Cpt Pugwash

My first cruise was Solo on the Azura though was a few years ago and was going to cancel it because at that time P&O had there own forum which was full of arrogant people and i didn't want to spend a holiday with these kind of people.

But other's on the forum told me to go and i went and had a fantastic time meeting people and laughing with people i would not normally meet in everyday life.

Didn't meet a single arrogant person and as i said when i came back the other passengers made the cruise so enjoyable as was my first experience of travelling Solo.

So basically saying Go for It.

Been on 4 P&O Ships but never seen Sky on any of them but won't make a difference if they have as TNT Sports (formally known as BT Sports) have the televising rights for the Europa League and Champions League.

Sorry for being the bearer of bad news unless it is on Sports 24 but will not be on Sky.

As in summing up folks this site is asuppose to be about info on P&O Cruises so yoiu can take my advice being in the position myself with the difficulties facing a Solo Wheelchair user which if you look at the specific places i mention would be difficult for any solo traveller with any type of Mobility Problem if you think about it or you can take the advice of Able Bodied Helpers  who think ''Wheelchair Friendly'' means 'with a helper thus limiting Access to Solo Wheelchair Users/.

Your choice but if you struggle you know where to look ad it is Not to P&O as you can see they have Ignored my Complaint for 6 weeks and don;t expect to hear from them..

Right i'm off to my local Morrison s where they know the Real meaning of Wheelchair Friendly where i use my Rollator round the whole shop, where if i wish to use the Disabled Toilet i only have to open 1 door with No Automatic Closer on it.

A place where Wheelchair Accessible does NOT mean with a Helper/Carer.

Be as independent as you can be don't listen to people who say do as they do when the Disabled Facilities are not mas they are made out to be because they obviously think they know everything about everyone's Mobility Difficulties.

Pushing someone in a Wheelchair think it makes them experts on Mobility Issues yours mine, everyone's though they do not have one themselves.

And for anyone not knowing about the difficulties faced by anyone with any kind of Mobility Issue if interested lie Megabear 2 says above he 'listened' to a gentleman who recently had his Leg Amputated NOT the people that like to put there 'Tuppence Worth' in'.

As i said Nobody knows what it is like to live with any life changing condition unless they have themselves, they think they do but don;t have a clue in reality.

Happy Cruising.

10 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

I recently cruised on Arvia and made friends with a lovely man who was a recent amputee having lost his leg due to diabetes. Like yourself he travelled alone preferring his independence.  Apart from some difficulties with health and safety who tried to stop.him boarding and put him through some sort of obstacle course to prove his ability he told me he was managing quite well.  He too was surprised at the lack of assistance from anyone other than passengers in the buffet so he took the decision soon after boarding to use MDR and the speciality restaurants to avoid the problems with trying to juggle tea and things while using his crutch.  He did not use a rollator or anything onboard apart from his crutch  and had a balcony adapted cabin which was apparently very well equipped for his needs.

 

He liked a nice cup of tea and we used to meet at 4.00pm in the atrium and buy a Teapig tea and a cake as it was served to him by a waiter, no juggling involved.

 

Many of the things you mention are in line with his comments so I do understand how it could be awkward if information provided by P&O is inaccurate or not fully explained or described

 

 

I am sorry you feel people in general have not been fully understanding of your difficulties.  Having someone constantly tell.you that your view and your opinion is wrong or answering a point with a question is very annoying but hopefully not intended to cause anger or distress and I'm very sorry you've found that a problem.

 

Unfortunately open forums will draw comment from people who do not understand individual challenges on ships as they have no experience of them but reading the CC boards in general it is hopefully not just on the P&O section.  As I said previously your experience is important in helping others and P&O ensure where things can be adjusted they should be. I do hope you chase up P&O and contact ABTA if they still do.not respond.

 

Good luck in your endeavour to get your opinions heard by others. 

Thank You for your nice post and understanding where i was coming from and learning from someone who is in a position where you have never been yourself.

There ARE a lot of Honest Decent People out there who will help others when needed but as you say open forums gives people the chance who know nothing about what someone is talking about the chance to put there as i call ii 'there tuppence worth in'.

This fir me is the last Social Media i will be using because everywhere you have people trying to make out they know what you are talking about when they don't have a clue.

Take Care &

Thank You.

P.S A free bit of info for those that like to put there 'tuppence worth' in on subjects like having a Leg Amputated but don't have a clue, there are 2 types of Leg Amputations 1 Above Knee. 2 Below Knee.

