Does P & O or Cunard have any common sense?

Why can’t I take a mobility scooter instead of an electric wheelchair? That’s the question I tried to put to P & O recently and was met with the usual, “it’s in the terms and conditions”.

One of my regular clients recently wanted to book a Cunard cruise for October 2016 during launch week for the new sailings. He wanted to book a standard balcony for him and his wife cruising to the Adriatic. At first glance straightforward but then he mentioned his wife would be taking a mobility scooter which would aid her when ashore.

This is when the problems started as both P & O and Cunard both state that if you are taking a scooter you must have a wheelchair accessible cabin. You can however go in a standard cabin in an electric wheelchair!

Both my clients thought this was unfair as not only would a wheelchair cabin demand a higher price due to the fact that there were only higher accessible grades but also they felt they were taking a cabin away from someone who may need the facilities more than them.

So incensed was my client that he sent me a photograph so I could see the issue. In the photo the blue item weighs 60kg and the red item weighs 15kg. Of course the scooter is the blue one right? Wrong! The blue one is the electric wheelchair and the red the scooter.

The cruise companies argument is that a wheelchair is collapsible and can be stored in a standard cabin! Based on these pictures then surely they must accept the scooter in question.

Apparently they will look at it on an individual basis but it is entirely down to them and the reason the client booked the accessible cabin was he did book in a standard cabin on another cruise and was then told he could not travel as he was taking a mobility scooter. We did get it sorted in the end but not until both of us had had a very few anxious days.

I fully understand the need for health and safety and that some people were leaving their scooters in alleyways but technology changes and obviously scooters are getting smaller so perhaps a change of policy is needed!

What do you think?