Botched cruise cancels family vacation

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - A Norfolk family was left in the dark when the cruise ship they planned to board docked in St. Maarten due to a generator failure.

Travelers aboard Carnival's Dream cruise ship are in the process of being sent back to the United States.

Members of the Roman family in Norfolk planned to board the Dream Thursday for a week-long vacation.

They say Carnival Cruises didn't immediately notify them of the Dream's problems. They say they had to make several phone calls and check several websites Wednesday to confirm their vacation was ruined.

"We had called and said, 'Okay, we took the week off from work, got a bunch of excited kids... what are we going to do now?'" Janine Roman said.

Carnival promised a full refund to the Roman family along with a 25 percent discount off re-booking. The company told the Romans it would be three weeks before they'd get their money back. 

The family contacted 10 On Your Side to see if there is anything else to be done so they can still leave town on their scheduled vacation days.

"I personally would not go on a Carnival cruise only because of the conversations I had with them Thursday," Roman said.

They said they just want their money back to try and take the kids to Disneyland with the time they have off. When 10 On Your Side contacted Carnival, the refund was expedited and the family will be able to go on vacation next week.