Suites, mini suites and mobility scooters!!

I suppose this post is continuing on from my last one about disabiity and accessibility on board P&O's fleet.  I have previously mentioned that I had been told that when Carnival reshuffled it was decided that a dedicated disability team was no longer required and that their customer service could answer any disability related questions; I disagree with this decision and can prove it does not work.
I believe it was around the time of the reshuffle that P&O decided that disabled passengers who used a mobility scooter could no longer take then on-board unless they had an accessible cabin or another cabin that was deemed suitable and in most cases these are non adapted suites and mini suites.  The reason for this decision I understand was purely for health and safety.
I am not a fan of the mobility scooter but I feel that it is unfair on passengers who use a scooter to move around and wish to stay loyal to P&O.  I believe that their choice of cabin has been away and has obviously restricted their choice of ship and cruise as many of them cannot afford the price of suites and mini suites.
Arcadia, does not have any accessible accommodation that is suitable for a full-time wheelchair or mobility scooter users as none of their cabins are large enough to manoeuvre around.  However, they do have 51 non adapted cabins that are suites and mini suites. The ship also has 11 partially adapted cabins in grades from suites to larger inside cabins.
Aurora, does have 22 cabins that are suitable for full-time wheelchair and mobility scooter users in grades from balcony cabins to inside cabins.  The ship also offers 30 non adapted cabins that are suitable for mobility scooters in suite and mini suite grades.
Sister ships the Azura and Ventura each offer 31 adapted cabins that are suitable for full-time wheelchair and mobility scooter users in cabin grades from a suite to inside cabins.  Both ships also offer 27 non adapted suites which are suitable for mobility scooter users.
Oriana only has 8 outside cabins that are suitable for full-time wheelchair and mobility scooter users. However, she has 24 non adapted suites and mini suites that are suitable for mobility scooter users.
Oceana offers19 adapted cabins which are suitable for full-time wheelchair and mobility scooter users in grades from a mini suite to inside cabin.  She has 38 non adapted suites and mini suites that are suitable for use by mobility scooters users.
Britannia, P&O's flagship offers 37 adapted cabins that are suitable for both full-time wheelchair and mobility scooter users in grades from suites to inside cabins.  They also offer 44 non adapted suites that are suitable for mobility scooters users.
Any passenger who is disabled knows that adapted cabins sell out very quickly, usually as soon as a cruise goes on sale and as adapted cabns are very limited in number it means that they would have to swallow the cost of higher grade cabins and suites or go with another cruise company. 
When P&O introduced this new rule I was so furious that they were taking away a passengers choice of cabin and I actually moved away from P&O even though I use a manual wheelchair and the new rule did not apply to me. I went and did several cruises with RCI.  RCI do not have any rules regarding the use of scooters and we never found them to be a pest while on board "Indy".

Open wardrobe on Britannia

What does bother me is that this could be the start of a trend; starting with scooters.  At the moment I am able to manage in a standard cabin with a shower and my manual wheelchair folds small enough to fit in the open wardrobe area.  I do not require space to manoeuvre a wheelchair around the cabin.  When booking a cruise I go no higher in grade than a balcony for the simple reason that the higher grades often come with a bathtub and overhead shower.  I am unable to get in and out of a bathtub safely.  So if P&O brought in a rule regarding manual wheelchairs I would not be able to stay loyal to P&O and would not hesitate in going back to RCI or another cruise line.
I know this topic often comes up on boards and forums and I do feel sorry for mobility scooter users especially when some scooters fold up as small as a manual whelchairs and yet they are still not allowed on-board P&O's fleet.  If I was a scooter owner I would want answers as it does seem a little bit unfair.  If they were to say no manual wheelchairs on-board I believe this would be one step too far; something I don't think they can afford to do. 
I am only able to use a manual wheelchair because I have friends who can push me when I get too tired but if I had no one to push me I would have to rely on a mobility scooter and I feel that my choices should not be compromised should I use a scooter in the future.  It would be nice if one day this rule on mobility scooters could be reversed but I doubt that will ever happen.  I have been on four of the ships in the P&O fleet and they all have something different that makes them special and unique and will remain loyal but loyalty is a two way thing. 

Disability Factsheet?

Last year after returniing from our cruise on P&O's Britannia I had a few comments and suggestions that I felt P&O needed to hear that could improve accessibility not only on this ship but also other ships in the fleet.
Whilst on our 14 day cruise I wondered at times if I was the only disabled passenger who felt that there was a lack of information regarding accessibility around the ship but after my friend met a struggling visually impaired passenger struggling with the stairs between Deck 17 and Deck 18 apparently not.  This meeting happened nearing the end of the cruise and this passenger was not aware that there was a disabled lift that would take her between these decks and said that it was a shame that noone had told her of this lifts existance at the beginning of the cruise.  This passenger could so easily had fallen down these stairs.

