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Manhattan Couple Seeks Apology From Cruise Line

NEW YORK (CBS 2/1010 WINS) -- In a twisted tale at sea, a wealthy couple from Manhattan claims they were thrown off a cruise ship after an anti-Semitic remark led to an obscenity-laced argument. 

It's known as the grandest, most luxurious ship ever built, but the Queen Mary 2 from England was a nightmare for two seniors from the East Side, Gloria Sher and her husband Frederick Evans.

LISTEN: 1010 WINS' Alice Stockton-Rossini reports

"I haven't slept in two weeks. I just can't believe it," Sher said.

The couple was onboard the ship on a 30-day, $20,000 cruise to Quebec, England, and the Mediterranean last month.

They were having a good time until one night, at a dinner with strangers, when they say a man insulted them.

"He looked at me and said, 'shut up,'" Sher said.

Then, he allegedly discriminated against them.

"He said, 'Don't you see I'm talking? There's too many [expletive] Jews,'" Sher said.

That caused 82-year-old Sher, who is Jewish, to lose her cool.

"I said, 'You know what, you should go [expletive] yourself,'" she said.

The next day, the couple was called to the commodore's office. Sher said he accused her of abuse, saying a guest claimed the 95-pound senior hit someone.

"He said, 'You're gonna have to leave the ship,'" she said.

"They took their word, without listening to us," Evans said.

Published reports say the cruise line stands by its actions, claiming Sher was disrespectful and disruptive, and that she gets belligerent when she drinks.

Still, on the ship, the commodore later relented, allowing the couple to stay, but only for a few more days.

"He said, 'But you are confined to your quarters,'" Sher said.

Eventually, the couple made it back to New York, where the ship stopped before heading off to England and the Mediterranean. The couple never got to finish the 30-day cruise, and so far has received no refund of the $20,000 they paid for it.

"But here is the crux of the whole thing: the man that owns the ship, lives in Miami, is Jewish," Sher said. It's an ironic twist in the tale of alleged anti-Semitism and travel interrupted.

Sher said she is not looking to sue the cruise line but wants a public apology.

The cruise line did not return CBS 2's calls for comment.

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