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Dad Says His Baby Caused Them To Get Kicked Off A Cruise — Leaving Them Stranded Off The Coast Of Africa

Her first thanksgiving was spent in a foreign country..

• Megan Quinn

Written on Dec 07, 2022

When you embark on a cruise vacation, you may never imagine being kicked off of the ship mid-voyage and stranded in a foreign country. 

However, this is exactly what one man and his family experienced due to a computer error on the cruise line’s behalf. 

The family were left stranded on Thanksgiving after being kicked off the cruise.

The man and his family were asked to leave the a cruise ship after it was discovered that their infant daughter traveling with them did not meet the age requirement to travel. 

In a TikTok video that has been viewed over 1 million times, father Scott Raia shares that he and his family were kicked off of a Princess Cruise ship due to his infant daughter Lucy’s age. 

“This is the story of how this baby got kicked off a cruise ship this week on her first Thanksgiving,” Raia says as he holds his daughter. 

RELATED:  Mom & Baby Escorted Off Plane After Refusing To Fasten Seatbelts For Landing — Pilot Forced To Delay Descent

Raia explains that he and his family boarded the Regal Princess Cruise ship for a vacation across the Atlantic Ocean to Florida from Europe. 

Three days into their voyage, guest services approached Raia and his family. 

“They said that there was a computer system error that misidentified Lucy’s age,” he says. 

The cruise line had a minimum age requirement of 12 months for a transatlantic voyage — making Lucy too young for the ship. 

Since the family had already been on the cruise for a few days with no issues and it was an error on the cruise line’s behalf, they were unprepared for what happened next. 

“They kicked our family off on the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa,” Raia claims. 

“So this little baby and her family spent our first Thanksgiving together stranded in a foreign country.” 

At this time, Raia says that his family has yet to receive refunds, expenses paid for their time in the Canary Islands, and an apology from Princess Cruises. 

RELATED:  Woman Claims She Was Kicked Off Plane After Flight Attendants Mistook Her Eczema For Monkeypox

TikTok users expressed their shock and anger over the situation in the comments. 

“They let a baby ON the ship so how can they just decide three days in?? What in the world,” one user commented. 

“It’s not safe for you to be on this cruise ship, we’re just gonna drop you off at this Island. Bon voyage!’ that’s not how you treat a tiny princess,” another user pointed out. 

Other users suggested Raia hire a lawyer to ensure that he gets his money back. 

“If all documentation shows her age and they had her passport… lawyer up,” one user urged. 

Raia posted a follow-up video in response to a user asking why he did not see the age requirements on the cruise’s website prior to booking the trip. 

RELATED:  Dad Asks If He's Wrong For Calling His Sleeping Wife When He Sees Their Toddler Is Awake Via Baby Camera App

Raia shared that he is a former Princess cruise employee, and he booked the trip through a stand-by cruise program. 

“Of course, we did not lie about the baby’s age,” he adds. “We gave them the correct date of birth and we uploaded her passport. It was a computer system error that didn’t catch it.” 

Raia also praised guest services on the ship for their “kindness” and dedication to doing everything in their power to keep the family on board. 

The decision to boot them was made by representatives of the company Princess Cruises itself. 

RELATED:  Flight Attendant Confronts Woman Holding Baby After Allegedly Smelling Alcohol & Ends Up In Aggressive Tussle

Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.    

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Family kicked off first Mediterranean cruise after violating new health protocols

A family traveling on the first major cruise ship to resume sailings in the Mediterranean since the coronavirus shutdown began has been kicked off the vessel after violating new health protocols.

The unnamed passengers on the MSC Cruises flagship MSC Grandiosa were on a cruise ship-sponsored shore excursion on Tuesday in Naples, Italy , when they separated from the group to explore the city on their own, according to the line.

Under the line's new coronavirus-related health and safety rules , passengers are not allowed to get off in ports unless they on an official, MSC Cruises-organized shore excursion with a guide, and they must be accompanied at all times. They are not allowed to stray from the group.

