Koval family cruise jinx strikes again

AN intrepid Spring-head couple, whose a wedding anniversary cruise never left the port, have found themselves all at sea again.

Max and Pauline Koval paid more than £400 for a three-day cruise from Liverpool to Ireland on board The Thomson Celebration last November.

But after severe storm warnings, the ship remained firmly roped to the quayside for three days.

However, undaunted and armed with an 80 per cent discount from their previous ill-fated trip, the Kovals booked another cruise on the same ship which offered a hint of Eastern promise.

But their week-long venture, which included visits to the Canary Islands took a downturn when a huge sea swell prevented the ship landing at Agadir in Morocco.

Said Mrs Koval: “It was really comical. Our first cruise never left port – and our second on the same ship couldn’t land.

“We just had to see the funny side of things. But the experience definitely won’t put us off sailing.”

The couple flew from Manchester to Gran Canaria to join the cruise which called at key ports in the area including Madeira.

Husband Max (62) explained: “The cruise had been good but we were looking to go to Morocco as an alternative to the Spanish and other island destinations.

“However, the seas were really rough and we were told by the ship’s crew a huge fishing fleet heading to Morocco for shelter from the bad weather had blocked the port — as well as the swell — and caused problems.

“We just couldn’t land so we headed off to Lanzarote,” he added. “But because we lost a day’s visiting Agadir, it meant we arrived too late to go anywhere.”

A spokesperson for Thomson cruises confirmed that their ship was unable to sail into Agadir because of adverse weather conditions.

“We take customer safety extremely seriously,” she said. “As the safety of our passengers is paramount, the captain deemed it necessary to miss the port avoiding strong winds.

“The cruise continued on to Arrecife in Lanzarote with no further problems.”