Guests with impairments or disabilities

You must inform us of any visual impairment at the time of booking so that we are able to identify any extra services that may need to be considered, such as providing important information in an alternative format.

For guests who are partially sighted or blind, we strongly recommend that you travel with someone who can support you. We will be happy to give you a short orientation tour of the ship. This is completed as soon as possible after embarkation and will provide you with the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the location of key areas in relation to the position of your cabin.

From a health and safety point of view, we need to ensure that guests travelling without a sighted companion can safely manage on board and find their way independently to the main areas and locations around the ship. So, once you’ve completed the orientation, you’ll be asked to demonstrate that you can safely navigate to the muster station from your cabin and other key areas. If you’d like to set this up, please contact us prior to your holiday. Most of our ships have Braille cabin numbers and Braille lift buttons/audio call signs.

Please note that if you are unable to demonstrate that you can navigate the ship independently, we may not be able to safely accommodate you on board, in accordance with our Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requirements.

Please inform us of any hearing impairment at the time of booking so that we can identify any extra services that may need to be considered. If you use your own device for translation or conversion of information because of deafness or hearing impairment, please contact Reception once you’re on board to discuss your requirements.

We encourage all children to use our fantastic children's facilities. However, we don't provide one-to-one support or care. If your child needs this, then a parent or carer will need to be present at all times. If your child has a disability or medical requirements and would like to take part in our activity programme, please have a chat with our Youth Manager when you are on board, so we can help you to enjoy a safe and fun holiday. We kindly ask that you provide as much information as possible to support our Youth team caring for your child when registering your child to use the children's clubs, which you can do via My P&O Cruises at 15 days before departure. You will also need to complete the On Board Needs questionnaire as soon as possible after booking.

We understand that not all disabilities are visible and that autism, dementia, anxiety and a visual or hearing impairment may affect individuals differently. We need to be made aware of any such information in advance of your holiday for your own safety and enjoyment. These are just a few examples of non-visible disabilities; there are many others that you could have and should tell us about. It is your responsibility to highlight anything that may have an impact on your well-being, your behaviour and your all-round holiday enjoyment.

Please note, your disability may mean that you would require assistance in the unlikely event of an emergency.

If you have non-visible disabilities and require assistance, please let us know by completing the On Board Needs questionnaire and requesting assistance in the unlikely event of an emergency. Wearing the green Non-visible Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard indicates that you need additional support or just a little more time. The lanyards are not currently available on board, but all our staff have had training to understand what they mean.

We welcome passengers with intellectual, cognitive and developmental disabilities on board all our ships. If guests require the assistance of a carer at home, or require assistance with day-to-day living, including moving around the ship, we request that they travel with a companion who can provide the same level of care to continue this assistance on board.

Our in-cabin emergency video offers closed captioning and a British Sign Language translated version.

Close captioning for TV and satellite channels is available on some of our ships:

Arcadia and Aurora – No ability to have subtitles in cabins

Azura and Ventura – Guests can ask the Communications manager to activate subtitles

Arvia, Britannia and Iona – Guests can activate it themselves in their cabin by using the subtitles button on both video on demand and live TV if the content has subtitles

If you use your own device and software for translating or converting information, please ensure you complete the questionnaire on My P&O Cruises prior to your holiday.

Please be aware that our crew are not required to provide assistance with ongoing communication support, escorting guests around the ship or any aspect of day-to-day personal care. However, it is reasonable to offer help with verbally providing directions. Therefore, we strongly recommend guests travel with an able-bodied companion. For guests who are blind or partially sighted, all the requirements should be booked in advance to avoid disappointment. The safety and emergency drill information and the Freedom and Club restaurant menus are also available on board in Braille.

We offer a hearing loop facility at Southampton cruise terminals and at the Reception desks on board. We also provide an infrared hearing support system within some of our theatres and show lounges as follows:

Arcadia – The Palladium (all decks) and The Globe

Arvia – Headliners Theatre, The Limelight Club, Grand Atrium, Ocean Studios cinemas, The Club House, SkyDome and Sports Arena

Aurora – The Playhouse cinema and The Curzon theatre

Azura – The Playhouse theatre, SeaScreen open-air cinema (via radio transmission), Malabar

and Manhattan show lounges

Ventura – Arena theatre, The Tamarind Club and Havana show lounge

Britannia – Headliners Theatre, The Live Lounge, The Crystal Room, The Studio

Iona – Headliners Theatre, Grand Atrium, The Club House, Ocean Studios cinemas, The Limelight Club and Aft terrace - Sports Arena decks 17 and 18

Listen Technologies equipment including headsets is available from Reception and can be used in the entertainment venues.

Please ask Reception for cinema screenings that offer subtitles.

This will be installed in cabins to assist those who are deaf/hard of hearing, with flashing alerts for door/phone. Please be aware the visual alert system will reduce surface space in your cabin.

This is subject to the availability of phone lines on board. This will enable us to alert you to any important announcements concerning your cruise and in the event of an emergency.