Channel 5’s When Posh Holidays Go Horribly Wrong spoke to holidaymakers whose dream holidays ended in disaster. From Covid nightmares to terrible cruises, these tourists faced complete chaos.
For most Britons, a luxury holiday is a dream experience. As one interviewee told Channel 5: “There are three things I expect from a five star holiday – luxury, luxury and luxury!”
But that wasn’t the case for Peter Hayman and Christine Barnwell from Bedfordshire who had saved up for months for their holiday of the lifetime.
The couple’s dream cruise to see the Northern Lights, didn’t quite work out as they’d planned.
The unfortunate pair met at an event for retirees of the London Ambulance service and fell in love.
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Although they normally spent the summer at a relative’s apartment in Tenerife, the British couple decided to splash out in 2020.
Peter said: “I just mentioned that I’d love to see the Aurora Borealis. It’s been my one thing, ever since I was a kid I wanted to see them.”
Christine booked the couple a Northern Lights cruise through Saga which included two excursions to see the Lights.
The once in a lifetime cruise cost the couple a whopping £7,500 and they spent more money on cold weather clothing.
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However, they then received the shocking news that their departure would be delayed due to an outbreak of norovirus on the ship.
Christine said: “I did pack a bottle of bleach and a pair of rubber gloves and the first thing I did when we got to our cabin, I went round and bleached everything.”
Peter especially wanted the cruise to be perfect as he had devised a plan to ask Christine to marry him on the dream voyage.
However Peter’s huge plan was soon affected by another outbreak of norovirus on the ship, which was soon hitting 20 passengers per day.
Christine said: “On the day we got to Tromso, we went to breakfast in the morning, and as we were going back to our cabin, I said to Peter ‘I feel a bit queasy’.
“And by about 2pm, I was violently sick and having diarrhoea and I felt absolutely dreadful, it was awful.”
The trouble wasn’t over as Peter was soon also brought down by the norovirus.
He said: “I had a raging headache, a vicious temperature, I was vomiting. I had diarrhoea and I was in agony from my stomach.”
The couple missed out on their dream excursion to see the Northern Lights, as they were confined to their cabin with the disease.
Despite the disaster, Peter still managed to make his proposal which Christine happily accepted.
A spokesperson for Saga said: “We are very sorry that the cruise did not meet the expectations of Ms Barnwall and Mr Hayman and have apologised to them.
“We have been in regular contact with Ms Barnwall and Mr Hayman and we are pleased that we have been able to resolve their complaint.
“Our first priority is the health and safety of our guests, our crew and the localities into which we sail.
“We have in place detailed operating procedures to deal with norovirus and follow the highest standards of cleanliness and health and safety to ensure the wellbeing of our guests and crew.”
When Posh Holidays Go Horribly Wrong aired on Channel 5 at 6:30pm Sunday April 3.