Passengers sue over hurricane 3/24point bold headline

Passengers on a luxury ship have issued a writ over the "extreme discomfort" they suffered on a hurricane-hit cruise to the Caribbean, writes Michael Streeter.

Thirty-eight members of last autumn's trip on P&O's pounds 200m flagship Oriana claim they suffered a "ruined holiday" because of the weather and excessive vibration on board.

Passengers - who were offered 20 per cent discount on a future cruise - also complained that the food and entertainment were below standard, and that they were not warned of the risk of such appalling weather.

A spokesman for their lawyers said: "One major grievance is that the cruise should not have gone to the Caribbean in the height of the hurricane season or at least the brochure should have warned of the likelihood of disruption ... It is interesting to note that ... the Oriana no longer offers a Caribbean cruise in September."

A P&O spokesman said: "We believe there is no claim and we will be fighting the action."