TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Hundreds of passengers on a Carnival Cruise ship were supposed to be enjoying sun and fun, but instead they were kept in port in Tampa for two days.
Passengers and the company say the Carnival Miracle was originally scheduled to depart Sunday and visit Belize, Honduras, Grand Cayman and Mexico. But because of “necessary maintenance work” it required two extra days in port, the company said in a statement released Tuesday.
Guests were notified about the change beginning on May 18, the Carnival statement said.
For some passengers, that wasn’t enough time to rebook a vacation, especially not over the long Memorial Day weekend.
“If we had a month’s notice, we could have come up with something,” said Terri Cox, a schoolteacher from Atlanta. She was traveling with a group of eight other relatives and friends, and accommodating everyone’s schedule to rebook wasn’t possible. The group had begun planning for this vacation six months ago.
Some passengers like Cox are upset about losing two days and two stops - Belize and Honduras. Carnival offered a two-day pro-rated fare refund, $200 onboard credit to all staterooms, free shuttles to some Tampa Bay attractions and special shows.
Passengers could have cancelled and received a full refund, or rescheduled without penalty.
“Okay, maybe we can make the most of it,” Cox recalled saying when her group decided to continue with the vacation. But as the two days went on, “we should have cancelled.”
The ship is expected to set sail at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
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