Someone has flicked on the cruise switch

Last July we booked our latest cruise to the Baltic which we are taking in June and at that time it was too early to get excited.  However, it is as if someone has flicked on a switch and turned the excitement on for us.  Our cruise is just over three months away and there is still a huge amount to do. 

Cabin E225

Being disabled means that most standard excursions are not suitable for me for one reason or another.  On this cruise we will be visiting St Petersburg for two days and because you require a tourist visa most people do the ships excursions because your visa is included in the price.  Unfortunately there wasn't any suitable standard excursions and we were considering getting our own tourist visas for Russia but after reading about some problems for tourists we have decided against it.  At this point I was feeling fairly low because it was looking as if we would have to rely on doing accessible excursions which are hugely overpriced in my opinion and very limited to usually one or two per visiting port.  Over the weekend while talking with our broker the topic of excursions came up and telling her how disappointed we were at not seeing St Petersburg the way we had hoped she suggested that we look at private tour companies.
There are many companies that specialise in providing private and tailored tours.  After doing a considerable amount of research we have decided to go with Guide Guru.  At the moment we are in the process of sorting an itinerary for a one day tour which will include French Painting of 19th and 20th Century  (which none of the P&O excursions do) at The Hermitage The Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood, St Issac's Cathedral, a city tour and of course no trip will be complete without shopping! The cost is very reasonable considering it is a one to one tour experience for just us.  It also means that I can do things at my pace.  I find it rather odd that the standard excursions have been bookable for some months but the accessible excursions are not released until tomorrow (10th March).  I can't believe it is because they are harder to organise or this only happens with tours to the Baltic because this is the same with every cruise we have done with P&O.  We have of course looked at the other ports that we are visiting but have not decided anything yet.  We may do our own thing but then again we may do an excursion we will have to wait and see.
This will be the third time that we have stayed in cabin E225

and knowing where everything thing is means that we will settle in that much quicker.  I am so excited by this and I see Azura as an old friend who I have made such wonderful memories with.  It is funny that it takes weeks to pack but minutes (hour) to unpack.
It is so hard to explain to someone who has never cruised the advantages of doing so and the fact that your holiday starts the moment you step onto the ship and not spending the first and last day of your holiday sitting around in airports or flying.  
For our friends it must seem confusing and exhausting the amount of enthusiasm and excitement that we build up prior to a cruise.  I have been nicknamed "list queen" because that is how I organise us for a cruise.  By the time we get to d-day I will have produce a list for virtually everything we take.
One other important thing that I do is to take a file which has every piece of paperwork relating to the cruise.  I also have passports and photocopies, maps and port information, pre-paid dinner receipts, Prescription form and letter, useful phone numbers, travel insurances and deck plans of Azura and there is probably something I have forgotten.  
Last May we sailed on Britannia for a 14 night Canaries cruise which was lovely but the ship was missing the wow factor and the one thing that really spoilt it for me was that there is no promenade deck.  We love to take a stroll around the promenade deck after dinner and have a drink and it just didn't feel right, we had a balcony but that wasn't the same.  On Britannia the Promenade was at the top on the Sports Deck, which was not undercover and could be windy at times; it wasn't what I would call a promenade.
So for the foreseeable future I will be compiling my lists and start to prepare for our cruise on Azura.

Poor Customer Service P&O!

Following on from my previous post about P&O's customer service I actually had a 4th person call me and I will refer to her as Clare (not her real name) who introduced herself as a disability adviser.  From the off she spoke to me with contempt, launching into the fact that The Cookery Club does have a lowered workstation and not giving me the chance to explain that all I had to go on was a couple of CGI's and incorrect information given to me by P&O which I believed to be correct at the time.  This information was given over the phone and in person.

When Clare had stopped to draw breath I asked her why it had took two months and 4 people, who were two customer services executives, one director and one disability adviser before I was informed that there was a lower counter in The Cookery Club.  I also told her that my letters were about accommodation floors, lack of or incorrect information, gangways and disembarkation.

I had said that customer service was poor at the best of times and very frustrating if you have a disability question as you are often put on hold for a period of time and when the person does eventually come back they often don't have an answer.  When I first cruised with P&O in 2008 there was a dedicated team that you could speak to.  This was when Clare told me that when P&O restructured they decided that they did not want a disability team that the passengers could speak to, but she could not expand on their reasoning behind this ridiculous decision. Although she is supposed to be a disability adviser she does not deal with a lot of queries but the admin side of things.
 
Our conversation eventually got back to Britannia and The Cookery Club and she offered to send me some photographs she had taken to show this workstation and I immediately said that I would like to see them and she also said she would email them to me along with her contact details so that I could contact if I had anymore questions and we left it there. 

