Eleven holidaymakers, including a couple celebrating their golden wedding anniversary, have secured a five-figure compensation settlement after their holidays aboard a cruise ship were ruined by illness.
The claimants were all passengers on board the P&O cruise ship Arcadia between January and April 2015. The illnesses they contracted ranged from food poisoning, with a confirmed case of Campylobacter, to lower respiratory tract infection, a contagious condition affecting the lungs and airways which can be caused by bacteria. Symptoms include shortness of breath, weakness, fever, coughing and fatigue.
David and Doreen Dale had saved up to go on the cruise to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Mrs Dale, who described the cruise as a 'nightmare', became ill on the fourth day on board and was treated in Perth, Australia, and again after the couple had returned to the UK. Their attempts to seek medical attention on board the Arcadia were unsuccessful, as were their requests to have the air conditioning in their cabin, which was leaking, turned off as the temperature was too cold. They were also critical of the housekeeping standards on board. Other passengers complained of poor hygiene standards and poor quality furniture and fittings.
Many of those who sailed on the Arcadia during that period developed respiratory infections with symptoms that not only ruined their holidays but also persisted on their return home.
Carnival Corporation & plc, which operates P&O Cruises, agreed to settle the passengers' compensation claim for an undisclosed five-figure sum.