For more cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's new cruise newsletter

The rule is designed to limit the amount of interaction that passengers have with locals in port towns, which MSC Cruises believes will help keep passengers from bringing COVID-19 back on board ships after port visits. The rule also is designed to protect port town residents from the risk of passengers spreading the illness while touring.

"In line with our health and safety protocol, developed to ensure health and wellbeing of our guests, crew and the communities we visit, we had to deny re-embarkation to a family who broke from their shore excursion yesterday," MSC Cruises said in a statement sent to The Points Guy. "By departing from the organized shore excursion, this family broke from the "social bubble" created for them and all other guests, and therefore could not be permitted to re-board the ship."

MSC Cruises noted that the buses used for tours are sanitized, and tour guides and drivers undergo health screenings and wear personal protective equipment. The tours also are designed for social distancing, the line said.

Once a passenger departs from that protective "bubble," it's impossible to know if they have been in contact with someone who is positive for COVID-19, the line has suggested.

Related: How to book a cruise with points and miles

MSC Grandiosa departed Genoa, Italy, on Sunday, becoming the first cruise ship to sail out of Italy since March. The 4,842-passenger vessel, which is sailing at a significantly reduced capacity to allow for social distancing, is on a seven-night voyage to Civitavecchia (the port for Rome ), Naples and Palermo in Italy; and Valletta, Malta.

A second MSC Cruises ship, the 2,550-passenger MSC Magnifica, will resume cruises in the Mediterranean on Aug. 29 with seven-night sailings out of Bari and Trieste, Italy, to the Greek ports of Corfu, Katakolon and Piraeus (the port for Athens ).

MSC Cruises is the first major cruise line to resume sailings in the Mediterranean since the coronavirus shutdown began. The trips are starting after Italy announced earlier this month that it would allow cruises to resume out of Italian ports .

Italy has been recording fewer than 500 new coronavirus cases on most days for several months, down from more than 5,000 a day earlier this year.

Cruising also has resumed in a small way in other parts of the world in the past two months, but most major cruise lines around the world remain completely shut down for now.

The no-touring-on-your-own restriction at MSC Cruises is one of several measures the line is implementing to ensure COVID-19 doesn't spread during voyages.

The line also is requiring passengers to undergo a COVID-19 swab test at their embarkation port on the day of embarkation and daily temperature checks while on board. Passengers who test positive for COVID-19 at embarkation or show symptoms of the illness will be denied boarding.

Related: More cruise lines are eyeing preboarding COVID tests

MSC Cruises said that five passengers initially tested positive for COVID-19 when boarding MSC Grandiosa on Sunday. But a subsequent secondary test using a type of testing that is considered to be more accurate came back negative for all five of the passengers, and they were allowed to board.

Additional resources for cruisers during the coronavirus outbreak:

• When will cruising resume? A line-by-line guide
• Why you shouldn't expect bargain-basement cruise deals anytime soon
• How to cancel or postpone a cruise due to coronavirus
• Expecting a refund for a canceled cruise? Here's how long it will take
• Some of the year's hottest new ships could be delayed
• Stream these 13 movies, television shows to get your cruise ship fix

• Princess Cruises

family kicked off Princess ship in the canary islands with baby.

By Illbcruzn4life , December 9, 2022 in Princess Cruises

Recommended Posts

Illbcruzn4life

Baby And Her Family Are Kicked Off Cruise Due To A Technicality And TikTok Responds (yahoo.com)

Don't know if this is old news or not but looked through the first 3 pages and didn't see anything.

Link to comment

Share on other sites.

I'd like to hear more on Princess' side of the story - like why they had to reverse course mid-voyage?  Also, IDK why people are using a social media App owned by the CCP when they could have contacted PCL directly or posted on their Facebook page if they wanted more public to see it.  They could have contacted Reuters or AP.  You couldn't pay me to use Tik-Tok.

The family booked a standby fare (IE crew) and bypassed the age requirements for trans-ocean cruising for their daughter.  He knew what he was doing and knew how to get around the restrictions.  He didn't think he'd be called out; Then when he was, it's 'all the cruise lines fault' for not catching them when boarding.  Good gawds, take responsibility for your own actions.   

shipfriend_max

Right decision by Princess! There’s reasons why there’s a certain minimum age. If the family managed to bypass these requirements but it has been found out later by the cruise line it’s just the right consequence to kick them off the ship without any compensation. Their fault. Think before acting. Would have done the same in Princess Cruises’ situation.