You could guess what happened next, nothing! So once again I found myself chasing her up by having to email one of my other contacts.  Clare eventually emailed me back in what I consider a rude manner saying that because I am not sailing on Britannia again she assumed I didn't need to see these photographs.  She just doesn't understand what disability awareness is.  I did reply but by this time I was starting to loose the will to live and with the reply I sent I didn't expect to hear from her again.

It was on 31st July and Clare called me I didn't really want to talk to Clare as we would only go over old ground and speaking to her wasn't going to achieve anything but the polite person I am I agreed to speak with her.  The conversation was just a carbon copy of our previous conversation.  I know I probably won't get anything improved but I think I am entitled to a letter of apology.

Two Months, 4 people and I am still getting fobbed off by P&O

CGI of The Cookery Club

Over two months ago I wrote to P&O's Customer Service with several comments and issues that I experienced whilst on board Britannia.  One of items I mentioned was The Cookery Club which I believed was not accessible according to this image which was released by P&O.  My agent had been invited to spend two nights on board prior to the maiden voyage and whilst on board made a point to find out if the club was accessible and on her return she reported that all the workstations were the same height.  Based on the images available and information at hand I decided not to book a class.  Other items that I mentioned included accommodation floors, gangways, lack of and incorrect information.

Once P&O's Customer Service has received a letter or email a case is raised and is given to a Customer Service Executive.  They have 28 days to reply to your communication and in my case the first person contacted me on day 27.  The person who I spoke to was very polite and during our call offered a lot which I had asked to be confirmed in writing.  An email did arrive all be it after several days but did not confirm everything we discussed but did include things that we didn't discuss.  So I sent an email back asking for certain things to be confirm; and I waited and waited!  A week passed and I heard nothing from this chap and found it hard to know where to go to next and decided to follow my own advice, which is to go to the top of the tree.

After a bit of a search I was given the email of Christopher Edgington, Director P&O Cruises.  I sent a rather lengthy letter to him explaining my issues and concerns and that I felt as if I was being fobbed off.  He took the time and read my letter and emailed me to say that he had asked his team to look at my letter urgently.  Great, Fantastic News!

Enter person no.3 who called me and we discussed the issues that I had raised and once again I was promised a email confirmation of our conversation and again I was let down.  I was slowly losing patience and I had to contact Christopher Edgington again, I say I was frustrated would be an understatement.  I was once again told that he would get his team to look at my letter urgently.  I was contacted again by person no.3 that day to see how I would like to proceed and replied to his email and ending it by saying I deserve a letter of apology at the very least.

We have booked our next cruise, favourite cabin and OBC of £520!

While on Britannia we heard many passengers talk about their cruises to the Baltic and as we both wanted at some point to visit Scandinavia and Russian and both are on the Baltic so that made it obvious what we should look for.  
There aren't many cruises to the Baltic so we decided to book sooner than later if we wanted a specific cabin.   We found a 14 night cruise to the Baltic on board P&O's Azura in June departing on a Sunday.  The itinerary is departing from Southampton, Belgium, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Southampton.
We never book direct with P&O but through a cruise broker.  We got an additional 2% off the P&O price.  Best of all is that we were able to book our favourite cabin E225 and when we received confirmation we have been given an on board credit of £520.  I knkow it is 11 months away but I can't help being a tiny bit excited!
 

Great Cruise P&O - But improvements need to be made!!

After we returned from our recent P&O cruise I felt that somethings on board could be improved so I wrote a quite lengthy email to their customer service.  The main issues were:  

•  Not enough room in the accommodation corridors to manoeuvre a wheelchair or walker around housekeeping trolleys without scrapping wheels along walls or damaging your knuckles.  To ask a cabin steward to move his trolley into an alcove was like talking to a brick wall, apart from one or two that were extremely helpful. 
• Lack of information for passengers who had registered a disability with regard to gangways at ports, emergency procedures and access to the sports deck via a lift on deck 17.  
• The Cookery Club is not accessible to anyone who is disabled as they do not have an adapted workspace.     

When you contact P&O customer service you have to give them up to 28 days to reply and I just knew that they would take that time to get back to me especially as I had requested that I spoke with someone.  As I foretold their customer service contacted me on 27th day.  The chap that I spoke with was very polite and we discussed my issues to which he has given me proposals of how the issues will be tackled.  
The issue of cabin stewards not manoeuvring their housekeeping trolleys so that people can pass is going to be addressed by giving the stewards some awareness training.  I was a bit astounded to be told they are the only crew members who do not receive this.  Being as they are the ones who have day to day contact with passengers I found this a bit odd? 
Lack of information for passengers who have registered a disability will be looked into and the proposal is that P&O will produce a pre-cruise information pack for passengers.  
The issues with The Cookery Club were still being looked into so this was not really discussed but was happy to leave that there for the moment.  
The main surprise was that as the call was ending the chap said that he would like to give me some on board credit which would be added to my next cruise and I accepted the £100 credit.  I was promised that a confirmation email would be sent detailing our conversation and I was more than happy to leave it there. That was on 16th June and by the 20th June I had still not received a confirmation email and so I sent an email asking in a polite but firm manner for confirmation of the OBC offer and details of what we had discussed.  I did receive an email on the 26th June as promised and some more information regarding TheT

