Daughter furious as mum dies on 100-day cruise – and P&O sell her room mid-trip

08 March 2024 , 09:42

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Rebecca Williams lost her mother Florence Goldwater whilst they were on a 100-day cruise (Image: Rebecca Williams / SWNS)

A heartbroken daughter has slammed a British cruise line after they sold her mother's room to another passenger just days after she died.

Rebecca Williams sadly lost her mother, Florence Goldwater, 86, from Stratford-upon-Avon, after she dropped ill whilst on the round-the-world P&O cruise. She said her family had to disembark from the ship after medics diagnosed her with bacterial pneumonia just two weeks into the vacation. Rebecca's husband Andrew, 64, forked out a staggering £66,000 for two rooms on Arcadia and were planning to be away from January 6 to April 15.

The family, who originally boarded in Southampton, rushed the pensioner to a hospital in Guatemala so she could get treatment, but she sadly passed away shortly before her 87th birthday. After consulting with her relatives, Rebecca says they encouraged her to continue with the 100-day trip.

But she claims that when she re-boarded the vessel in Hawaii she was shocked to find her late mother's room had been sold on - and her belongings "dumped" in her cabin. She said: “It’s all been so distressing. We’ve not heard anything back from P&O - we’ve emailed and emailed, and nothing. When we’ve managed to speak to a general manager in person, he told us he was very sorry, but it’s company policy to sell on a room that isn’t being used.”

Florence Goldwater fell ill two weeks into the trip (Rebecca Williams / SWNS)

Florence was planning to celebrate her birthday abroad (Rebecca Williams / SWNS)

Recalling what happened when her mother first became sick, Rebecca said: "We took her to the sick bay in a wheelchair - the doctor examined her and said she’s poorly enough to need hospital treatment - but she’s not critical. The medical staff put her on an antibiotic drip and gave her a chest X-ray.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

"They concluded she had bacterial pneumonia on both lungs. Before we disembarked, I went to reception and asked, if she makes a proper, full recovery - can we get back on the ship? It’s a 14-week cruise and we were only two weeks into it. The young guy on reception asked the manager - who came back and said, ‘absolutely. You’ve paid for those rooms, they’re yours.’ “Of course - we didn’t know what was going to happen.”

The ship docked in Guatemala on January 24 and the couple disembarked to take Florence to the hospital. They spent an extra £1,300 on the ambulance ride alone, reports Coventry Live. Florence’s condition sadly continued to worsen and she died on January 25, three days before her 87th birthday. “It was very, very upsetting," she explained. "I didn’t think she was going to pass away within 24 hours of us being there. We consulted the rest of our family - and Florence’s sister, Jill, who is 89 years old herself - and everyone said she would’ve wanted us to continue on with the cruise.”

Andrew paid £66,000 for two rooms onboard (Rebecca Williams / SWNS)

With permission from the general manager on board the Arcadia, Andrew and Rebecca re-boarded the ship in Honolulu, Hawaii, ten days later. However, when they got to their room they claim to have found Florence’s belongings had been “dumped” in there. After querying it with the general manager Rebecca says she was told that “someone else is in there now” - meaning, she said, that Florence's room was occupied.

Now, one month on, the family say they haven’t been provided with an explanation about what happened. "We’ve been back and forth, back and forth - and nothing," she said. "We’re literally still on the cruise, and can’t even speak to anyone. All we’ve been told is that it’s a matter for ‘post-cruise’. We just don’t know where to turn.”

A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said: "We are so sorry that Ms Williams' mother died during the trip and our thoughts and prayers are with her and the family. We follow very strict procedures in such cases to ensure that all personal effects and belongings are dealt with carefully and with the greatest respect. As such, they were moved for safekeeping to Ms Williams' cabin." The Mirror has contacted P&O cruises.

Monica Charsley