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A Canadian couple say Costco Travel told them that they did not need visas to take a cruise to Brazil. But when they arrived at the pier in Buenos Aires on embarkation day, Celebrity crew members said otherwise. As a result the stunned husband and wife were denied boarding the cruise and left stranded in Argentina.
These would-be passengers say the disastrous travel fiasco cost them over $13,000 — no cruise included.
With neither Costco Travel nor Celebrity Cruises taking responsibility for this massive loss, the couple reached out to Consumer Rescue. They hoped I could investigate and find out who should pay for this costly mistake.
If you’re a regular reader of my column, I think you’ll be surprised by the answer to their question.
I know I was — and that is an understatement.
Costco Travel books dream cruise across the Atlantic
Last fall, David Farrow and his wife began planning their dream cruise across the Atlantic Ocean. When they were ready to book, the couple, who reside in Ontario, did so through Costco Travel.
The Celebrity cruise they chose would take them from Argentina and north to Brazil before heading toward Europe.
Soon after booking the cruise, Costco Travel sent the Farrows a confirmation which included all the important details about the trip. The couple diligently went through all the information.
“The message from Costco Travel specifically said Canadians didn’t need any special documentation,” Farrow told me. “Of course, we would need our valid passports, but that was it.”
With the cruise portion of their trip confirmed, the couple completed the rest of their planning. They would fly to Buenos Aires from Ontario a few days before embarkation. That was a smart decision. As most savvy cruisers know, it’s important to give yourself a little wiggle room in case of delayed or canceled flights.
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Related: Never fly on the same day your cruise begins. Here’s why
In the Farrows’ case, though, they would be missing that cruise ship even with the wide buffer.
Getting denied boarding the cruise ship in Buenos Aires
On the day the Farrows intended to sail away to Brazil aboard Celebrity Equinox, they were already in Buenos Aires. In the early afternoon, they made their way to the cruise terminal.
As they stepped up to the check-in counter, they handed over their passports. The Celebrity Cruises agent asked for their proof of a Brazilian visa.
“We were confused,” Farrow told me. “We had already been told by Costco Travel that we didn’t need Brazilian visas. But the cruise line employees told us we did need visas and without them we were being denied boarding.”
Farrow and his wife lightly argued just a bit with the crew member before being directed to step to the side. They now joined a group of other confused passengers who had also been denied boarding the ship.
“It was quite unusual,” Farrow told me. “The area was becoming increasingly more crowded by people who were being prevented from checking in.”
In the end, nearly 100 passengers would be denied boarding Celebrity Equinox that day for lack of Brazilian visas.
Abandoned by the cruise line and Costco Travel
I’ve heard from many of the passengers who were left behind in Buenos Aires last March. They tell a similar story about what happened after they were denied boarding.
“We thought we were waiting for someone in authority at the cruise line to come get us,” one cruiser explained. “The crew members instructed us to wait in the terminal. So we all did.”
The cruise terminal was hot and stuffy, with limited seating. The confused crowd waited for hours, hoping that they would soon receive good news and be able to board the air-conditioned ship.
“There were a lot of elderly passengers, and there wasn’t even cold water provided to us,” another cruiser told me. “We just kept waiting.”
Related: Beware fake Costco Travel scam websites. This cruise passenger got scammed
When it became clear that the pier staff was preparing to close check-in, the crowd grew antsy and demanded answers. No one from the cruise line showed up, but the police did.
“The police said we had to gather our things and leave the cruise terminal,” another passenger reported to me. “We asked where we should go while we waited for word from the cruise line.”
The answer was clear.
“We were just stranded … left on our own,” Farrow explained. “They didn’t care where we went, but we couldn’t stay there.”
Faced with what appeared to be the possibility of arrest if they didn’t vacate the premises, the large group began to disperse. As they walked away in confusion, the massive cruise ship sailed away.
Related: Help! Our baby was denied boarding on our international flight
Fact: Cruise lines do not refund passengers who are denied boarding
About a week after they were denied boarding at the pier in Buenos Aires, I began to hear from many of the rejected cruisers. They all had the same question: Who owed them reimbursement for all their expenses — including their missed cruise?
