Cruise Line Rescues Stranded Student Volunteers From Remote Island Nation

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P&O Cruises Australia recently came to the aid of stranded teenage volunteers from Australia, rescuing them and giving them a free ride home.

P&O Cruises Australia ship

The Hive Rotary Club Australia organised a volunteer trip to the island nation of Vanuatu, 1,500 miles from their home. These young volunteers engaged in various activities, leaving a lasting impact on the island. However, the students were left in a precarious situation due to the collapse of Air Vanuatu.

The airline declared insolvency and immediately grounded all flights, meaning that the students were unable to get home. As the company had declared insolvency, it wasn’t able to offer alternative travel methods, meaning that 16 students and their chaperones had no way of flying back.

The group put out an appeal on social media to ask for help, and P&O Cruises Australia was happy to answer the call.

The cruise line extended an invitation for a free six-day cruise home aboard the Pacific Adventure. The ship was already sailing on a Sydney to Vanuatu cruise, and had space to bring aboard the group and give them safe passage back to Australia.

The guests were essentially given a free cruise, with permission to enjoy all of the facilities onboard. The students and chaperones have expressed their gratitude to the cruise line for the rescue and the way they were looked after.

However, while the cruise line was happy to accommodate the guests at no charge, the volunteer group did need to fundraise to help get the $10,000 needed to cover other expenses, including flights from Sydney back to their home in Albury.

The work carried out by the Hive Rotary Club included improving a local clinic and fundraising for healthcare efforts in Tanna. Thankfully they were able to continue to make a difference on the island nation and still make it home, albeit not as they originally intended.

P&O Cruises Australia is a separate company to the P&O Cruises operating out of the UK, but both brands are owned by the Carnival Corporation.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

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