A British cruise passenger has called out TUI Cruises and is demanding a partial refund after his family’s cabin was flooded with foul-smelling “waste water” on an Adriatic sailing this past May.
“Our cabin flooded with waste water,” 42-year-old Kass Stone wrote in the caption of a Facebook video posted Tuesday accompanied by the hashtags #nightmarecruise and #cruisefromhell. “No alternative [accommodation] offered in spite of persistent stench, wet carpet and overall unhygienic conditions, especially for two young children.”
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Stone, who has been seeking compensation since May, said that crew aboard TUI’s Marella Celebration brought in a loud fan to attempt to dry the carpet and that his family was forced to shower in the spa area for the remainder of the week.
He described the staff’s efforts to remedy the situation as “pitiful.”
“The day it happened, after we returned from the spa we had to shower in, we found a bottle of wine and a big serving tray on the cabin’s desk,” he told Fox News. “When we removed the lid, we found four chocolate-covered strawberries and an apology note from the staff. We had a good laugh about the four strawberries on that big tray. It was pitiful.”
Stone also claimed TUI offered the family a credit but it wasn’t enough and they turned it down.
“We refused to accept what would have been 12.50 pounds ($62.42) per person. My kids had to breathe in the stench of that sewage, which had soaked into the cabin’s carpet. You expect maybe a sunburn or a hangover on holiday, but not possible botulism from huffing fetid sewage air,” he added. “It’s ridiculous.”
TUI has since apologized for the incident and said it’s reached out to Stone.
“We would like to apologize for the Stone party’s experience on their cruise,” the cruise line said in a statement via Fox News. “When the customers raised their concerns onboard the ship, our team worked hard to resolve the issue. We understand this must have been a very disappointing experience and we are in contact with the customer to apologize and offer a gesture of goodwill.”
Stone told Newsweek that TUI reps have contacted him since he posted to social media but haven’t given him a timeline for resolution.
“So, essentially, it’s the same situation as we were in over a month ago when we made our initial complaint, which we were assured would be responded to in 28 days,” he said. “We tried to contact them twice before going public. It’s a shame that it took making noise online to get their attention.”
