New rules for wheelchair users

[GOLDSURFER]

I still don’t believe you can get a better price using an agent, than direct with PO.

Its me I’m a complete disbeliever until I see it in a invoice from both.

[Angel57]

4 minutes ago, GOLDSURFER said:

I still don’t believe you can get a better price using an agent, than direct with PO.

It’s me I’m a complete disbeliever until I see it in an invoice from both.

Maybe phone a few well known agents, get quotes and then compare……

I use the TA that a lot of us on here use and as a repeat customer get a small discount. And they answer their phones too for queries etc etc.

 

[Megabear2]

11 minutes ago, GOLDSURFER said:

I still don’t believe you can get a better price using an agent, than direct with PO.

Its me I’m a complete disbeliever until I see it in a invoice from both.

Go online and search for a cruise on a comparison site - they do exist.  Two in particular will allow mock bookings for a solo. You will see the discount reflected when you do a mock booking.

 

Ironically I do not book with any of these agents but I do use them for pricing comparisons.  I have my own personal travel specialist who is a friend and book through her for more complex itineraries and I do see quite a difference in the cruise section costs.

 

I agree as a solo it can be difficult to get some agents to price but they are out there. Have a search you might be surprised!

Edited October 9 by Megabear2

[GOLDSURFER]

Don’t need a booking now until After March 2026.

[Megabear2]

2 minutes ago, GOLDSURFER said:

Don’t need a booking now until After March 2026.

April to October 2026 are on sale now, October 2026 to April 2027 on sale end of this month.  Withtye evacuation chairs issue might be the time to start planning.

Edited October 9 by Megabear2

[cruising.mark.uk]

1 hour ago, david63 said:

Not sure that that is necessarily true. For example the less able passenger could be more likely to stay onboard when the ship is in port and buy a drink or three whist the more able bodied passengers goes ashore to buy his drinks.

 

I keep coming back to the change in passenger demographic that P&O are aiming for and at the same time reducing costs by employing less crew.

I don't think it's either of these reasons.  As others have said before, I think it is down to crew costs / numbers.   @TigerB said above that there are 67 cabins / suites available to those who use powered mobility aids on Iona and that implies 134 staff to manage evacuation by evac chairs.  In fact, it may be more than that because I understand it takes a minimum of 2 staff to assist someone in an evac chair, depending on the nature of the disability of the passenger and their weight.  Some may require more than 2.

 

I know this is simplistic but the P&O website says Iona can take 5200 pax (although, I think capacity with all berths filled is higher than that) and has 1800 crew.  So, if 67 pax require evac chair assistance, from 134 (but possibly more) crew, that means somewhere between 7.5 and 10% of the available crew will be wholly devoted throughout an emergency and evacuation to assisting about 2.5 to 3% of the passengers.  That ratio will increase for every additional passenger who needs an evac chair who is allowed to sail, potentially impinging on the safe evacuation of the remaining approx 90% of passengers and the crew because there are doubtless few if any existing crew members who don't already have a defined role in an emergency.

 

That suggests that the only way to increase the number of passengers who require an evac chair allowed on any given sailing is to increase the number of staff by at least 2 for each additional passenger. And, those additional crew would not be essential for the normal running of the ship.  The additional cost would be huge.  Either P&O would have to take the hit or the prices of cruises for all passengers would have to increase, just to provide sufficient staff to assist those who require evac chairs in an emergency.

[Cathygh]

5 hours ago, GOLDSURFER said:

NO IT WILL NOT WORK HOW DO THE HELPERS KNOW WHERE I AM.

Its a question that cannot be answered and PO has no procedures listed anywhere on there paperwork for such procedures.

They need Medallion technology like Princess have, they always know where you are, or at least where your medallion is!

[GOLDSURFER]

Thank you Megabear2

A few things against me my age then 87.

My disability not getting any better.

I could do with a companion for some things.

 

[Selbourne]

44 minutes ago, GOLDSURFER said:

I still don’t believe you can get a better price using an agent, than direct with PO.

Its me I’m a complete disbeliever until I see it in a invoice from both.

If that’s what you want to believe then I give up 😂. As mentioned, I used to book direct with P&O. Since switching to a specialist agency I have saved several thousand pounds over what I would have paid by booking direct, but it makes no odds to me who you book with. I was just trying to be helpful. 

[S1971]

11 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

If that’s what you want to believe then I give up 😂. As mentioned, I used to book direct with P&O. Since switching to a specialist agency I have saved several thousand pounds over what I would have paid by booking direct, but it makes no odds to me who you book with. I was just trying to be helpful. 

