Holidaymakers Confined To Room For Three Days

Two women from Devon have called on lawyers to investigate after falling ill with serious gastric illness during a ‘holiday of a lifetime’ on a cruise around the Caribbean.

Elizabeth Newton and Jackie Hughes, from Paignton, fell ill with vomiting and diarrhoea days into their two-week cruise on the Marella Celebration.

The problems proved so severe that they needed treatment from the ship’s doctor, who diagnosed that they had norovirus and provided them with an injection and various medicines. To make matters worse, they were also then confined to their room for three days as a result of what had happened.

Elizabeth, 66, and Jackie, 75, have now instructed Irwin Mitchell’s specialist International Personal Injury team to investigate their experiences and help them secure answers regarding how the illness emerged.

The legal experts have vast expertise in supporting holidaymakers who have been affected by similar issues at resorts and on cruise ships across the world.

Expert Opinion

“We are deeply concerned by the information provided to us by Elizabeth and Jackie and have commenced an investigation into the issues that they have faced.

A case of this nature highlights the devastating impact that holiday illnesses can have, as it often means that people see their precious time away disrupted and also then suffer continuing symptoms on their return home.

We are determined to help them in any way we can. If during the course of our investigation any issues are identified it is vital that lessons are learned.”
Jatinder Paul - Partner

Elizabeth and Jackie booked their cruise on the Marella Celebration through TUI.  It began on 7 February 2019.

Elizabeth recalled: “Jackie and I had noticed some issues like food occasionally tasting odd, but we never thought for a moment that we might be at risk of falling ill. The symptoms were absolutely awful and we just couldn’t believe that we had to see a doctor during what was meant to be a luxury break.

“Being told that we were confined to our room was appalling and I was stunned this had happened on what was meant to be a holiday of a lifetime. The whole experience was just terrible.”

Elizabeth suffered with symptoms for around two weeks. Jacqueline was also unwell and they understood that other passengers struggled with illness too.

They added: “While nothing can change what we went through, we just want some reassurances that lessons will actually be learned from what we’ve faced. No one should have to endure such issues during a holiday.”

Find out more on Irwin Mitchell's expertise in handling holiday illness cases