No apologizes.

It’s even my opinion that cruises should have a general minimum age of 12 or -6 years.

The person involved posted here on the Family Cruises page last Saturday.  Did not get any sympathy.  Joined CC at 2:04 and posted at 2:10.  EM

41 minutes ago, Essiesmom said: The person involved posted here on the Family Cruises page last Saturday.  Did not get any sympathy.  Joined CC at 2:04 and posted at 2:10.  EM

And has not posted again!

Here is the url (not many posts) in case anyone is interested.

4 hours ago, Steelers36 said: I'd like to hear more on Princess' side of the story - like why they had to reverse course mid-voyage?  Also, IDK why people are using a social media App owned by the CCP when they could have contacted PCL directly or posted on their Facebook page if they wanted more public to see it.  They could have contacted Reuters or AP.  You couldn't pay me to use Tik-Tok.

I’ve seen it on the Princess Twitter account, and their Facebook page as well if I remember correctly. They are posting it all over

31 minutes ago, ontheweb said: And has not posted again!   Here is the url (not many posts) in case anyone is interested.    

Before the 2018 changes on CC you could click on a members avatar and see when they last viewed CC.  You could see if a poster ever came back to read replies.  I really miss that feature.  EM

28 minutes ago, Essiesmom said: Before the 2018 changes on CC you could click on a members avatar and see when they last viewed CC.  You could see if a poster ever came back to read replies.  I really miss that feature.  EM

Maybe you could make the suggestion that they bring back that feature.

The most we can see now is that there has been no second post.

1 hour ago, ontheweb said: And has not posted again!   Here is the url (not many posts) in case anyone is interested.    

Thanks for posting that. Like they say there are always 3 sides to a story. 😀

2 hours ago, ontheweb said: And has not posted again!   Here is the url (not many posts) in case anyone is interested.    

Thanks for sharing.   A lesson learned, I hope.

LACruiser88

The family were across the hall from us on the Regal in an inside cabin.  We actually rode a shuttle with them and they told us their daughter was 9 months old and that they were from Alaska.  

We saw them being moved out of their cabin mid-cruise and thought they were being upgraded.

I understand it is ultimately the responsibility of the cruiser to know the policies of the cruise lines to travel with them but how does someone "bypass" the age requirement to have their child sail?  Not taking sides just curious.  Is it factual that the family gave a fake date for their child and that they knew what they were doing so they could take the cruise?  If because of ignorance of the age policy they did give the correct date I would assume Princess would catch it pre-cruise, seems like when you input the birthdate you'd get an error message or it would get flagged somehow.  Again not taking sides.

IMHO, Princess should not have let them board in the first place. Since they did, IMHO, Princess should be responsible for getting them home.

If they maintain they were not aware of the policy of the child had to be at least 1 year old for their particular itinerary, I wonder if they might have learned that if they had used a cruise specialist TA.

I know it can be found if they had carefully read the cruise contract, but really how many of us actually carefully read every detail of the contract?

Seems to me that the child should not have been able to board. The information was all with Princess prior to boarding. Once on board the child should have been allowed to stay on board.

Good stuff here (sorta).

The family was refunded their cruise expenses

and reimbursed for travel home by Princess

the father @scottraia

posts on TikTok

51 minutes ago, 1025cruise said: IMHO, Princess should not have let them board in the first place. Since they did, IMHO, Princess should be responsible for getting them home.

It's possible the parents provided an inaccurate birthdate, no?

47 minutes ago, ontheweb said:   I know it can be found if they had carefully read the cruise contract, but really how many of us actually carefully read every detail of the contract?

I would carefully read the contract when there is something specific I need to know, like how old does my infant child have to be to go on a specific cruise.  The father keeps saying he didn't read the entire "13,000 word document" but when you need the answer to a specific question, you need to read only that section, not the whole thing.

