Navy Veteran Ed Nugent is lucky to be alive. Five years ago, doctors said he wouldn't survive after being injured in a fall.
He proved them wrong.
After too many trips to doctors and hospitals to count, Ed was well enough to resume one of his favorite pleasures in life: taking cruises with his wife, Lynda.
The retired Clearwater couple booked a Holland America sailing with long-time friends who live in Washington state. The foursome shelled out upwards of $7,000 for the seven-day cruise to the eastern Caribbean.
The trip included stops in San Juan, St. Thomas, Turks and Caicos, and a private island.
But four days before boarding, Lynda said Holland America announced a major change in plans.
“They just sent a text that said, 'We are changing the itinerary,'" she said.
In an email sent to the couple, Holland America blamed a technical issue for the change. The new schedule included guests sleeping on board for two nights while docked in Fort Lauderdale, and the ship would no longer stop in Puerto Rico or St. Thomas.
Lynda said there was no way her husband could go as it took weeks to set up wheelchairs, scooters and other special arrangements for Ed, who can’t walk for more than a few minutes at a time.
Those accommodations were not in place for the new itinerary.
Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott, founder of Elliott Advocacy, said there's no regulatory agency that mediates claims for passengers who run into trouble before, during or after the cruise.
“Cruise lines have a lot of rights they don't give you," Elliott said. "For example, they can change a port if they want to. They can drop a port.”
Passengers with problems can check their credit card for any travel protections and try filing a dispute that way. They can also take their case to small claims court or file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
Lynda made a call for action the day before the ship was set to sail.
ABC Action News emailed Holland America, which quickly offered to give both couples full credit for the trip so they could reschedule their trip at a later date.
Holland America responded to ABC Action News in an email.
Our ship, Nieuw Amsterdam, experienced a technical issue with the Azipod propulsion system. While this did not affect the safety of our guests, it needed to be repaired before leaving port and resulted in a change in itinerary. Our Guest Relations team worked with the Nugent family to make arrangements for a future cruise instead of sailing on this voyage. The team plans to work with the O'Claray family to reach a similar solution.
