A family says their planned vacation took a turn when their cruise ship suddenly changed its destination from Bermuda to Canada.
In a video with over 2.7 million views, TikTok users Ian and India McCue (@themccues) recount the strange email they received from Virgin Voyages telling them just how much their vacation was going to change.
“Ahoy, sailor,” Ian reads. “We wanted to share an important update about your upcoming voyage. Due to forecasted weather, it’s become necessary to adjust our itinerary to keep things smooth, safe and comfortable.”
Given that their cruise was supposed to depart on Monday, and it was then Friday, the change was very last-minute. So, did Virgin Voyages change the route to another tropical, Caribbean destination?
Nope.
“Instead of Bermuda, we’ll be heading to northern Canada, in Saint John, New Brunswick,” Ian reads.
How Did This Happen?
According to the couple, all preparations had been made to travel to Bermuda. The couple had shipped their luggage to New York, from which the ship was departing. Not only that, but Ian’s parents had already begun their journey to the city. The trip was to celebrate Ian’s parents’ 39th wedding anniversary.
This dramatic destination change—from Bermuda to Canada—left the family with a variety of issues.
To start, Ian says he reached out to Virgin Voyages to figure out a possible resolution to the problem. After waiting on hold for several hours, Ian was told that they could not get a refund. However, there was a possibility that the family could reschedule for later in the year.
“They did say they would offer us a credit for a future cruise if we wanted to reschedule within the calendar year,” India says in a follow-up video.
No Refunds, No Rescheduling
Actually taking them up on the offer to reschedule, the couple notes, would come with its own problems.
“The cruise ship leaves from a New York City port, and we don’t live in New York. We live 10 hours away,” India says. “If we were to take them up on that offer of rescheduling, we’d lose out on our flights and our hotels we already booked.”
Not only that, but Ian’s mother is a kindergarten teacher. This trip, the TikToker explains, was specifically booked for Spring Break. This is one of the few times when she would not need to work. Consequently, this presented another hurdle for any potential rebooking.
While the couple says Virgin Voyages provided a $100 credit to use onboard and sent a personalized apology email, they say that it wasn’t enough to resolve the situation.
“The cruise line Virgin Voyages said the change was necessary because of bad weather, and while we respect them trying to keep us safe, the extreme difference of climate (from TROPICAL—which was promised—to freezing winter conditions) feels dishonest and completely insulting,” the couple wrote in the description of a GoFundMe listing.
That said, they still decided to take the Virgin Voyages cruise.
“While it will be a trip we won’t ever forget, it was extremely limiting and extremely disappointing to witness the cruise line’s lack of empathy and unwillingness to make things right,” the GoFundMe listing reads. “We invested thousands of dollars that won’t be returned and wasted time trying to make a once in a lifetime memory with our loved ones who work so hard for everyone.”
Can Virgin Voyages Do This?
In short, yes.
Everything the TikTokers described in their video is legal. Not only that, but it’s explicitly allowed in the contract to which passengers agree when they buy a cruise ticket.
On airlines, flyers have consumer protection laws enforced by the Department of Transportation. For cruise lines, however, the Federal Maritime Commission notes that “there is no federal government agency that regulates cruise customer service issues.” These issues include sudden changes of destination.
According to Virgin Voyages’ ticket contract, the company “may for any reason at any time and without prior notice, at the Carrier’s sole discretion, cancel, advance, postpone or deviate from any scheduled sailing, port of call, destination, lodging or activity.”
Not only that, but the ticket contract explicitly states that, if the route changes, the company “shall not be liable for any claim whatsoever by Guest, including but not limited to any losses, compensation or refund.”
What Did Virgin Voyages Say?
In short, Virgin Voyages acted entirely within its rights in this case. Suddenly switching destinations without refunding the McCues is wholly within the limits of their contract. Still, the couple’s disappointment about the whole issue is pretty understandable.
In an email to BroBible, a spokesperson for Virgin Voyages stated that the cruise, “Valiant Lady,” was to set sail from New York City to Bermuda on April 6 and return on April 11.
“Safety guides every decision we make at Virgin Voyages, and the decision to reroute to Saint John, New Brunswick was no exception,” the statement continued. “After closely monitoring forecast conditions along the planned route, it became clear that continuing to Bermuda would have presented genuinely unsafe conditions for our Sailors and Crew. That’s a line we won’t cross, even when we know the change disappoints our Sailors who booked with a tropical destination in mind.”
The Cruise Line Stands By Its Choice
Virgin Voyages added that Saint John is a “beautiful place” and was proud to bring its vessel to the destination for the first time.
“But we also understand that when our Sailors are dreaming of a warm-weather escape, Canada isn’t the first place that comes to mind, and we own that,” they added. “What we can say is that our Crew showed up for every single Sailor on that ship. Our team worked hard to elevate this voyage with additional onboard programming, entertainment and Happenings specifically for this sailing. Post-voyage satisfaction exceeded 80%, which speaks to the experience our Crew delivered despite the change.”
The statement continued that “prior to departure, all Sailors received notification of the change via email on April 3 with full itinerary details. Those who chose not to continue were offered a Future Voyage Credit for the full value of their booking. Those who sailed received $100 in onboard credit and an enhanced My Next Virgin Voyage offer for a future sailing, valid for two years, which includes double the onboard credit.”
Commenters Can’t Believe It
In the comments section, users expressed their shock regarding both the destination change and the cruise line’s handling of the situation.
“I am floored. Can’t you contact your CC company and get a refund? How is it legal to pay for a trip to Bermuda and they change it to CANADA?!” exclaimed a user.
“This is so incredibly inappropriate to just assume a customer would be amenable to going to CANADA rather than BERMUDA??” echoed another. “Pls tell me you’ve requested a refund.”
That said, others stated that changes like these aren’t unheard of.
“This happened to me. Booked to go to the Mexican Rivera. Due to weather we went to San Francisco instead,” recalled a user. “I’m from Northern California, I live less than 1.5 hours from there. Traveled over 400 miles just to end up 80 miles away.”
@themccues I’m screaming @Virgin Voyages #springbreakcruise
BroBible reached out to India McCue via email and Ian McCue via Instagram direct message.