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The news for nearly everyone was not good.
Every cruise line’s contract makes it clear it is the passengers’ responsibility to find out what they need to travel. If a cruiser shows up at the pier without the required documentation to take the trip, they’ll be denied boarding. Even worse, though, is that there will be no reimbursement for the missed cruise OR any other expenses incurred.
So unfortunately the harsh reality for all the denied boarding passengers who contacted me about this mass event was the same. No one would be reimbursing them for their disappointing trip to Argentina for the cruise they paid for and didn’t get to take.
That was the final outcome for all of the passengers except two. Farrow and his wife. Those two would be the “lucky” ones in this unpleasant situation.
Related: Help! Celebrity Cruises denied us boarding. Whose mistake is this?
TICO: “For all the travel information you don’t know”
I learned something new as I was researching Farrow’s complaint: Ontario has some strong regulations that protect travelers.
In Canada, travel agencies that are members of TICO (Travel Industry Council of Ontario) have a duty to know or learn and inform their customers of all required travel documentation.
Costco Travel is a TICO-registered agent in Ontario. Not only did Costco fail to inform the Farrows of their need for Brazilian visas, but the agent’s documentation specifically said they did NOT need them.
Since April 2025, Canadian citizens have been required to obtain an eVisa to enter Brazil for any visits less than 90 days. The Farrows booked their cruise in September of 2025 for a sailing in March 2026. It would appear that Costco Travel was sending outdated information to its customers months after the rules changed.
Although Costco’s Required Documents blurb does include a reminder that travelers are responsible for confirming their documentation needs, that isn’t what TICO says. TICO says the responsibility lies with the agent. And if the agent is responsible for this travel fiasco, the logical conclusion is that the agent must pay for the repercussions.
I believed that the Farrows should be reimbursed for their entire trip in vain. So it was time to reach out to Costco Travel and find out what its team thought.
Related: How did a cruise consultant make this type of disastrous mistake?
The good news: Costco Travel will pay for this mistake
Just after I sent my inquiry over to Costco Travel, a team member reached out to Farrow to request an itemized list of expenses for the trip. Beyond the cost of the actual cruise the couple had the original business class airfare, plus the last minute change to fly back home from Argentina, and the hotel expenses. In total, the frustrating trip had cost the Farrows a little more than $13,000.
A few weeks later, Farrow got the good news.
Hi Michelle, Costco Travel informed me that they are reimbursing me for all my expenses (flights, hotels, meals, car parking — all the items that I had a receipt or proof of purchasing.)
I must say that Celebrity Cruises was very difficult to deal with — however, Costco has been first class.
Thank you for your help in raising this item!
Dave Farrow
You’re very welcome, David. I’m sorry that you and your wife flew the whole way to Argentina only to be denied boarding your cruise. But it’s good to know that, in the end, Costco Travel is taking responsibility for this mistake.
Hopefully, you’ll be able to plan a do-over in the near future.
Related: We flew to India for our Viking cruise and got rejected at immigration!
The bottom line: A traveler’s responsibility
The truth is, Farrow was having difficulty “dealing with” Celebrity because the cruise line had no culpability in this situation. The family was given incorrect information from its travel agent. Because of that, they showed up at the pier without the legal documents to enter Brazil. Celebrity could not allow any of those passengers on the ship that was sailing to Rio de Janeiro.
Related: What if your cruise consultant canceled your trip by mistake — and then quit?
Remember, when you book an international trip, it is always primarily your responsibility to research and obtain all the necessary documents for travel. That is true for air, cruise and land-based travel. If you show up at the airport or cruise terminal without the required documentation to transit or enter all the countries on your itinerary you will be denied boarding… with no refund or trip included.
But if you believe a travel agent or agency has given you the wrong information, you may have a legitimate complaint. Send your request for help to the Consumer Rescue mediation team, and I’ll be happy to investigate your case, too. Our assistance is always fast, friendly, and free of charge. (Michelle Couch-Friedman, Chief Fiasco Fixer and founder of Consumer Rescue)
Before you go: What if a cruise line makes a mistake and denies a child boarding?