Disabled lift on Deck 17

This lift was not origionally indicated on deck plans for Britannia in 2015 it just showed an empty space.  I only found out about its existance because of my dogged determination.  When I book a cruise I research everything that I can including the ships deck plans and from looking at Britannia's I could see that the lifts stopped at Deck 17 and that access to Deck 18 was via stairs.  I had read somewhere online that she was fully accessible so therefore there must be a way up to Deck 18.  I called P&O's customer service as I thought they would know for sure.  I have to say that they have some of the rudest customer service staff that I have ever come across.  I had to make several calls before someone explained that they have a disabled team who you cannot talk to but they would try and find out if someone knew about access.  The person did come back and explained to me exactly where to locate a lift.  She also told me that they did not want to make it public knowledge because they did not want all and sundry using it.

When I was on Britannia one of the first things we did was to check that the information was correct and that the lift was there.  As you can see from my photographs it does exist.  As you can clearly see it does not look like a lift door and most people mistook it for a crew entrance; that's why we got a few weird looks from fellow passengers.
I have sailed on Azura (2010) and Ventura (2011) and we are sailing again on Azura in June this this year and like Britannia their deck plans do not show that there is a platform lift between Azura's Aqua Deck and Sun Deck and Ventura's Sun Deck and Sports Deck.  I was told by a fellow passenger on Azura in 2010 that there was a small platform lift for the use of disabled guests. 

I unfortunately do not have photographs but this image is representative of what it looks like.  This lift can be found on both ships if you walk around Breakers Bar and round towards the Ivory Suite you will see a small glass lift that is large enough for one wheelchair and one standing person.
As I have previously said on returning home after my cruise on Britannia I contacted P&O with comments and suggestions  about accessibility on the ship and I have to say that I did got pushed from pillar to post with no answers and offered £100 OBC for my next cruise for my trouble.  Unsatisfied with the treatment I received from P&O's customer care I found an email for Christopher Edgington (Marketing Director, P&O) and started communicating with him.  Eventually I was passed onto a person who is a disability advisor for P&O and she has told me herself that she does not have any contact with customers as their customer service people could answer all questions relating to disability and accessibility.  I told her that was an error in judgement because I had tried and they know very little.    Something like knowing the position of disabled lifts on their fleet of ships is not rocket science. 
One suggestion I had was that P&O could produced a factsheet for every ship in their fleet detailing information such as the position of lifts for use by disabled passengers. A factsheet for the ship that a person is sailing on could be emailed to them once they have  submitted a disability questionnaire.  I have to say that I was told that this would be costly?  How much does it cost to produce a word document that details ship information and is them emailed out. Answer is minimal.  It is not as if the information is waiting for you in your cabin when you board.  The only contact I ever get when I am on board is contact from the excursions team trying to sell me an over priced accessible tour.
In conclustion I have to say that when I first started crusing there was a dedicated disability number that you could call and their team was very knowledgable and helpful but as I have been told that when P&O reshuffled several years ago they felt that a dedicated disability team was not required as their customer service could answer disability related questions.  I strongly disagree.  I am very passionate about equality and the more I see that is unjust the more I will complain, I may be disabled and what I may lack in movement I make up for in voice.

Nearly a year since Britannia

May 2nd marks the 1st birthday of Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte and a year since our cruise on Britannia. For me this cruise holds special memories for several different reasons.  I have been on a couple of cruises since Mum passed away in September 2014, the first was on Royal Caribbeans Independence of the Sea and P&O's Britannia was the second of the cruises.  

When I booked Britannia in late 2014 it was for no other reason than we needed a holiday to get over a rather upsetting situation which was caused by the actions of the Co-operative Funeralcare who lost my Mum's wedding ring and after many weeks they finally accepted full responsibility and paid compensation. Between booking the cruise and taking it we had some of her ashes interred at her local church and the remaining ashes Mum wished for me to scatter somewhere special.  At the time I had several ideas in mind of what she would have liked but no final decision had been made.

Our cruise on Britannia was about the 5th cruise into her inaugural season and like many of my fellow cruisers I was looking for reviews and information that I might find helpful and like many people I am a member of several cruise related forums.  One day I received a newsletter from a list and I saw something that caught my eye and that was the scattering of ashes at sea.  Curiosity got the better of me and I clicked on the link and read a very heart warming account of how a chap had a relatives ashes scattered at sea on Britannia and it got me thinking.  My Mum had so many connections to the sea, my Dad who was in the Royal Navy and Mum's last holiday with me was to Lanzarote; which was going to be one of our ports of call on this cruise.  I wasn't sure how or if I could organise it but I thought I would try and my first port of call was our cruise agent who made the first contact with P&O. A lady contacted me and she wanted to know a bit more information regarding the cruise and whose ashes I wanted to be scattered.  At this point it was not certain if this could be done as it was down to the Captain and the port authority of the places that we were visiting. On my part I had to get a cremation certificate and this had to be got from the crematorium. The funeral director from the Co-op was kind enough to sort that for me and so I had my fingers crossed for some good news from P&O.  After I believe a week or so of waiting I received a letter to say that I had been granted permission by Captain Pembridge for the scattering of Mum's ashes in the Canary Islands.  I had to report to the information desk at the Southampton terminal and they would escort me through customs.

