Cruise Now Cancelled After Woman Left Behind on Remote Island

Just days after an elderly woman passed away following a hike on a remote Australian island, Coral Expeditions has cancelled the remainder of what was to have been an epic 60-night sailing.

The itinerary was a 60-night cruise completely around the continent of Australia aboard Coral Adventurer, visiting 48 ports of call. The ship departed Cairns to begin the sailing on October 24, 2025, and Lizard Island was the very first stop on the expansive schedule.

It was on Lizard Island that the guest, identified by family as 80-year-old Suzanne Rees, joined an organized hike to Cook’s Look. Rees felt unwell partway through the hike and separated from the group.

Rees did not return to the ship, but her absence was not noted until five hours after the vessel had departed. Coral Adventurer did return to Lizard Island and authorities were alerted as search operations began.

Unfortunately, Rees was found deceased the next day, approximately 165 feet away from the trail. It is unknown whether she fell, experienced a medical episode, or if there were other factors that contributed to her death.

In the wake of the tragedy and other ongoing issues, however, Coral Expeditions has now decided to cancel the remainder of the sailing.

According to The Guardian, the cruise was cancelled, in part, because of a failure to provide the anticipated high-quality experiences guests would expect from the cruise line.

“It was increasingly apparent, given the circumstances of the last week, that we could not deliver on this promise,” said Mark Fifield, CEO of Coral Expeditions.

Rees’ death is still under investigation, including why the cruise ship failed to account for all passengers before departing Lizard Island. Maritime regulations require vessels to be aware of whether or not guests are onboard the ship at all times.

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The untimely death is not the only reason Coral Adventurer will now return to Cairns and the rest of the voyage is cancelled. Fifield confirmed there had been previous issues plaguing the ship and it is now necessary to end the sailing rather than continue with greater risk.

“Following the tragic passing of Suzanne Rees and previous mechanical issues, the decision had been made to cancel the remainder of the voyage,” he said. “Passengers were told they would receive a full refund. Since that time, our team has worked to coordinate the return journeys of the passengers via chartered flights.”

Voyage Cancellations Rare But Not Unprecedented

While it will certainly be disappointing to guests aboard Coral Adventurer that they are unable to complete what would likely have been a once-in-a-lifetime cruise experience, these types of cancellations can happen.

Typically, when a ship may have extreme mechanical problems, it is safer and easier to cancel cruises rather than attempt to move forward with inadequate operational abilities.

Of course, when a ship’s navigation or safety systems are compromised, cancellations are imperative. This was the case after Carnival Freedom caught fire in Grand Turk in May 2022. At that time, guests were transferred to Carnival Conquest to return to Florida because Carnival Freedom could not operate.

Other operational challenges can also cause cancellations, however. For example, in January 2023, Marella Discovery 2 cancelled a 7-night sailing because of problems with food and beverage operations.

While the ship was seaworthy and safe to operate, the food and beverage failures would have severely compromised the onboard cruise experience. Instead, guests were flown home via chartered flights and offered refunds for the cancellation.