Going ashore

At some ports, access to shore will be by either a long straight shore gangway fitted with self-levelling steps to consider the tidal conditions or, in some cases, wooden batons for foot grips. The baton type can be quite steep at times due to tidal conditions.

The ship may also use its own narrow stepped gangway (the ‘accommodation ladder’), which also features self-levelling steps to take account of the tide.

Certain ports have a big tidal range. This means there can be a large height difference between the quay and the gun-port doors, making the gangway too steep for the safe passage of wheelchairs or mobility scooters. These ports include (but aren’t limited to): Bilbao, La Coruña, Le Havre, La Rochelle, Lisbon, Zeebrugge, Malaga, Cádiz, Madeira, Rotterdam, Cherbourg, Hamburg, Boston, Halifax, Portland, Quebec and San Francisco. This means there is a strong chance that guests who use a wheelchair or mobility scooter will have to stay on board at these ports. We apologise if this is disappointing, but we hope you appreciate that it’s in the interest of safety.

In some ports it is necessary to anchor offshore rather than alongside the dock or quay. When this is the case, we use a tender to take you ashore. A tender is a small vessel that carries around 100 passengers. Any guest wishing to use the tender will need to take a mobility assessment beforehand.

If you have notified us that you walk with or use a mobility aid, we’ll invite you to a briefing on board and give you the opportunity to complete the mobility assessment for tenders in advance. Guests who are a full-time wheelchair or mobility scooter user will be unable to use a tender. This must be completed independently, without any assistance, to demonstrate that you can step unaided over a distance of 45cm/18 inches, including a step up of 20cm/8 inches high.

If an officer decides it is not safe for you to board a tender, please respect their decision – it’s taken to ensure your safety.

Children who are unable to step across a gap of this size will be permitted to use the tender service provided their parent or guardian is able to demonstrate that they can carry or pass them safely across the mobility test gap.

There will be crew members to guide and steady you as you get on or off the tender, but they cannot support, carry or lift guests on board the tender for safety reasons. Please wear appropriate, flat and securely attached footwear.

If you use a wheelchair or mobility scooter, please note that you (or your travelling companion) are responsible for assembling and disassembling your wheelchair or mobility scooter. The crew will endeavour to assist where practical and safe to do so, providing that no individual part weighs more than 20kg/40lb.

You will need to make your own way to/from the terminal, shuttle bus or tour bus etc. Where shuttle buses are supplied, every effort is made to provide an accessible bus; however, for reasons out of our control, this may not always be possible. If you have booked on a P&O Cruises Select Price holiday, where shuttle buses are included in your fare, in ports where a shuttle bus is provided but an accessible service is unavailable, you are invited to use a taxi service as an alternative. The taxi should take the same route, and drop off and collect, at the same point as the shuttle bus service. Please keep the receipts and speak to Reception when you arrive back on board where the expenses will be refunded to your on-board account.

Please be aware that in consideration of health and safety, tour providers and coach operators reserve the right to refuse carriage to any guest who is unable to negotiate the steps of the coach independently. Please note if your shore excursions are operated by minibus, there will be no storage space for mobility scooters or wheelchairs.