Britannia in the Canaries

I don't why I was so nervous about these ashes, maybe because once this final act that I could do for Mum that. Once on board I reported to the reception as per my letter and ask for Karen who was a young Officer who was going to guide me through this sad time and make sure everything went smoothly from the service to ordering a wreath, she was their for us throughout the whole cruise. On the day we reach Lisbon I handed over the small sealed container of Mum's ashes for them to examine and I was told that the harbour authorities in Lanzarote had given permission for the scattering of ashes in the waters just off the island.
A couple a days later we reached Lanzarote and Mum's ashes were going to be scattered in a early evening ceremony at 7:30pm.  That day was a bit surreal because we had spent the day on the ship sunbathing and doing such ordinary things. I was more nervous about meeting Captain Pembridge than having Mum's ashes scattered. Once we had departed for Gran Canaria we went and met up with the Captain, Karen and another Officer.  There was a set service that was taken by Captain Pembridge and then I was asked if I wanted to say a few words before throwing the  wreath of beautiful bright flowers into the sea and I watched it for a few moments as it floated away into the distance.  Afterwards I knew I had done the right thing by Mum scattering her ashes in a place that we both loved.  Several days later I was given a certificate to say that Mum's ashes were committed to the sea in position Latitude 28 50'N Longitude 013 36'W on 8th May 2015. This was also entered into the ships log for perpetuity.  

Glass House Fish & Chips

After booking this 14 day cruise it was announced that Olly Smith wine expert and one of P&O's Food Hero's was going to be on board in the second week.  When I found this out I was determined that we would do a wine tasting session with him. I am no wine expert but I do like a nice white wine and because I not that keen on red wine I was hoping he could change my mind.  On this cruise Olly only did a couple of wine tasting sessions and they were limited to 12 people so I booked it as soon as the flyer hit our cabin.  I had never done anything like this before so I didn't know what to expect.  I actually thought we would be out of our depth and that the other people would be wine connoisseurs but actually no one in the group was.  We had four wines to  taste, two white and two red and nibbles as well.  It lasted about 90 minutes and I actually came away liking one of the reds as well as both whites.  Olly truly loves his profession and passed on some knowledge and insight into what he is passionate about.  
Britannia is a lovely ship but as I have previously said but for me she does not have the "WOW" factor.  I found the atrium to be more like a shopping mall with its "Market Cafe" and shops that were on two decks. The spiral staircase was to one side of the atrium and really was nothing special to look at.  The reception was just off the atrium and it felt as if you were in a 4 star hotel.  I say 4 star because I have stayed in a 5 star plus hotels and this ship does fall far short of the standards that you would expect from such an establishment.
All in all I am glad that I have been on this ship but I won't be in any hurry to sail on her again unless it is the right itinerary and time.

An upgrade, a new evening bag and 23 days to go!!

On previous cruises we have pre chosen our cabin but on this cruise we decided to book a guaranteed cabin which meant we saved around £700.  The cabin was GE grade (Deluxe Balcony Cabin)  and as no one had cruised on Britannia we thought we would take the chance.  
On 2nd April I went into my details at the website and to my surprise we have been allocated our cabin and we have been given an upgrade to a GD grade cabin.  The cabin is E618 it is the same type cabin that we had paid for but in a better position on the ship. 
I always say things happen for a reason.  This cabin is on E Deck and this is our 4th cruise with P&O and we always have cabins on this deck. Six is Karen's birthday and considered a lucky number by us.  Eighteen is our bungalow number.  So I am very pleased with the cabin

My new bag

number.  
A couple of weeks ago we got our cases out in preparation for starting to pack.  We started to pack swimwear and accessories such as handbags.  It was only then that I realised that an evening bag that Mum had bought me a few years ago has some sequins missing, I was devaastated to find it this way as I am always very careful when putting it away.  I fear it cannot be mended but I cannot throw it away.  I have just bought another bag for the cruise.  It won't replace the bag that Mum bought but I am sure she would like it.  I am now done buying for this cruise.  We only have the odd toiletries to buy.  I cannot believe it is only 23 days away.  Mum always said done wish your life away but I just can't wait!