A RETIRED couple whose dream holiday was blighted by life-threatening illness have secured a £20,000 pay-out.

John and Susan Whiley, of Ingleby Barwick, near Stockton, decided to pay about £5,500 for a three-week luxury cruise around the Caribbean to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.

But their holiday turned to misery for Mr Whiley, 63, who came home with Legionnaires’ disease.

The father-of-three and grandfather-of-four contracted the illness on the Sea Princess Cruise two years ago.

By the time he came home his family were so concerned on his return that they made him go to a walk-in clinic where he was told to go to James Cook University Hospital straight away. The former shift manager at British Steel had to stay in hospital for two weeks.

Susan While said: “He was in a bad way. He didn’t know what was going on or where he was half the time. He was pulling needles out and things like that. It was very traumatic. People die of that disease.”

Eventually the Whileys’ daughter decided to act on advice to contact Irwin Mitchell legal practice on her parents’ behalf, and a legal claim was made against Carnival PLC, the parent company of the tour operators. Initially the company denied liability, but eventually the issue was settled out of court.

Mr Whiley said: “The cruise was meant to be a holiday of a lifetime and something we had saved up carefully for and were really excited about.

"We expected three weeks of luxury while we enjoyed the sun and beautiful sights of places such as St Lucia and Barbados but it was absolutely horrible when I got sick.

"I’ll never forget feeling so tired and breathless and we were so relieved to get home.

“When I look back on the holiday now I just remember being poorly and desperately wanting to get home and access some kind of treatment, rather than the amazing places we were taken to, which is really upsetting.”

Mrs Whiley explained the costs of the travel were higher than just the initial £5,500 pay-out as the couple paid for trips and other associated costs.

No-one at Carnival PLC responded to The Northern Echo for comment.

Carnival PLC, based in the USA and London, is the world's largest cruise ship operator dealing with thousands of customers every year and can trace its history to the 19th Century.