The Toby Gribben Show

Few people know as much about cruising with a disability as Michele Monro. The daughter of much-loved singer, Matt Monro, Michele has spent more than 40 years travelling the world on cruise liners. For the last 14 years, she has combined her love of cruising with her work as a specialist speaker for companies including Celebrity, P&O, Fred Olsen and Royal Caribbean.

In the 1990s Michele was diagnosed with MS. It was then she began to fully appreciate the absence of advice and information about cruise travel with special needs. Michele felt strongly that whilst living with a disability presents a lot of obstacles, a cruise holiday shouldn’t have to be one of them and she began what was to become 3 years of painstaking research covering all the possible details of a disabled cruise traveller's needs to know.

The Autonomous Cruiser is the result. The most up-to-date and comprehensive guide available, advising on the whole process of cruising, including: -

·       Cruise and port choices, and the accessibility of cruise terminals. A comprehensive section on fly-cruises including airport guides, car park assistance, wheelchair advice, checked luggage, lounges, and delayed and missed departures

·       Critical pre-planning information including holiday administration, vaccinations, medication, cabin selection, upgrades, pier transfers, luggage services, drinks packages, speciality dining and the online check-in

·       Life on board incorporates embarkation, cruise ship etiquette, dining, entertainment, meetings, bridge visits, swimming pools, spa facilities shopping and duty-free, photo gallery, onboard savings, ship visits, port calls, tendering, safety, technology at sea and the travel scams to watch out for

·       Caregivers, chaperones and service dogs

·       A directory outlining the most important disability resources, including accessible shore excursions, dedicated apps, cruise specialists and accessible travel agents

This market first book covers the most common areas of special needs - from those travelling with pre-existing conditions, special dietary considerations, prescriptions and medication, epilepsy, diabetes, heart disease, dementia, cognitive, intellectual and developmental disabilities, compromised immune systems, breathing disorders, kidney disease, and visual and hearing impairments to make this the most comprehensive guide to cruising available.

About the author

Michele Monro is the daughter of much-loved singer Matt Monro. She is the author of the internationally bestselling biography of his life The Singers Singer: The Life And Music Of Matt Monro and released a brand-new album of her father’s work, Stranger in Paradise: The Lost New York Sessions in 2020 which went straight to the No8 spot in the official album charts and stayed in the charts for six months.

Michele is a special interest speaker for a number of cruise lines including Celebrity, P&O, Princess Cruises, Cunard, Cruise and Maritime, Fred Olsen and Royal Caribbean. She is also writing a series of cruise port guides for disabled passengers to complement The Autonomous Cruiser. When she isn’t cruising, Michele lives in Shropshire.