Cruise ship fury as passengers pay thousands while influencers get free trip

Cruise passengers have lashed out at influencers who they claim get to travel on a luxurious ship for free while they are being forced to pay thousands of pounds for the same trip.

Princess Cruises’ largest and most luxurious ship Sun Princess has arrived in the UK on its maiden journey outside of the Mediterranean.

The colossal ship, which can hold 4,300 guests and has over 1,600 crew members, was officially welcomed to Southampton during an Inaugural Call Celebration this weekend, hosted by Sun Princess Captain Craig Street.

The ship is next due to set sail for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the first of its kind to be powered by liquified natural gas (LNG).

Eithne Williamson, VP Princess Cruises UK and Europe, said: “Sun Princess joined the Princess fleet earlier this year and her visit to Southampton marks the completion of her inaugural Mediterranean season.”

John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises, told the New York Post:2 Princess Cruises became a household name as the setting and ocean-going co-star of ‘The Love Boat’ that featured over 950 celebrity guest stars.”

But the ship has caused controversy amongst regular passengers, angry at the company’s use of influencers who they claim get to travel for free while they shell out thousands of pounds.

One such influencer is Becki Jones who documents her time on the ship to her 799,000 followers in her unique, enthusiastic way.

In the videos, she is seen tasting the food, enjoying the nightlife, and relaxing by the pool but it seems that off camera, the behaviour of her and her companions has irked ticket-paying travellers.

One traveller took to Facebook to voice her displeasure with Jones and her group on behalf of her parents who had travelled with them.

Katie Smith said: “Everywhere they looked were young groups of ‘bloggers’ or ‘vloggers’ filming themselves with obscene amounts of food, being loud and over the top and generally annoying.”

Ms Smith also accused a “bigger lady” of jumping in front of the queue for food and putting a camera in people’s faces.

One user on TikTok said: “I wish they would gift people who deserve it, or the ones who make a positive contribution to society.”

Another said: “Imagine paying to go on a cruise and you’re sat next to a table who got it for free and they’re filming 24/7.”

Princess Cruises did not respond to a request for comment.