Cruise passengers threaten to sue Thomson

A group of 86 passengers is threatening to sue TUI UK after an alleged outbreak of a sickness onboard its Island Escape cruise ship earlier this year.

They are being represented by law firm Irwin Mitchell, which has now represented more than 280 passengers who claim to have become ill on the same ship in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013.

Earlier this year, TUI paid an undisclosed five-figure sum to 13 passengers, including a pair of newly-weds, who became ill while cruising on the Island Escape in 2012.

The latest claim relates to an alleged outbreak of gastric illnesss onboard the ship between March and June this year. There are also claims that the ship listed alarmingly on leaving port, causing some passengers to fall to the ground.

Elizabeth Tetzner, an expert travel lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the group, said: "The number of people who have contacted us with complaints about this cruise is very worrying.

"These passengers deserved to have the luxury voyages they paid for but instead suffered horrific symptoms and had their cruises ruined.

"This is the fourth year that we have heard complaints about illness and food hygiene onboard this ship.

"Gastric symptoms can be very serious and can cause long term effects, so it is crucial that we investigate the conditions on board and find out if more could have been done to prevent the spread of illness.

"There are strict health and safety measures that need to be followed onboard cruise ships, especially when illness has already been identified as an issue. We now hope Thomson* will work with us to resolve our clients’ cases both quickly and fairly."

A spokeswoman for Island Cruises said: "We are sorry to hear of this experience on board the Island Escape. As this case is now subject to legal proceedings it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.

"The ultimate priority for Island Cruises is the health, safety and comfort of all our customers. We operate stringent health and hygiene procedures in line with industry standards."

Andrina Thompson, 67, from Wishaw, Lancashire booked a week onboard the Island Escape in May this yea but claimed that three days into the trip she began to suffer from diarrhoea and vomiting and still continues to be affected by ongoing tiredness.

The retired nurse said: "My cruise was ruined and you just don’t expect to get ill when you have spent so much money on a holiday. When the ship was leaning to one side it was absolute chaos and there were several people left injured."

Jean Newcombe was celebrating her 69^th birthday and wedding anniversary with her husband Kerry as they sailed on the ship between May and June. However both claim to have fallen ill onboard.

Jean, from Birmingham, said: "We put our illness down to the food we ate in the ship’s restaurant. After eating there we were both very ill and I ended up needing injections from medical staff onboard a few days later after falling ill. It was quite scary really.

"It was supposed to be relaxing but we didn’t enjoy it at all. We’ll certainly remember it, but for all the wrong reasons."

Debra and Steven Lewis from Coventry were both allegedly ill with diarrhoea and vomiting days after their cruise finished.

Debra, 55, said: "We were very disappointed with the trip. Some of the toilets kept flooding, and there was water pouring out of some of the pipes. We noticed that not all the crew were using the hand sanitizers when going into the restaurant. I also had some concerns about some of the food in that some of the food that should have been hot was not hot enough and some of the food seemed to be re-heated and re presented at later sittings.

"To then become so ill for days after we got home was like adding insult to injury. We’d heard of people being ill onboard but thought that we might have got away with it."

Melissa, 51, and Rod Barnes, 57, from, Eltham, London, travelled onboard the Island Escape for two weeks in May and June this year. On  the second day of the holiday Melissa allegedly suffered from diarrhoea and vomiting while husband Rod allegedly became ill on the third day and was still suffering with excess tiredness a month later.

Melissa said: "The cruise was a disaster. On the first couple of days we became ill and it basically ruined the holiday. The cabin smelt of damp and overall the ship just wasn’t anywhere near as clean as you would expect. We certainly didn’t think we got the service that was advertised."

*TUI has pointed out that Island Escape belongs to Island Cruises, which is a separate brand to Thomson Cruises, although both are sold by TUI.

By Linsey McNeill