NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Miami woman is sharing her story exclusively with 7News after the cruise ship she was on suffered mechanical problems and left everybody stranded in Barcelona, Spain.
Claudia Meijides was on a 13-day cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line that left Amsterdam and was sailing the Mediterranean with the final destination being Rome.
She said all was going as planned until a few days ago.
The ship was supposed to go to Palma de Mallorca but had to divert to Barcelona because of mechanical issues on Monday.
“They weren’t very clear about what was going on,” Meijides said.
She said staff kept promising her that they were going to leave, but by Wednesday they still hadn’t.
“At six, we were supposed to leave from Barcelona,” Meijides continued. “That didn’t happen. They sent an announcement that the cruise ship wasn’t ready. They were still working on the technical issues. We still didn’t know exactly what was going on. What we did hear is that it was something to do with the propeller or the engine — from the captain who spoke like five minutes ago.”
She went on to say that the captain said guests are free to go as they please but to leave the cruise no later than 5 p.m., Friday.
Norwegian sent a statement to 7News regarding the issue:
“On July 1, 2019, Norwegian Pearl, which was sailing a 13-day cruise from Northern Europe to the Mediterranean, experienced a technical issue which necessitated that she travel at a reduced speed. As such, she did not call on Palma, Majorca, and instead sailed directly to Barcelona, Spain where further assessments were made. Due to the need to make necessary repairs, we will be ending the current sailing in Barcelona as well as canceling Norwegian Pearl’s July 5, 2019 voyage. We will provide all of our guests on the current sailing with a 50% refund and a 50% future cruise credit, both based on the original cruise fare paid. We will also cover up to $300 in flight change fees. As mentioned, Norwegian Pearl’s upcoming Greek Isles and Italy sailing scheduled to depart on July 5, 2019 is canceled. Guests who booked this sailing will receive a 100% refund and a 100% future cruise credit, both on the original cruise fare paid. We will also cover up to $300 in flight change fees.
We are truly sorry for the disappointment and inconvenience our guests have experienced as a result of this unforeseen situation.”
Our team is working diligently to assist all of our affected guests and to keep them informed with the latest details as they become available. We thank them for their continued support and loyalty.”
For Meijides, receiving credit for the inconvenience means nothing to her.
“It’s a vacation ruined. It’s moment of fear, moment of not knowing,” she said. “I don’t care about money. I care about now.”
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