A couple had their dream cruise to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary ruined after their luggage was lost.
Liz Milligan, 54, and husband Derek, 56, spent a year looking forward to the £4,500 luxury 10-day tour around the Mediterranean with Celebrity Cruises but their voyage quickly descended into chaos.
The couple, from Kilmarnock, set off on the romantic getaway on July 15, but were left with just the clothes on their back after KLM told them their luggage was not loaded onto a connecting flight from Amsterdam to Rome where they would then set sail.
Liz and Derek were forced to borrow clothes from other passengers on the cruise and forked out an extra £900 on clothing, shoes and toiletries at the tourist ports where the ship docked. The furious couple were among 10 other holidaymakers whose luggage didn’t reach the ship.
Liz told the Record: “I was left with one pair of knickers. It was an absolute disaster and embarrassing having to borrow items from other people.
“We expected to have lovely memories and enjoy our trip but it was the worst holiday we’ve ever had. It tainted our 25th wedding anniversary.”
Liz said the stress of the situation triggered an IBS flare up, and she had to attend the on-board medical centre to receive a jag to alleviate her painful symptoms.
Days passed and the couple claim they were told by Celebrity Cruises that their cases would arrive but they never turned up. Devastated Liz said they both wanted to go home because they had ‘had enough’ but claims she and her husband were told they would have to pay an additional £400 to leave the ship.
Bosses onboard offered the pair £3,000 in future credit and checked them into a specialty restaurant every night as an offer of compensation. But after talking to other guests whose luggage had also been lost, Liz realised she had been given a higher rate of compensation than the rest.
She added: "I then got a phone call from one of the management staff asking if I had been telling other passengers about our compensation. "It felt like we were being told off, we were treated like children. I couldn't believe it.
"There were 10 of us from the same flight in the same position, everyone should have been compensated the same."
The couple have demanded a full refund on their ruined holiday and compensation for clothing they had to buy.
After arriving back in Scotland on Tuesday night, Liz was reunited with her suitcase at Glasgow Airport but Derek's still missing.
She added: "We expected no hassles although we appreciated that there would be delays. Had it not been for the fact we lost our luggage it would have been the trip of a lifetime.
"We met lovely, generous and kind people who we will stay in touch with but it was just a complete nightmare altogether, it was not worth the stress at all. We want a full refund. Offering us £3000 credit was nice but we are out of pocket and our trip was ruined. We won’t touch a credit note.”
A Celebrity Cruises spokesperson said: "We are disappointed when any travel issue impacts a guest’s cruise experience, as we know how valuable holiday time is. We have spoken to the guest since she returned home, and we continue to support her in resolving the situation."
The Daily Record has approached KLM for comment.
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