Cruise Fiascos

Cruise Fiascos: Dramatic Tales and Essential Tips

Dive into the dramatic world of cruise mishaps with our “Cruise Fiascos” category. These articles from the Consumer Rescue case files recount real-life stories of unexpected and often chaotic events that have befallen cruise ship passengers. From being banned from future cruises to dealing with onboard disputes, these cautionary tales are both entertaining and educational. Alongside each story, you’ll find practical tips and guidance to help you avoid similar situations, ensuring your next cruise is smooth sailing. Learn from cruise ship passengers’ experiences and make your cruise adventures trouble-free.

If you have a problem with a cruise line that you can’t resolve, contact the Consumer Rescue advocacy team. We’ll investigate and help you, too! Our assistance is always fast, friendly, and, best of all, free of charge!

Carnival Cruise Line's Dream, cruise ship at sunset, Carnival Dream

Cruise ship passengers beware: No, you don’t have an Enhanced ID!

June 30, 2025June 16, 2025 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Carnival Cruise Line passengers John Harrison and his family of eleven recently learned a harsh lesson about Enhanced ID. They showed up at the cruise port in Galveston, Texas, expecting to quickly “get to the fun.” But the fun never happened for Harrison and his elderly parents. They were denied boarding Carnival Dream after presenting what they presumed to be EDLs.

Carnival employees told the surprised would-be passengers that their driver’s licenses were insufficient to take the cruise. The stunned trio was soon left behind as Dream sailed away with their other eight passport-carrying family members on board.

Celebrity Cruises denied boarding pregnant passenger, Celebrity Reflection, cruise ship on the ocean, Cruise ship at sunset.

Celebrity Cruises denied boarding to a pregnant would-be cruise passenger. Here’s why

July 5, 2025June 2, 2025 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

First-time cruise passengers Marisa Vacca, her husband, and toddler couldn’t wait to board Celebrity Cruises Reflection last December. The family arrived in Ft. Lauderdale the night before embarkation and excitedly settled into their hotel.

But then a heavily pregnant Marisa began skimming the Celebrity Cruises pre-boarding instructions, and her heart sank.

Bad behavior on cruise, Passengers misbehaving on cruise ship, Avoid poorly behavior passengers on your cruise, ruined cruise

Will your cruise be ruined by the bad behavior of fellow passengers?

May 1, 2025April 30, 2025 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

You’ve likely seen the video of the Carnival passengers brawling in the Galveston, Texas, cruise port this week. Sadly, that footage, which shows a large group of cruisers assaulting each other as they disembarked from Jubilee, is not particularly shocking in 2025. Unfortunately, egregiously bad behavior among cruise ship passengers is becoming more commonplace. Should you be worried that the bad behavior of fellow passengers will ruin your next cruise?

Celebrity cruise, Celebrity Equinox, cruise ship on the ocean, Celebrity cruise passenger forgot passport

A Celebrity cruise passenger forgot her passport. FedEx made things even worse

June 2, 2025April 22, 2025 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

As Sherry Warren and her husband prepared for their upcoming Celebrity cruise, she bought a colorful passport case. The little wallet was stylish and protective, with Radio Frequency Identification(RFID) blocking features. It would be the perfect way to carry their passports, Warren thought.

And it surely would have – had she not forgotten the wallet with their passports inside when they left for the cruise.

Carnival Cruise Line passenger gets scammed, Zelle scam, scammers everywhere, cruise scam, Carnival Freedom cruise ship

This Carnival cruise ship passenger lost $3,556 to a Zelle scam

July 19, 2025April 6, 2025 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Cruise ship passengers beware: Never use Zelle to pay for a cruise, excursion or any other part of your vacation. If you do, you could end up like L. Williams, a former Carnival Cruise Line customer.

A scammer pretending to be a cruise consultant tricked Williams into paying for her last cruise with Zelle. That set off a chain reaction that left her $3,556 in debt – and banned indefinitely from the cruise line.

If you hate your cruise excursion, can you get a refund? This cruiser found our the jolting answer.

Hate your cruise excursion? A credit card dispute will only make things worse

March 1, 2025March 1, 2025 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

If you hate your next shore excursion and the cruise line refuses your refund request, don’t expect a credit card dispute to save the day. It won’t. Joseph Campo can tell you.

After a salmon-fishing excursion in Alaska went all wrong, Campo asked Princess Cruises for his money back. When that didn’t happen, he filed a chargeback with his credit card company — and won. So he assumed that settled the matter.

It didn’t. Not even close.

Princess Cruises can't let these customers board the ship

My Princess cruise sailed without us because of a tiny passport mistake

February 23, 2025February 22, 2025 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Don’t make the passport mistake these Princess cruise ship passengers made. You’re in the danger zone if your passport has less than six months left before it expires.

Cruise passenger on this ship says she was tricked into buying a lab grown diamond, Royal Caribbean passenger news, Rhapsody of the Seas on the ocean

Was this cruise ship passenger tricked into buying a lab grown diamond?

January 31, 2025January 29, 2025 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

On the last night of her recent Royal Caribbean cruise, Amy G. bought a beautiful diamond ring on the ship. She was quite pleased with her purchase – especially because she snagged it during a flash 50-percent-off sale. But the pleasant feeling only lasted until she got home and had a good look at the Certificate of Authenticity.

Cruise ship passengers beware, Carnival freedom

These cruise ship passengers say they lost $30,000 to scammers in Nassau

February 2, 2025December 31, 2024 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

A Carnival cruise ship passenger says a beauty shop in Nassau somehow extracted $30,000 from her and her husband during a port stop. They’re the latest victims of the free facial scam to contact me in recent months. But the story she has to tell is much more sinister than the others. She says these bad guys drugged her and then filmed her thanking them and praising their products.