It had to be the adventure of a lifetime: a luxury cruise to the remote, icy wonderland of Antarctica.
But for the 170 passengers aboard Swan Hellenic’s SH Diana, dreams of witnessing towering glaciers, pristine landscapes and roaming penguins were crushed when an engine failure put an end to their big trip earlier this month.
The news was devastating for Antarctic enthusiasts who had spent between £7,000 and £10,000 on what Swan Hellenic describes as a ’boutique 5-star’ experience.
A trip to Antarctica is not just a holiday; for many it is the culmination of a lifelong dream. As one group of passengers put it in a letter to the luxury cruise line: “For most of us, this is the first time we have visited Antarctica, and possibly the last chance for many.
“Some guests are elderly, disabled and have already struggled to get to this point, but the journey was cut short. For many of us, visiting Antarctica is a lifelong bucket list that we want to achieve before death or disability,” the letter said. The times.
But upon learning that the company would not offer them a full refund for the trip, several disgruntled passengers took drastic action and began a hunger strike in an attempt to pressure Swan Hellenic executives to relent.
The trouble started shortly after the ship left Cape Town on November 13 and embarked on a 20-night journey to one of the world’s most remote destinations.
The ship would make stops at iconic locations such as Elephant Island and Deception Island. Instead, an electrical engine failure forced the ship to cancel the entire Antarctic leg of the voyage.
Several of the disgruntled passengers took drastic action and began a hunger strike in an attempt to pressure Swan Hellenic executives to relent.
An electrical engine failure forced the Swan Hellenic ship to cancel the entire Antarctic leg of the voyage
SH Diana is now limping at an excruciatingly slow speed of 6 knots (10.9 km/h) towards a port in southern Argentina.
Swan Hellenic offered their passengers a 50% refund, or a 65% ‘future cruise credit’, which passengers could redeem on any voyage within two years.
It has also promised free excursions in Ushuaia, Argentina, where the ship is expected to dock on Saturday for repairs before sailing again on December 3.
But the offer of compensation has only sparked outrage.
Passengers described the reaction as ‘insulting’ and tempers boiled over as the ship made its way towards Ushuaia.
The situation reached a tipping point when a group of passengers did so The times Russians reportedly unfurled signs demanding full refunds and launched a hunger strike.
Andrea Zito, CEO of Swan Hellenic, defended the company’s compensation package, noting that it exceeds regulatory requirements.
“We deeply regret that we have to change the route due to technical problems,” Zito said. ‘But we believe our offer is fair. Some passengers have already accepted it and even rebooked future trips.”
One of the passengers is pictured holding a sign that reads ‘100% travel refund or cash refund’
For passengers who had spent between £7,000 and £10,000 on what Swan Hellenic describes as a ’boutique 5-star’ experience, the news they would miss out on Antarctica was devastating
For others on board, it’s not enough.
“The company needs to make a better offer,” said another passenger. “It got annoying yesterday, and it’s only going to get worse.”
Other passengers were more understanding, but remained upset by the situation.
One passenger told The Times: ‘They made the right decision not to go to Antarctica for safety reasons, but this is being handled very poorly by Swan Hellenic.’
Zito said in a statement: “The initial discomfort has largely disappeared. A select group chose to organize a hunger strike as a protest, which is quite counterproductive. We are working to bring this action to a swift end.”
He added: ‘We feel we have offered a very generous remuneration package, which goes above and beyond what is required by law.’
The chaos on board the ill-fated Swan Hellenic cruise ship comes weeks after passengers aboard another massive cruise ship finally set sail for a trip around the world after the ship was stranded in Northern Ireland for four months.
The Villa Vie Odyssey was due to leave Belfast in May on a three-year round-the-world cruise but was delayed due to unexpected repairs.
The passengers were essentially stranded in Northern Ireland all summer and could not leave as they did not risk missing the journey without knowing when the ship might depart.
Passengers wave as they board the Villa Vie Odyssey at the Belfast Cruise Ship Terminal on September 30
The cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey in Belfast harbor on September 28 as preparations continued
After months of waiting, the ship finally left port in early October.
But it was later revealed that some passengers considered abandoning the ship in the days after departure, when the ship’s sewers stopped working.
Those living on board said the stench of sewage ‘wafted through the corridors’ as the ship headed to France and then Portugal, while another said the situation was ‘Third World’.
Shortly after leaving Belfast, residents complained that the TV channels and swimming pools were not operational – and said the company had even made a mistake by hitting the champagne bottle on the side, which took three tries before it broke.
When they finally arrived at their first stop – Brest, in France – passengers were stuck on the ship because there were not enough dock workers to set up a gangway.
Things quickly went from bad to worse, when all the water was turned off and residents no longer had the option to flush their toilets – probably because the wastewater tanks had not been properly installed.
Although this was resolved later that day, the hot water did not return until their second day in Bilbao.
One passenger named Joe Rhodes, who has written about his experiences aboard the cruise ship: “Most residents didn’t realize this – the shutdown happened in the middle of the night – until they had made deposits, so to speak. Yes, we woke up to the faint smell of marinated shit in a hundred unrinsed bowls, wafting through the hallways and gently mixing with the ocean breeze.”
Mr. Rhodes told it The Telegraph: ‘It has gone much smoother since Bilbao. No more problems with hot water or non-flushing toilets.
“The food has gotten exponentially better and it’s going quite well, much closer to what we expected the cruise to be. But the beer is still terrible.”