Aussies stranded on cruise ship
More than 100 Australians were left stranded on a cruise ship in Japan for days.
The Spectrum of the Seas cruise ship was meant to leave on Wednesday, but passengers were left docked in Yokohama.
A Royal Carribean spokesperson said the delay was caused by “unplanned maintenance”.
“We conducted unplanned maintenance and adjusted our current itinerary and cancelled our next sailing,” the spokesperson said.
“We apologise to our guests for the inconvenience and are communicating with our guests directly.”
It’s understood the ship has now departed for Shanghai, however two passengers earlier said they couldn’t access their passports while the ship was docked.
Steve and Karen Dermietzel told 7News they also weren’t allowed on Japanese land despite having been able to at other points over the last 16 days.
“They don’t give us enough information though, and they blame Royal Caribbean saying it’s being handled by head office and therefore due to US time, there’s a time- (lag) as well,” Karen said.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson confirmed the incident.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware of a number of Australians travelling on the Spectrum of the Seas cruise ship, which was delayed in the Port of Yokohama for two days to undergo unscheduled repairs,” the spokesperson said.
About 111 Australians are on board the cruise. Passengers have reportedly been offered $600 in compensation for disrupted travel from Royal Carribean.
