Royal screwing.
Driving eight hours to surprise her family on a cruise vacation, North Carolina mother was stranded in a Florida port after her special needs teenage son was kicked out in what she later admitted to being human error.
After more than a year of planning, Shannon Nutting's dream vacation on the Royal Caribbean Cruise with four children became a devastating nightmare before it took place this month.
“Everyone was heartbroken and devastated,” she said. ABC 11 Last Friday.
The mother, who lives in the town of Pembroke, began planning a trip in November 2023, and when it was time for her to set sail, she took a break from teaching gigs and brought in her family babysitter to help her care for her child.
When the cruise ship pulled to Port Canaveral, Nattitting finally told her children they were going on a sailing holiday.
“My nine year old was so excited that she couldn't speak and started crying,” she told the station.
However, the sinking quickly engulfed the family.
Staff, including the supervisor, said Nattin was unable to ride because her 16-year-old son only had student ID, despite having checked in advance to ensure the documents were accepted.
“I explained to her that my son has special needs. That's one of the reasons he doesn't have a state-issued ID yet, and I called him so he could board without it,” she told the local outlet. “She said she didn't care what he had.”
Disappointed mom and her children were, as a result, not on board the boat for their dream vacation.
Ultimately, Nutting's travel agency arrived at a royal Caribbean official who said that the family should be allowed on the ship. The cruise line said it could fly to Cozumel, Mexico to meet the ship two days after the trip, but ABC 11 reported.
She refused, and the family stayed in Florida for a few days, saving part of the holiday.
The Royal Caribbean told the station that human error by port staff was behind the family's catastrophic rejection.
The company offered a trio of options to make up for mistakes, including a full cruise refund, but nothing would provide the family with the money Nutting spent to reach the port that it proved “unacceptable.”
“If I made a mistake and they offered me something, any kind of refund would think it was graceful to them.
“We made sure we had the documentation. All birth certificates were certified. Anyone who needs an ID has an ID and we feel it is unacceptable to offer a cruise price refund.”
The Royal Caribbean did not respond immediately to the post-mortem investigation.
