Actor Warwick Davis – Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi, star of Willow and a veteran of countless TV travel shows – reckons he's stayed in some of the finest hotels on the planet. But the most accessible accommodation he's experienced, he says, is at sea.
Davis, who has spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a bone growth condition that results in dwarfism, was speaking to The Independent ahead of a star-guest slot aboard P&O Cruises' Britannia on a sold-out Caribbean sailing. He'll fly to St Lucia to join the ship for seven days of career talks and meet-and-greets – his first cruise with P&O, after roughly ten sailings with lines including Cunard, Disney Cruise Line and Princess.
His frustration with land-based travel is refreshingly blunt. Airport automated passport gates can't pick up his face, so he gets bounced back to the manual queue. At even top-end hotels, he's had to chase staff for luggage help, trudging up and down stairs when nobody answers the phone. On a cruise, by contrast, luggage lands in your cabin the moment you check in. Level access, ramps, lifts everywhere and reliably available disabled toilets do the rest – and high crew-to-passenger ratios mean support is close at hand. His only caution: gangway ramps can be steep, so wheelchair users should travel with someone strong enough to help push.
Davis's other takeaways come from a convert. He boarded his first cruise about six years ago fearing seasickness and crowds, and found neither. Cabins, he says, are immaculate, the food better than many luxury hotels, and once everyone settles in you can carve out your favourite corners of the ship. His two crowd-avoiding tips: skip the buffet when it first opens, and stay aboard in port when most passengers go ashore – that's when the ship goes blissfully quiet.
He also likes the vibe at onboard shows. Cruise audiences, he finds, are holiday-relaxed rather than end-of-the-workday tense – even when they're all asking for selfies. And if the world cruise itch gets scratched? Davis says a different view outside the window each morning, unpacking only once, and no airport or hotel logistics to juggle are exactly the appeal.
Why it matters: for travellers with disabilities or limited mobility, this is a practical endorsement from someone who travels constantly. A ship is effectively one accessible hotel that moves – no transfers, no repacking, no gate roulette – and it's worth comparing lines, since accessibility varies from ship to ship.
Via The Independent Travel.
