A mechanical issue onboard a Swan Hellenic vessel led to the difficult decision to abandon Antarctica on a cruise whose very point was to visit Antarctica. When full refunds were not offered, hunger strikes began onboard.
Swan Hellenic Antarctica Cruise Upended By Mechanical Issue, Prompting Protests And Hunger Strikes Onboard
Swan Hellenic’s Diana vessel left Cape Town on November 13, 2024 on a 20-day cruise. Five days into the voyage, a mechanical issue developed (one passenger onboard described it as “grinding clunk and juddering”). The vessel stopped and a problem was identified with the bearing in the propeller shaft. That left only one of the two propellors properly operating.
After coming to a complete halt in the middle of the ocean, the vessel continued at half speed toward South Georgia, a British Overseas Territory. Unfortunately, the propellor issue could not be fixed so the decision was made not to continue to Antarctica, a further two-day journey away from inhabited land and help, should the need arise.
Thus began the six-day journey to Ushuaia, Argentina at a heavily reduced speed.
To address the obvious disappointment of passengers onboard, many of whom were on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, Swan Hellenic offered two compensation choices:
- A 50% refund on the voyage
- 65% off a future voyage
Many accepted the offer (or reached out to their insurance companies), but a handful onboard refused…with several Russian guests commencing a hunger strike and a group of Chinese guests demanding a 100% refund plus a future free cruise.
Some settlements were made, but as the ship approached Ushuaia, at least one Russian woman continued her hunger strike, and several of the Chinese guests wore placards demanding a full refund.
I have to admit that I am very sympathetic to the passengers onboard and sensitive even to the demands of the Chinese guests. When you book an Antarctica cruise, you are booking a trip to go to Antarctica, not the South Sandwich Islands or Ushuaia, as impressive as they are.
When a cruise line fails to deliver due to a mechanical problem (on a ship less than a year old), it seems to me that you don’t make someone whole at all by skipping Antarctica, but you can at least compensate them for what amounts to a trip in vain.
Yes, the fine print you agree to when you book the cruise may exculpate the cruiseliner from most liability in case of a circumstance like this, but that does not make it right. I expect more from Swan Hellenic here.
image: Swan Hellenic
The protesting passengers are Ungrateful for their partial cruise with a 50% refund .
The hunger strike passengers are Depriving themselves of food and their own health .
The protesting and hunger strike passengers ought to be very Grateful they are not in danger in a remote place , far from help . Imagine if the weather worsened and violent Stormy seas struck the puny boat ?
I say Congratulations to the Captain and cruise line for retreating when mechanical difficulties raised future safety concerns . Excellent decision .
I don’t think many are questioning the prudence in deciding not to proceed to Anarctica. The issue is the compensation…a different matter.
@Matthew … 50% refund for a 50% cruise is quite fair . Cape Town to Argentina is itself a worthy cruise to get away from it all , and quite scary in it’s own right .
Also , the infamously stormy Southern Seas does mandate a certain assumption of risk for unforeseen problems .
Yeah but did the passengers not pay to visit Antarctica? It may be a nice cruise but not the one that was actually paid for. There are plenty of options for traveling to Argentina, least of which is an aborted cruise to the southernmost continent.
Argentina is lovely though – I was there a few weeks ago.
@Matthew … So , for example , a JFK to Shannon airliner goes nearly half way between Gander and Shannon , then turns back towards Gander because of a mechanical issue … the mechanical issue becomes moot , and the airliner returns t0 it’s departure point , JFK .
The pax stay at JFK an extra 24 hrs. and they so they did not get what they paid for , a trip on a specific day between JFK and Shannon .
It would be absurd to give the pax a full refund or a free future flight . Give them a 50% refund or 65% off a future flight would be o.k. Better safe than sorry .
No way – they would be due a full refund under US and Europen law…
@Matthew … It would be so ‘out of style’ for them to ‘count their blessings’ , no ?
Alert, do you work for the cruise line?
I guarantee you that if SH had advertised the trip the passengers received for 50% of the cost of the Antarctica trip they booked, not a single person on board would have paid for that.
100% agreed.
Couldn’t agree more with Alert.
I would demand a full refund, or at least another cruise TO ANTARCTICA free of charge. It’s the company’s fault the cruise was ruined. They should make restitution.
Yep, I think that makes sense. A free cruise to Antarctica for those who want it.
The compensation offered is very poor. Cruise lines often have to change the itinerary for many issues, but missing the destination entirely is pathetic. This is a year old boat charging a pricey fare! 65% off another attempted voyage is close to a restaurant offering a free meal after they have given you food poisoning.
I feel badly for the passengers, and hope SH will make it right. ( the hunger strike seems a bit silly when you’re already being punished ) .
@Maryland … Mallory and Irvine pressed onwards towards the top of Everest , and when they finally retreated it was too late . Pressing onwards towards Antarctica in a puny boat with mechanical problems would be equally foolhardy .
Better to be safe than sorry is the motto of all good boatman Captains and all good birdman aviators .
@ alert please reread my comment and you will see I never suggested they should press on. Respectfully I point out your twaddle comments are not appreciated. Also I hope, you will understand to measure your participation to relevance.
@Marylnd … My comment was informative without being pretentious .
It was in no relation to my comment. It is a perfect example of your boorish attitude toward this blog.
Obviously, the ship was unable to attempt a round trip crossing of the Drake Passage. There’s no question about that.
However, the compensation offered is a joke. The cruise line is being skimpy and I can’t blame the passengers for being angry about it. That said: their brilliant response is a hunger strike? What are they, toddlers? Like, if I’m the captain, I’d be like “ok, suit yourselves – starve.” Really stupid.
Pursuing legal action once home is a more logical thing to do.
I disagree. Raising the media profile of the incident and hoping that negative coverage will shame SH is much more likely to achieve the desired results than legal action, which can be costly and is governed by contracts that probably don’t entitle the passengers to any more than what’s been offered.
Agreed.
As someone who dealt with a cruise line essentially skipping two ports due to incompetence – not even mechanical problems or weather – I can tell you they could care less about providing compensation, fair or otherwise. Our situation was nothing like this, but their take was pretty much “you signed a contract that said we can do whatever we want and owe you nothing, so we’re giving you nothing and you’re going to like it”. Couldn’t even get $200 in future cruise funny money out of the deal. Sure, try to sue, but they’ll just throw the “Montreal Convention” or whatever the cruise equivalent is in your face to justify giving you nothing, and then daring you to spend more in legal fees than cruise fare to fight.
Yes, a hunger strike is dumb, but tda1986 is right, the only way you’ll get their attention is to generate bad press, which might shame them into submission.
Not sure what is more ridiculous, the hunger strike of the passengers or the refund offered to the passengers.
@Santastico … In the Southern Ocean , always remember Shackleton “s incredible voyage .
Going down there , one ought to “Be afraid … very afraid” .
They should storm the bridge and take over the ship.
Mutiny on the Diana!
Russian passengers went on a hunger strike? They ought to try that when they get home. Nobody would care. But if word got around, Putin would give them a used rifle and a one-way trip to the north of Ukraine.
Did they try holding their breath.?
They were probably intermittent fasting anyway. Fake Hunger Strike.
Should have left the Russians & Chinese in the middle of the sea!
In this online age of reviews and ratings, the cruiseline will rate so low that nobody will use them .