Cruizer
Staff Captain
Carnival Cruise Lines left about 300 passengers behind in San Juan Sunday when approaching Hurricane Irene forced it to depart the island early. But unlike Royal Caribbean, which faced a similar problem, Carnival put all the passengers up in hotels and offered to fly them to the next port.
Royal Caribbean, which left 145 passengers behind, only accommodated the 15 who had purchased their airfare through the cruise line.
Carnival leaves 300 passengers in San Juan, but offers hotel and transport to next port - USATODAY.com
Royal Caribbean strands 145 passengers in San Juan when Irene forces early departure - USATODAY.comOf the 145 guests left behind, 15 of them had purchased their airfare through the cruise line and were given hotel accommodations Sunday and Monday night, and flown to Aruba on Tuesday to catch up with their seven-day cruise. The other 130 were left on their own.
"Independent guests were advised of hotel availability in the area, but the expense was on them given that it was a weather-related event," Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said in a statement.