I agree that Princess should have caught it when booking and certainly when boarding, but the family is equally at fault.  I have to wonder if they were just trying to get away with it.  

BTW, I too was on that cruise but didn't have any knowledge of the situation.  At least he's finally referring to them as the Canary Islands, and not some remote islands in Africa.

A lot of speculation on intent of the parents and if they knew and were trying to circumvent the policy or it was an honest mistake that perhaps Princess should have caught.  The truth will not be found on CC or TikTok, my personal opinion is both parties share some blame here. Of course as a traveler especially with international travel you should be pretty sure of what the restrictions are when traveling with an infant.  Having dealt with Princess's customer service it is completely believable to me that he could of received bad info or conflicting info.  I do have a hard time understanding how this wasn't caught pre-cruise, unless in fact he deliberately used a false birthdate.

Coming back to this thread topic, I am a little confused as to why there was a problem in the first place.

At this URL --  https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/onboard-experience/kids-and-teens/  -- on Princess website, it states the following: 

Making Our Youngest Voyagers Feel Right at Home

Princess welcomes babies, toddlers and preschoolers to the world of cruising with services and amenities that make life easier for their families as well. These young guests are welcome in Camp Discovery when accompanied by a parent. Mini-Suites and Full Suites offer full-sized bath tubs, and wash bins for showers are available. Staterooms with balconies are perfect for naptime. You can request high chairs, booster seats and cribs. We also provide complimentary jarred baby food. And fresh, pureed foods (fruits, veggies and rice) are available in the main dining room, specialty restaurants, and Horizon Court or World Fresh Marketplace.

ETA:  So, I examined the general Passage Contract and here is the relevant section:

5. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS; DRINKING; TOBACCO; GAMING; ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES.

The minimum Guest age to sail is 6 months at the time of embarkation in order to sail.  On all other cruises where there are more than 2 consecutive sea days, the minimum Guest age is 12 months at the time of embarkation in order to sail. No Guest under 21 years of age is permitted to book a cruise, and any Guest under 21 years of age must travel in a stateroom with a Guest 21 years or older who shall assume responsibility for their care during the cruise. For family groups booking multiple staterooms, the minimum age for at least one person in each stateroom is 16 years of age, provided they are traveling with a parent or legal guardian.  

Of course, the last line is often broken when parents have two kids next door or across the hall.  At least unofficially.

I was not aware there was a minimum age difference for extended days at sea.  But then I never needed to be aware either.

9 hours ago, Steelers36 said: I'd like to hear more on Princess' side of the story - like why they had to reverse course mid-voyage?  Also, IDK why people are using a social media App owned by the CCP when they could have contacted PCL directly or posted on their Facebook page if they wanted more public to see it.  They could have contacted Reuters or AP.  You couldn't pay me to use Tik-Tok.

Now I understand more.  The baby was not allowed on board by age.

Could the age limit have anything to do with the on board medical faculty and so many sea days?

Being at sea so so many days, mabe medical is not equipped to hand a baby that young.

55 minutes ago, JeffT237 said: A lot of speculation on intent of the parents and if they knew and were trying to circumvent the policy or it was an honest mistake that perhaps Princess should have caught.  The truth will not be found on CC or TikTok, my personal opinion is both parties share some blame here. Of course as a traveler especially with international travel you should be pretty sure of what the restrictions are when traveling with an infant.  Having dealt with Princess's customer service it is completely believable to me that he could of received bad info or conflicting info.  I do have a hard time understanding how this wasn't caught pre-cruise, unless in fact he deliberately used a false birthdate.

If in fact they used a false birthdate how would they get onto the ship when they gave their daughters passport at check in?

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Missing American teen who left cruise ship at German port found safe in a city more than 100 miles away

A 14-year-old American boy missing for three days after he walked away from a Caribbean Princess cruise ship at a German port was found safe Saturday, police and a family member said.

Aydin Brown had been on the cruise with his grandmother, but left the ship after its scheduled stop at Rostock-Warnemünde on Thursday morning, authorities said.

