05/10/2025
We regret to learn that today, an article written by BBC journalist
Suranjana Tewari has been published about Victoria Cruises Line. We are aware
that the background of this article involves a disgruntled former client who
has not yet received their refund, as there are multiple legal proceedings pending
against them. Our booking conditions clearly state that refunds
cannot be processed while legal action is ongoing.
The journalist contacted our company, and we provided the following official
answers:
Question 1: VCL accepted deposits between $10,000 and $50,000 from prospective “residents” while the ship had never set sail.
VCL Answer: Deposits range between $10,000 and $15,000. A $50,000 deposit never existed; this can be verified on our website. No one has paid such an amount.
Question 2: VCL currently does not own or lease the ship it advertises, contrary to public statements.
VCL Answer: We have always stated that we can only sign the ship lease agreement if we reach a 78% occupancy rate necessary for departure. From the moment of signing, a monthly $1 million lease would have to be paid. Had we done so, we would have gone bankrupt! The lease contract is not public as our company is not publicly traded.
Question 3: Multiple announced departure dates have been postponed or canceled, most recently on July 26, 2025.
VCL Answer: Yes, because we did not reach the minimum occupancy. However, this is clearly stated in the booking conditions, contract, and on our website. Every client was aware of this. Departure dates are only finalized once minimum occupancy is reached.
Question 4: At least 80 clients are still waiting for refunds.
VCL Answer: This is not true. We registered a total of 38 complaints, all investigated, none of which warranted a refund as per the contract. A total of 132 clients canceled their bookings, 38 of whom filed complaints.
Question 5: The BBC saw emails from VCL threatening legal action against clients who requested refunds.
VCL Answer: Yes, we take legal action against anyone trying to resolve their complaint through social media. The contract specifies which court clients can approach in case of complaints. Social media is not suitable for complaint resolution.
Question 6: VCL amended contracts after signing, adding clauses allowing deposits to be used for legal costs.
VCL Answer: If you read the booking conditions, you can see that always the currently available conditions on the website apply. This is standard industry practice.
Question 7: Promotional materials, including photos and videos, used stock content and actors presented as crew or residents.
VCL Answer: The crew shown on the website are real people. If any legal proceedings arise and someone claims otherwise, we can prove with passports and contracts that none of our staff are actors. At the project’s beginning, we asked clients to make short videos explaining why they chose us. We do not know if any participant was an actor, but we never requested proof of occupation.
Question 8: Company documents show unpaid taxes, several dissolved companies, and activities inconsistent with passenger shipping.
VCL Answer: We do not understand the claim. Our company has no tax debts or other activities. Please clarify in detail, otherwise we cannot respond.
Question 9: Alleged victims claim emotional stress and financial loss due to the company’s conduct.
VCL Answer: There are no victims! 38 clients simply could not accept that their deposits were not refunded. Every client can pursue their complaint in the proper court.
Question 10: How do you respond to the accusation that VCL collected deposits without securing the ship for the promised residential cruise?
VCL Answer: We can only sign a lease contract if minimum occupancy is reached. Signing in early 2024 would have required approximately $18 million unnecessarily. All interested parties received full information about the ship lease, and all correspondence is available to the competent authorities.
Question 11: How do you respond to the claim that your marketing materials contained stock photos and misleadingly presented crew or passengers?
VCL Answer: Photos of the ship and crew are not stock photos. Passenger-submitted videos and photos are authentic, and documentation is available for authorities. Our colleagues also personally inspected the ship in December 2023.
Question 12: Please clarify the company’s current corporate structure and main activities.
VCL Answer: As we are not publicly traded, this information is not public. Company type: LLC.
Question 13: How do you respond to the accusation that VCL caused severe financial and emotional harm to elderly clients who relied on your advertisements?
VCL Answer: We cannot respond to claims that cannot be proven. No client was forced to sign a contract. Every client had three days to review the contract and could consult a lawyer. Refunds are processed according to anti-money laundering regulations.
Question 14: How many bookings are still needed for departure?
VCL Answer: Currently, approximately 100 bookings are needed. Compared to the 38 complaining clients, many more trust the company and have not canceled.
Question 15: What is your next departure date?
VCL Answer: No new departure date has been set. Once the required occupancy level is reached, the departure will be scheduled.
Question 16: Are clients still signing up and sending deposits?
VCL Answer: Yes, we have bookings. Despite defamatory articles and investigations, the company operates legally.
Question 17: How many have signed up without a departure date?
VCL Answer: We do not disclose business secrets to any journalist; this is not public information.
Question 18: What have you done with the money received so far?
VCL Answer: Deposits are kept in a segregated bank account, used exclusively for this purpose.
Question 19: Why do you believe 132 cancellations occurred?
VCL Answer: All cancellations are accurately recorded in our proprietary data management system.
Question 20: Can you elaborate on the Google data loss?
VCL Answer: Please check online for the type of data loss that occurred; it did not affect the denial of refunds for the 38 clients.
Question 21: On what grounds do you threaten legal action against clients?
VCL Answer: If someone takes a complaint to social media instead of the contract-specified court, they may face legal action.
Question 22: How do you respond to the claim that you are committing fraud?
VCL Answer: Two investigations were initiated in the U.S., and in one case no charges were filed. Anyone suspecting fraud may pursue legal action. We observe that some journalists only focus on the complainants’ perspective. A similar aggressive journalist from NBC did not publish an article after receiving our responses, as they found the claims unproven. We strongly recommend a thorough investigation — do not publish a one-sided article.
It is important to note that a dissatisfied former client, who behaved
unethically, played a role in the BBC article. This individual insulted the
owner’s minor child on social media and sent threatening and harassing emails
to the owner.
Victoria Cruises Line, like society at large, considers such conduct
unethical and unacceptable. It is also unethical to mislead a journalist to
deliberately damage a company’s reputation and misrepresent facts.
Our company continues to operate transparently and lawfully and trusts that
the public can distinguish between real facts and defamatory claims.
Victoria Cruises Line is committed to trust, transparency, and compliance
with the law. We call on the BBC and journalist Suranjana Tewari that if a
corrective statement reflecting the real facts is not published, we will pursue
legal options to protect the truth.
Author: VCL Team
05/10/2025
