Blind Canadian traveller asked to leave ship, Virgin Voyages "infinitely sorry"

Nov 19 2022, 5:51 pm

Donovan Tildesley was just settling in with a drink at the bar before the Virgin Voyages cruise ship set off from Miami on November 13 to Roatán. But staff approached him, telling him that he’d have to leave — they didn’t have the resources for a blind solo traveller like Tildesley.

“They basically say, ‘We have some bad news: it’s been determined that we don’t have enough supports for you as a blind solo traveller. So you’re going to need to get off this cruise,'” recalled Tildesley. “I thought, ‘Is this some sort of joke?'”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Donovan Tildesley (@theblindguy_)

Tildesley, an insurance broker who co-owned a radio station in Whistler, said he explained that he’d been on cruises before, even travelling to Alaska alone in 2015. Before booking the cruise, he was assured that the cruise would be able to accommodate his needs, which would include having someone to guide him from his cabin to the restaurant and read printed materials.

However, staff stated that the message had come from Virgin’s corporate legal team. After leaving the ship, the company set up Tildesley at a hotel in Miami.

He said that Frank Weber, senior vice president of fleet operations at Voyages, then got in touch apologizing for the “miscommunication.” They offered to fly him to Honduras to meet the ship so he could board and resume the voyage. They would also compensate him for the cruise and give him a future cruise credit. But Tildesley made sure to ask them for one more thing.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Donovan Tildesley (@theblindguy_)

“I’ve taken it one step further in that I’ve asked Frank to invite me to speak at a corporate Virgin meeting next year to talk about accessibility and inclusiveness,” he said. “Because that’s false advertising. If you say on your website that you’re completely accessible to people who are blind and you have braille on the elevators and in your rooms and everything, you’ve gotta walk the walk if you’re gonna talk the talk.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Donovan Tildesley (@theblindguy_)


Tildesley describes it as “an unfortunate experience” and would rather take “a more collaborative approach.”

“If something that’s happened with me can help others in the same journey [and] can help other blind people in the future, then I’d like to take the positive approach,” he said.

In an email to Daily Hive, a representative for Virgin Voyages stated that although it was done “out of an abundance of caution,” they’re “grateful for the chance to make things right.”

“We hold ourselves to the highest standard of customer service and are fully committed to creating an environment where everyone is welcome,” they stated. “We know that in this instance we have fallen short of this commitment and we are infinitely sorry.”

On Instagram, Tildesley posted a photo of a hand-written note from Richard Branson, stating, “Thanks for giving us the chance to make things right. I hope you’re having a brilliant getaway.”

“Now, I think Richard Branson needs to send me into space,” joked Tildesley.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Donovan Tildesley (@theblindguy_)

GET MORE MONTREAL NEWS
Want to stay in the loop with more Daily Hive content and News in your area? Check out all of our Newsletters here.
Buzz Connected Media Inc. #400 – 1008 Homer Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 2X1 [email protected] View Rules
Irish Mae SilvestreIrish Mae Silvestre

+ News
+ Travel News
ADVERTISEMENT