The second o e being easier to learn to walk with as you still have a knee to bend your leg, the first is a lot harder as the leg is Amputated above knee so the Prosthetic Leg is locked into place straight when walking as i have. 

So if you are one of these people who like to put there 'tuppence worth' in on a subject you know nothing about remember this one simple fact before commenting on anything to do with anyone having a Leg Amputated. 

'Note to self' I must never post a opinion which will be of use to anyone travelling as a Solo Passenger of my own experiences which say's anything is not good because all those people who have never been in the same position say they have no problem with it.

They Know Best.

Good Luck to anyone thinking about travelling as a Solo Passengers with a Wheelchair as you can see by the comments on this thread.

THEY will tell you what you can and can't do you WON'T decide for yourself

Ignore my experiences other's know better. 

Goodbye &

Happy Cruising.

4 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

As a carer whose wife uses a wheelchair, it is clear to me that all P&O ships are wheelchair friendly, and the newer ones are very wheelchair friendly. However  both my wife and I know that despite that she could not cope on her own.

It is up to the individual to assess their own capabilities and to be realistically honest as to whether they can cope on a cruise ship without any assistance, and if not they need to decide if it is worth the risk of it ruining their holiday.

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.)

12 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Fair point, no intention to offend. 

Andy 

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.

9 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

And vice versa. 

It is important that good experiences are shared as well as bad to help us make decisions about our future cruising, which is why most of us come here. 

I am so sorry you had such a bad experience, nobody should be treated like that and I would be calling out the staff if I witnessed it. 

Take care. 

Andy 

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.

9 hours ago, TigerB said:

 

It's regrettable that you have had a poor experience with the cabins on Iona, and the cabins and facilities on Britannia.

 

I would agree with you that Britannia is not perfect, and a full time wheelchair user would have difficulties with the doors if travelling alone, and that all outside areas are not wholly accessible. We've only travelled in a balcony cabin on Britannia, twice in the same grade, so I cannot comment on the inside cabins. Our cabin was no different to many accessible hotel rooms we have stayed in, a lot of which do not have automatic doors; I am able to assist my wife by operating the manual doors in the cabin and around the ship.

 

I would say that, although not perfect, P&O have come on in leaps and bounds with the disabled facilities and accessibility on Iona and Arvia for wheelchair users.  Almost all doors, and certainly the ones for access the decks, are automatic, as are the doors for all public toilets. I concede though that the latter may be a by-product of the desire to make the doors for toilets touch free from a hygiene perspective.

The automatic doors for the cabin and bathroom are, in my opinion, a good idea for wheelchair users, as are the automatic balcony doors. The moveable sinks and support bars are also a good feature.

 

The accessible inside cabins on Iona and Arvia were reclassified because of customer feedback, in that they are not suitable for large wheelchairs and mobility scooters due to the space and small turning circles. My wife's power chair that she uses at home would fit through the cabin and bathroom door, but she would not be able to move freely about the cabin and bathroom in it.

I accept your point that you have difficulty with your rollator, and maybe the dimensions of it and you together take up more floor space than my wife's travel wheelchair, but she has not had problems with manoeuvrability in the two inside cabins we have been in on Arvia.  The toggle switch for the main door is far enough back that she can operate it without interfering with the operation of the door, then boule straight out of the cabin.  Granted though, that opening the bathroom door requires a little more forethought; she would activate it by pressing on the toggle switch at the side of it, but the door does not open fully straightaway because it hits the front of her chair; however, when she moves back in her chair the door continues in its opening motion, without further hindrance.  That is the same for the balcony and inside cabins we have been in.

 

I would not agree with your description of the inside accessible cabins on Iona being 'very small'.  The PF cabin 9229 we had on Arvia, identical to the one Beezes80 is looking at for Iona, had maximum dimensions of 4.9m x 3.76m for the bedroom, and 2.37m x 2m for the bathroom, a space of 121cm between the foot of the bed and the wardrobe, a space of 66.5cm on my side of the bed, and a space of 80.5cm on my wife's side of the bed.  We have been in European accessible rooms smaller than that.

 

Again, I'm sorry that you've had a problem, and that you feel you can no longer travel with P&O but, given that Beezes80's chair has similar dimensions to my wife's travel chair, and that they can walk a little way, and that they will have a companion with them, I really do think they will be fine with the partially-accessible inside cabins on Iona and Arvia.

