Cpt Pugwash

You see P&O ships as Wheelchair Friendly from a Carer Side NOT a Disabled Person Side i would Never do anything that would be too hard for me to do but like a lot of people with Disabilities Luke myself try to be as independent as much as possible. Yes there is things i need help with, there is things people offer me help with that i don't but i politely reply Thank You for the offer but i try to do as much as i can for myself. Go ask any Wheelchair user ir they have ever had to go through 2 doors with Automatic Closers on the to enter a Disabled Toilet and if not would it be OK for them but i already know the answer. The REAL experts on anyone living with any condition is those with a condition NOT there Helpers/Carers as spent many years Volunteering with people with many Life Limiting Conditions. Maybe you should spend a day using a Wheelchair to see what it is really like, just like they did years ago on that Big Brother when they had a Blind Guy on and the Housemates were talking how much he slept they made all the other Housemates wear Blindfolds for a couple of hours to see how tiring the condition it really is. My Consultant at the Hospital Praised me to the Junior Doctors about my determination to do as much for myself as i could if i see hime again i will tell him he is wrong. P.S Google the name Cor Hutton where there is numerous articles and videos to see what is achievable with No Hands and No Legs with determination. So that's me told folks i cant go cruising ever again without a helper. (Remember my comment in earlier post about people saying there is only 1 way there way.)

No offence taken but have also noticed on this site when people ask for advice on a certain subject people like to add there 'tuppence worth' some of which is total rubbish or what they personally do nothing else, my way of doing things may not suit others but so many people think that there way is the best way for everyone Disabled or Not. Like a Gentleman was asking about his Wife who could walk short distances like me but he she worried about having to stand in queues i suggested he look at Mobility as Sea to see if they did anything that would help like i did when hiring a Wheelchair for my trip on Britannia then someone posts 'just ask for one at reception desk and they will give you one to use on the ship' total utter rubbish. Can you imagine someone with any kind of Mobility Issue reading that then finding out P&O do not lend any kind of Mobility Equipment to be used on board. Wouldn't be a very good start to there holiday.. Take Care Happy Cruising Take Care Happy Cruising.

I see the point you are making but the Review Page or if someone ask's for opinion on a Ship or specific part of ship is where people should comment on there own views NOT when people put a comment on there own experiences. People have replied i should go with a companion WHY cause there the companion for there Partner, so what does that tell anyone like myself or anyone with a Disability wanting to travel on there own that Wheelchair Friendly means 'with a helper'. Sorry i would never make a comment about anyone's experiences be them good or bad except my own and comment the opposite from them. Happy Cruising.

Well that's me notified P&O to remove alll my details from there system as i will never be travelling with them again due mainly putting in a complaint of staff standing round watching me struggle to carry things while many of the Passengers offered me help cause they could see what the staff didn't and what was P&O's reply to that complaint put in 6 weeks ago Silence. I know what kind of company working for years for one the same but never wanting to climb the ladder things go wrong, mistakes happen you either acknowledge them and make sure they never happen again or you ignore them cause all your interested in is Praise. By there silence they have shown which one they are. Also on here i have had so many comments from people basically saying 'i was OK for me' i wouldn't deny it wasn't but because something was OK for them whatever it was does not make a difference to anyone who had a bad experience of whatever. Time for me to move on i have always said 'if someone is good at there job i will praise them from the rooftops but if someone is not i won't cover for bad service'. And since P&O will tell everyone how good there service is there silence shows it is not. As the saying goes 'A persons actions not there words will tell you everything you need to know about them'. Happy Cruising Folks.

Can't offer you any advice on Alesund but the Olden Cable Car (Skylift) can be booked Direct from company on Dock and only takes 10 Mins to get to, and and it may be Sunny at ground level but may be covered with Cloud at top so if you book beforehand with P&O you go or lose your money no matter the weather. And also no having to stick to P&O timetable for it if you go independent with it being so close. P.S One last thing you may or may not have noticed this it is one of the steepest climbing cable cars in the World the photo on the Website is of near the top it is practically a sheer drop before that. Happy Cruising.

Can i add some advice to this post after recently travelling on the Iona & Britannia for the first time since i had my Leg Amputated. 1. Iona Partially Accessible are very small and not really suitable for Rollator users but only called that cause they have Electric doors and a Adaptive Bathroom, apart from that i found myself spending a lot of time walking backwards with my Rollotor in Cabin because of lack of floor space. 2. Went on Britannia a month later and using a Rollotor all day was exhausting on Iona so hired a wheelchair to use and to call Britannia Wheelchair Friendly is a wide use of those words. Unless you call having NO Electronic Doors on ship except 2 on the Separate Mens & Ladies Disabled Toilets on Deck 16 ( which i have never seen separate Disabled Toilets anywhere). No Electric Doors on Fully Accessible Cabin or Toilet Door, No Electric Doors going out on deck, you have to go through 2 normal doors with handles on them with Automatic Closers fitted to Access Disabled Toilet anywhere else on ship, and on Deck 17 there is a area if you want to continue round deck you must go through the Gym but to enter you must go up a ramp about 4 ft long them open a door by it's handle opening out the way so would be difficult with someone using a Walker never mind a Wheelchair. To Call the Britannia Wheelchair friendly is a Wide Stretch of the Imagination of what is considered Wheelchair Friendly. Happy Cruising. Sadly No more P&O for me last 2 have been terrible due to my now Disability.

