Norwegian Cruise Lines passengers offered free trip after construction ruined their time at sea

Norwegian Cruise Lines is offering a hearty apology to passengers, including people from B.C., of a March 16 cruise aboard the Norwegian Sun vessel after construction ruined their time at sea.

In a statement to Global News, Norwegian Cruise Lines said it is offering a free trip to passengers who were guests on the vessel as it travelled from Miami to Los Angeles via the Panama Canal.

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The company is offering passengers on that trip a “100 per cent free cruise credit” with their fare paid from now through to March 31, 2023.

“We realize that this gesture cannot replace their recent experience but do hope to have the opportunity to welcome them on board agains soon,” the statement said.

READ MORE: B.C. travellers say trip of a lifetime ruined by work on Norwegian Cruise Line ship

Passengers aboard the Norwegian Sun complained that refitting work was taking place throughout their trip, which forced the closure of restaurants, blocked hallways and produced chemical odours on the vessel.

“There were even workers in hazmat suits, so it made us wonder what we were actually inhaling from all the sanding that they were doing,” said passenger Trish Vale, who said she and 10 other family members spent $70,000 in total on what they hoped would be the vacation of a lifetime.

Video from the cruise showed dust piling up on a bar and passengers complaining of noise and fumes in a hallway.

“You couldn’t even go to your cabin for relief,” Vale said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "You couldn't even go to your cabin for relief," Vale said.

“I had fumes in my room from all the resurfacing that they were doing.”

Norwegian Cruise Lines had initially offered the upset passengers a 25 per cent discount on a future cruise, which Vale said wasn’t good enough.

In making its new offer to the passengers, the company said Norwegian Sun was undergoing enhancements in order to maximize the customer experience, but admitted that the sailing didn’t meet its own standards.

“We realize that this gesture cannot replace their recent experience but do hope to have the opportunity to welcome them on board again soon,” a statement said.