Guest with disability and care requirements: our next steps

In 2019 discussions started about how we can deliver a better experience for our guests with disability and care requirements by understanding their needs better, before going on holiday. This means that we manage all guests safely and effectively in the event of an emergency. These discussions were put on hold in 2020 so that our teams from around the business could focus on our operational pause and return to service plans.

Last month teams from around the business got together to restart these conversations and map out our Management of Guests with Disabilities and Care Requirements programme (DCR). While only in its initial stages, the objective of this programme is to make improvements to our policies and procedures and to ensure that our teams on shore and on board are aware of guests with disabilities and care requirements, while on holiday onboard one of our ships, so we can provide an outstanding holiday experience to all of our guests.

Later this month, colleagues from around the business have been invited to the workstream launch which will mark the start of the requirements gathering process. Project SME’s representing different business areas will be working towards delivering packages of work with a goal of signing off requirements by the end of the year. Then, looking ahead into new year the project aims to deliver a minimum viable product by the end of 2023 to enable us to manage guests with disabilities and care requirements, with some ‘quick wins’ along the way.  

This is a priority for the business, not only so we can give all our guests the same unique holiday experience, but also so we can manage the increase in capacity of guests on board as we reach full capacity on our ships and we prepare to welcome Arvia and Queen Anne to our fleet.

Speaking about the programme, Sam Peplow, who heads up our Accessibility Services at CUK and who’s leading the restarted programme, said: “As our ships returned to service there was an opportunity to restart these conversations so that we can ensure that guests who may need support on board are made aware to us before they embark. This is a priority for the business and as this programme evolves, takes shape and starts to embed with the development of new processes, this will continue to give all of our guests the peace of mind that their needs and requirements are a priority to us.”