That is exactly what i was looking for ONLY help in carrying things like drinks plates of food no physical help but even that simple help was not offered by staff, it's common sense/manners if you see someone struggling to carry something anywhere disabled or not do you offer them help or ignore them and let them struggle.?, i know what i did many times before having my leg amputated and not just when doing my voluntary work for years with people with different mobility issues but wherever. To me it's just manners helping other's when you can see they could do with some, yes there is people that do not want to be helped when offered there is times when people have offered me help when i preferred to do something for myself but always answered 'thank you for the offer but i'm a stubborn sod and like to do as much for myself f as i can' or thank you but i have a little routine for doing this'. To me again it all comes down to manners if you see someone struggling with no matter what do you offer help or ignore them and leave them to struggle.?

I was in a Partially Accessible Cabin and fill in the same medical questionnaire as your wife and nowhere have i seen that you must a career with me though this may be down to P&O saying this due to your wife's condition. As for expecting help from staff it was common sense if you seen a disabled person struggling to carry something, would you offer them some help or ignore them.?

if you have a Shopmobilty some of them will hire out different equipment to go on holiday with you for a few pounds so worth checking out if you have one near you.

Copied and Pasted from P&O Website. If you need to bring a wheelchair or mobility scooter on board with you, it is essential that you let us know at the time of booking or as soon as the need is known. Any guests requiring the use of a wheelchair, mobility scooter or other aids to mobility must provide their own.

Sorry they must have stopped loaning out wheelchairs to Passengers but you can still get Assisted Boarding/Disembarkation where they will supply wheelchair with member of staff to push you at Book In Desk if you fill out the form which i did for Iona after seeing a video of how long the walkway was. I was actually taken in a wheelchair by one of the Port staff who 'rescued' me after they seen my struggling after being the first time driving to the Port finding out CPS drop off for your car is actually about 200/300 yards from entrance then about another 100 yards more to collect your keys after cruise.

Sorry that is 100% wrong. P&O states on there website Wheelchairs are not supplied for Passengers Personal use and are only there for Emergency Use. Mobility at Sea is the company that supplies all kinds of Disability Equipment for use in cabins on cruises.

The cost to me travelling as a solo passenger so needing a self propelled wheelchair is £100 a week including cushion which is extra to me worth every penny after my experience on Iona. Look at the Mobility at Sea website as might cost you less as i'm guessing you will have a family member to push you and the they do all kinds of wheel chairs. They don't quote exact prices on website because people may order the wrong size but if you give them a phone and they ask you your height and weight they will tell you which is best with \No hard sell. As i said you can collect if you hire one just inside Terminal Building or as they work with the cruise companies direct to your cabin. They also know the dimensions of every cabin so can advise what is best size for your cabin. Take Care.

I have basically the same problems as yourself after having a Leg Amputated and fitted with a Prosthetic, just the other week i went on the Iona which was the first time i had been away on holiday using my Rollotor 24 hrs a day and found it exhausting so going on Britannia in a couple of weeks and have hired a foldable wheelchair from Mobility at Sea which they will delver/collect from Cabin or you can collect at Terminal if you prefer to use on board as like you can find standing/walking tiring let alone adding a Balance Problem. Hopefully this info may help.

You know this was the last site which uses Social Media that i use but no more sickened by the amount of people saying 'just ask', no manners no consideration for others, would everyone expect someone to help them if they were struggling? YES but everyone else they see struggling wait till they ask. As i said in a earlier my principle in life is took look back when my time comes to leave this earth and think i'm Proud of all the little bit's i did to help other's i'm Proud to i was not everyone's 'Cup of Tea' and didn't try to be cause in life some people 'click'' some don't but i was Proud to say i was one of the one's people could rely on doing the Right thing by them not just Talk about doing the Right. Good Night Good Bye and all the best for the future everyone but with so many people saying you should 'ask' for help when you need it and when all those Honest Decent Passengers who could see i needed help offered it straight away cause staff did not must have been wrong. Maybe all those thousands f volunteers around this country helping others in many situation should stop doing it until there asked.? Sorry not my kind of people on here, i'll keep doing my little bit to help other's like i have done since before and after having my Leg amputated and as i said my life will not be all about 'what's in it for Me'. Take Care. Enjoy your future Cruises.

