On Tuesday we posted a piece about the problems that one of our readers has had accessing cruise ships. Her husband, as a wheelchair user, has found that two cruise companies have provided issues relating to accessibility (i.e. weren’t very accessible). We got in touch with the relevant companies to ask what the deal is and why there had been a problem.
One of the companies in question was Saga, who very promptly got back to us (OK, there was a brief problem relating to modern technology, but you can’t be too judgemental – it was Saga after all). We have to say that it was very good customer service, even if there still seems to be some minor access problems. Here’s what they said:
“As a tour operator catering for a 50+ audience we are obviously keen to
support all of our customer’s needs including any that might require
assistance. Without having the details of the customer to review its
difficult to comment on their individual experience but its certainly our
practice to discuss the needs of our customers when they book and provide
assistance wherever possible.“On turnaround days Saga staff and crew are available to assist passengers
on and off the vessel and we carefully control the numbers to ensure that
we can provide the right level of service for those requiring assistance.“However, tender ports can present problems for wheelchair passengers, and
customers are advised prior to booking that they must be able to navigate
by themselves or have a travelling companion to assist.“It is fair to say that the gangways on our ships are not as wide as some
modern vessels so while the crew will offer assistance where possible, we
have to make sure its provided bearing in mind the safety of all involved.
It may be this advice, which has inadvertently suggested that we wish to
limit access for our customers whereas our desire is simply to give as much
up-front information as possible to our customers.“We’re always happy to have a closer look at individual concerns and we’d
encourage any passengers who might have experienced problems to contact us
at customer.relations@saga.co.uk“
It generally sounds like the access is pretty good and the service is helpful. But we’d still ask why a company specifically providing for elderly and most likely less mobile people would not be 100% accessible.
*** UPDATE UPDATED ***
We’ve heard a little bit more from Saga about why certain gangways and passages aren’t accessible.
“I have been advised by our technical team that the gangways used in ports, other than turnaround ports, are lowered ashore from the ship when the ship arrives in port and recovered before the ship departs.
“These gangways, or accommodation ladders, are fitted when the ship is built and fit into the design of the ship’s side; their size is decided at the ship design stage. In order to fit wider gangways significant modification would be required to the ship’s structure.”