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What assistance is offered to guests with a disability or reduced mobility?

P&O Cruises welcomes guests with disabilities and reduced mobility and we aim to make your stay as relaxing and comfortable as possible.

If you have a disability or reduced mobility which might mean that you require additional assistance in an emergency situation, you must advise us at the time of booking or as soon as the need is known. We will then send you a "Your on-board needs" questionnaire to complete.

Our Accessibility Team collate this information and ensure that each ship has a list of guests requiring extra assistance, together with their cabin numbers, before the ship sails.

We'll do all we can to assist you while you're on holiday with us. But please be aware, we're unable to note any requests for where cabins will be allocated or which dining you’ll be assigned. All allocations are made dependent on your fare type and when the booking was made.

Embarkation and disembarkation assistance for guests with disabilities

We would kindly request that you let us know as soon as possible, and at least 48 hours prior to embarkation, should you require this assistance. Embarkation assistance is available from  inside the cruise terminal building. On arrival, there will be a mobility assistance team wearing high visibility jackets who will escort you through embarkation, either in your own mobility aid or a ships wheelchair. Please ensure you only take essential items with you as hand luggage as this will need to be managed between you and your travelling companion.

Registering for embarkation and disembarkation assistance does not entitle you to a priority or fast track service. However, if you adhere to your allocated embarkation and disembarkation time this will ensure you are embarked and disembarked as quickly as possible.

Disembarkation information will be advised on board. If you have any questions, please contact Reception. For disembarkation, please ensure you only take essential items with you as hand luggage as this will need to be managed between you and your travelling companion.  

To request wheelchair assistance in Southampton, please request this on "Your on-board needs" questionnaire. If you have not yet completed a questionnaire please contact our Customer Contact Centre, please visit our website for contact details, and a member of the team will be more than happy to send you one via email.

Travelling alone

Your well-being while on board is important to us. If you need help with daily things such as using the bathroom, eating, or movement around the ship, you'll need to travel with a companion or personal assistant. The ship's crew cannot assist you with these tasks.

If you're travelling alone (or your companion is no longer able to assist you) and it becomes clear that you're unable to manage safely and independently on board without help, we'll talk to you and create a course of action. If you need a carer to help you whilst at home, you'll be required to travel with a companion or personal assistant who can provide the same level of care for your safety whilst on board.

Access on board

We want everyone to enjoy the ship to its full potential while staying safe, so here are the key things you need to be aware of:

The majority of public areas and venues have level or ramped access. There are raised door thresholds throughout the ship which need to be negotiated with care. You may find the layout of the ship narrower than you are used to. 

Please also pay careful attention when backing out of lifts in a mobility scooter/wheelchair as these are often in close proximity to the staircases. In the interests of your and other guest’s safety on board, mobility scooters and wheelchairs must be driven at a safe speed at all times.

There will be wheelchair spaces in our theatres and other entertainment venues for the use of full time wheelchair users and their companions, allocated on a first come first service basis. Each ship has different arrangements for the safe storage of mobility aids during performances.  Talk to the Entertainment team on board for guidance.

Swimming pools

All of our ships feature a pool chair style hoist available for use with a weight limit of 135kg.

Fly-cruise holidays - information for travellers with disabilities

If you have reduced mobility or a disability, you can get support when travelling by air, at the airport and on the flight.
 
You can tell us what assistance you need on the "Your on-board needs" questionnaire (to request a questionnaire please call our Customer Contact Centre on 0345 355 5111*, local call charges apply).
 
If you choose a fly-cruise holiday, you’ll need to check in your wheelchair/mobility scooter at the airport with your baggage (most scooters/wheelchairs can be taken to the gate now so you can use this around the airport and then it will be put in the hold once you board the flight). The airport’s own assistance team will be provided at check-in. They’ll support you getting to and boarding the plane.
 
Please use the questionnaire to let us know about any mobility aids you’ll be taking and send it back to us no later than 14 days before departure.
 
You’ll also need to let your airline know about any mobility aids - electric wheelchairs/scooters/CPAP - you’ll be taking on to the flight as soon as possible (certain flights can only accommodate 2/3 scooters due to batteries and space, so the airline could refuse them), but no later than one week before departure.
 
If you’re flying with a scheduled airline, you’ll need to contact them directly.
 
If you’re flying on one of our charter flights with TUI or Jet2, please call our Contact Centre on 0345 355 5111*.
 
Our charter flights can offer vegetarian, vegan, diabetic or gluten-free meals, although what’s available can vary depending on the airline. For scheduled flights, please review the airline’s website for more information.

Flying with medical equipment

Any medical equipment you need on board the flight needs to be battery operated as the airline can’t provide a power supply.

