TikTok video of disgruntled NCL guest goes viral

15.02.2024 - 22:44 / travelweekly.com

Norwegian Cruise Line's decision to change its itinerary to no longer cruise by the Antarctica mainland has been met with a viral video discouraging travelers from sailing with NCL.

The Norwegian Star departed Buenos Aires on Feb. 4, sailing a 14-day voyage that was to include Paradise Bay near the Antarctica mainland. The schedule was then changed to instead sail 200 miles north to Admiralty Bay near Antarctica's South Shetland Islands.

A guest, who said she and other guests were not alerted to the change until after the sailing began, took her complaints to TikTok under the handle @ruinedvacation. She posted a video that has since gone viral with 3.4 million views and drawn mass-media attention.

She contends the line changed the description of the trip to no longer mention Antarctica and pulled the visit to Paradise Bay off the itinerary. She said NCL offered little to no explanation for the change of itinerary other than it was due to "operational reasons."

An NCL spokesperson told Travel Weekly that the itinerary was changed to give guests more time in Stanley, the Falkland Islands' capital city.

"While we try to maintain original itineraries as much as possible, at times modifications are made to optimize the itinerary or to accommodate certain circumstances," the spokesperson said. "To enhance the guest experience, the ship's current itinerary was revised to allow more time for guests to explore Stanley, Falkland Islands. As such, the cruise by Paradise Bay, Antarctica was replaced with a cruise by Admiralty Bay, Antarctica. In addition, due to a recent regulatory requirement in the area, the ship is operating at a reduced speed, also impacting its original itinerary."

For the 2023-24 Antarctica season, the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators implemented regulations that require a mandatory 10-knot speed restriction to protect whales in geofenced areas in the Gerlache Strait and South Shetland Islands. IAATO committed to implement those measures in 2021.