Transport links throughout the UK and much of Europe are crippled by the big freeze. Heathrow and Gatwick struggle to clear their runways, and queues snake round the streets of London as passengers hope to stake their claim to a seat on a Eurostar train to Paris. (I’d love to hear John Heald’s take on that, by the way, but I digress).
Spare a thought, then, for the unfortunate people who had hoped to be spending their Christmas cruising the South American coast on board MSC Musica.
The seven-day voyage, which was due to depart from Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, was cancelled because the ship’s air conditioning is not working. Temperatures in Rio are in the mid-80s at this time of year, and the forecast was for highs in the 90s during visits to Recife and San Salvador.
So MSC called off the trip in order to carry out repairs and “to avoid any discomfort to the passengers.” In return for a ruined Christmas, they will receive a full refund and a 50 per cent discount on a future cruise.
The four-year-old ship is expected to be back in service in time for its next cruise, scheduled to depart on December 26. Musica, which carries 2,550 passengers, will be in South America until April, when it returns to Europe for a season of cruises to the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean.
About the Author: John Honeywell
John Honeywell is a travel writer specialising in cruise ships and cruise travel. Winner of CLIA UK's Contribution to Cruise award 2017.
Again…oh new is better NOT!!!!!how many of the older ships have you heard the aéc broke down..not too many. They new ships are being built way too fast and im sure corners are being cut. hense engine fires, air conditioning problems, engines breaking down, and these are from the new generation ships, not too mention that f?&n Sapphire Princess which has killed 3 humpback whales in two seasons. this is unacceptable barr this ship from alaskan waters period.
please bring back the smaller ships that did not have a huge impact on the enviroment..
we had no whale killings until these mega lego block ships cruised the inside passage and around alaska, they are too big. keep them out….