Booking blunder costs elderly couple their dream trip

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. — An elderly Snohomish County couple is out thousands of dollars after a travel agent didn’t book them a handicap-accessible room for an Alaskan Cruise.

Sandy & John Hosey had been saving and looking forward to their trip for over a year as a celebration of their 69th wedding anniversary. It would have been their first trip since Sandy suffered a stroke, paralyzing her left side.

“We didn’t think we’d be able to do anything,” Sandy said, “It will be eight years in February and we haven’t done any traveling.”

They got a call from a travel agent that seemed like fate—telling them about an Alaskan Cruise through Norwegian Cruise Line that was ADA accessible. Between the Hoseys and their daughter, they estimate they told the agent, named Andre, that they needed an ADA-compliant room five separate times. The message seemingly got through as “wheelchair assistance” was noted on their reservation. But days before the cruise, a closer inspection of their room found it was not ADA-compliant and may not even fit Sandy’s wheelchair.

They called the cruise to try and find a better room, but the cruise was completely booked. Norwegian refunded around $700 in port fees and taxes, but more than $3,000 of their payment was outstanding. The travel insurance they purchased didn’t cover the rest because Sandy’s medical condition wasn’t emergent enough for payment.

KIRO 7 News spoke to Andre on the phone briefly. He answered the call claiming to be with Norwegian Cruise Line and confirmed he had been working with Sandy and John. He refused to answer if he booked an ADA room as the couple had requested.

He says, “I’m not going to take the blame for it and I’m just going to turn it over to somebody else and I’m out of it,” John said.

The Hoseys never heard from anyone else about their reservation.

“Andre has had such a nasty attitude whenever we would talk to him,” Sandy said, “He never said, ‘I’m sorry John and Sandy for the way this has turned out.’ Not once has he ever apologized.”

The insurance company, Aon, tells KIRO 7 they are re-reviewing the couple’s claim. KIRO 7 also reached out to Norwegian Cruise Line to verify who the agent was and what steps could be taken to help the Hoseys. NCL could not immediately answer the questions, but a representative says they are looking into it.

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