Cruise Passengers Win Compensation For Storms

Dec 2 2007

A CRUISE company offered compensation to hundreds of British tourists yesterday after a ship was battered by storms during a voyage.

The 19-night trip on the Sapphire Princess was hit by severe weather after the liner sailed from Bangkok to Beijing on November 18.

The firm has also had to cancel some of the scheduled stops during the journey.

Of 2500 passengers on board, more than 600 are British.

Some were reported yesterday to be claiming they were on the verge of "mutiny" and that the ship should never have set sail in the first place.

They booked the holiday through Southampton-based Princess Cruises UK and the company said that, as "a gesture of goodwill", they have offered all passengers on board credit and will offer them discounts off any future cruises.

A Princess Cruises spokesman said: "Due to extreme weather conditions, it has been necessary to amend Sapphire Princess' Southeast Asia and China itinerary.

"The safety of our passengers is our utmost priority and, therefore, we are continually assessing the weather conditions in the region.

"We are keeping passengers fully informed at all times."