A family was left in tears after being denied boarding for their long-awaited cruise.
A North Carolina mother had been planning a surprise trip for her children since November 2023, hoping to give them an unforgettable experience. However, the family met with an unexpected setback that turned their excitement into disappointment.
She drove her family eight hours from North Carolina to Port Canaveral, Florida, where they were set to board a Royal Caribbean cruise. When they arrived, she finally revealed the exciting news to her kids.
“My 9-year-old was so overwhelmed with joy that she was speechless and started crying,” Nutting told ABC11.
But their joy was short-lived, quickly turning into heartbreak.
While checking in, Shannon handed over her disabled son’s student ID, believing it would be enough as proof of identity, as she had been informed earlier.
“He said, unfortunately, you’re not going to be able to board today because the school ID is not acceptable,” the mum said. “So, I explained to him that we had talked to Royal Caribbean, and they had assured us that the school ID was valid, and I was upset by that point, crying, so I asked could I speak to a supervisor.”
Shannon tried to explain to the supervisor that her son has special needs and doesn’t have a state-issued ID. She had previously checked with Royal Caribbean to ensure his student ID would be accepted, but despite that, the supervisor refused to let them board.
“I explained to her that my son has special needs, that’s one of the reasons why he did not yet have a state-issued ID and that I called to make sure he could board without it,” she told the outlet. “She said she didn’t care what he had.”
Eventually, Shannon and her children were denied boarding, left standing at the port as they watched the ship sail away without them.
“Everybody was just heartbroken and devastated,” said Shannon.
The heartbroken mum continued, “All that year of saving and paying on it, everybody was just heartbroken and devastated. Everybody was exhausted.”
“I did not want to get on the road for eight hours and travel back I-95 with four kids by myself and my babysitter.”
The family decided to stay in Florida while Shannon reached out to her travel agent to discuss what had happened. Royal Caribbean later admitted the mistake, blaming it on human error, and acknowledged that Shannon and her children should have been allowed to board.
According to ABC 11, the company presented three options to compensate for the error, including a full refund for the cruise. However, none of the offers covered the expenses the family incurred to travel to the port, which Shannon Nutting deemed “unacceptable.”
“If I made the mistake and they offered me anything, any kind of refund, then I would think that would be gracious of them. But I didn’t make any mistakes,” she added.
“I made sure we had our documentation. Everybody’s birth certificates were certified. The people who needed IDs had IDs, and I just feel like them offering a refund of the cruise price is just unacceptable.”
A Royal Caribbean representative stated that the cruise line has implemented additional staff training at the port to ensure such incidents do not happen again.
Source: ABC11
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