In what appears to be the potential collapse of a popular UK vacation planning site, thousands of would-be cruise passengers have found themselves without bookings on Carnival Corporation ships.
The cruise giant, citing alleged breach of contract, has terminated all existing bookings made through Jetline Holidays. The move affects passengers on Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises, and Cunard, leaving many in a state of limbo.
“We recognize how disappointing this news will be for affected guests and express our sincere apologies for the disruption caused,” said Carnival Corporation in a group release.
The announcement comes as a shock to many, particularly as details of the breach remain undisclosed, prompting concerns about future bookings and financial impacts on customers.
Carnival Corporation has instructed those with cancelled bookings to reach out directly to Jetline Holidays for resolution.
However, affected customers are reporting difficulties in contacting Jetline following the news.
Steven Roberts, the North London-based Jetline Holidays director, said the company “Is trying to deal with various issues.”
“Hopefully, we will have an update on what is going on very shortly,” he told a local outlet. “As soon as we have something, we will put it out there.”
But the issue extends beyond Carnival Corporation.
A Jetline Holidays customer shared on social media that her mother had received a phone call from Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) “informing her that Jetline had gone into administration.”
The person said her mother had paid the full balance to Jetline Holidays six weeks ago, but that NCL only received £100 from the booking company.
In order to keep the cruise, NCL informed the passenger that the remaining £965.38 must be paid within 48 hours. The mother and daughter also claim they cannot reach anyone at Jetline Holidays, and the company’s social media pages have prohibited comments.
Jetline Atol Protection Ends, Impacting Thousands
Jetline Holidays, one of many names under the Jetline Travel Ltd. brand, has been in operations for over 20 years.
Offering many flight and hotel deals, its cruise division also works with Celebrity Cruises, Celestyal Cruises, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Virgin Voyages, as well as several luxury cruise lines.
Those include Azamara Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas, and Star Clippers. As a tour operator, the company held an ATOL (Air Travel Operator’s Licence) for up to 4,750 passengers.
That “means that all of the travel arrangements we sell are protected in case of financial failure,” according to Jetline Holidays.
However, the company ceased trading as an ATOL holder as of March 6, 2025, per the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). This affects all of the company’s additional operating names, including Jetline Cruise, Jetline Cruises, and Cruise & More.
Unfortunately, it states that “bookings sold as accommodation, non-flight packages, and cruise-only bookings, which do not include a flight element, are not protected by the Atol scheme.”
This means any cruise booking made through any of the company’s websites may now be cancelled. In addition, the CAA has warned anyone with a flight-inclusive package that they may find parts of the package invalid.
“Other services [outside of flights] have not been paid to the local suppliers and you will be required to re-arrange and pay for these services again,” the CAA stated.
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The CAA says it is currently working with Jetline Holidays and will update its website with instructions for Atol-protected bookings when available.
Any passenger with a cruise booking through Jetline is advised to contact their cruise line to confirm their booking exists and all fees have been paid.
This is a developing story. Come back to Cruise Hive for further updates.
