Bull crap. This is the couple’s fault 100%. They didn’t read the contract of carriage, despite their protestation to the contrary. This has nothing to do with COVID. The bit I’ve pulled from the public website as you’ll note is dated 2015 and is standard language on all contracts of carriage. This is pre-COVID.
I have no sympathy for people who sign a contract without reading it and then play the victim when an obscure provision is enforced they find distasteful. You quickly find out they did not in fact read that contract.
Sorry for their luck, but this is 100% legal. In fact, they agreed to it. At least they had a balcony. They could have been stuck in one of those god-awful internal rooms without a view.
“(b) Carrier’s Right to Confine, or Refuse or Revoke Passage: The Guest recognizes and agrees that the Carrier reserves the right, without incurring liability of any kind, to refuse or revoke passage to, or confine to a stateroom, any Guest who, in the sole ju dgment of the Carrier or vessel’s medical personnel, may be refused admission into a port of landing or into the country of destination, or may be suffering from a contagious disease, or for any other ca use may endanger themselves or others, or become obnoxious to others. “
Dated November 2015.