British Couple Removed From Cruise Ship Over Missing Passport

A British couple has called out Regent Seven Seas Cruises, alleging they were “treated like pieces of meat” while being kicked off of their dream sailing after one of their passports was stolen this past April.

According to The Sun, 70-year-old Chris Crook and his 63-year-old wife, Sarah, spent $12,500 on the all-inclusive cruise but had complaints before they were even taken off of the Seven Seas Explorer.

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“The whole thing was plagued with difficulties because of the weather. They were pretty cavalier in telling us that we couldn’t go to some ports because of the weather,” Crook told The Sun. “I felt that because it was all-inclusive they were very ‘take it or leave it’ with the ports as you paid for it all in advance. Many of our ports such as Menorca and Monte Carlo were canceled, which I was really looking forward to visiting.”

However, it wasn’t until a stop in Rome when Crook’s bag containing his passport was stolen that things allegedly went from bad to worse. The couple reported the theft at a local police station before arriving back to the ship in time for departure.

“I wasn’t anticipating any difficulty as I had to show my passport to get onto the ship and would have all the details. I also had a copy of it so there was no doubt I had one,” said Crook. “No sooner than I said it was stolen and that I had no second form of ID, they said ‘well then you have to get off the ship.'”

The couple was escorted back to their cabin to pack their belongings, removed from the ship and forced to remain in Rome for five days waiting for Crook’s emergency travel documents, shelling out more than $1,250 in extra costs. Some of the money was claimed back through their travel insurance.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises confirmed the incident, pointing out that the decision was handed down by Italian authorities.

“The decision to not allow the guests to sail with us comes from the Italian immigration authorities,” the cruise line explained in a letter to the couple’s travel agent. “Regent Seven Seas Cruises are obliged to comply with all Immigration authorities, Maritime Law and International Law where we require passports for all travelers for all voyages, regardless of guests’ nationality and ports of call and countries visited. Unfortunately, passport cards or a copy of a passport are not accepted.”

“It was with regret that following the theft of his passport in Rome, Mr. Chris Crook had to disembark Seven Seas Explorer on April 23, 2019,” a cruise line spokesperson said in a statement to The Sun. “Both Mr. Crook and Regent Seven Seas Cruises are of course required to comply with the decisions made by the authorities.”

The spokesperson also said the cruise line assisted the couple during their unexpected stay in the Italian capital.

“Following their disembarkation we had contact with Mr. and Mrs. Crook during their time in Rome and our ground agents assisted them with their stay as well as their passport application with the British Embassy.”

Last year, an elderly American couple was kicked off a Holland America Line voyage for lacking the necessary visas to enter China. Another passenger claimed he was removed from a Norwegian Cruise Line sailing after getting into a verbal altercation with a crew member last year.