Thousands Turned Away As Star Voyager Makes Last Minute Cruise Cancellation
Key Aspects:
Star Voyager had to cancel its 2-night cruise due to technical difficulties.
The news came after hundreds to thousands of guests had already spent hours waiting to board at the cruise terminal.
StarDream Cruises is giving guests the option to reschedule for free or to receive a full refund.
Thousands of cruisers will no longer be able to celebrate Valentine’s Day at sea.
Star Voyager was supposed to embark on a quick getaway cruise in Hong Kong, China, on February 13, 2026, but StarDream Cruises had to cancel the entire sailing due to unexpected technical difficulties.
“We sincerely regret to inform you that due to a technical issue, today’s Star Voyager is not able to set sail,” StarDream Cruises wrote in a letter.
“We understand today’s cancellation will affect your travel plans and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused,” the Asia-based cruise line continued.
The specific issue that led to the cancellation has not been released publicly at this time.
The 2-night sailing would have cruised to Xiamen, China. The 2,395-guest ship was then due to return to Hong Kong on February 15 for disembarkation.
Guest Angered by Late Notice
While a cruise cancellation is always disappointing, impacted passengers were especially frustrated because of how late they received the news.
By the time the unfortunate update came, hundreds to thousands of passengers had already been waiting to board for hours at the terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Cruise Hive learned that the announcement was made at around 9 p.m. on embarkation day, well after guests should have been onboard and enjoying their vacations. A letter confirming the cancellation was then issued at 11:45 p.m.
Read Also: 10 Worst Cruise Fails You Can Prepare For
Many guests were frustrated by the long wait, especially with the end result being a cancellation, and felt that the situation was handled poorly.
“I was only given a bottle of water,” one man told the South China Morning Post. “Of course, there were issues with how this was handled. I was standing until my legs were sore.”
“I booked the Palace Suite, which allows us to board the ship first. However, we were forced to squeeze together at the waiting area like refugees,” another passenger complained.
To help ease the wait, crew members did hand out water bottles. Dinner vouchers valued at HK$200 (About $25 USD) were distributed later in the evening.
Options for Compensation
While this change certainly threw a wrench into guests’ travel plans, StarDream Cruises isn’t simply leaving its guests high and dry. Instead, there are two ways they can receive compensation.
First, guests can reschedule and transfer their booking to any other 2- or 3-night sailing onboard Star Voyager that sets sail on or before August 30, 2026.
Rescheduling will be free of charge, even if the replacement sailing is priced more highly, and guests will also receive a HK$200 onboard credit per cabin as a gesture of goodwill.
This is in addition to a credit of HK$200 per guest and HK$500 for transportation costs that had previously been offered to guests for the inconvenience.
Alternatively, guests can cancel their booking outright and receive a full refund, along with the HK$200 per guest and HK$500 for transportation costs.
And if these guests do decide to give the 2025-launched cruise line another chance, they can enjoy a 50% discount on any new booking for a 2- or 3-night sailing onboard Star Voyager that embarks on or before August 30, 2026.
Are More Sailings Impacted?
At this time, Cruise Hive has not learned of any impact to subsequent sailings for the 77,441-gross ton ship.
Per cruise tracking data, Star Voyager is supposed to embark on a 3-night sailing to Sanya, China, on February 15. This will then be followed by another 2-night cruise to Xiamen on February 18 if everything goes to plan.
As it’s not clear what actually went wrong, it’s hard to gauge how long repairs will take and if more cruise cancellations will be necessary.
Especially for guests booked on the next couple of sailings, it will be important to keep an eye out for possible updates from the cruise line.
Thousands Turned Away As Star Voyager Makes Last Minute Cruise Cancellation