Our world cruise nightmare: Brits trapped on a luxury ship hit by a virus outbreak find themselves returning to Africa – despite being ambushed on a previous visit – as Houthi attacks cut off the Mediterranean
A British couple have revealed how their luxury cruise was plagued by a virus outbreak – just days after they discovered the ship was being diverted around Africa due to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea that cut off the Mediterranean route.
Pensioners Steven Walker and Mary Symons, both aged 72, said what was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime aboard the Queen Mary 2 was ruined after they were told midway through their journey that they were missing key stops.
Instead of sailing through the Suez Canal, with stops in Dubai, Greece and Barcelona, among others, the ship will return to South Africa and Namibia – destinations it has already sailed to.
Mr Walker and Ms Symons described the return as a ‘real pain and disappointment’ and said they have no desire to return to ‘unsafe’ ports after a phone was stolen during their last stop in Durban.
They said the disruption to shipping lanes caused by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have been attacking ships in the Red Sea for weeks, means that “the idea of hassle-free travel around the world is now a nightmare.”
Avid cruisers Steven Walker and Mary Symons, both aged 72, said what was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime aboard Queen Mary 2 has been ruined
The Queen Mary 2 docked in Durban earlier this month. The plane is expected to return to the South African port after being forced to reroute
Pictured: A video showing the hijacking of a shipping vessel by Houthi Rebels in November
The Dorset husband and wife, who have been cruising for 20 years, said they will now never embark on a world cruise again after their dream holiday became a ‘test of endurance’.
“A repeat of South Africa and Namibia is a real pain and disappointment for all of us who are making the full – or so we thought – round-the-world trip,” they told MailOnline.
‘Most ports are unsafe, had a mobile phone stolen on the way out, so we don’t enjoy a return where one visit is enough, especially Port Elizabeth in South Africa and Walvis Bay in Namibia, both places where our options are extremely limited.
They said some of their fellow passengers “intend to abandon repeat returns and fly back to Britain at their own expense.”
In addition to the distraction, the couple said, passengers on the luxury cruise also faced lockdowns due to a mysterious virus, which they said could affect as many as 300 guests.
They are facing almost a week of restrictions after a recent outbreak of the disease, they said, and hope to be out of “partial lockdown” by the end of this week.
While staff “worked tirelessly to keep passengers safe,” they said, the illness, combined with the recent news that their ship was being diverted, is “sapping morale.”
The avid cruisers have a social media account documenting their travels with their toy hedgehog, and say they are loyal customers of the Cunard cruise line as this is their fourth voyage with the company.
“We luckily made it through the Suez this past winter when our cabin buddy Horatio Hedgehog posted a TikTok video of a pirate drill that went viral,” they said.
“Ironically, this will be the last pirate exercise while Red Sea geopolitics remains in play!”
Their cruise is one of 12 Carnival Corp ships diverted from the region due to simmering tensions in the Middle East.
Dorset husband and wife, who have been cruising for 20 years, said they will now never go on a world cruise again
The avid cruisers have a social media account documenting their travels with their toy hedgehog Horatio
Ms. Symons is a Japan and Korea expert and former cruise ship speaker
Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 was due to return to Southampton from world tours via the Suez Canal, but will now sail around the southern tip of Africa
Cunard informed QM2 passengers of the itinerary change via email and via loudspeakers on the ship.
In addition to refunding onshore experiences scheduled for the originally scheduled stops, the cruise is offering customers $500 in spending money as a “gesture of goodwill.”
Mr Walker and Ms Symons said that while they understand the diversion is “completely understandable due to the risks, it is not compensation from companies like Cunard as the refunds are not actual cash as they have to be spent on board.”
QM2 passengers would take part in guided tours of the ancient city of Petra, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Tours were also planned to Athens from the historic Greek port of Piraeus, and to Seville, from where the ship would dock in Cadiz.
The operator says embarkation and disembarkation dates for the QM2, which is based in Southampton, will remain the same.
Ships passing through Yemen have come under frequent attack since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza following the October 7 terror attack by the Hamas terror group.
About 18 shipping companies – which typically transport their ships from Asia to Europe via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal – have responded by diverting their ships around South Africa to avoid the risk in the strait.
Passengers would take part in guided tours of the ancient city of Petra, one of the Seven Wonders of the World (file image)
Tours of Athens were also planned from the historic Greek port of Piraeus. File image shows the Parthenon in the Greek capital
But the journey, which involves ships sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, is about 4,000 nautical miles longer than the Suez route and adds an average of nine days to the journey.
Thousands of cruise passengers from a number of operators are likely to be affected by the disaster, with the QM2 carrying 2,500 passengers and the Aracdia just over 2,000.
Cunard said it was “committed to ensuring the safety and well-being” of its guests and crew.
In a statement, Carnival said the company made the decision to divert the route “in light of recent developments and in close consultation with global safety experts and government agencies.”