Grandad 'shaking' after he was denied bucket list cruise due to little known passport rule

Nan, Jenny Gee, worried her husband was having a stroke when he was told he couldn't board the ship to New York

A couple have issued a warning to people travelling on a cruise after they were denied a bucket list trip due to a little known passport rule. Jenny Gee and Trevor Bamford were set to sail from the UK to New York on April 27.

The trip came two weeks after Trevor finished three years of severe treatment for prostate cancer and the journey was a long-held dream for the 77-year-old. The grandparents had paid £3,600 for a deck 12-top cabin and were excited for their trip.

However, they were shocked to be sent out of the check-in queue and told Trevor couldn't travel because of a post-Brexit passport rule. British passports issued before 2018 can be valid for over 10 years as time remaining on the previous passport could be added to a new one.

Trevor's passport was issued on March 2 2015, and expires in September, so was valid for ten years and seven months. However, staff explained the extra months on Trevor's passport didn't count and he couldn't board the boat because it travelled through EU waters.

The ship was set to dock in Le Havre, France, before heading across the Atlantic. Jenny is now determined to raise awareness of the little known passport rule.

The 69-year-old, who used to work in communications, said: "We were so shocked and upset. This trip has been Trevor's dream for ages.

"I honestly thought he was going to have a stroke he was so upset he went white and was shaking. This is the longest trip we've ever done and we've been really looking forward to it.

"There needs to be more awareness of this passport rule: I've spoken to loads of people about this and none of them knew about it. It's not even consistent."

The couple had to return back to their home in Bristol and have since booked a flight to New York. However, the grandad used to work in the merchant navy and had been looking forward to going on a cruise across the Atlantic for years.

The couple explained they provided their passport details when they booked the trip but were not told there might be a problem with Trevor's passport.

Jenny added: "Trevor has travelled in Europe in the last month with no border problems at all, and we have to fly via Dublin and we've been told that's fine. It's such a shame, we can travel anywhere in the world but not the EU, and they are our closest allies."

Jenny said she knew nothing of the new passport rule before being handed a letter by the staff after she and Trevor were ushered out of the queue.

The letter explained the rule and also said Trevor, a retired business owner, wasn't entitled to any compensation or money back. Jenny wasn't entitled to a refund either.

She said: "It doesn't matter to travel companies, they can sell the places again. This is happening to people a lot, they need to be told about the rule when they book."