We were so ill we hardly left the cabin, say couple suing over ‘horror cruise’
A COUPLE taking part in legal action with nearly 100 other passengers after falling violently ill on a Mediterranean cruise ship told today of their “nightmare” trip.
Rod and Melissa Barnes said their £2,000 voyage on the MS Island Escape turned into a “horror holiday” that left them confined to their cabin for days.
Instead of enjoying stop-offs at locations such as Palma, Rome and Cannes, the couple from Eltham and the other claimants say they suffered diarrhoea, vomiting, fever and dehydration.
They are suing Thomson Cruises alleging poor hygiene standards on board the all-inclusive liner. The passengers say they were served lukewarm and undercooked food, cutlery and plates were often dirty, and communal lavatories were not cleaned regularly.
NHS worker Mrs Barnes, 53, said: “It was absolutely horrendous, a total nightmare — something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.”
She said the couple fell ill on the third day and were so incapacitated by stomach cramps they barely left their cabin for the rest of the week: “We were going to go to the leaning Tower of Pisa, something I’ve always wanted to do, but I never even got to leave the boat.” They went on the voyage in May and June 2013.
A pair of honeymooners, a couple marking their 10th anniversary, and a man celebrating his 60th birthday are also among the 86 people taking legal action over a number of cruises on the Island Escape bet ween March and November 2013.
It is the fourth year in six that passengers have made legal complaints about the 1,500-berth vessel, according to lawyers at Irwin Mitchell, representing the holidaymakers.
Amandeep Dhillon, a partner at the law firm, said: “The large number of people is very worrying. Guidelines are in place for cruise ship operators and we are working to determine what the defendant has done.”
Thomson does not accept liability and Irwin Mitchell is launching court proceedings.
A Thomson spokeman said: “We are sorry to hear of these customers’ experience. The ultimate priority for Island Cruises is the health, safety and comfort of all customers. We operate stringent health and hygiene procedures in line with industry standards.
“Island Cruises took over 35,000 passengers on holiday in 2013 and the vast majority had no complaints about their cruise. As this case is now subject to legal proceedings it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”