Before you board

If you or someone in your travelling party has additional or accessibility needs, there are a few key things to consider before your Cunard cruise begins.

To ensure we have sufficient capability to support all our guests at all times, it is important that you tell us at the time of booking if you, or your travelling companions, require assistance in the unlikely event of an emergency.

If you cannot independently get to your muster station (which could be down several flights of stairs if the lifts are not available in the case of an emergency) due to disability, health or mental capacity, you must pre-register for assistance. This is to ensure we have sufficient crew available. Please pre-register for assistance even if you are travelling with a companion who can assist you.

At the time of booking, you will be asked questions to help us understand any additional support you may require. Failure to provide this information could result in you being denied boarding, at your own expense.

If you do require assistance, using the below statements as guidance, you will need to declare this.

a) An evacuation chair – this is a mandatory requirement for anyone who is unable to use the stairs due to mobility or other circumstances, or for anyone bringing a wheelchair, mobility scooter, or any other powered mobility device.

b) One-to-one assistance – this is a mandatory requirement for anyone who requires someone to guide and steady them on the stairs, due to mobility or other circumstances. For anyone who uses a mobility aid, such as a walking stick or walker, this is the minimum recommended level of assistance. Please also consider the use of an evacuation chair, if this would be more suitable.

After notifying us we will register your assistance and you will need to complete the on board needs questionnaire on My Cunard (which you can access with your cruise booking reference). We ask that you complete the questionnaire as soon as possible after booking, and no later than two weeks before you sail. This is to ensure that there is sufficient time for us to contact you should we need to discuss any of the information that has been provided. We regret that failure to do so may result in being denied boarding at the terminal. If you have a medical requirement that does not impact your ability to independently attend your muster station in the case of an emergency, please contact medical@carnivalukgroup.com. This inbox is monitored during office hours from Monday to Friday only.

Guests who require assistance with daily living (such as washing, toileting, eating, movement around the ship or assistance while ashore) will need to travel with a companion/personal assistant who can provide this; the ship’s crew are unable to assist with these tasks.

If you have dementia/Alzheimer’s or require the assistance of a carer at home, you will be required to travel with a companion/personal assistant to provide this same level of care and ensure your safety on board. You will need to provide details in advance by completing the on board needs questionnaire on My Cunard. Appropriateness for travel will be assessed on an individual basis.

If it becomes clear that you are unable to manage safely and independently on board without assistance, or your travelling companion is unable to provide this level of assistance, you will be required to discuss the situation with a member of the ship’s company and may be asked to disembark the ship at your own cost.

All stateroom and dining allocations are made based on your fare type and when the booking was made. We are unable to note any requests, guarantee where staterooms will be allocated, or guarantee which dining will be assigned to you outside of the booking terms and conditions. If you have any specific requirements please ensure that you book the fare type best suited to your needs.

If you have any questions or wish to discuss any of this information further, please speak with your travel agent or contact our Customer Contact Centre.

Once you have booked your cruise, we ask that you complete our on board needs questionnaire on My Cunard as soon as possible, and no later than two weeks before you sail, to notify us of any additional requirements we need to consider to make your voyage as comfortable as possible. We will ask several questions, including:

If you require (or will be bringing) any medical or mobility equipment
If you require support or equipment to assist with hearing, visual, or cognitive impairments
If you will be bringing a carer to help you while on board
If you will be bringing an assistance dog on board
If you are able to embark or disembark the ship at ports of call on your own.

We ask that all guests who have additional requirements complete this questionnaire so that we can ensure you get any support that your require on your voyage.

Travel insurance is mandatory for UK guests - for non-UK guests, it is highly recommended. We recommend you discuss your travel itinerary with your GP/Consultant so that they can confirm your fitness to travel.

Please be aware that the on board medical centre is a private healthcare facility and costs apply that are payable on board. In the unlikely event of your requiring medical care that cannot be provided on board, you will be medically disembarked to a facility ashore for ongoing care. Thereafter your insurer will be responsible for facilitating your medical care and your repatriation home including any flights needed to repatriate you from the overseas location. We recommend you discuss your travel itinerary with your doctor so that they can confirm your fitness to travel, and to avoid problems that might arise on holiday, and which are not covered by appropriate insurance.

For more details on what your insurance should cover, visit our travel insurance webpage.