Marella Discovery 2 Review

Disability disaster

Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on Marella Discovery 2
User Avatar
anndunkley
2-5 Cruises • Age 40s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Nov 2019
Traveled with children

Well....where to begin? So many occasions where my father was unable to access facilities due to being disabled that our cruise was just ruined and tui have been useless in replying to our issues. Firstly, we booked in store and the staff failed to give my father an accessible aircraft seat even though he was booked as disabled. Highly embarrassing for him, being manhandled into a seat by pulling on his trousers! Also being able to get out of his seat to use the toilet. We landed to find none of the coaches were wheelchair friendly and apparently we should have booked a taxi (tui never told us this!). Got to ship and rooms were all mixed up and ours reeked of spoilt milk which the staff tried to fix with a heater. They eventually gave us a new room late that night. Due to the room mix up, our little girl had no muster band for 5 days but thankfully there were no emergencies. Moving around the ship was a complete nightmare as the lifts, restaurants and accessible room all had a raised entrance with no ramps so my mother and father were unable to leave their room or access toilets etc without me or my husband taking them as my mother could not lift the wheelchair over the step. We were told Monaco would be inaccessible for my father but all other ports would be fine in his wheelchair....nope! Buses again had no disabled ramps and we had to pay extra money for taxis etc. We also phoned to request assistance for my mother and father at Palma airport and were refused this for my mother as they said my father was booked as disabled so she would be escorted with him....turned out they made my disabled mother push my father's wheelchair which left her in real pain. I've since contacted tui customer relations (Nicola) who has given a 'goodwill gesture' of £500 of the £7,000 paid and failed to reply to any of the points raised. We have also contacted the CEO and head of cruises and received a phone call from Nicola full of apologies but not addressing anything and telling us to contact a law firm if we wish to escalate this. Worst cruiseline and customer care ever. Please do not book if you have a passenger in a manual wheelchair.

Cabin Review

1 Helpful Vote
previous reviewnext review

Find a Marella Discovery 2 Cruise

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.