A gay couple from the U.K. say their honeymoon has been “ruined” after enduring days of endless homophobic abuse from staff members aboard a cruise ship in South East Asia.
25-year-olds Dan and Chance Walton-Ashmore were married last year. They’re currently aboard the Marella Discovery, a TUI cruise liner, on a belated honeymoon. But things haven’t been so sweet.
According to Dan, they’ve been receiving horrible treatment from staff since first arriving on the ship 11 days ago, including being ignored by waitstaff, made to feel “invisible,” and laughed at when they danced together.
In a post on social media earlier this week, Dan wrote: “We have received so much homophobic abuse from Tui staff on board the Marella Discovery. We want to come home. TUI are a disgrace!”
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Speaking to The Mirror, he explains, “Initially, it was that they refused to provide a double bed rather than the two singles we were given, even though the booking did state it was our honeymoon.”
Dan says that when he mentioned this to a person at the reception desk, “they simply pointed and laughed at us. I had to push them together myself for it to be done.”
He also claims when he complained about the treatment to another staff member, she allegedly said: “I find it hard to believe as I’m the minority on this ship as a heterosexual woman, not you.”
According to Dan, TUI got wind of his social media post and tried to make amends by offering the couple champagne, strawberries, and a free meal from the a la carte restaurant. But by then their honeymoon had already been tainted.
“This is not good enough and is in no way a sufficient apology and does not make up for the 11 days that we have been through,” he says.
“We have the support of passengers on board and people back at home. We just want to come home now as we are a laughing stock for the TUI staff on board.”
He continues, “We only have a few days left but it has really ruined our honeymoon and we do not feel safe on board or comfortable enough to be the honeymoon couple we should be able to be.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for TUI said: “We’re very concerned to hear of the Walton-Ashmore party’s experience onboard Marella Discovery and we take claims of this nature very seriously. We are currently investigating this internally.”
“Our team onboard are doing everything possible to address the customers’ concerns and give them the best possible experience on their holiday.”
Related: United Airlines allegedly made a disabled gay man abandon his mobility device, ruining his honeymoon
Flyiboy
Something smells fishy.. Checking their Instagram, Queerty are using photos from last year.. No indication that they are on a recent cruise .. ?
cliche guevara
Cruise is of South East Asia, recent pictures on Instagram are in various locations in South East Asia… yea Detective Pikachu super suspicious.
blackhook
I don’t get why anyone would want to get on a cruise ship packed with hundreds, if not thousands, of waddling, drunken, mostly-elderly strangers. Half the time people get sick from an epidemic — big surprise — of flu, or food poisoning etc etc… Besides, these ships are massive polluters, and most companies have been fined for illegally dumping waste in the ocean. Yikes, just say no to cruise ships!
ShiningSex
most of what you say is false.
also, not all gays go on gay cruises. those tend to be overpriced.
Jbaltes
I couldn’t agree with you more! Nothing excuses true homophobic/abusive behavior, but choosing to spend your honeymoon on a cruise ship is something I can’t even begin to fathom! Frankly, I’d rather eat a bowl of my own excrement!
mz.sam
So true…not all gays attend gay sponsored cruises. Besides, most gay cruises are way overpriced for its activities and 24/7 partying. Alternative cruisers spend far less enjoying the onboard company of mostly retired and elderly, Disney-Frozen families and kids and many sick and quarantined-filled passengers.
ShiningSex
if true, SUE!!!!
lovethyneighbor
I understand the frustration of being on a honeymoon as a same-sex couple and having the feeling you are not being treated the way a heterosexual couple would experience. This experience seems par for the course and given the creep in the WH, homophobia, along beside the other mistreatments of minority groups, many people feel quite free with their hateful behavior. The other amazing thing is it sounds like staff members are extremely immature.
My recommendation would be to allow TUI to do the investigation and make reparations for your experience. Perhaps, you can use those reparations for another cruise with gay men or can fly to an island where you can nestle up in a honeymoon suite.
When my husband and I went on our honeymoon during Christmas 2013 in Hawaii, no one at the hotel bothered to make us feel special. There was no complimentary bottle of champagne or anything else to make it feel like a vital moment in our lives. Just remember to always pick your battles wisely as we have had to do throughout our lives and we have 30 years on the two of you. Sometimes, accepting the apology along with any reparations is much more honored than filing a lawsuit not likely to be worth the time or energy one has to put into it.
NCSilverBear
At 73 & 63, I agree with “lovethyneighbor”. We, like other couples, choose to pick our battles. Some battles are singled out as being to the greater good of ourselves and others that might be so impacted. Others, more personal. Others, simple not important enough with which to bother. You have done what I consider to be a good job at advertising the abuse you experienced. You have the attention of the Company. Whether or not you pursue legal recourse is up to you to weigh out. You’ve begun your journey as a young, married couple. You must decide how you want the foundation of your relationship to be defined — i.o.w. how important is it. Congratulations and best of luck.
Tombear
Gay cruises cost more but you and your partner don’t have to put up with the BS!
Mack
I was recently on a Disney Cruise (because who I was traveling with wanted to go) and the LGBTQ travelers were treated very well on the cruise. We had a get together and there was about 30 of us there. There were even more that I noticed who didn’t come to the get together so we were represented and as far as I know everyone was treated with respect. You have to investigate the cruise you want to go on and see what complaints. There will always be a religious zealot some where in the lot that creates problems. But if what they’re describing is accurate, then this cruise line is not LGBTQ friendly and should be avoided at all cost.
JoeMannyB
If true, this is awful but hard to believe because UK/Germany based TUI is one of the most gay-friendly tour operators in the world. TUI Cruises has major LGBT marketing initiatives and proudly promote sam-sex weddings on their websites. Something seems off.
HaguePeter
We’ve never had problems with our many holidays trough TUI..
Alltough it only takes one or two rotten apples to ruin your spirit.. And bad apples seem to pop up in the least expected location.
What does speak for TUI is their response after seeing the complaints online, if the whole company would be homophobic (like Chick a fail) they would not take that effort.
Colin Clout
Should have gone on Atlantis. The absence of annoying kids alone justifies the higher cost.
jerkinns
The cruise is in SE Asia and being from the region myself, it gives me an idea from which country the staff in question hail from. These people of certain nationality tend to act childish (shy?) in front of Caucasians, and in their country gays are like playthings and are only good for making fun of
boymikefl
Why would anybody want to be trapped on a ship for 11 days? Fly to your favorite country/ies and enjoy that place. Go to clubs, walk the streets, sightsee. I don’t get it. Plus, a bacteria filled boat, forget it. Go to Bangkok or Tokyo or Manilla. I like Asia.
MrMichaelJ
Can’t put my finger on it but something does smell a bit fishy with this story.