P&O Cruises Says No Compensation After Britan...

Passengers who sailed on P&O Cruises Britannia throughout its vacation December 26, 2025, New 12 months’s Caribbean cruise are indignant, and rightfully so.

The cruise line knowledgeable them that no refunds or compensation can be issued following important itinerary modifications tied to a technical failure, together with an prolonged keep in Barbados and the cancellation of a number of ports of name.

In a letter addressed to visitors and signed by P&O Cruises Visitor Relations, the cruise line confirmed its place in writing, stating no refunds or compensation can be offered because of the amended itinerary.

The letter triggered an immediate backlash from affected visitors, a lot of whom mentioned they felt the cruise line did not take accountability for a scenario they believed was inside P&O Cruises’ management.

“So, P&O usually are not going to take any accountability and provides something in compensation? First and final time I’ll use them,” mentioned one passenger.

One other described the monetary and emotional affect the cruise had on her household, saying they’d spent £15k on the holiday and have been, “Fully disgusted with P&O.”

The visitor added that passengers deserve extra transparency, saying they need an in depth rationalization of the mechanical issues that led to the disruption, in addition to a breakdown of what went improper and why info from the crew was so restricted.

In a separate onboard letter dated January 8, 2026, P&O Cruises acknowledged passenger frustration and apologized for the disruption, stating, “On behalf of all of us on Britannia and at P&O Cruise, we want to apologize and thanks in your endurance following the latest itinerary modifications and the surprising diversion to Barbados attributable to a technical concern.”

The letter emphasised that visitors solely missed two calls and had one alternative port, highlighting the additional time in Barbados meant extra time to find its vibrant tradition, gorgeous seashores, and heat hospitality.

They suggested passengers looking for reimbursement for missed ports ought to flip to their journey insurance coverage suppliers.

“Should you want to make a declare along with your journey insurance coverage supplier for the missed ports of name, please retain a replica of this letter in your data,” the cruise line suggested.

This didn’t assist the scenario, with passengers questioning why they have been being directed to journey insurance coverage and noting the surprising further days at sea and homeport resulted within the vessel working out of meals and beverage provisions, additionally affecting the expertise.

“This shouldn’t be for our insurance coverage to cowl. It’s a failing from P&O to supply what was paid for,” mentioned a visitor, evaluating the scenario to airline refunds when flights are cancelled attributable to mechanical failure.

What Occurred Aboard Britannia?

Britannia, carrying greater than 3,600 passengers, set sail on a 16-night New 12 months’s Cruise from Bridgetown, Barbados, on December 26, 2025.

Though the cruise started in excessive spirits and with profitable calls in Grenada and Curaçao, its December 31, 2025, cease in Aruba was scrapped attributable to forecasted excessive winds. Company onboard spent the night having fun with a sea day as a substitute.

Learn Additionally: What You Should Know About Cruise Port Cancellations

However, the scenario escalated when a technical concern emerged, requiring pressing repairs and prompting the ship to slowly return to Barbados, with one passenger saying the 143,000-gross-ton vessel was “limping again” to its homeport.

Britannia arrived in Barbados on January 3, 2026, and remained there till late January 5 for repairs, protecting visitors in Bridgetown for 3 further days.

The disruption led to the cancellation of visiting St. Lucia in addition to Antigua, which was changed with a name to Martinique on January 6.

In whole, Britannia spent six of 16 days in Barbados, 5 days at sea, and 5 days on different Caribbean islands.

On the similar time, P&O Cruises was additionally coping with the aftermath of a US navy strike on Venezuela that compelled Caribbean airspace to close down for twenty-four hours. The closure compelled the cruise line to reschedule or concern refunds to 5,000 fly-cruise guests crusing on Arvia.