Gold Coast woman recalls moment she was blocked from boarding cruise ship, refused refund

A Gold Coast woman who was blocked from boarding a cruise ship because she was pregnant has demanded a refund from the popular cruise line.

Kaylee Farrington was 26 weeks pregnant when she tried to board the Carnival Luminosa cruise ship for a birthday celebration with her family.

But the soon to be mother was turned away at the terminal and denied access to the three-day-cruise, set to sail in Australian waters off the coast of Brisbane.

The cruise liner's policy, laid out in the company’s terms and conditions, stipulates they are “unable to accept any guests who will have entered their 24th week (of pregnancy) or later”.

Ms Farrington’s mother Robyn Betts booked the cruise and is now $2,000 out of pocket after the company denied her a refund.

“They said ‘oh, no, there will be no refund’ and said this is our terms and conditions and it’s our fault we didn’t dig deep enough to find them,” Ms Betts told 9 NEWS.

Ms Farrington said she thought “they were joking” when she was told she would not be going on her relaxing getaway.

“You think that rules are the same for cruising as it is for flying,” she said.

“My obstetrician is giving me the all clear and they still wouldn’t let me on board.

Ms Farrington said the rule should have been made clearer at the time of booking.

“To not be prompted at the time of booking is wild,” she said.

Ms Betts said she feels the incident was “discriminatory against pregnant women”, a sentiment Ms Farrington shared.

A second mother was also turned away when attempting to board the ship, however she claims she was told her pregnancy wouldn’t be a problem.

“Before making payments, we did confirm about the pregnancy … so we’re trying to get the recording,’ she said.

A Carnival Cruise Lines spokesperson said the line maintains a strict pregnancy policy, in line with global industry standards.

“This policy restricts travel for pregnant women beyond their 24th week of pregnancy and is designed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of both mothers and their unborn babies. Cruise ships are not equipped with facilities to deal with prenatal and early infant care,” a spokesperson said.

“The policy is outlined both on the Carnival website and within the cruise contract. Both the website and cruise contract state that guests expected to enter their 24th week of gestational age at any point during the cruise will not be permitted to board the vessel.”