Over 100 passengers from Singapore were left stranded at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre, Singapore on Sunday (4 September) after they were informed that the cruise ship Genting Dream were overbooked.
The cruise was due to depart Singapore on Sunday (4 September), call at Port Klang on Monday, Penang on Tuesday, and back to Singapore on Wednesday, before returning to Port Klang on Thursday.
On Monday (5 September), passengers from Malaysia were also told the same and were denied boarding at the Port Klang cruise terminal, but it is not clear how many were affected.
In the end, the disappointed holidaymakers who were holding on to the tickets had to go return home as the rooms were full and they could not board the ship nor check in at all.
Speaking to Straits Times, Sophia Soo, who was one of those affected, said she was supposed to sail from Port Klang on Monday with 48 other family members and friends.
However, she received news of the overbooking from a relative on Saturday (3 September) night. She said her relative, who made the booking for the group, had received a call from RWC asking her to change the date of the booking as the cruise had been overbooked.
“The first thing that came to mind was how unbelievable this was when she told me the cruise had been overbooked,” Soo said, adding that she is puzzled why the company only informed them 2 days before departure.
Meanwhile, another disappointed passenger has taken to Facebook to express her disappointment over the company’s announcement.
The netizen said now that the borders are open, she wanted to bring her children along for a trip, but did not expect that it would turn sour.
“We have really busy schedules and because of the trip, we had to move things around to make sure that the trip is smooth sailing. Who would’ve thought that you would receive a call 2 days before the trip saying that it’s cancelled?” she said.
“I made the booking 2 months ago and fully paid for it that day itself. I received my cruise tickets and now you tell me it’s overbooked. If it is overbooked, then don’t take my money, at least I would have time to plan another trip for the kids.”
In a statement, Resorts World Cruises (RWC) confirmed the incident and said that all affected guests will receive a full refund.
In addition, they will also be given a complimentary cruise on the Genting Dream for sailings before 28 April 2023, subject to cabin availability.
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