P&O Cruise Passenger Handed 'Thousands' After Worker Questioned His Sexuality
Passenger Lewis Meehan said the ordeal ruined his holiday
A cruise passenger is understood to have been rewarded thousands of pounds after a member of staff repeatedly asked him about his sexuality. Here's how the shocking interaction unfolded:
Lewis Meehan, 27, was on holiday with family when the incident took place onboard P&O Cruise ship the Britannica in January, when he returned to his room and ordered a pizza to celebrate a win by Nottingham Forest football team.
Given that he was in his own room at the time, Lewis answered the door to room service in his boxers, after which the member of staff delivering the food allegedly told him he had a nice body.
After taking the pizza, Lewis claims the worker then phoned his room to say he would need to come back to take payment. Thinking this was odd, the passenger decided to film the interaction on his phone and set up his camera to capture what happened when he answered the door.
When he did, the worker asked if Lewis could come into his room before enquiring about his sexuality, saying: "I just wanted to ask you something, I hope you don't complain about it. Are you straight?"
After Lewis responded to say he was heterosexual, the staff member appeared to sigh and repeatedly asked Lewis whether he was 'sure'. Though the two men cannot be seen clearly in the footage, their conversation is audible.
Lewis made a complaint about the staff member following the incident, after which he claims a company spokesperson apologised and told him the waiter was kept in his cabin. The staff member then left the ship when it reached its next destination, Lewis said.
Carnival UK, which owns P&O Cruises, has since made a payout to Lewis which is understood to be in the thousands, though the 27-year-old stressed that the 'totally unexpected' ordeal 'totally ruined [their] holiday'.
He said his sister was 'really scared' by the situation, and said that while he felt okay handling it due to the fact he was 'bigger' than the staff member, he 'worried about it happening to someone more vulnerable'.
"He could escalate and something much worse could happen", Lewis, a nightclub manager, said.
"From the end of Covid restrictions last June to now, I've worked seventy to eighty-hour weeks - I just needed a break. They are expensive holidays and you just don't expect that."
A spokesperson for Carnival UK has said the company takes "any allegation of improper behaviour extremely seriously" and assured it is conducting a "thorough investigation."
LADbible has reached out to Carnival and P&O Cruises for further comment.
Emily Brown