A German couple is suing a cruise line they allege gave them the boot on the first day of a two-week cruise for having sex too loudly.
A German couple is suing a German cruise ship operator they allege kicked them off a cruise early because they were having sex too loudly.
According to German travel publication the Reise Reporter, the couple, identified as Renate F. and her husband Volker, were kicked off the TUI Cruises ship Mein Schiff 5 in Barbados on the first day of a two-week Caribbean cruise in April.
The couple allege they were kicked off early for making too much noise during sex, and an argument that followed.
While Renate wouldn't detail what the fight was about, she said the sex was consensual and there was no violence or damage to the room.
After her husband went to take a shower, she went onto the balcony to smoke a cigarette.
There was then a knock on the door, which Renate said she opened to find a manager and security staff who ushered them away to a meeting with a man whose name and job title she doesn't remember.
She said the man told them they were being kicked off the ship at the request of the captain.
It's understood smoking is allowed on the balconies of the vessel and isn't why the couple were kicked off, leaving Renate to theorise it was because of the excessive volume.
The pair were dropped off in Barbados at around 1am and left to their own devices in order to find a way back to their native Germany.
After two days stranded on the island, Renate's mother and a German travel agency managed to get the couple a flight to Paris, where they stayed overnight before getting a train back to Frankfurt.
The couple are now suing the cruise line for more than $15,000 in damages and compensation, comprising mostly of the cost for the cruise they didn't get to enjoy.
TUI Cruises told Reise Reporter they were aware of the incident, and the safety of guests was their top priority.
"Due to a security-related incident, we have made use of our house right and asked the guests to leave the ship. This was done to protect the guests themselves and other fellow travellers," the cruise line said in a statement.
"There has already been a correspondence with Mrs F. in which we have set out our view of things. Please understand that we do not want to comment on the privacy of our guests in detail."