'Stag party' conference costs cruise refunds

Royal Caribbean has issued refunds to passengers after more than 1,300 men attending a company conference caused chaos on a cruise ship, according to Newsweek. The workers from tobacco company Kamla Pasand – who boarded the ship in Sydney – ran amok on the Voyager of the Seas, taking over the pool decks, bars and buffets. 

The men also allegedly brought burlesque dancers and women dressed as playboy bunnies onboard with them, harassing other passengers and filming young girls on their mobile phones. "It was almost like a huge bachelor party, a stag night," a Sydney passenger told the Australian Nine Network's A Current Affair.

"Their doors would be open and you would walk past and be like 'what am I going to be looking at when I walk past this door?' It is hard to forget after seeing all the flashbacks of these men around all the time, 24 hours a day, like we could not escape," she added.

Speaking to Telegraph Travel, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said: "During Voyager of the Seas’ three-night sailing from Singapore on September 6, a group onboard caused complaints from some of our guests who raised their concerns with us after they returned to Australia. We were able to quickly provide them with a satisfactory solution.

"Royal Caribbean operates with the safety of our guests and crew as our highest priority. While we have had a long history of successful group bookings in which all guests have enjoyed their cruise, we are looking into this incident, including all guest feedback to ensure our group booking policies are suitable and that our guest conduct policy is applied appropriately."