P&O Pacific Aria cruise liner that sailed through cyclone after leaving Brisbane is hit with lawsuit
Popular cruise ship is being sued after it sailed into the path of a cyclone that caused cabins to be flooded and meals tossed off tables
- P&O cruise headed straight for a cyclone in 2017
- Passengers claim that cabins were flooded and stops were missed
- Lawsuit filed against P&O’s parent company Carnival PLC
It was supposed to be a relaxing seven-day cruise sailing from Brisbane to the tropical islands of New Caledonia and Vanuatu in the South Pacific.
Instead, the P&O Pacific Aria went straight into the path of a Category 5 cyclone in what a May 2017 class action lawsuit against the cruise operators called the “cruise from hell.”
Dishes were thrown over the galley, meals were thrown off tables, and tables and chairs were overturned, according to passenger reports.
A lawsuit has been filed against P&O’s parent company Carnival PLC over a disastrous 2017 cruise that occurred as a result of a cyclone (pictured, screenshot of the cruise’s onboard pool)
Bottles of wine and spirits fell from shelves and slid across the deck, seawater poured down the corridors and into some cabins, and the ship continued to sail for about an hour.
Video taken onboard the cruise shows water in the onboard pool sloshing violently during rough sea conditions,
The storm also forced the ship to miss the next two scheduled stops.
Firm Carter Capner Law has filed suit against P&O’s parent company Carnival PLC for damages and reimbursement of transportation costs.
Carter Capner Law director Peter Carter said that despite cyclone warnings issued before departure, passengers were not given the option to cancel.
“A cyclone warning had been issued for Vanuatu before departure, as well as a forecast that the Category 3 cyclone was heading towards Noumea,” Carter said.
The cruise, from Brisbane to Noumea and then to Vanuatu, departed on May 5, 2017, with the storm intensifying to Category 5 on May 8.
“On arrival in Noumea, the ship had to dock in the industrial port instead of the cruise ship terminal due to the high winds,” Carter said.
“Nothing was open in the city as Noumea was in lockdown before the arrival of the cyclone, and several passengers abandoned ship in Noumea due to the appalling sea conditions they had experienced and flew back to Brisbane.”
The P&O Pacific Aria headed straight into the path of a Category 5 cyclone after departing Noumea (pictured, a screenshot of the waves during the storm)
The claim seeks to recover damages from P&O for “disappointment, frustration, inconvenience and distress and a refund of the cruise fare paid by each passenger” (photo, P&O Pacific Aria)
The ship departed Noumea the next day, with water pouring over both sides of the ship, forcing an entire deck to close.
“This really was a cruise from hell, with many passengers so frightened that they locked themselves in their cabins,” said Mr. Carter.
The claim seeks to recover damages from P&O for “disappointment, frustration, inconvenience and distress and a refund of the cruise fare paid by each passenger,” reads a release from Carter Capner Law.
NCA NewsWire has contacted Carnival Australia for comment.