Instead, they were home in rainy Purley, frustrated landlubbers after their multi-million pound supership Aurora was forced to limp back to England less than a day after it set sail.

Gordon and Julie Commander were just two of the 1,674 passengers whose two-week dream holiday lasted a mere 16 hours when the £200 million P&O ship developed propeller problems in the Bay of Biscay.

The holiday had been planned as a special present for Julie's 56th birthday on May 13. The couple from Meadow Hill, who are no strangers to cruises, had paid more then £7,000 for the chance to be aboard the ship on its unforgettable maiden voyage.

And unforgettable it was when Captain Steve Burgoine stunned passengers last Tuesday by announcing that they would have to turn back.

Mrs Commander said: "We had hardly unpacked when we were told we would have to pack our bags again. We booked this maiden voyage last year and it was supposed to take us to Portugal, Gibraltar, Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Naples and Corsica.

"I am very disappointed. They have promised us compensation but it's not going to be on my birthday."

Her husband Gordon was more stoical. "I'm disappointed because its not often that you get the chance to be part of a maiden voyage," he said. "But P&O has offered us decent compensation. We have been given a free cruise up until the end of 2001 as well as our money back."