30 March 2007: Cruiser Canned

A Japanese man was so impressed by the sight of a luxurious British cruise liner he sneaked himself onboard for a free voyage.

When interviewed by police the man said he could not stop himself when he saw the Aurora docked in Yokohama. So he climbed an eight-foot fence at the harbour, successfully blended in with the crowd of about 1,800 passengers and boarded the round-the-world cruise. The free ride ended in Hawaii after the cruise operator found out he had no ticket. Police are investigating how he avoided the various checkpoints to get on the ship.

The P&O Aurora departed Southampton on 9th January for a three-month round-the-world cruise. The least expensive cabin on the Aurora costs 17,000 pounds for the trip.