A family experienced heartbreak after being denied boarding on their anticipated cruise vacation.
Shannon Nutting meticulously planned a surprise journey for her children, starting the arrangements as early as November 2023.
She and her family made the eight-hour drive from North Carolina to Port Canaveral, Florida, where they were set to embark on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Upon arrival, Shannon revealed the thrilling surprise to her family.
“My 9-year-old was so excited, she was speechless and started crying,” Shannon shared with ABC11.
However, the excitement soon turned to disappointment.
While checking in, Shannon presented her disabled son’s student ID as identification, something she had been assured would be accepted.
Despite this assurance, the Royal Caribbean staff did not allow them to board.
“He said, unfortunately, you’re not going to be able to board today because the school ID is not acceptable,” Shannon recounted.
“So, I explained to him that we had talked to Royal Caribbean, and they had assured us that the school ID was valid, and I was upset by that point, crying, so I asked could I speak to a supervisor.”
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Upon consulting the supervisor, Shannon explained her teenage son’s special needs, which prevented him from having a state-issued ID.
She mentioned having confirmed with Royal Caribbean beforehand about using the student ID, but the supervisor did not permit boarding.
As a result, Shannon and her children couldn’t board and watched as the ship departed without them.
Reflecting on the situation, Shannon expressed: “All that year of saving and paying on it, everybody was just heartbroken and devastated. Everybody was exhausted.
“I did not want to get on the road for eight hours and travel back I-95 with four kids by myself and my babysitter.”
Remaining in Florida, Shannon addressed the issue with her travel agent.
Royal Caribbean issued an apology, attributing the mishap to human error, and acknowledged that Shannon and her family should have been able to board.
Initially, they proposed flying to Cozumel to catch the ship, but Shannon opted to stay in Florida instead.
According to ABC 11, Royal Caribbean provided Shannon with three options: use the paid amount as a 100 percent credit for a future cruise plus a $700 onboard credit; receive a full refund; or get a full refund plus a 25 percent future cruise credit.
Commenting on the options, Shannon stated: “We wanted the money for the cruise back and the expenses. The expenses that we had for traveling to Florida while we were there for meals, gas, the lodging, and all of that.”
A Royal Caribbean representative mentioned that additional training has been given to port staff to avoid similar issues in the future.