Louis Contini and Marion DeVelle were looking forward to a relaxing cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas last October. They’d booked their trip months earlier and paid in full, $2,647. But just two days before boarding the boat, Marion noticed something odd: her electronic boarding pass was missing from the app, while Louis’s showed up just fine. Even stranger, both digital passes carried only Louis’s name.

They contacted the ticketing agency, a third-party service called Queen Mary Cruises. The couple was shocked to learn they would be charged another $1,800 to fix the issue.

The amount billed was for an “extra” passenger. Who didn’t even exist.

Makes total sense, right? Well, let me explain: Since both paid tickets were in Contini’s name, the agency insisted Marion either pay up (again)…or miss the trip.

Oddly, there was no mention of a simple ticketing correction that would reshuffle Marion’s Sea Pass back to her. 

With time running out, they reluctantly handed over the money, only to realize later they had been wrongly charged.

After returning from the cruise, Contini and DeVelle challenged the charge through their bank

But the dispute was rejected based on claims from the ticket agency that the “additional guest” was “requested” and non-refundable.

Meaning the Knoxville, Tennessee couple paid for three passengers, when there were only ever two.

Refusing to back down, the couple took their case to small claims court without hiring a lawyer.

In court, the paperwork they presented proved they had paid for just two passengers, no extras

The agency settled before the case went to trial, refunding $1,843 plus court costs.

Contini described the ordeal as a hard lesson learned and plans to avoid third-party agents in the future.

How to avoid similar cruise ticket nightmares:

• Book directly through the cruise line to reduce middleman errors
• Keep printed and electronic copies of all receipts and confirmations
• Check your boarding passes and tickets well ahead of time
• If you spot discrepancies, act fast and document all communications
• Consider travel insurance that covers disputes or errors