A FAMILY’S dream cruise trip was abruptly yanked from them after a worker cruelly banned a disabled teenager from boarding the ship.
Shannon Nutting saved for over a year to take her family on a Royal Caribbean cruise, but a “human error” stopped her son from getting past the gangway.
ABC 11A family’s dream vacation turned into a nightmare after a mom’s teenage son was banned from boarding a cruise ship[/caption] ABC 11Shannon Nutting saved up for over a year to go on a Royal Caribbean cruise[/caption] GettyHowever, when she got to the port, a ‘human error’ left the family stranded[/caption]When she got to the port in Florida, Nutting, who is from North Carolina, was told that one of her sons couldn’t board because of an issue with his school ID.
Nutting had planned the cruise as a surprise for her four kids.
“My 9-year-old was so excited, she was speechless and started crying,” Nutting said.
But that joy quickly turned to frustration when the cruise staff informed her that her 16-year-old’s student ID wasn’t valid for boarding, reported ABC local affiliate WTVD.
“I explained to him that we had talked to Royal Caribbean, and they had assured us that the school ID was valid,” she said.
The heartbreak grew as Nutting requested to speak with a supervisor.
She explained that her son had special needs and didn’t have a state-issued ID, but was assured by Royal Caribbean that a school ID would work.
“I started crying,” Nutting said.
“I asked to speak to a supervisor, but when I did, she just said she didn’t care and walked away.”
Stuck at Port Canaveral, the family watched their ship sail off without them, devastated by the loss of what was supposed to be the highlight of their year.
The family was stranded in Florida with no clear answers from Royal Caribbean.
“We had saved up for this, we made sure everything was in order,” Nutting said. “Everyone was heartbroken.”
As Nutting’s travel agent scrambled to find a solution, Royal Caribbean suggested the family fly to Cozumel to board the ship two days later, a suggestion Nutting quickly rejected.
Nutting refused to do that and instead stayed in Florida and made the best of it.
In the meantime, Royal Caribbean acknowledged the mistake.
“It was a human error,” a company representative said, adding that Nutting’s son should have been allowed to board.
Despite the company’s apology, Nutting felt unsatisfied with the offers presented.
Royal Caribbean offered three options: no refund but a 100% future cruise credit with a $700 onboard bonus, a full refund, or a full refund with 25% future cruise credit.
None of these options were acceptable to Nutting, who was also seeking reimbursement for the additional travel costs incurred.
“We wanted the money for the cruise back and the expenses,” Nutting said.
“The expenses that we had for traveling to Florida while we were there for meals, gas, the lodging, and all of that.”
Royal Caribbean stated that the full refund would cover her expenses, but Nutting wasn’t convinced.
“If I made the mistake and they offered me anything, any kind of refund, then I would think that would be gracious of them. But I didn’t make any mistakes,” she said.
The cruise line’s representative also said that additional training would be provided to staff to prevent similar issues in the future.
After weeks of back and forth, Nutting was told she would be automatically given a full refund with 25% future cruise credit if she didn’t select one of the other options.
Nutting expressed her frustration, saying she would make sure to get everything in writing before their next cruise.
Royal Caribbean didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment by The U.S. Sun.
AFPNutting rejected Royal Caribbean’s offers, insisting on reimbursement for travel costs, and expressed frustration over the lack of a fair resolution despite the company’s apology and promise of future staff training[/caption] Read More Details
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