Cancelled trip without reason and made passengers wait for 3 hours — cruise guests blast: a nightmare journey!

Passengers complained that Costa Cruises' Lucky ship used lifeboats to ferry people on board late at night around 11 p.m., leaving them waiting for over three hours — leaving many stunned. (Screenshot from Costa Cruises Good Friends)

Apology letter sent by Costa Cruises to passengers. (Screenshot from Costa Cruises Good Friends)

Paying to suffer! The Costa Cruises Lucky ship set off from Keelung Port on the 12th, carrying more than 2,000 passengers for a 4-night, 5-day trip to “Okinawa, Ishigaki, and Miyako Islands” in Japan. Unexpectedly, passengers complained that the Miyako Island leg was cancelled without reason, while their stay on Ishigaki Island was extended from one day to two. Moreover, they were shuttled to shore using extremely slow lifeboats, enraging travelers who exclaimed, “It was simply a nightmare!”

“I’ll never take a Costa Cruises ship again!” said one female passenger. When approaching Ishigaki Island, instead of using the usual local ferries to disembark, the ship’s crew used lifeboats from the cruise itself — and although there were six lifeboats available, only four were used. The transfer alone took over three hours. “Is this some kind of prank trip?” she asked.

Other passengers also said that after finally getting ashore, they only saw a bunch of traffic lights, and then an hour later were told to return to the ship. After spending so much money for what was supposed to be a relaxing holiday, it turned out to be a nightmare. The originally planned visit to Miyako Island didn’t happen, and although the weather was fine, the cruise line claimed “rough seas” as the reason for cancellation. Instead, passengers were made to stay two days on Ishigaki Island instead of one — with some even putting “luxury queue numbers” on their luggage.

“It was truly infuriating!” complained a passenger, saying they were so angry they wanted to stage a “ship mutiny,” but the cruise line quickly placated them by giving each passenger a $50 USD onboard credit to dissuade protests. However, that $50 could only be spent on the ship and didn’t refund any cruise fees. They demanded the cruise line come forward and explain, “Why couldn’t we go to Miyako Island?” They also bluntly stated, “After what Costa Cruises did, who would dare to take the ‘New Romantic’ ship next month?”

In response, Costa Cruises only sent a letter to passengers on the 15th, stating: “Due to adverse weather conditions, the plan to dock at Miyako Island has been cancelled. The ship will remain in the waters near Ishigaki Island. The safety of all passengers is our top priority. Each passenger will be provided with a $50 USD onboard credit. We deeply apologise for the inconvenience.” As for the passengers’ complaints, there has been no response so far.