Further nail into the cruising coffin.

[upwarduk]

I think this will prevent many passengers flying into UK to cruise from Southampton.

As of Monday 15/02/21 the UK Government requires anyone flying into England from 35 countries on their red list to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days at a cost of £1750. If you test positive on day 2, that time is increased to 14 days at a further cost.

Those that fail to declare which country they have flown from or fail to quarantine, face fines of £5000-£10,000. 4 passengers who flew into Birmingham airport, were fined £10,000 for not declaring where they had come from.

Any passenger flying into Scotland has to quarantine, no matter where they have come from, for 10 days.

There are no international flights into Cardiff ( Wales) airport, so that route cannot be used to circumnavigate the law.

Does this mean that Silhouette will only sail with passengers from UK, or will she not be doing the summer season out of UK in 2021?
 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transport-measures-to-protect-the-uk-from-variant-strains-of-covid-19

 

Edited February 17, 2021 by upwarduk

[RickT]

I assume those rules are in place for an undetermined length of time (similar to the travel restrictions Canada has placed on international travel) and will likely be loosened when (if?) the virus is largely under control.  Given international cruising is unlikely until the virus is largely under control I would expect when the time is right you’ll see the restrictions loosened and cruising resume.

 

But for now, I don’t see cruise departures from the UK for the foreseeable future.

Edited February 17, 2021 by RickT

[BigAl94]

I really cannot see Silhouette or indeed any Celebrity ship in UK or Europe in 2021. 

[anniegb]

58 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

I think this will prevent many passengers flying into UK to cruise from Southampton.

As of Monday 15/02/21 the UK Government requires anyone flying into England from 35 countries on their red list to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days at a cost of £1750. If you test positive on day 2, that time is increased to 14 days at a further cost.

Those that fail to declare which country they have flown from or fail to quarantine, face fines of £5000-£10,000. 4 passengers who flew into Birmingham airport, were fined £10,000 for not declaring where they had come from.

Any passenger flying into Scotland has to quarantine, no matter where they have come from, for 10 days.

There are no international flights into Cardiff ( Wales) airport, so that route cannot be used to circumnavigate the law.

Does this mean that Silhouette will only sail with passengers from UK, or will she not be doing the summer season out of UK in 2021?
 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transport-measures-to-protect-the-uk-from-variant-strains-of-covid-19

 

Flights via Dublin?? Flights within the CTA are exempt?? An American family who flew to Edinburgh via Dublin were advised that the quarantine rules did not apply.

 

Annie

[hcat]

Pre cruise hotel quarantine... will be a .financial dealbreaker and  not much vacation fun!  Covid  Situation is serious....not a good time to cruise just yet,

Edited February 17, 2021 by hcat

[ipeeinthepool]

1 hour ago, upwarduk said:

I think this will prevent many passengers flying into UK to cruise from Southampton.

As of Monday 15/02/21 the UK Government requires anyone flying into England from 35 countries on their red list to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days at a cost of £1750. If you test positive on day 2, that time is increased to 14 days at a further cost.

Those that fail to declare which country they have flown from or fail to quarantine, face fines of £5000-£10,000. 4 passengers who flew into Birmingham airport, were fined £10,000 for not declaring where they had come from.

Any passenger flying into Scotland has to quarantine, no matter where they have come from, for 10 days.

There are no international flights into Cardiff ( Wales) airport, so that route cannot be used to circumnavigate the law.

Does this mean that Silhouette will only sail with passengers from UK, or will she not be doing the summer season out of UK in 2021?
 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transport-measures-to-protect-the-uk-from-variant-strains-of-covid-19

 

 

Yep, this is the issue for us.  We are scheduled on a Iceland/Greenland TA on the Summit from Southampton in August and were planning on spending about a week in the UK prior to the sailing.  I didn't plan for that week to be in quarantine.  As much as I would enjoy this trip, I have done zero planning because I think it's doubtful to sail.  Normally I would have made my air arrangements and hotel.  Final payment is due around the beginning of May, if there isn't a relaxation of these restrictions by then, I'll need to cancel.

[poffles]

42 minutes ago, hcat said:

.... Covid  Situation is serious....not a good time to cruise just yet

 

100% on this.

[Alakegirl]

Look at the countries on that red blast. How many people from those countries are actually likely to be traveling to the UK, specifically to a cruise. Be realistic.

