More than 1,000 passengers, mostly Britons, were left stranded in Monte Carlo overnight after adverse weather conditions prevented them from returning to P&O's Azura cruise ship. The passengers had been dropped off by small boats at 10am on Saturday, but choppy waters made the return journey impossible.
Instead of being taken to hotels, the 1,170 stranded passengers were forced to sleep on camp beds, tables, or the floor of a basketball court. Some were given only towels for comfort. Mum-of-two Julie Rowson from Cannock, Staffordshire, described the experience as 'horrendous' and said it had 'spoilt our holiday'.
Passengers spent the day in Monte Carlo but faced 'delay after delay' when trying to return to the ship. They eventually slept in the cold basketball court, with many elderly passengers among the group. The next morning, they were taken to Villefranche where tender operations resumed, and all guests are now back on board.
A P&O Cruises spokesman apologised, stating: 'Safety is our absolute priority.' The cruise is scheduled to visit Cartagena, Spain, before ending in Southampton on Saturday.