Yes sometimes people can be because they have decided themselves if a person can or cannot do something. The easiest way is watch if they are struggling to do something then ask if they need help not automatically think they will need help. Yes it's only people being nice but as your friend say's can feel very condescending some times when they have already decided for themselves that you cannot do something.

Agree you can't always win there used to be a little old lady living near me who used one of those 3 wheel walkers and when people offered to help her on or off a bus she growled at them when they were only trying to help.people have offered me help at times when i wanted to do something myself and my reply was always Thank You but i'm a stubborn old git. Manners cost nothing offering to help others cost nothing don't stop offering others help who look like they need it cause some may have given you a dirty look.

Would you do that if you seen someone outside or in a Supermarket looking like they needed help think i won't bother asking them if they need help they haven't asked. It's manners/common sense, talk to anyone who has had a life changing accident or Illness and they will tell you the same thing they try to be independent as much as they can but there are things they cannot do any longer and need help with which in my case was numerous Passengers could see i needed help carrying things but the staff couldn't. Maybe the Consultant was wrong when describing me to the Junior Doctors he was training as having a Fantastic Determined Attitude to do things for myself.

To be honest i only wear it at the gym now as many people automatically think you need help when i don't. I know my limits and stick to them.

Please don't feel you offended me with the use of the word 'carer' no offence taken maybe one day i may need one in the future but since having a Leg Amputated in 2019 i have been determined to do as much for myself as i can, as they say 'keep your independence' When the Consultant in the hospital said to the Junior Doctors he was teaching i had a great determined attitude to do as much for myself as i could my reply was more like stubborn and i have to admit it's true probably stubborn till i die. Take Care Hope you enjoy your trip to Fjords, been there twice going back in June on Britannia hopefully with more considerate staff.

Good to know that there is staff on P&O who will do the right thing just like you thanked them though Iona is a no need to tip ship staff member that offered me help i gave a tip to because as i have always said i know the difference in 'giving' good service and 'saying' you give good service and have always appreciated 'good' service even long before i became Disabled myself. Should send those staff that helped you wife onto the Iona to teach there staff about considering other peoples wishes/needs. Yes there is times when something will be too dangerous but someone sitting in a office deciding what is and what is not is wrong. As one of my T-Shirts has on the front of it say's Disability does not Mean Inability. Yes there is things you cannot do but very few people what you can or can't do but too many who don't know decide for you.

That was a point also i did not understand about Iona in the Horizon Self Service Buffet they have staff there wit the same aprons with Happy to Help on them and they did help me the both times i visited but in the Quays where you have the choice of different foods as a Buffet nothing like that. And with the Tea/Coffee being situated right down at the end i even had Passengers who had carried my food to wherever i wanted to sit asking me as they were leaving if they could get me anything before they went. It was the simple lack of consideration from staff that shocked me when so many Passengers could see at times i was struggling to carry things and staff offered me no help. 6 offers of help on a weeks cruise shows the facts how bad there service is when i couldn't even guess the amount of good hearted passengers helped me the second they noticed that no staff were offering any.

Could anyone who has used one of these Partially Adapted Cabins tell me if you are allowed to take a folding wheelchair into them.? I am not a full time wheelchair users but went on a cruise on Iona last week and found walking all day with my Walking Frame was very tiring. I did phone P&O but all i got was complete the Needs form which i have already done. I know i could hire one from Mobility at Sea and they will know exactly what is allowed in each cabin but driving down for the first time after booking CPS i found out that the drop off point for your vehicle is approx 200/300 yards from terminal and Yes they had someone take my luggage for me but was 'rescued' by one of the port staff phoning for someone to come with a wheelchair to help me after starting to struggle about halfway. Something P&O do not tell you about there Assisted Boarding or CPS Parking with reserved Parking because you have a Blue Badge that if you are travelling by yourself you have got to get to the Terminal yourself from drop off point which is NOT where you car is collected from and Assisted Boarding only starts inside Terminal so hiring a folding wheelchair and taking it myself would be more useful between CPS and Terminal where you collect Mobility at Sea hired wheelchairs. As you can see asked P&O a simple question can i take a folding wheelchair in a Partially Adapted Cabin and the only answer i got was fill in the needs form which i have already done. Just looking for a simple answer to a simple question has anyone travelled in a Partially Adapted Cabin with a folding wheelchair/, i know all the other stuff about being classed as Partial as a wheelchair cannot do a 360 degree turn in them but will only be using it outside cabin to get around ship easier not inside cabin. Thanks for Any Info.

Good to hear the complaints get passed onto the relevant people on the ships because i learned the hard way the difference between the talk P&O say about assisting Passengers with Disabilities and the day to day assistance are worlds apart. They will not like my complain but it is the Truth the facts as i said to them not just my 'opinion'. I had a little laugh to myself when they ask you to score each service on your recent trip and ask your permission to use your opinions for advertising materiel, they won't be using mine. 😁