If you need additional oxygen on your flight, please contact us urgently on 0345 355 5111* as only one guest is permitted to fly with additional oxygen on each flight. Local call charges apply plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

Please let us know if you:

  • Intend to bring your own hoist or commode, as airlines may have weight-associated restrictions
  • Require additional baggage allowance for mobility equipment/ medical supplies

If you need to use your CPAP/BiPAP/nebuliser/oxygen concentrator during your flight, please call us on 0345 355 5111* no later than 14 days before departure. Local charges apply plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

More information can be found under Can I fly if I have a pre-existing medical condition, reduced mobility or any disability that requires assistance?

Getting ashore

Staff will be able to provide wheelchair or arm assistance from the top to the bottom of the gangway only where safe to do so. Guests must make their own way to/from the terminal/shuttle bus/tour buses etc.

When choosing your cruise, please bear in mind that it may not be possible for wheelchair users to go ashore in all ports of call. Certain ports have extreme tidal ranges that make gangway access too steep for safe passage of wheelchairs or mobility scooters. 

For information about ports and tenders, please see Can wheelchair users use tender launches to go ashore?

Accessible shore experiences

At P&O Cruises, we want to ensure there are no barriers stopping you from seeing the world and enjoying unforgettable experiences at our many wonderful destinations. Shore experiences add an extra dimension to your holiday, so wherever possible we offer accessible shore experience.

If you're a full-time wheelchair user or unable to board a coach, it gives you the reassurance that your trip ashore is suitable for your needs and that you're in safe hands. 

You can book your accessible shore experiences at My P&O Cruises. Places that offer wheelchair-friendly activities will begin with the word "accessible". As with any other shore experience, they are available to book up to 365 days before your departure.

And although our accessible shore experiences are specifically wheelchair friendly, if there are extra spaces nearer to departure, they may be offered to guests using other mobility aids.

 

We ask you to bear in mind that due to health and safety requirements concerning the design of the ship, port infrastructure and equipment, it may not always be possible to offer our shore experience programme. It is also worth noting that our tour providers/coach operators will reserve the right to refuse carriage to any guest who is unable to negotiate the steps of the coach independently – but this does not apply to lift coaches for full-time wheelchair users. In many cases, taxis for hire are usually readily available close to our ship’s berth, should you wish to travel independently.

Please note - mobility scooters can't be accommodated in accessible vehicles as they cannot be safely secured in transit.

Pre and post-cruise hotel stays for City Stays and Land Tours

Accommodation

If you have booked a hotel with us as part of a pre or post cruise package (City Stays and Land Tours), and have special hotel accommodation requirements, please let us know as soon as possible so we can secure a suitable room for you. This will be subject to availability as accessible/ adapted hotel rooms are limited.

Transfers to and from your hotel

If you are a full-time wheelchair/mobility scooter user or are unable to board a coach, let us know. We'll ensure our chosen supplier is aware of your needs and provides the most suitable vehicle available.

Special requirements

 

To tell us about your accommodation or transport requirements, please speak with our Customer Contact Centre on 0345 355 5111. Local call charges apply.

Emergencies on board

Assistance in an emergency

If you have a disability or reduced mobility which might mean that you require additional assistance in an emergency situation, you must advise us at the time of booking or as soon as the need is known. We will then use this information to ensure that each ship has a list of guests requiring extra assistance, together with their cabin numbers, before the ship sails.

In the event of an emergency and when guests are called to their Muster Stations, all guest cabins are checked and evacuated by the cabin stewards. Any guest who requires assistance getting from their cabin to the Muster Station will be given the required assistance by the ship’s specially trained guest assistance team.

Special evacuation chairs are available on all ships which will be utilised to transport guests down stairs if required. This assistance will be arranged by the cabin stewards evacuating the cabins.

In the event that a guest is away from their cabin, either on the open decks or in a public room, at the onset of an emergency, these areas are also checked and evacuated. In this event any guest requiring assistance would be taken directly to their muster station by the guest assistance team and a life jacket/s would be provided in the muster station.

This assistance will be arranged by the crew members assigned to evacuate these areas. Similarly if a guest requiring assistance presents themselves on a stairway at the onset of an emergency, this assistance will be arranged by a stairway guide. Stairway guides are present on all stairways designated as guest evacuation routes.

Please note that in the event of an emergency, guests with restricted mobility will not be able to use the lifts (as with standard worldwide emergency procedures, lifts are not to be used in emergency situations due to the risk of becoming trapped in the event of a power failure). Please also note that in the event of an emergency, those guests using motorised wheelchairs or scooters will need to be transferred to either a regular wheelchair or evacuation chair. It is not possible for the guest Assistance Party to transport guests in motorised wheelchairs or scooters down the stairs, due to the additional weight and the subsequent risk of injury to the guest and members of the guest assistance team in attempting this.

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