Our dream cruise was like being on a floating WETHERSPOONS with drunk passengers throwing up & kids left coated in soot
Iain and Sally Wright, from Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, said the dream holiday turned into chaos after the ship's funnels left their two young kids covered in "black soot".
5
5
5
The couple boarded the MSC Cruises Virtuosa with their two children and mother-in-law on July 12 for a two-week trip across Spain.
They thought the ship - hailed as "family-friendly" - would be perfect for their 11-year-old son Jack and eight-year-old daughter Molly.
But shortly after boarding, Iain, 41, claims the drunkenness of passengers was "insane".
Iain said: "But the level of drunkenness was insane. It was worse than a Wetherspoons. It would take you half an hour to get a drink. It was just horrendous.
"It felt like an 18-30s club at times. If you were by the pool, you'd just hear constant swearing and people getting louder through the day.
"We just thought 'what have we spent our money on?' It became like Fawlty Towers."
On one occasion, Iain says a drunk guest threw up next to the family's table while they were playing Scrabble.
After complaining to MSC staff, he said it took an hour for them to mop up the "smelly" mess.
Things took a turn for the worse when kids Jack and Molly went on the top deck to see if the water slides were open.
They returned "covered in black soot" that had spouted from the ship's funnels, Iain said.
Royal Caribbean cruise passengers left 'vomiting' as mystery illness hits vessel & over 140 people are ill on board
The furious dad said: "Jack's skin was covered in black stuff, Molly's swimming costume was stained all over her and it was on her arms.
"We went down to guest services and told them our kids have been covered in the black soot from the engine I think and she said 'yeah that happens sometimes when we pull away from a port'.
"She said we can make a claim about the damaged costume.
"While we were there, there were other people complaining to say they'd been covered in the black soot too."
5
Iain went on to explain that Molly started itching and broke out in hives two days later.
A doctor told them that she had suffered an allergic reaction from the fumes.
The little girl was given hydrocortisone cream to treat the itching.
Iain said: "We get accidents happen but customer services just didn't care. They acted like we were the problem for wasting their time. Their only intention was to disprove your complaint."
Iain claims the family were even offered a £9 ticket for a premium show on-board the cruise after raising their complaints.
The family said they spent the rest of the trip inside their cabin due to the "awful" atmosphere on board the ship.
MSC Cruises said they "regretted" that the family's experience did not meet expectations, adding that they would be reaching out to ensure their "concerns are properly reviewed and addressed".
5
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
A first look at Viking Mira, the cruise brand's new £377m ocean ship
Viking's latest ocean cruise vessel touched water for the first time last week during a float-out ceremony ahead of its launch next year. The ceremony marked the latest stage in the development of Viking Mira at the Fincantieri shipyard in Ancona. Similar to the rest of the ocean fleet, Viking Mira is classed as a small ship, with a gross tonnage of 54,300. It has 499 staterooms that can host 998 guests and has now moved to the next stage, where it will be completed with the cruise line's trademark Scandinavian designs. The ship, which cost $501m (£377m) to build, is scheduled to debut in spring 2026 and will spend her inaugural season sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean and northern Europe. Cruise fares start from £2,190 for a seven-night western Mediterranean sailing from Barcelona to Rome. Itineraries also include sailings from Greenwich, London, on routes to the Med, Norway and Scandinavia. The ceremony was attended by Gilberto Tobaldi, director of the shipyard and Gastone Lazzari, new building site team manager for Viking. Torstein Hagen, chairman and chief executive of Viking, said 'In our view, together with Fincantieri we have created the world's most elegant fleet of small ocean ships – and the float out of the Viking Mira marks yet another important milestone as we continue to grow our fleet. 'As we prepare to welcome her in 2026, we are proud to offer even more opportunities for curious travellers to explore the world in Viking comfort.' Viking has more ships in development as it continues to grow its fleet. By the end of 2027, it will have 14 ocean ships on the water. Based on its order book with Fincantieri, it expects to take delivery of 10 additional ocean ships by 2031. With these orders, Viking will have 23 ocean and expedition ships by 2031.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
British teenager boards wrong flight at Menorca airport and ends up in Italy
A British teenager separated from his family at a busy Spanish airport on Monday boarded a flight to Italy instead of his return flight to London. The 15-year-old was supposed to fly with Tui from Menorca to Stansted, but disappeared in the island's Mahon airport. The boy's parents raised the alarm, and when police reviewed CCTV footage from the airport's departures area they discovered the boy had managed to board a flight to Milan Malpensa without a ticket. A National Police spokesperson in Mallorca said: 'Officers checked cameras in the departures area and saw the teenager had managed to get on to a flight to Milan. The airport had already activated its missing child alert system but it was deactivated after it was confirmed the lad was on his way to Italy.' The boy's mother was reported to have been reunited with him yesterday after catching a flight to Italy. During the flight, airline staff noticed a passenger without a ticket was onboard, according to reports. Easy Jet said the passenger was met by their team and the local authorities in Milan, and that they had arranged for a family member to meet him. The British family has not been identified. In a statement, an Easy Jet spokesperson said: 'We are investigating with the airport and our ground handling provider at Mahon how a young passenger was able to travel unaccompanied on the wrong flight to Milan this morning. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion 'The passenger was met by our team and the local authorities in Milan and we have provided travel arrangements for a family member to meet them that day. We remain in touch with the family to offer our support.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
