A pensioner has described his holiday as a ‘nightmare Christmas cruise’ after his wife slipped over and was left injured while onboard.
Allan Hydes, 68, and his wife Julie, 75, booked a festive cruise around the Canary Islands in a package that paired it with a hotel stay in Tenerife.
The pair from Leeds regularly take cruises – but on the couple’s voyage last Christmas, their holiday unravelled.
Allan, a retired engineer, told Metro: ‘It was a nightmare cruise at Christmas for us. Julie fell on a step when everyone was going to and from breakfast.
‘It was very busy and a bit of a scramble so to speak. Breakfast times were always busy and crowded. At other times of the day there as plenty of room but breakfast produced a bit of a log jam.
‘She was in agony. A medic on board came to see her and it was decided she needed a wheelchair, which they brought along. The thing was the wheelchair did not fit though our cabin door.’
Allan and Julie paid more than £5,000 for the TUI holiday exploring the Spanish isles off the coast of Africa.
They were on board the Marella Explorer 2 – a luxury vessel that boasts 10 bars, 10 restaurants, a spa and a casino.
On their cabin’s inaccessibility, Allan said they were told by staff that ‘they didn’t have any wheelchair access cabins left as they were fully booked’.
He added: ‘So I thought what are we going to do where are we going to sleep? They just said there was nothing they could do.
‘With the wheelchair being too big I had to carry Julie in and of and around the cabin. It was supposed to be a luxury and we were reduced to that.
‘I’m no spring chicken and I was carrying my wife around. There was a step up to bathroom and she was in agony and not able to put weight on her leg. I had to sort a system of moving and carrying her.’
Julie had a badly sprained ankle and injuries to her arms from the fall at breakfast. Her husband said the hotel in Tenerife was better as she could navigate the corridors and room in the wheelchair.
Allan added: ‘We were very disappointed with the reaction from the ship and lack of help we got. On the whole the staff were very friendly but we found ourselves in a terrible predicament and have made a formal complaint to TUI.’
TUI is reviewing the complaint, but has indicated that because the accessible cabins were fully booked and the injury was sustained on the trip there was no alternative accommodation.
A Marella Cruises spokesperson said: ‘We are really sorry to hear about Mrs Hydes’ experience onboard Marella Explorer 2, however as this is now a legal matter it would be inappropriate to comment.’
On the experience as a whole, Allan said: ‘It cost a lot of money and ruined our Christmas.
‘It was very stressful and we feel let down.’
He added: ‘It was supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime but ended up being a hellish experience.’
The Marella Explorer 2 is the same ship where a man, 76, from Britain went overboard on a cruise in November.
An investigation is underway into the incident.
Earlier this month, cruise passengers on a luxury ship on a different liner faced a norovirus outbreak leaving more than 100 stricken by a ‘vomiting bug’.
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