Dozens of interstate visitors are demanding compensation after a trouble-plagued cruise boat was suspended from sailing, and trips were cancelled with minimal notice.

The travellers had each paid between $4,400 and $6,500 for tickets on a two-week cruise of the Kimberley coast with Broome-based company Ahoy Buccaneers.

Would-be passenger Robyn Evans said she and her friends had spent thousands of dollars to fly to Broome, only to find out by chance that the cruise had been cancelled.

"We just happened to call the company to find out where we could leave some of our gear and they told us the cruise had been cancelled, but here we are with no cruise, and on top of that, no refund," she said.

"We met other people staying at our resort and we were the one to break the news to them ... we couldn't believe it quite frankly.

"It is a disgrace — you can't treat people like that."

Sarah Ashmore, Robyn Evans and Margaret Greenway make the most of their time in Broome. ( ABC Kimberley: Erin Parke )

Ahoy Buccaneers offers relatively low-budget cruises of the Kimberley aboard its 24-metre vessel the MV Oceanic.

In a letter to Ms Evans and her travel companions, the company said passengers would not be getting their money back.

"We informed all guests via phone that the cruise was cancelled and no refund is forthcoming as per our terms and conditions," the letter stated.

In a written statement to the ABC, Ahoy Buccaneers said that it was treating each case individually, with some people making insurance claims to recoup losses and others choosing to transfer their booking to a cruise next year.

Consumer Protection's Kimberley regional officer Tom Chapman said an investigation was underway.

"I can confirm that the department has received a number of complaints, and we're currently reviewing the information provided by the consumers to see if there are any unfair terms in those contract terms and conditions.

"Any consumers who've paid for goods or services that they haven't received, or that weren't provided, should get in touch with Consumer Protection."



Reef damage to blame

The cruises were cancelled after the MV Oceanic got stuck on a reef in early April, and was suspended from operating until repairs were made.

It is the fourth time authorities have intervened, with the operator last year accidently leaving a passenger on a remote beach, and in previous years failing safety inspections.

In the most recent incident, the boat suffered extensive damage to its propeller and hull, requiring passengers to be transferred to a nearby beach and then flown by helicopter to Kununurra.

An inspection at the Wyndham Port resulted in authorities issuing a prohibition notice, preventing the boat from sailing until repairs were made.

That meant 19 passengers, who had boarded for a 13-day cruise, had to be bussed back to Kununurra without setting sail.

Several passengers on that aborted trip said they had been denied refunds, and doubted their travel insurance would cover the cancellation by the company.

The boat was still in Darwin being repaired when the next 19 passengers flew in from across Australia for their cruise.

In a statement, Ahoy Buccaneers said it did not cancel the trip until the last minute because the repairs took longer than expected, and it was considering flying the passengers to Darwin to start the cruise there instead.

Brisbane resident Stephen Prowse, who was booked on the trip, said that was not good enough.

Brisbane residents Cathy Magi and Stephen Prowse were booked to go on the cruise. ( Supplied: Stephen Prowse )

"We haven't been treated that well by the company. They knew that the boat was having problems for quite a while and yet they didn't think it was worth actually telling us that there might be a problem," he said.

"So overall we're quite disappointed in the way the company has handled this situation.

"Some of us have insurance and will be submitting an insurance claim, but the policies are quite ambiguous about whether they'll cover this type of cancellation."

The MV Oceanic has since been given the all-clear to resume sailing.

