Blind travelers reportedly escorted off P&O Cruises ship
Two blind P&O Cruises passengers were allegedly escorted off the line’s Ventura ship, calling the experience “humiliating.”
Pam May and Jennie Bailie were set to sail from Southampton, England, in May, but once on board, the ship’s crew told them they had to leave for health and safety reasons, the travelers told ITV News.
"We were having to stand there and argue why we had the right to travel and go on holiday on our own, the same as everybody else,” May told the outlet.
The pair said they booked the cruise through TUI and that the cruise line knew they were blind ahead of time.
TUI declined to comment on the issue.
The passengers also told ITV News they were held in a room for over two hours before being “marched off” and were charged a cancellation fee for the price of the sailing after they got home.
“Whilst we want all our guests to have a wonderful time with us, clearly the safety and wellbeing of all onboard is our priority at all times and especially in the event of an emergency,” a P&O spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "We are so sorry that these guests were unable to travel with us and we have offered them a full refund for their holiday including any expenses incurred."
A similar incident reportedly occurred on a Virgin Voyages ship in November. A blind passenger said he was asked to leave the vessel because the line was unable to provide sufficient support for him sailing on his own, according to Canadian news outlet Daily Hive, though Virgin later apologized for the miscommunication and flew him to Honduras to rejoin the cruise.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for Paste BN based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.