Major update on more than 100 Aussies stranded on Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas

Dozens of Australians stranded on a cruise along with thousands of other holidaymakers will ultimately arrive at their final destination two days later than planned after their ship broke down mid-voyage.

Steve and Karen Dermietzel from Melbourne are among 111 Aussies aboard Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas for a seven-night trip through Japan.

But their holiday plans were thrown into chaos after the ship docked in Yokohama for two days due to ‘unplanned maintenance’.

To make matters worse, the 4,500 passengers on board were locked inside the cruise ship while docked in port and unable to disembark to explore the city or catch an early flight home.

Their passports were also reportedly confiscated when they first boarded at the Chinese port of Shanghai last Saturday.

It is understood the cruise ship has since left Yokohama and is expected to return to its final destination of Shanghai on Monday, two days after it was due to arrive.

The Dermietzels can’t wait for the journey to be over.

‘They won’t let us onto Japanese land. It’s weird because in the last sixteen days we’ve been on Japanese land five times,” Steve said. Seven news.

Steve and Karen Dermietzel were among the 4,500 cruise ship passengers stranded on the Spectrum of the Seas

Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas is expected to end its final voyage on Monday

His wife added that the lack of communication from the crew and the cruise operator added to the nightmare, forcing Ms Dermietzel to say she has also emailed the Australian embassy in Japan to ask for help.

“However, they are not giving us enough information, and they are blaming Royal Caribbean because it is being handled by head office and there is also a delay because of US time,” Ms Dermietzel said.

The couple added that the company’s compensation offer of $600 per passenger to rebook disrupted trips was not enough to cover the costs, which they hope to recoup through insurance.

Steve and Karen Dermietzel were confined to taking selfies on cruise ships while docked in Yokohama

“The people on the ship here say Royal Caribbean is dealing with it at their headquarters in the US, and given the time difference, that’s obviously not great,” Ms Dermietzel told the paper. Herald Sun.

‘I’ve been on about eight cruises, but this was the worst. I’ve never experienced anything like this before.’

A Royal Caribbean spokeswoman said the delay was caused by “unplanned maintenance.”

“We have adjusted our current route and canceled our next sailing,” she told Daily Mail Australia on Sunday evening.

The Spectrum of the Seas ship (pictured) left Shanghai last Saturday and will finally return there on Monday

‘We apologize to our guests for the inconvenience and will communicate directly with our guests.’

Royal Caribbean did not respond to additional questions about compensation and why passengers were not allowed to disembark the ship while docked in Yokohama or had their passports confiscated.