Rebecca Williams, whose 86-year-old mother Florence Goldwater tragically passed away while on P&O’s 100-day cruise, learned her mother’s room was soon up for sale. He said he was shocked.
A heartbroken daughter has accused a British cruise company of selling her mother’s room to another passenger just days after her mother’s death.
Rebecca Williams sadly lost her mother Florence Goldwater, 86, of Stratford-upon-Avon, after she fell ill while on a P&O cruise around the world. She said her family had to disembark just two weeks into her vacation when her doctor diagnosed bacterial pneumonia. Rebecca’s husband Andrew, 64, paid a staggering £66,000 for a two-room apartment in Arcadia and was planning to leave her home from January 6 to April 15.
The family, who originally boarded in Southampton, rushed the pensioner to a hospital in Guatemala for treatment, but sadly she died just before her 87th birthday. Rebecca said she consulted her relatives who advised her to continue the 100-day journey.
But when she reboarded the ship in Hawaii, she claims she was shocked to find her late mother’s room sold and her belongings “dumped” in the cabin. She said: No response from P&O. She emailed multiple times but nothing. I was able to speak directly to the general manager and he told me that he was very sorry but that it was company policy to sell unused rooms. ”
Recalling when her mother first became ill, Rebecca said: “We took her to the hospital room in a wheelchair. Doctors examined her and said it was bad enough to require hospital treatment. However, she was not seriously ill. The staff put her in a wheelchair, put her on an intravenous antibiotic and did a chest x-ray.
“They concluded that she had bacterial pneumonia in both lungs. Before disembarking, I went to reception and asked if she had properly and fully recovered and whether she could return to the ship. It’s a 14-week cruise and there were only two of us.” The young man at the reception asked the manager, and the manager came back and said, “Of course, you paid for that room.” , it’s yours.” “Of course, I didn’t know what to expect.”
The ship docked in Guatemala on January 24, and the couple disembarked to take Florence to a hospital. They spent an extra £1,300 on the ambulance ride alone, reports Coventry Live. Her condition in Florence sadly continued to deteriorate and she passed away on January 25, three days before her 87th birthday. “I was very, very upset,” she explained. “We never expected her to die within 24 hours of us being there. We consulted the rest of the family, as well as Florence’s sister Jill, who is 89 years old herself, and all of us They said they wished they could have continued the cruise.”
With permission from Arcadia’s general manager, Andrew and Rebecca reboarded the ship ten days later in Honolulu, Hawaii. However, when they got to their room, they claimed to have found Florence’s belongings “abandoned” there. When she contacted the general manager, Rebecca said she was told there was “someone else in there right now,” meaning that Florence’s room was occupied.
A month later, the family says they have not received an explanation of what happened. “We went back and forth, back and forth, but nothing,” she said. “We’re literally still on the cruise and can’t even talk to anyone. All we’ve been told is that it’s a ‘post-cruise’ issue. We don’t know where to turn. yeah.”
A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said: “We are deeply saddened that Ms Williams’ mother passed away during her trip and our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family. In such cases, we “We follow very strict procedures to ensure all personal property and property is safe.” I was treated with care and the utmost respect. They were therefore moved to Mr. Williams’ cabin for safekeeping. ” The Mirror has contacted P&O Cruises.