Fed-up passengers sailed out with the yesterday while some flew home amid claims the cruise line had reneged on a promise for a full refund for a nightmare holiday.

A stomach bug had struck 33 passengers and two crew members, according to Norwegian Cruise Lines.

However, passengers said a letter distributed on board by crew had admitted to 50. Passengers also complained of fumes in cabins and power outages. The company flew home 39 of the liner?s 1,111 passengers after paying for their hotel stays last night.

However, passengers say the ship?s captain had promised all interested passengers a full reimbursement for the cruise, which cost around $1,000 per person, as well as the air fare home.

Arleen Levine, from Pennsylvania, said she had taken notes during a fraught meeting between the ship?s captain and angry passengers after the fume alert where he made the offer which was then denied by the chief purser and office manager.

Her husband David Levine suffered vomiting and dizziness but said the doctor would not tell him what had caused the sickness, although other passengers had experienced similar symptoms.

?I felt very tired, completely out of it. We asked the doctor what it was and he said it could be food poisoning.? He was told fumes were another possibility.

?We are demanding our money back but the company is very steadfast in giving no money back, I don?t know why.?

Instead the company had offered credit equivalent to the cost of two night?s stay to be spent on board.

?We can buy jewellery, liquor and cigarettes, none of which we use.?

The offer is worth around $300. ?It?s hardly worth the pain and suffering I have been through.?

He said he would never go on Norwegian Cruise Lines again. ?I am seriously debating whether I want to take another cruise again.

?I worked so hard over the last few months and was looking forward to this so much. What I got was kicked in the teeth.?

Mrs. Levine said passengers were annoyed with the captain?s reluctance to face passengers who were forced to leave their rooms because of a fuel smell pumped into their rooms via the air conditioning.

NCL blamed it on a damaged fuel ventilator pipe. She also says the company?s customer relations department had been slow to respond.

Norwegian Cruise Line PR Director Susan Robison said 33 passengers and two crew got sick but she denied it had been food poisoning.

?The medical team onboard has diagnosed stomach ?flu or a gastrointestinal bug. We have implemented a thorough sanitation cleaning program to eradicate the virus.

?It is not linked to food. This strain of stomach flu is passed person to person.?

?Our team onboard as well as shoreside are in contact with the Center for Disease Control and Dave Forney, Chief of CDC?s Vessel Sanitation program.

?39 people decided to fly home today. We took care of their hotel stay last night and their air fare today.

?The Captain told us he never promised a full refund. It sounds like there may have been a miscommunication.

?The captain and hotel director were involved immediately in the situation. As you can imagine, their first priority was to investigate the smell and make sure that it was under control.

?As you know, this happened at midnight and I believe they reacted as quickly as possible in getting hotel rooms and accommodating passengers.?

Passengers were also angry about afternoon power outages which affected elevators, toilets and water on two days.

Ms Robison said there were two planned emergency equipment tests. ?Passengers were told in advance specifically using the public address system. These are done when the ship is in port and most of our guests are off the ship and on shore.

?As far as we know, only the elevators and air conditioning were affected and there was also a short delay for hot water. The tests primarily run for a half hour but sometimes can last for more than an hour.

?These tests are emergency equipment tests are standard for any cruise ship.?

Passengers had been annoyed some had been offered hotel stays while others knew nothing of the offer.

Ms Robison said the company offered hotel stays to all passengers who reported to reception that they were smelling fumes and were uncomfortable.

Mrs. Levine said staff had been unable to cope with the situation and had needed prompting to open doors and bring chairs for passengers unable to stay in their rooms because of the fuel stench.

?There?s no way we could be in the room. We would have passed out in a few minutes.?

She said the doctor had refused to come and see her ailing husband at 4 a.m. on the Thursday morning but came during daylight.

?I have taken more than 50 cruises in my lifetime and this is one of the most mismanaged,? she said.

?I love Bermuda, I have been here 15 or 20 times and I know what I have missed.?

The is due back in Philadelphia on Sunday, a week after it departed.