Thick dust, noxious smells and ear-splitting noise disrupted what was supposed to be a relaxing getaway on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship.

Vacationers said they shared the two-week voyage from Miami to Los Angeles with a crew of workers on what amounted to a construction site at sea.

Photos shared on Facebook show stockpiles of building supplies, some with hazardous material warnings, sitting side-by-side with lounge chairs on the ship’s decks. Video shot by passengers captured ongoing noise from workers using power tools.

Passenger Wayne Jenkins said his wife nearly fainted after becoming overwhelmed by the smell of chemicals.

“I want to know what the heck we were exposed to,” he told CTV Vancouver Island on Monday. “It was full-blown construction going on.”

During the trip, large areas of the Norwegian Sun were roped off with caution tape and signs reading “beautification in process” as several of the vessel’s decks were being resurfaced. The ship is expected to arrive in Victoria this week, where work will continue while the ship is in dry dock.

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