Rostock city police said in a statement that the teenager was found about 10 p.m. Saturday in the city of Brandenburg, which is about 120 miles south of the port.

"Intensive investigations and the analysis of technical data led the Rostock criminal police to track down the youth, who had been staying near Potsdam," the Rostock department said.

Potsdam is a city adjacent to Brandenburg. Both are just west of Berlin. A family member of Brown's provided initial confirmation late Saturday that the teen had been found safe.

Authorities said a 19-year-old who Brown apparently had arranged to meet was with him Saturday night. "There is no evidence of a criminal offense," Rostock police said in their statement.

Earlier Saturday, state and local police distributed three new photos of Brown as their search continued. Two of the photos, captured from security video, included an unknown man who appeared to be speaking with Brown. In an earlier statement, Rostock municipal police said they wanted to identify him as they searched for the missing teen.

Princess Cruises said in a statement late Saturday that Brown had been reunited with family and thanked German authorities for finding the teenager.

“We are delighted that Aydin Brown has been found safe and sound,” the cruise line said in a statement Saturday. “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to German authorities for their swift response and exceptional efforts in locating Aydin after he disembarked in Warnemunde last Thursday morning.”

Brown’s grandmother left the ship Thursday night amid the first hours of the search for Brown, Princess Cruises said on Friday, and the company flew his mother to Germany.

According to cruise ship tracker CruiseMapper , the 12-day journey travels the Baltic Sea, with destinations that include Copenhagen, Denmark, and Stockholm, Sweden. The round-trip cruise started in Southampton, England, on June 30 and was scheduled to return on July 12, according to the site.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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Pregnant woman, denied entry to Disney cruise at PortMiami due to company policy

PORT MIAMI, Fla. (WSVN) — An expecting mother is speaking out days after she and her family were not allowed to board a Disney cruise at PortMiami because of a corporate policy involving pregnant women.

Twenty-two-year-old Emily Jackson spoke to 7News via Skype to share her side of the story.

She said she was excited about going on what promised to be a dream vacation last week, but the experience quickly turned into a nightmare.

“From the time we walked in the door, my dad made the comment that they were treating us like second-class citizens,” she said. “They were treating us like trash.”

The nine travelers arrived at PortMiami for their cruise, but they were told they could not board because she’s 25 weeks pregnant.

“Disney’s police is 24 weeks,” said Jackson.

Indeed, Disney Cruise Line’s website states , “Women who have entered their 24th week of pregnancy as of their embarkation date or who will enter their 24th week of pregnancy during the cruise will be refused passage due to safety concerns. Neither a doctor’s medical statement nor a waiver of liability will be accepted.”

But Jackson claims she did not take issue with the policy.

“I understand that they have to enforce their policy,” she said. “I wasn’t trying to change their policy. I had accepted, once I found that, yes, I was too far [along] for their policy. I was just floored by how they treated us after that point.”

While her father spoke with Disney representatives about getting their luggage back, which was already on the ship, she said he became impatient and asked, “Can we hurry up?” That’s when they said “armed guards” approached the family.

Cellphone video captured the family being escorted off the premises by an armed Miami-Dade Police officer who asked them to wait outside.

Jackson documented the entire ordeal and posted it on YouTube.

She said she was especially heartbroken by her child’s reaction. “My daughter kept saying, ‘See Mickey and Minnie,’ and she didn’t understand why we weren’t going where everyone else was going and we were taking her outside,” she said.

Her husband, Kyle Jackson, said he was also bothered by how his loved ones were treated. “[I have a] big issue with bringing out the guard. That’s not necessary for people who are not causing harm or damaging things, throwing things across the room,” he said. “That’s just unacceptable behavior on their part.”

Disney Cruise Line spokesperson Cynthia Martinez released a statement that reads, “While we understand the guests’ disappointment with not being able to board the ship, for health and safety reasons, our policy does not allow women who have reached the 24th week of pregnancy to travel, which is consistent with other cruise lines and is noted on our website and in travel documents our guests receive before sailing. The Miami-Dade Police Department is responsible for security at the port and handled the situation as they felt appropriate given the guest’s actions.”

Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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