A Breton couple, Marie and Jean, aged 81 and 78 respectively, decide to go and celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary during a cruise in Italy. On May 13, they set sail for Venice for what they thought was 8 days of pure happiness. But Marie is suffering fromAlzheimer’s and it is usual for her to “run away”, disoriented, in the middle of the night. To avoid this, Jean asks the ship’s staff if it is possible to close the cabin from the inside. It is from this request that their dream trip changes …
They are then taken directly to the on-board doctor who believes that the company, MSC cruise, cannot guarantee Marie’s safety. Jean explains in the Parisian, that the doctor never examined his wife. However, they were forced to leave the cruise and disembarked in Brindisi, in southern Italy, 22,000 km from their home.
The couple will file a complaint
This retired couple must then, by their own means, find how to return to France. Between the taxi, the two hotel nights and the plane, they spend 935 euros, not to mention the 3,200 euros for the cruise that they were unable to do. Contacted by the Parisian, the company explained that they had not been warned of Marie’s illness, and therefore had not been able to put in place the necessary arrangements to ensure her safety. At this time, they refuse to reimburse the couple, and offer them a “nice reduction” on a new cruise.
John sees this as discrimination. He decided to file a complaint against MCS Croisière, supported by the France Alzheimer association. They seek full reimbursement of the cruise and the costs they had to advance, as well as compensation for the moral damage suffered. According to BFM.TV, the company replied by email a few days later where they claim to have assisted the couple in their efforts and assure that they will proceed with the reimbursement.
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