The Cookery Club

Cookery Club, my comments and concerns have been passed onto the Disability and Mobility Management Team for further investigation as P&O who are fully committed to providing all their passengers with equal facilities and opportunities.  The email states that they will be able to take action with regard to this.  
On so many occasions I am told something will change and it never does, but with this I am determined to get it changed.  I have the chaps direct email and will be contacting him again shortly if I don't receive an undate.  For far too long disabled people have been happy with their lot but I am not and I will continue to fight for equality.

Accessibility Information on Cruising Page Updated

I have now returned from my cruise on Britannia (B506) and have now updated "The Muster Drill" with the correct information.

Cases Are All Packed!!

Cruise day is almost here! We have 4 days until we leave our home for an overnight hotel stay in Kent before heading down to Southampton's Ocean Cruise Terminal to join Britannia on Saturday (May 2nd).

This is a "G" grade cabin type

Today (Sunday) we have just about finished packing.  We said that on this cruise we would cut back on the clothes that we would take but It doesn't seem to have happened.  We have 1 large case, 1 medium case, 1 small case and one large holdall plus a back pack, 1 wheelchair back pack and a vanity case.  The hardest part is that each piece has to weigh no more than 20kg and because of this restriction we had to do a bit of Juggling with the clothes but we finally got there and then next Saturday we have to unpack the lot; are we mad or what!!  Apart from a few bits and bobs we are ready to go.  I have created a reminder door with lots of post it notes stuck to it to remind me of things we have to do before Friday.  I am very organised when it comes to preparation and information, you can never do enough in my mind.
Both of us are now considered seasoned cruisers and know exactly what we want from this ship and have done extensive research of what facilities she has on offer.  I have my blue cruise folder ready to go with everything we need from E-Tickets to Passports and information about every port we are visiting.  
Tomorrow we are going into town to run a last few errands at the post office, bank and chemist.  Even though we are both good travellers we still like to have motion sickness tablets as a just in case thing.
 To be continued....
 

Just 2% (37) of Cabins on Britannia are Accessible

In 2008 cruising became a lifeline for me to have a holiday in the sun when I could no longer fly and cruising has been my chosen holiday of choice since.  All my P&O cruises have been in standard cabins as I can manage with a shower and my wheelchair (folded) fits inside my cabin.
A couple of years ago for reasons of health and safety P&O changed their policy regarding which cabins could be booked if you are an electric wheelchair or mobility scooter user.  Cabins that can be booked are accessible cabins and selected mini suites and suites.

Disabled cabin on Britannia

On Britannia there are 1,837 cabins of which 37 are accessible cabins that is just 2%.  If someone uses a folding manual or electric wheelchair and it fits their weight and size restrictions then they can book a standard cabin.
I am not a fan of mobility scooters because of the beeping, honking and the swearing I have suffered while being followed along a pavement and witnessed at other times.  Some of these scooters can do up to 8mph.  I have witnessed a lady in 3 inch heels get off her scooter and dance the night away but used her mobility scooter when it suited her.  I do have friends who genuinely have a need to use one and that is fine with me but the misuse by people who are just too lazy to walk and see a scooter as an alternative form of transport need shooting. 

The policy that was introduced by P&O and I believe it is not a blanket policy that covers other cruise lines.  Last October I was on RCI's Independence of the Seas and it was obvious that there were scooter users booked into standard cabins.  At times it was very difficult to walk down a corridor with my walker because of scooters left outside cabins which meant it was difficult to pass without closing my walker.  I was also aware that house keeping also found it difficult to manoeuvre around the scooters.
I can understand why P&O do not want scooters parked in corridors because they are a hazard to other people.  However, my opinion is that if a scooter fits the height and weight restrictions that have been set my P&O for electric and manual folding wheelchairs then I can't see why they cannot be included enabling users to book a standard cabin.
The other solution is that P&O should have more accessible cabins on their ships.  I do not know the percentage of people with mobility problems or disabilities that cruise but I would imagine it is fairly high.  I would have hoped that P&O would have considered this when building Britannia.

