction 30km off the coast of Melbourne.
Eventually it was tugged into Port Philip Bay on Saturday afternoon, and is now safely alongside Station Pier at the Port of Melbourne.
While many shared their outrage and frustration over the inconvenience to their holiday plans, Mr Lahue still managed to have a pretty awesome time on board.
“It’s been wonderful, I’ve had a great time!” he told 7 News when asked about the ordeal after the ship had docked on Sunday.
Expected to respond with something a little more negative, Mr Lahue excitedly told of how much he enjoyed being on board.
“It’s just super, I love it!”
A cruise veteran from Texas, Mr Lahue said it was still one of the best he’d be on and that he had already rebooked another trip.
He didn’t seem bothered at all that the ship was yet to make it to its intended destination.
“You’ve just gotta take things the way they are,” he said.
“Lots of times they go great, sometimes they don’t… but everything is fixable.”
A technical team will assess the ship's propulsion system and make repairs, with an expected departure date to be known within the next 24-48 hours.
"All guests are welcome to stay onboard while the ship is docked and then continue onto Auckland on the revised itinerary once the repairs are complete," the cruise line said in a statement.
"We expect the itinerary that commences in Auckland on February 18 to operate as originally scheduled."
The company has apologised for the inconvenience and given all guests a full refund and 50 per cent future cruise credit.
Mr Lahue told 7 News he did see a few tantrums on board due to the technical failure.
“Most of time they want things their way and it doesn’t always happen,” he said.
“You do get a few that are childish and want their own way… surprised I haven’t seen crying or kicking heels on the floor.”
While a lot weren’t satisfied when the ship arrived in Melbourne, Mr Lahue said he planned to hop back on and continue with his holiday.
