British tourists on a P&O cruise have faced major delays and disruption after U.S. military action ordered by Donald Trump in Venezuela forced changes to Arvia's travel plans.
Holidaymakers aboard the Caribbean voyage, which left Barbados on January 2 and was due to visit Martinique before stops in St Kitts and the British Virgin Islands, have reported that the ship has barely ventured more than around 30 miles from shore.
They say Arvia has now returned to Barbados three times — including on Tuesday — largely to collect passengers whose flights were either cancelled or delayed because aircraft were told to avoid parts of Caribbean airspace affected by the conflict.
The unexpected situation stems from a sudden US military operation in Venezuela, part of a broader push by the Trump administration to pressure Caracas over political and economic instability and to tighten enforcement around alleged oil tanker movements.
That action prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to impose airspace restrictions, which in turn caused widespread flight cancellations and stranded travellers across the region.
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Many cruisers bound for Arvia never made it to the ship, leading to repeated detours back to Barbados while P&O rearranged transport logistics. In response to the upheaval, the line issued a detailed briefing to guests aboard, stressing the work done to restore travel plans.
A spokesperson for the cruise company said: "Following the disruption and impact caused on Saturday by the international air restrictions, all P&O Cruises guests on Arvia Caribbean cruise holidays now have confirmed flight details to/from Barbados.
"P&O Cruises has worked tirelessly over the weekend with our charter carriers to arrange new flights for a total of 5,000 inbound and outbound guests.
"The onward ports of call and itinerary are being prioritised and communicated to all guests on board so they can now continue with their planned holiday."
While some passengers have taken the sudden itinerary changes in stride, others say the disruption — triggered hundreds of miles away by geopolitics — has left them anxious to return home.
