Cruise cancelled without notice: Kerala consumer court orders holiday firm, tour operator to pay ₹54,500 to family

In Kerala, a district consumer commission has held a holiday company, its managing director and a cruise operator guilty of deficiency in service after a family travelled to Kochi for a pre-booked cruise trip, only to discover that it had been cancelled without prior notice.

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Kannur, directed Plumeria Holidays, its managing director Aneesh Susheel, and Nefertiti Sea Cruise to jointly and severally refund ₹29,500 with interest, pay ₹15,000 as compensation and ₹10,000 towards litigation expenses.

In its order dated October 9, 2026, the commission directed the three parties to comply within one month of receiving a certified copy of the order.

Family travelled from Thiruvananthapuram for cruise

According to the commission’s order, the complainant, Jayakrishnan P, a chief manager at the State Bank of India’s Thiruvananthapuram branch, had purchased a prepaid holiday plan called Plumeria Black for ₹29,500.

The package included hotel accommodation, dinner buffets and four trips aboard Nefertiti Sea Cruise. The complainant booked a cruise for September 6, 2024, and travelled with his family from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi after taking leave from work. A room at the Avenue Regent hotel had also been arranged under the package.

However, when the family reached the cruise departure point ahead of the scheduled time, they learned that the trip had been cancelled. The complainant alleged that the cruise management behaved rudely towards his family and that no advance information about the cancellation had been provided.

He further alleged that repeated requests for a refund went unanswered, prompting him to approach the consumer commission.

Parties cite technical and regulatory issues

Plumeria Holidays and Aneesh Susheel argued that a technical problem had led to the cancellation and that they learned about it only after the complainant contacted them. They maintained that the cruise ticket charges would be credited to his prepaid card and that he could continue using the remaining services under the package.

Nefertiti Sea Cruise attributed the cancellation to a delay in obtaining a mandatory certificate from the Mercantile Marine Department. It argued that its ticket conditions permitted cancellations due to technical or statutory issues and stated that ticket fares were non-refundable.

Commission finds all three parties responsible

The commission observed that the required certificate was issued on September 7, 2024, a day after the scheduled trip. It noted that the cruise could not operate without the certificate and that the operator was aware that the necessary permission for the scheduled trip could not be obtained.

The cruise operator failed to produce evidence establishing that it had informed the holiday company about the cancellation in advance. The commission said the operator could have communicated the delay either to the holiday company or directly to the complainant.

It also held that Plumeria Holidays and its managing director could not escape responsibility by claiming they learnt of the cancellation from the customer. Organisers were responsible for coordinating with service providers and informing customers about changes.

The commission further ruled that the non-refundable ticket condition did not absolve the parties of their responsibility for failing to arrange the trip properly and communicate the cancellation in advance.

Refund, compensation and interest ordered

The commission partly allowed the complaint and directed the three parties to jointly and severally pay:

• ₹29,500 as a refund, with 4% annual interest from August 19, 2024, until realisation.
• ₹15,000 as compensation.
• ₹10,000 towards litigation expenses.

The total amount payable before interest is ₹54,500.

If the parties fail to comply within the stipulated period, the refund and compensation amounts will attract interest at 9% per annum from the date of the complaint until realisation. The complainant may also seek execution of the order under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.