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

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.

Guest Support collate this information and ensure that each ship has a list of guests requiring extra assistance, together with their stateroom 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 positions of your staterooms or which dining room table will be allocated. All allocations are made dependent on your fare type and when the booking was made.

Sailing from Southampton

Embarkation assistance is available to any guests if requested in advance of departure. 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.

On arrival into the cruise terminal building, there will be a mobility assistance team wearing high visibility jackets who will escort you through embarkation either in your own mobility aid or in a ship’s wheelchair. Please ensure you only take essential items with you as hand luggage will need to be managed between yourself 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. All of our Southampton cruise terminals are fully accessible for mobility scooter and wheelchair guests. They feature lifts, a dedicated check-in, accessible toilet facilities and high level linked walkways.

Disembarkation assistance will be arranged on board. If you have any questions please contact the Purser's Office.

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.

Please note, you will still be required to adhear to your allocated check in time.

Travelling alone

If you require assistance with daily living, such as washing, toileting, eating, movement around the ship or assistance while ashore, you will need to travel with a companion/personal assistant who can provide this for you; the ship’s crew are unable to assist with these tasks. 

If it becomes clear that you are unable to manage safely and independently on board without assistance, or your travelling companion is unable to provide this level of assistance, you will be required to discuss the situation with a member of the ship’s company. 

If you require the assistance of a carer whilst at home, you will be required to travel with a companion/personal assistant who can provide the same level of care to ensure 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 are present 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

If you choose a fly-cruise holiday, you will be required to check in your wheelchair/mobility scooter at the airport with your baggage. 

Please request as soon as possible any mobility assistance you require on the questionnaire. Airport assistance is only provided from check-in by the airport operator. Please ensure details of any mobility aids you will be taking are provided no later than 14 days prior to your departure.

Availability of alternative meals is dependent on the airline and normally consist of vegetarian, vegan, diabetic or gluten free options. For scheduled flights please review the airline’s website. 

Any medical equipment you require on board the flight must be battery operated as the airline will not provide a power supply. If you require additional oxygen on your flight, please contact us urgently on 0345 355 0300* as airlines dictate that only one guest is permitted to fly with additional oxygen. 

Please also inform us immediately if you intend to bring your own hoist or commode as there may be airline weight associated restrictions or if you require additional baggage allowance for mobility equipment/medical supplies.

For further information on flying with a wheelchair/mobility scooter and/or medical equipment, please view Can I fly if I have a pre-existing medical condition, reduced mobility or any disability that requires assistance?

Mobility 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.

Please note if your shore experiences are operated by minibus, there will be no storage space for mobility scooters or wheelchairs.

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

Accessible shore experiences are a category of our shore experiences programme that are wheelchair-accessible. They have been selected and adapted for guests who use a wheelchair primarily, though if spaces are available nearer to departure, they may be offered to guests using other walking aids such as a walking frame. Via these experiences, you can enjoy the freedom to explore ashore accompanied by a companion, knowing that our team has assessed your shore experience for accessibility in advance.

Accessible shore experiences are available in a wide range of incredible destinations, and will begin with the word "accessible" on My Cunard. Like any other shore experience, they are available to book up to 365 days before departure.

If you have reduced mobility but are not a wheelchair user, a range of leisurely shore experiences are also available. To find them, simply use the ‘low activity’ search filter when browsing shore experiences in My Cunard. The various activity levels for every individual shore experience are also stated in ‘Important information’.

Please note that mobility scooters cannot be accommodated in accessible vehicles as they cannot be safely secured in transit.

Hotel stays and/or transfers

If you have booked a hotel with us as part of a pre or post-cruise package (including 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 hotel rooms are limited. 

To advise of any such requirements, please speak with our Customer Contact Centre on 0345 355 0300*.

If you are a full time wheelchair/mobility scooter user or are unable to board a coach our chosen suppliers will be informed so they can provide the most suitable vehicle available. If you have any specific transport requirements, please speak with our Customer Contact Centre on 0345 355 0300*.

*(calls are charged at local rates plus your company’s network charge) 

Emergencies on board

Whilst emergencies on board are rare, it's important you know what to do should one occur. All guests are required to attend the muster drill and safety briefing held prior to departure once you have embarked. In a real event you should act as per the instructions shown on the safety poster on the back of your suite or stateroom door, instructions given at the muster drill, instructions given over the public address system or those given by the ship’s company.

Additional 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. Our disability team will then collate this information and ensure that each ship has a list of guests requiring extra assistance, together with their stateroom numbers, before the ship sails.

In the event of an emergency and when guests are called to their muster/assembly stations, all guest staterooms are checked and evacuated. Any guest who requires assistance getting from their stateroom to the muster/assembly station will be given the required assistance by the ship’s specially trained assistance team. Special evacuation chairs are available on all ships which will be utilised to transport guests to the muster/assembly stations if required. This assistance will be arranged by the stateroom stewards evacuating the staterooms. In the event that a guest is away from their stateroom, 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 assistance team and a life jacket would be provided at the muster/assembly 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, which may include crew stairways.

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 assistance team 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 assistance team in attempting this.

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