A town divided: how cruise tourism tore Greenland's iceberg capital in two
It is known as the 'iceberg capital of the world' but to the mayor of Ilulissat in northern Greenland, it is also a town divided where friends and neighbours have stopped talking to each other in a dispute over the cruise ships that bring tourists to see its frozen wonders. Its Unesco-listed icefjord draws thousands of visitors in the summer months, each potentially bringing lucrative business to the town. But frustrated local tour operators say they are being shut out by larger companies from elsewhere in Greenland and Denmark, who are undercutting local businesses or excluding them entirely – while local boats sit unused in the harbour. Ilulissat's mayor, Lars Erik Gabrielsen, has called on residents to protest against the cruise ship arrivals with demonstrations and signs – drawing the ire of a minister in the territory's government who has accused him of scaring off tourists. The community, he said, is divided between those who have chosen to work with Greenland Cruises, a Greenlandic-owned company based in Nuuk, and Danish company Vela Nordic, and those who have not. 'We don't even recognise ourselves,' said Gabrielsen. 'We are not saying hello to each other because we are split.' If cruise ships stopped working with these two companies and Diskoline, a transport company owned by Topas Explorer Group, a Danish travel company, they would be supporting local taxpayers, he said. 'It's very awful. We are very sad. And our government cannot even understand us.' Greenland's minister for business, Naaja Nathanielsen, condemned Gabrielsen's call for action with a statement accusing him of 'a very unfortunate mix of exercising authority and activism'. He was, she said, sending 'a clear signal' to operators that they 'risk being met with demonstrations arranged by the authorities'. Several cruise calls to the town had already been cancelled, she said, and several others were considering bypassing Ilulissat. A cruise ship was last year blocked from entering the port over claims it was only using foreign-owned tour providers. The dispute comes at a key time for the territory, where traditionally fishing has been the dominant industry but tourism is playing an increasingly important role as the Arctic ice melts. Tourism is also seen as an important economic component to securing independence from Denmark, which ruled Greenland as a colony until 1953 and still controls its foreign and security policy. US interest in Greenland is meanwhile soaring amid Donald Trump's threats to acquire the territory, centred around both minerals investment and tourism. This summer saw the introduction of direct flights from New York to Nuuk, the Greenlandic capital, after the opening of a new international airport. An airport is also under construction in Ilullisat, due to open next year. Gabrielsen accused Nathanielsen of painting him and his allies as 'bad people', but said they simply want to ensure local involvement in the cruise industry. 'We want to also be involved in tourism in the future, so that our children and grandchildren can see themselves in this growing industry,' he added. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion A tourism act was last year passed aimed at sustainable development of the sector and locally rooted tourism but Gabrielsen disputed it would make any difference. He instead proposes that Greenland should have a tourism agency run by municipalities and the industry so tasks and customers can be distributed more fairly. Tax law also needs changing to tackle the problem, he said. The Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO), which last year facilitated multiple meetings in Ilulissat with local stakeholders and operators, said it is 'aware of the concerns raised in Ilulissat and understands that the frustration appears to be directed primarily at companies registered in Greenland.' A spokesperson added that the situation 'appears to reflect local dynamics and differing views on how tourism should be managed.' Anne Nivíka Grødem, CEO of Visit Greenland, said: 'We view the recent developments in Ilulissat with great concern, where local calls for protest against certain tourism operators have led to unrest and uncertainty. This not only affects our visitors but also disrupts the collaboration between those who contribute to creating jobs and income in the town.' Christian Keldsen, director of Greenland Business Association, said the dispute centres around differing definitions of 'local'. 'In the word of the law all the companies operating here are Greenlandic, although some may have owners that live abroad, for example in Denmark.' Diskoline said in a statement: 'We believe there is room for both established and new operators, and that the growing number of visitors can support a diverse and vibrant local tourism sector. Our goal is to work collaboratively, with mutual respect and openness. 'We also take pride in being a year-round employer in Greenland. Many of our employees are local, and we always prioritize hiring locally before seeking candidates from abroad, including Denmark.' Greenland Cruises declined to comment and Vela Nordic did not respond to requests.
