P&O cruise: Why Aussie nurse Corrine McIvor will never take a cruise holiday again after a frustrating problem ruined the experience and left her hundreds of dollars out of pocket
A cruise ship passenger has vowed to avoid P&O cruises after claiming she was exposed to bedbugs in her cabin that ruined her holiday.
Corrine McIvor, 39, left Brisbane earlier this month for a week-long cruise to several Pacific islands.
But after spending a few nights in her cabin, the nurse said she developed itching and bumps on her neck, chest and legs, prompting her to visit the ship’s doctor, who apologized and told her they were “classic” bedbug bites goods.
Ms McIvor said she asked the doctor if she had seen this before on the ship and the doctor said ‘yes’.
“The bedbugs completely ruined the cruise because of the fear,” Ms. McIvor said Yahoo News.
Corrine McIvor said she was shocked when the doctor on her cruise ship said she had been bitten by bed bugs
The room on the P&O cruise was cleaned and inspected by the staff
Ms McIvor said she was initially impressed with the way the ship’s staff handled the situation, instructing her to see the doctor and waiving the $150 consultation fee.
But she said things quickly turned sour.
She was told to return to her cabin, where staff would collect and disinfect her clothes and other belongings.
One staff member stood cautiously at the door as they packed their bags, but another staff member walked into the room, put some of their clothes on the supposedly bug-infested bed, and then took them to their next room on the other side of the ship.
“That’s how they spread… like wildfire,” the nurse said.
Ms McIvor and her partner’s clothes were eventually laundered for free, but she said they were given no instructions on how to prevent the spread of the bed bugs to other passengers.
Once back on land, she said the couple spent hundreds of their own dollars trying to keep the bed bugs from spreading to their home.
Ms McIvor said the doctor told her her bumps were “classic” bedbug bites
P&O Cruises said they have a robust cleaning policy ‘just like hotels’ (file image)
They had all their clothes professionally dry cleaned and disinfected, threw away their newly purchased suitcases that couldn’t be washed and bought a steamer.
‘It sounds exaggerated, but that’s how it spreads. I’m a public health nurse and I know it’s a public health issue… Passengers have no idea this is going on.”
Ms McIvor said she has since contacted P&O to discuss at least partial compensation for the cruise, but she claims the company ‘gasped’ her by saying the bedbugs have not been confirmed and that they were only from ‘goodwill’ have waived the doctor’s fee.
She is furious and has promised to ‘never’ sail with P&O again.
A spokesperson for P&O cruises said it has ‘strict and robust health protocols on its cruise ships’.
‘The comfort, health and safety of our guests are of the utmost importance to us. Like hotels, we have rigorous cleaning processes in place to address and resolve any issues that arise.”
It is understood that Ms McIvor’s room has been cleaned, no bed bugs were found upon inspection and no other complaints have been received from that room.
Daily Mail Australia approached P&O Cruises for additional comment.