7 hours ago, reviewfan said:

Hi, we sail on Iona to the Fjords on 15 July. We had planned to book their excursion from Alesund to the Stranafjell cable car and a fjord cruise back but left it too late and now there's only one place left! I'm struggling to find any independent comapnies that offer the same excursion. Can anyone advise me please? Failing that we plan to take the cable car excursion from Olden the next day, again any info / advice much appreciated! Thanks 

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.

4 hours ago, FOPMan said:

There is a difference between occasionally providing a small amount of assistance that does not involve bodily contact or hygrine, such as moving a chair, carrying a tray from a serving line to a nearby table, preventing a fall at the gangway), ir holding a door open and providing full/time wheelchair assistance, assistance eating, help with hygiene issues, providing assistance with bathing, etc.). The former may be reasonable to hope for; the latter is out-of-bounds.

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.?

On 5/7/2023 at 11:06 AM, Bob++ said:

When we booked our first accessible cabin, the paperwork made it clear that my wife must have a helper and that the staff on the ship could not be expected to provide that help.

 

In practice, we found that well-meaning fellow passengers were a bit of a pain as they don't know what was needed and usually just get in the way. Staff on the ship were great within their limitations. Restaurant staff happily moved chairs around and the gangway team pitched in to help when the high tide made it rather steep.

 

I too have stories about the difficulties we have faced, but I accept that most people have no experience of these situations and while I admire your courage in cruising alone with such a disability, I think that you should consider looking for an able-bodies friend to accompany you in future. It does make things so much easier.

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.?

10 minutes ago, RA10 said:

I was looking for something similar for my wife.  She has issue with queuing for prolonged periods.  When I saw your comment it gave me an idea.  I googled for it.  I have come across one in Superdrug.  It's called "Aidapt Folding Seat Cane."  Hope that is of some help to you.  I will show it to my wife to see if she likes it for when we are next travelling.  Unfortunately it seems to be online only, so we cannot pop into Superdrug to take a look. 

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.  

45 minutes ago, carlanthony24 said:

We asked for it last year and they supplied no problem. Used it to go off the ship and what not. From experience we don't normally ask. If someone asks for one we just supply they fill out the form with dates they would like for etc.

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.

2 hours ago, carlanthony24 said:

I believe it’s called mobility at sea but also first come first served if you go straight to the reception desk and get one when on the ship at no charge.

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.

2 hours ago, Landon90 said:

Sorry to hijack this thread but do you mind if I ask roughly how much they charge to rent a foldable wheelchair? 
 

I’m travelling with family soon on Ventura and we are trying to rent a foldable wheelchair from somewhere but did not know about this company that delivers to the cabin - it sounds perfect and much easier than what we’ve been trying to sort out. Family member is able to walk short distances so should be fine on ship but will need foldable wheelchair for ports. 

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.

3 hours ago, GOQ said:

I have a few arthritic conditions which cause me problems with balance and postural stability, for which I use a walking stick. I can fall and collide with people and fixed objects. After having falls going through security at Barbados and Gatwick I have started asking P&O for assisted boarding, which is really very helpful service.

 

However on board ship we have to queue for the MDR, buffet, theater, cinema and lifts.

 

My the January cruise on Aria was the worst as there were queues for just about everything and it was quite stressful. I frequently chickened out of the queue for the theater, rebooked and visited the late show where the queues were generally shorter. The smaller ships aren’t quite as bad.

 

Queuing for lifts is the worst as there is nothing to hang onto. On my last cruise on Britannia I was actually knocked over by one enthusiastic lady, fortunately the guy standing next to me caught me before I hit the floor. On the plus side sometimes an attractive young lady mighty offer me her arm, but I am too shy for that.😇

 

It would be nice if P&O just had a few chairs scattered around queuing points.

 

What is your strategy, how do you cope?

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.

2 hours ago, Josy1953 said:

I would also be reluctant to offer assistance because I would be concerned that they may take the offer as thinking that they are not capable of doing things themselves. I have a disabled friend who is very independent and says that she thinks people are condescending when the offer help to her.

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.

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

I often offer to help, or open a door, or give up a seat and often get a very dark glare as a response.  You don't always know the right thing to do, so folk often do nothing. You can't will them all.

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.

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

I am a little confused. If you don't need help, no problem. If you do, asking may be useful.

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.