Cruise holiday damages from Cunard Line

When Terence and Cynthia Milner from Leeds, sued Cunard Lines after their £59,000 “once in a lifetime” holiday on the maiden cruise of the Queen Victoria was disrupted, they probably weren’t expected to make legal history. But they did.

The Milners complained that their cruise was beset by sleepless nights and stormy conditions and their treatment by staff on the Queen Victoria led to stress and mouth ulcers.

It began when they complained about their noisy cabin – it had a metal floor that ‘twanged’ in rough seas, so they were offered what they described as an inside cabin that had constant engine noise. Then, after further complaints, they were upgraded to the penthouse suite but they said that they felt unhappy because they knew the suite had been booked for later segments of the round the world cruise and they couldn’t face having to move cabins again. As a result, the couple opted to stay in a luxury resort in Honolulu and sail back on the QE2 rather than continue on the £270 million liner to Southampton and Singapore. Despite receiving a £48,240 refund, they sued for “loss of enjoyment” and received £22,000 damages at Skipton County Court.

Mrs Milner spent £4,300 on ball gowns to wear during the 15-week holiday but the couple abandoned the cruise after only six weeks, leaving the dresses unworn. Cunard has accepted that the couple were unable to sleep on the first two nights of their voyage and told the court that the vessel was designed to flex in bad weather, as a safety feature. The costs awarded are being appealed by Cunard, who have been told they should pay for the wasted clothing costs, plus an amount to the couple for distress and disappointment and a further sum for the loss in value of the holiday on top of an 80% refund of the cost of the cruise.