Newly-married couple Dan and Chance Walton-Ashmore should have had a wonderful time on their honeymoon cruise but unfortunately, that was not the case as the cruise ship staff allegedly harassed and discriminated against them because of their sexual orientation, according to GCN.
The couple said that during their time on the Marella Discovery, they received continuous homophobic abuse from TUI (a popular European travel company) staff. Dan wrote that he was heartbroken by the cruise and that he wanted to go home because of the way that he and Chance were treated. During the beginning of the trip, the staff members refused to give them a double bed in replacement of the two twin beds that were in their room, despite the fact that the booking states that the couple was on their honeymoon. When they requested the double bed, the people at the reception pointed and laughed at them. Needless to say, the staff did not honor that request, and Dan said that he “had to push them together… for it to be done.” Presumably, a double bed would have been something that could have been placed in a room, but the staff could not get over their prejudice.
Dan also posted on social media that he and Chance were “being treated differently from the bar staff and in some cases not being served at all” and that he felt that they were invisible. He also mentioned that when the couple danced together, the bar staff pointed and laughed at them. Dan did say, however, that the people who witnessed this have been supportive. While that is definitely nice, Dan and Chance should not have been subjected to such treatment in the first place.
After seeing the social media posts, TUI said that they would attempt to make amends with the couple by sending them champagne, strawberries, and a free meal. In response to this, Dan said: “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.” I agree with him because those offers kind of sound like hush money.
It’s sad to think that gay people are still treated poorly and met with such ridicule just because of who they are. Dan and Chance should have had the time of their lives on their honeymoon but instead they were met with bigotry and homophobia. Despicable behavior should never be tolerated and I hope that Dan and Chance get the justice they deserve because how they were treated is nothing short of unacceptable.
Source: GCN
The cruise line should have given them a first class free cruise on a gay cruise. This couple could have chosen that option first. I find it hard to believe any kind of hospitality company could do this and survive. So sorry for these gentlemen.