Irwin Mitchell’s International Personal Injury team helped more than 200 passengers who suffered gastric illness on trips across the Mediterranean aboard the Thomson Dream cruise ship. The tourists fell ill between May and October 2010.

We reached an agreement with tour operator TUI UK Ltd to secure compensation for 205 holidaymakers, with settlements of up to £11,000 per passenger. 89 of our clients suffered acute gastric illness.

Hygiene concerns

Our clients had a long list of concerns to do with hygiene conditions aboard the Thomson Dream cruise liner. They reported that some food was left uncovered and wasn’t served at the right temperature, with hot food being lukewarm. Guests said that dirty cutlery was used by the restaurant.

There were also problems with the sewage system on the ship – some toilets became blocked, resulting in waste spilling onto the floor and smells of sewage throughout the ship.

Many of the passengers aboard the Thomson Dream were supposed to be celebrating special occasions, including golden and silver anniversaries, as well as milestone birthdays. But these events were spoilt by the gastric illness our clients contracted and by the terrible experiences they had on board the ship.

Debilitating long-term effects

Elizabeth Tetzner, a specialist travel lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the group of 205 passengers, said: “Many of the passengers that suffered illness suffered from symptoms such as stomach cramps, sickness, diarrhoea and lethargy. Aside from making their holiday extremely unpleasant, these types of illness can have a debilitating long-term impact on their health. Some passengers had to seek medical assistance upon their return home.

“We are pleased that we have been able to reach a settlement with TUI UK Ltd for all those passengers we represented that travelled between May and October 2010. We hope they will now be able to get on with their lives and put the experience behind them.” 

Retired couple Thomas and Jennifer Kristiansen were among the holidaymakers we represented. They travelled on the Thomson Dream for a week in May 2010 and both fell ill with stomach cramps and diarrhoea only four days into the trip.

Thomas, from Swansea, said: “We booked the cruise to celebrate Jennifer’s birthday but after just a few days the cruise was ruined for us as we became so ill. It was just awful.”

“We can look forward to getting on with our lives”

“Our air conditioning unit was broken. This meant that the cabin was quite warm and uncomfortable and although staff moved us to another cabin there were also problems with that one too. In the buffet restaurant some of the food served on occasions was not hot and some food was on occasions left out uncovered. 

“We are pleased that settlement has now been reached and we can look forward to getting on with our lives.”

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