Accessible cabins on Britannia:
Suites:
B626 & B627

Superior Deluxe Balcony:
B426 & B427

Balcony Cabins (without sofa):
B429, B430, C440, C441, C446 & C447 (HA grade)
C301, C302, C303, C304, D301, D302, D303, D304 (HB grade)
B709, B719, C720, C726, D732, D733, F724, F725 (HD grade)
A110 (HF grade)

Inside Cabins:
C514, C515, D314, D315, D320, D321 (PB grade)
C723, C729, D730, D731 (PD grade)

Mum's Final Journey

As you may know my mum Muriel passed away in September 2014 after a short illness.  It was decided after the funeral to divide her ashes so that some were buried with my Dads ashes in her local

Mum at The Connaught Hotel 2013

churchyard and the rest I have taken back with me to Norfolk.  
Mum was born and raised near the coast and my family has a strong connection with the RNLI.  When Mum stayed with me she was at her happiest sitting watching the sea.  Then from nowhere it came to me to see if it was possible to have ashes scattered at sea while on the cruise ship.  Mum loved travel, she loved the sea and she loved to hear about our cruises so it seemed perfect.  I had read that it was possible to scatter ashes with P&O but it was at the discretion of the captain.  I thought the best person to ask to contact P&O was our cruise agent Susan and got onto it straight away.  At first they were very positive about helping me and after a week or so later they didn't seem so keen giving the excuse the Captain Brown was too busy with Britannia to give an answer.  At this point I was feeling very down as it felt it was the right thing to do with her ashes.  My agent said she would tackle someone while

Captain Pembridge

visiting the ship this week.  That raised my hopes.  This morning I received a letter from P&O to say that the alternate captain on Britannia Captain David Pembridge had confirmed that he is willing to assist me onboard during the scattering of the ashes and that I will receive a copy of the details of the service shortly.  They have also said that a member of the team will be available at the cruise terminal to assist us through the embarkation procedures.   Suddenly I feel a whole weight has lifted off my shoulders.  I just need to get a copy of the cremation certificate to show the ship.  They have even asked what date I want to do the scattering and I have said while the ship is in the Canary Islands.
I feel at last her journey is finally coming to an end and she would be more than happy with my choices.

Britannia's Cookery Club

I have often found myself to be the person that seems to ask the awkward questions that no one else wants to ask.  One of the reasons for booking this cruise was The Cookery Club.  Cooking is my blood my Dad was a chef in the navy and I had been cooking with him since the age around 4.  
The Cookery Club is

P&O's Cookery Club

led by TV chef James Martin with classes taught by the Cookery Club team who have been hand selected and trained by James himself.   Classes start from £45pp to £100pp
There are 19 classes being held while we are on the cruise and taught by the team.  The classes include perfect pasta, James Martins desserts, Portuguese street food, Atul Kochhar's sindhu favourites, Spanish tapas and modern gastropub.  There will also be family classes on offer.
On special cruises there will be classes led by James Martin, Atul Kochhar, master patissier Eric Lanlard and Marco Pierre White and many other well known chefs.  
I know I shouldn't but the first thing that often comes to mind is "is it available to disabled  people?"  So often activities are not available to us with a disabilities and often their excuse is health and safety.  It is starting to get boring and it can make you feel like a second rate citizen.
I have gone back to P&O's website to look at the information for the Cookery Club although it says everyone is welcome I have not found anything to say that there is adapted stations or that people with disabilities are welcome.  I have also looked at the few photographs that are around and there dosen't appear to be any adapted stations in the Cookery Club.
This totally saddens and angers me as I am a bit of a foodie and am a pretty damn good cook/baker if I say so myself and would have loved the chance to have a class with a

My kitchen

professional chef, but I fear that won't happen.  
I have an adapted kitchen with a rise and fall unit which is L-shape and houses a sink and hob.  It allows me to cook and be independent but also means that other members of my family can use it.  They are either electric or manual and cost £3,000-£6,ooo this is pocket money to a cruise line like P&O who have just spent £473 million on building Britannia.  My cruise agent has the opportunity to stay on Britannia for a couple of nights and I have asked her to find out if the Cookery Club has facilities for disabled cruisers or not.  If they do then I will amend my post.  I will update when I hear back from my agent.

A Couple of New Additions

Picture made of cotton reels

Over the last few days I have been updating my page "Cruising-A Alternative Way To Travel".  It is based on my personal experiences and knowledge that I have gained since I started cruising in 2008.  I have stayed in both adapted and non-adapted cabins and I hope that my ramblings maybe of some use to someone.
I have also added a new page "Accessibility Around Cruise Ships" this based on my personal experiences I have had.  The page also contains facts about different cruise ships that I feel maybe of use.  These facts are the sort of things I like to know before I book my cruises.  If there is something that you think maybe of interest to other disabled cruisers please contact me.