by Gloria Ball wanted to take a 14-day trip through France and Spain on her first vacation in 30 years.
A woman was refused entry to a P&O cruise ship on her first holiday in 30 years. Gloria Bell has been in a wheelchair since she contracted polio as a child.
Gloria booked a 14-day cruise through France and Spain at TUI’s Hanley office in October. But the 72-year-old, who was travelling with her friend Ann Beech, was barred from boarding because TUI had not informed P&O Cruises of her disability. She was told she could not board the P&O ship Arvia because an evacuation chair was missing, which had not been reserved for the voyage.
The 72-year-old and her long-term friend Ann told Stoke-on-Trent Live they were told there was no bus back to Stoke-on-Trent until 9am the next day. They waited two hours for their luggage to be collected from the ship before spending £383 on a taxi ride back to Brown Edge in Staffordshire.
TUI has apologized and explained that “due to a human error, the correct access data was not transmitted to the ship,” meaning Gloria was unable to board “for security reasons.” The travel giant is expected to issue Gloria a refund.
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Gloria, from Brown Edge, expressed her disappointment, saying: “I was devastated. I think if I had opened my mouth at that moment I would have thrown up. I can’t believe P&O don’t have an extra evacuation chair.”
“I hadn’t been away for 30 years and I was treated like dirt.” Ann added: “It was Gloria’s 72nd birthday present and she hadn’t had a holiday for 30 years so she was really upset. Plus she has polio. We were completely exhausted. On the way back we couldn’t even speak to each other. We were in shock.”
A TUI spokesperson said: “We are very sorry that Ms Ball was unable to start her holiday as planned. Unfortunately, due to a human error, the correct accessibility data was not transmitted to the ship and she was therefore unable to board for safety reasons. We would like to once again sincerely apologise for these unfortunate circumstances.”
A spokesperson for P&O Cruises also apologised, saying: “We are very sorry that Ms Ball was unable to travel with us. Unfortunately, this was because we did not have the necessary mobility details in advance, which we had requested through her travel agent in accordance with our booking conditions.”
They added: “While the cancellation of her holiday with us was certainly not the outcome that Ms Ball or we would have wanted, we must adhere to the procedures for providing assistance in the unlikely event of an emergency, which protect the safety and wellbeing of everyone on board, guests and crew.”
“Although such a situation is very unlikely, it is regulated by this policy. This mandatory requirement does not allow us to take a more flexible approach, although we are happy to welcome guests of all abilities and mobility levels on board, we must sail safely and in accordance with the necessary maritime regulations.”
