Shane was looking forward to his very first cruise. But the dream trip turned into a nightmare shortly after he boarded the MSC Grandiosa
An Aussie disability lawyer has revealed a nightmare experience on board a luxury cruise ship due to a lack of accessibility in the rooms.
Shane Hryhorec had been looking forward to his eight-day European trip aboard the MSC Grandiosa ship from Marseille in southern France.
The Adelaide man, who uses a wheelchair, says cruise line staff told him during the booking process before his trip that he had to fill out a separate document detailing his needs.
So the experienced traveler, who had never been on a cruise, was shocked to discover aboard his cruise in August that the wrong room had been reserved.
He uploaded TikTok videos to reveal the room’s small space and lack of accessibility to essential amenities such as private bathrooms.
“Oh my god, this is not what I booked,” Mr. Hryhorec exclaimed in a video as he was led into the room by an employee.
The clip showed a large step on the bathroom threshold, which would make it difficult for Mr Hryhorec to gain access.
A second step in front of the combined shower/bathtub further increased the inaccessibility.
Disability advocate Shane Hryhorec (pictured) was shocked to discover MSC had reserved the wrong room for him on the cruise ship
‘It’s a disaster. This is absolutely not good,” he said.
Another video shows Mr Hryhorec trying to explain the situation to guest services staff, who said they would try to find him a room with facilities suitable for his needs.
One of them suggested that he instead use the public toilets on the ship when he needed to.
Mr Hryhorec was ‘frustrated and upset’ when he realized the chances of getting a more suitable room were slim.
He even considered giving up on his dream cruise trip.
‘Maybe… I’ll just get off the boat in Barcelona [in Spain’s north-east]“Just cancel the cruise and maybe just find a way back to Marseille,” he said.
Mr. Hryhorec ended up getting a better room, which did not have the amenities he had originally paid extra for.
He was also not offered a refund and was told that he would not be eligible for a refund if he abandoned the trip due to company policy.
Mr Hryhorec remains ‘traumatised’ by the ordeal and has vowed never to cruise with MSC again.
“I always dreamed of going on a cruise… but it was just mind-boggling and made me angry,” he said Yahoo News.
“They put almost all the blame on me, even though I showed them all my efforts.”
He also claims he received no apology from staff.
“If you take a step back, there are two things about accessibility. There’s the hardware, like the ramps and the entrance and the physical things. And then there’s the software, which is the human element, the empathy,” he said.
Mr Hryhorec was disappointed with the onboard experience and even considered giving up his dream cruise trip (photo MSC Grandiosa)
But the nightmare ordeal hasn’t put him off his cruise holidays and says his first trip won’t be his last.
“I would like to believe this is an isolated incident,” he said.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Hryhorec and MSC Cruises for further comment.
Mr Hryhorec was flooded with support from TikTok viewers who were shocked by his experience.
‘That’s really disappointing. If they can’t provide you with an accessible room, you should get your money back,” one person wrote.
Another added: ‘I’m so angry about this. Not accessible [equals] not acceptable.
Others said they could not understand why the rooms contained stairs that made access difficult for people with disabilities.
“How is an accessible room with a step even considered an accessible room?” someone asked.
One of MSC Cruises’ ships, known as MSC Grandiosa, has a total of 2,421 rooms on board.
Only 60 rooms are accessible to passengers with mobility problems.
According to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, around 5.5 million Aussies live with a disability.
More than 180,000 Australians use a wheelchair.
