Aldeburgh couple's claim over 'disastrous' cruise dismissed

A district judge dismissed Hilly and Andy Mills' compensation claim

A couple have told a court their £13,000 "holiday of a lifetime" turned into a "disaster".

Hilly Mills, 79, and her husband Andy, 88, from Aldeburgh, Suffolk, took legal action against Royal Caribbean Cruises after their trip in January 2018.

However, their case was dismissed by District Judge Simon Mitchell.

He said: "It's unfortunate this holiday of a lifetime turned out to be far from that but everybody who goes on a trip takes a risk."

Mr and Mrs Mills booked the 14-day Antarctic cruise two years in advance, Ipswich County Court heard.

It cost the couple £4,798 each plus flights and hotels, and they had tried to claim for compensation to cover the cost of the cruise fare.

Gesture of goodwill

Their trip started in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was advertised to include stops at Ushuaia and Puerto Madryn plus Port Stanley on the Falkland Islands, the court heard.

At the last minute, the couple were told Celebrity Infinity had engine problems which meant it would have to travel more slowly and at least one stop would be cancelled.

The court heard the cruise was affected by "adverse weather" conditions, which prevented the Port Stanley stop and delayed the Ushuaia visit.

Asela Wijeyaratne, for the cruise company, said the changes constituted as "minor" and passengers were given onboard credit as a "gesture of goodwill" for the cancelled stop.

However, Mrs Mills, who represented herself, described the trip as a "disaster".

She said: "We were put at risk, with the storm and the fact the boat was struggling along with one engine."