We spent £3,000 on a cruise but P&O cancelled our booking… now we’re going to BLACKPOOL instead – we’re gutted

A COUPLE was devastated when P&O cancelled their £3,000 cruise to the Canary Islands just a month in advance - now they're going to Blackpool instead.

Claire and Keith Bromley from Silverdale, Lancashire, had been counting down the days until their two-week getaway at the end of August, but their holiday plans have quickly unravelled.

The pair splashed out on the dream destination last year, so were heartbroken to receive the bad news from P&O Cruises just weeks before the departure date.

Yet they were even more shocked when they found out the reason for the sudden cancellation.

P&O Cruises booted the Bromley's out of the cabin they had booked to use it as a Covid isolation room instead.

The firm has apologised to the couple for their "Covid protocols", but the pair are utterly disappointed by their actions.

Claire - who suffers from muscular dystrophy - told : “We thought it was a joke.

"I asked why and they said it’s because they want to use my disabled cabin as an isolation cabin - we were really disappointed about that."

The 58-year-old added: “I asked if they could offer me another cabin and they said all the others are full. I am really disgusted.

“A disabled cabin is bigger to take the wheelchair and it’s got a walk in shower. It’s not fair."

Luckily, P&O Cruises refunded the cost of the trip - they also told StokeonTrentLive they were working to resolve the issue.

But it's too late for Claire and Keith, who have booked themselves another break to Blackpool instead.

Claire was also devastated to lose an extra £500 on insurance for the the cruise due to her health issues - money she says she won't get back.

She added: “We were excited because we had been trying to book a cruise for over three years. When we knew we were on this one, we were really happy.

“From going on a cruise to going to Blackpool is a bit of a step down. We’ve used them for a long time and they’ve let us down.

“I asked for compensation and they said we can have £400 each but have got to spend it on a P&O ship. We didn’t take it because we didn’t want to go with P&O again.

“I wouldn’t recommend them to anybody. It feels like they’ve kicked us in the teeth.

“They waited for it to be three weeks before boarding before deciding they wanted it for an isolation cabin. We are so mad we want everybody to know about it.”

A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said: “We are so sorry that Mrs Bromley had this experience which was due to our approved framework of Covid protocols and wellbeing measures.

"She has had a full refund on her holiday and we would love to welcome her on board in the future.”