Australians who have booked an eight-night cruise in New Caledonia will not leave Australian waters

Cruise passengers are furious after finding out their South Pacific island holiday will not leave Australian waters.

Six disappointed travelers spoke ahead of the upcoming trip about Choose Your Cruise, a family-owned business based in South Australia.

The ‘Flashback’ cruise was originally advertised as an eight-night escape with three stops in scenic New Caledonia, on top of onboard entertainment headlined by Human Nature, The Sweet, Boney M and Marcia Hines performing hits from the 1980s and ninety sang.

Instead, the cruise will leave Sydney on October 30 and travel along the east coast to Willis Island – an outer area of ​​Australia off Far North Queensland, along with another stop at Brisbane Harbour.

The company has cited ongoing civil unrest in New Caledonia as the reason for the sudden change to the cruise’s itinerary.

Brisbane retirees David and Terry and their wives paid $4,000 per couple on top of return flights to Sydney for their much-anticipated cruise.

But instead of white sand and coral reefs, the couples have spent thousands of dollars to stay in Australian waters.

“I’ve booked a cruise to go to three South Sea Islands, but we’re not going to any South Sea Islands,” David said A current issue.

The itinerary for Choose Your Cruise’s upcoming Flashback voyage changed from a trip to the Pacific Island to a brief stop at Brisbane Port, with customers given no chance for a refund (stock image)

What makes matters worse is that passengers cannot disembark at Willis Island.

Mother-daughter duo Kylie and Georgia have labeled the new route as a ‘scenic cruise around a weather station’.

The pair, as well as Kylie’s mother, paid $6,000 to travel from their Gold Coast home to the South Pacific for an all-girls getaway.

Because the itinerary change was announced after the date the cancellation and refund occurred, Choose Your Cruise does not offer refunds.

Instead, passengers will receive a $50 voucher to spend on board and additional “The Elvis Era” performances.

It’s not what we paid for,” Georgia said.

While Choose Your Cruise is known as a music festival cruise, passengers who spoke to A Current Affair said they booked the trip for the promised island destinations rather than onboard entertainment.

“We all wanted to go somewhere we hadn’t been before,” Terry said.

‘I like entertainment, but a lot of the bands on the boat are not my kind of music.

‘The destination was my main reason for booking.’

Georgia, 21, added that she doesn’t know most of the musical acts, including Human Nature.

Mother-daughter duo Kylie and Georgia (pictured) describe the new route as a ‘scenic cruise around a weather station’

Commenting on the addition of Elvis impersonators to the ship, she joked that there’s “only so much Hound Dog you can listen to.”

Her mother Kylie added: “We definitely wouldn’t have chosen this cruise if we knew it went to the Port of Brisbane.”

Neighbors David and Terry also would never have booked the cruise if they had known the only stop would be in their hometown.

They joked about being dropped off at home during the layover before returning to the port in the afternoon.

“We’re flying to Sydney to go around the Queensland coast, back to Brisbane and then back to Sydney,” Terry said.

“No one would book a trip from Brisbane for that.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade recently updated its travel advice for New Caledonia, urging Australians to avoid unnecessary travel to the French archipelago as arsons and carjackings continue amid civil unrest.

Violence in New Caledonia, a French colony, broke out in mid-May following Paris’ plans to reform voting rights to allow French people who have lived on the island for more than a decade to vote in local elections.

The move angered the indigenous Kanak people, who make up about 40 percent of the country’s population. They feared it would place them in a permanent minority and destroy any hope of future independence.

Although riots between independents and French loyalists subsided from mid-July, they flared up again on Monday on New Caledonia Day, the day France declared sovereignty over the island.

Brisbane retirees David and Terry (pictured) and their wives, Sandra and Laree (pictured together) are upset they spent $4,000 each to sail to their hometown

Choose Your Cruise said the inclusion of the high-profile musical guests required it to stop at a port with a nearby airport.

‘Due to the limited availability of ports in the South Pacific and because we have a busy entertainment schedule with 40 music acts, some of which require airport access, Brisbane was the only viable port option for this voyage, to ensure the integrity of the port. the entertainment program,” it said.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Choose Your Cruise for further comment.