 

Agreed, I've also made significant savings over the years.

 

Aside from the financial benefit, direct contact with your agent is worth more than money, no waiting on the phone for hours on end or waiting for a minimum 28 days for an email response.

[GOLDSURFER]

I have saved several thousand pounds by booking inside cabin instead of balcony and sharing a cabin.

[Harry Peterson]

1 hour ago, GOLDSURFER said:

I still don’t believe you can get a better price using an agent, than direct with PO.

Its me I’m a complete disbeliever until I see it in a invoice from both.

I’m afraid, then, that you’ll just need to miss out on the possibility. The rules here simply don’t permit what you’re asking for. You’ve had the advice from those who know how discounts can be obtained, but how and where you choose to book is of course entirely your prerogative.

 

I hope you find a suitable cruise at an acceptable price.

[GOLDSURFER]

Have seven cruises booked from November next month until March 2026 all at reasonable prices as a solo passenger I expect to pay over the odds 14 days £2510 19 days £3100 all okay prices for me.

[Selbourne]

You can lead a horse to water………..😂

[S1971]

7 minutes ago, GOLDSURFER said:

all okay prices for me

 

At the end of the day, as long as you're happy that's all that matters.

 

Enjoy your upcoming cruises.

[terrierjohn]

3 hours ago, zap99 said:

Will they know where each guest is ?.

Not immediately, but I would expect there would be senior bridge officers checking the numbers at the muster stations and ensuring that anyone missing was located and arranging to have their evac chair and crew members despatched to bring them to their muster station, and hopefully all this talk of chaos and every man for himself would prove to be totally false.

Edited October 9 by terrierjohn

[Selbourne]

2 hours ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

So, if 67 pax require evac chair assistance, from 134 (but possibly more) crew, that means somewhere between 7.5 and 10% of the available crew will be wholly devoted throughout an emergency and evacuation to assisting about 2.5 to 3% of the passengers

In reality, I don’t think that it would work like that. Just as it would take quite some time to evacuate able bodied customers, I would anticipate that each crew pairing allocated to this activity would deal with several disabled customers, one after the other, especially as they won’t know where many people are. If the lifts were out of use we may not be able to get to either our muster station or cabin. 

[Selbourne]

21 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

hopefully all this talk of chaos and every man for himself would prove to be totally false.

My wife has often said that if there was a real life threatening emergency she’d be a gonner and I should concentrate on saving myself. I’m told that my response of “Yeah that’s a good point” might not have been the most sensitive reply 😂 

[david63]

2 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Not immediately, but I would expect there would be senior bridge officers checking the numbers at the muster stations and ensuring that anyone missing was located and arranging to have their evac chair and crew members despatched to bring them to their muster station, and hopefully all this talk of chaos and every man for himself would prove to be totally false.

Also there are procedures in place that can be seen when there is a crew drill of doing a "sweep" of the ship to ensure that nobody is left behind - although in a real emergency situation that may not always be possible.

[Host Sharon]

5 hours ago, GOLDSURFER said:

Where on this site.

See Guidelines above.

[Megabear2]

9 minutes ago, Host Sharon said:

See Guidelines above.

Hi Sharon. Long time since we heard from you. I hope you are well and fully recovered from all your ills.

[maesteggirl]

We have recently returned from a cruise on Sky Princess - a last minute booking. My husband has mobility issues and needs a walker to get around the ship and uses a scooter to get around the various ports. We do not need an adapted cabin. We did not experience any problems. We had wheelchair assistance from Taxi to cabin, the scooter and walker were allowed in the cabin .The only restriction was the door width of 22ins. - the scooter is a folding Luggie and was delivered to the cabin and picked up from the cabin on the last night. We then had wheelchair assistance from the ship to the taxi - an excellent service without any restrictions - from a Carnival company.

 

 

[Cruising Nomads]

Yes and on Princess they even allow motorised scooters out in the corridor any time day or night.

[Victoria2]

2 hours ago, Cruising Nomads said:

Yes and on Princess they even allow motorised scooters out in the corridor any time day or night.

I must admit, 1.30am is the latest we've been up recently and my own  Max Verstappen tries out warp factor hare and not the tortoise down deserted corridors so he is OK night and day in Cunard corridors, unless of course, you're referring to scooters left out in corridors in which case, he would be completely stuck, as would quite a few passengers but I'm assuming that's not the case on Princess as that would be a real SOLAS issue.

Edited October 10 by Victoria2

[Cruising Nomads]

Yes I am meaning left overnight and during the day when not in use.