Hudgell Solicitors’ experts in holiday illness and accident claims have seen a rise in the number of passengers seeking compensation advice after becoming ill while onboard the P&O Ventura cruise ship.
Our cruise illness lawyers have been contacted by holidaymakers who sailed on the cruise ship in 2024, many of whom were confined to their cabins after experiencing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Others were unable to leave the ship on ports of call that they planned to visit, while some had to seek treatment at local hospitals.
One couple who had planned to spend a special anniversary event onboard the ship said it had been “completely ruined” as they spent half of the package holiday confined to their cabin and were then too tired and had no appetite to enjoy the rest of it.
It was reported that another couple who became ill had spent £8,000 on their trip, which was a belated honeymoon.
Hudgell Solicitors’ Anne Thomson, one of the UK’s leading cruise ship illness claims experts, said:
Many trips this year on P&O’s Ventura have been ruined.
For my clients I am now asking for an investigation into how they came to be ill.
I will also be asking that they are fully refunded the cost of their holiday and additional damages for the illness, pain and suffering they experienced. For some, I am also asking that they be recompensed for the time they had to take off work when they returned.
For those groups of passengers who were travelling together as a family that will be considerable amount.
P&O Ventura Tripadvisor Reviews
In June 2024 one passenger reported that they had spent three days isolating in their cabin:
Despite following all health and safety rules, washing hands, sanitising, I even took disinfectant with me as had been emailed a day before warning of virus on board.
Arrived in Amsterdam, which we were looking forward to, my partner collapsed whilst in the town, back at the ship spent rest of day in medical unit and isolated rest of holiday in cabin.
In May 2024 another passenger said:
This is our fourth cruise with P&O and our first since COVID. Received an email the day before travel informing that there had been instances of gastrointestinal disease on the previous cruise. This cruise should have been cancelled and P&O are negligent for not doing so!
Hundreds of people had come down with the disease by the time we reached the Canaries and hundreds of holidays ruined.
While in January 2024 another wrote:
Upon arrival was met with horrendous delays with no clear explanation why, eventually managed to check-in and board – to my shock it had been announced there was a virus going around the ship.
Unfortunately, I fell victim to this virus and was horrendously ill for the entire period of Christmas isolated in my room, as a solo traveller was not great fun.
Cruise ship illness
When holidaymakers embark on a cruise, the crew, cruise carrier and tour operator have a duty of care to passengers.
Unfortunately, they don’t always protect people from the risk of illnesses such as viral and bacterial infections.
The number of people taken ill on the P&O Venture following an outbreak of norovirus is understood to be in the hundreds.
In May 2024 the ship was deep-cleaned, and the cruise company apologised to those affected.
In cases where a holiday illness was avoidable, you can bring an illness claim against cruise ship operators for health and safety breaches and for failing to contain the spread of bacterial infections.
Our lawyers can provide free and impartial advice about the circumstances of your illness, helping you to bring a successful claim against those responsible.
What does the law say about cruise ship claims?
To pursue a cruise ship claim, Hudgell Solicitors illness abroad experts can help prove that the sickness occurred during the voyage – and was caused by the fault or negligence of the ship’s carrier, crew or agents.
If you are injured or become ill during a cruise, the cruise carrier is liable under the Athens Convention.
The Convention applies to international carriage by sea when:
- The departure port and the place of destination are different.
- The departure port and destination are the same, but there is also a port of call in a different country.
The Athens Convention states that a carrier is liable for any damage or loss suffered by a passenger if the incident which caused it occurred during the course of the journey and was due to the neglect or fault of the carrier.
Making a cruise ship illness claim
If you’ve been affected by an illness onboard a cruise ship, you could be entitled to compensation.
We’ll assess the circumstances of your case, and if accepted, begin our investigation, where necessary liaising with our network of travel experts to establish the circumstances and who exactly was responsible.
Once we’ve obtained all evidence in support of your case, we’ll advise you on a reasonable amount of compensation that’s appropriate to your illness and losses.
The majority of holiday illness abroad cases we deal with settle out of court.
Read more: Experts in Cruise Ship Illness and Accidents Claims