[anniegb]

26 minutes ago, Alakegirl said:

Look at the countries on that red blast. How many people from those countries are actually likely to be traveling to the UK, specifically to a cruise. Be realistic.

The red list is likely to become longer rather than shorter, a UK government adviser stated.

 

Annie

[TeeRick]

1 hour ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Yep, this is the issue for us.  We are scheduled on a Iceland/Greenland TA on the Summit from Southampton in August and were planning on spending about a week in the UK prior to the sailing.  I didn't plan for that week to be in quarantine.  As much as I would enjoy this trip, I have done zero planning because I think it's doubtful to sail.  Normally I would have made my air arrangements and hotel.  Final payment is due around the beginning of May, if there isn't a relaxation of these restrictions by then, I'll need to cancel.

Same for us.  Silhouette out of Southampton Aug 26th to Norway.  Can't see it happening.

[jelayne]

33 minutes ago, Alakegirl said:

Look at the countries on that red blast. How many people from those countries are actually likely to be traveling to the UK, specifically to a cruise. Be realistic.

I’m reading the document differently.  The way I understand it anyone from the red list countries or who have traveled through one are banned from entry.  People from non red list countries can enter but must have a negative  test and must quarantine.  

[anniegb]

17 minutes ago, jelayne said:

I’m reading the document differently.  The way I understand it anyone from the red list countries or who have traveled through one are banned from entry.  People from non red list countries can enter but must have a negative  test and must quarantine.  

That is a misrepresentation.  I refer to OP.

 

Annie

[gerelmx]

No British Isles cruise this year

[The_Big_M]

As RickT said, it's basically a moot point.

 

We've had the same here for almost a year... but there also hasn't been any cruising, or most travel for that matter.

 

This isn't a permanent thing though and as the vaccine is rolled out, restrictions across the travel industry will relax, including this.

[emmas gran]

If your country is NOT on the Red list you must quarantine at home for 10 days. So I assume you would have to stay in a hotel for 10 days.
 

Some travellers tried to beat the system on Tuesday flying via a hub and were fined £10,000 each

Edited February 17, 2021 by emmas gran

[ipeeinthepool]

17 minutes ago, emmas gran said:

If your country is NOT on the Red list you must quarantine at home for 10 days. So I assume you would have to stay in a hotel for 10 days.
 

Some travellers tried to beat the system on Tuesday flying via a hub and were fined £10,000 each

 

Seems a bit unconventional for color coding.   I'm not sure I know of any other situation that it's good to be on the Red list.  Perhaps the next update should put the countries that don't need to quarantine should be on a Green list. 

[markeb]

OK, maybe I'm seeing a different version of the document from a US IP, but what I'm reading is a total ban for travel from countries on the red list except "British or Irish National, or you have residence rights in the UK", you will be able to enter. You must quarantine in a government approved hotel for 10 days. You cannot use the Test to Release scheme. The link to the "test to release scheme" allows for a passenger paid test at 5 days. But I think that's overcome by events in the newer documents.

 

The links are all over the place from the OP's original link, and it looks like many haven't been updated. For British or Irish nationals, or third country nationals with residence rights in the UK  who've been to a banned country but are allowed to travel to the UK:

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/booking-and-staying-in-a-quarantine-hotel-when-you-arrive-in-england

 

These are the folks who must quarantine in an approved quarantine hotel. If you don't meet the residency requirements, you can't travel to the UK at all if you've been to or travelled through a red list country in the last 10 days.

 

As best as I can get from a quick read, one else, allowed to enter England from outside the Common Travel Area (Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man) must:

• quarantine for 10 days
• take a coronavirus (COVID-19) test on day 2 and day 8 of quarantining
• follow the national lockdown rules. 

 

You need a negative test within 3 days of travel to the UK, and you have to pay for the test package (days 2 & 8 ) ahead of time (£210). And the documentation requirements for the test to enter the England are almost certainly going to require you to pay for a test (maybe at a travel specialist); they want names, and names of equipment and tests to document limits of detection. Not a quick text of you're negative with no further information.

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-quarantine-when-you-arrive-in-england

 

Interestingly, a quick read of the document from Scotland appears to require everyone to quarantine at a managed hotel; England appears to allow quarantine at a private residence. 

 

This will be confusing. But mostly for UK residents, because it's really not worth it for 95% of the rest of us. If you're a US Citizen with UK (really English) family where you can quarantine, maybe, but there would still be a lot of hurdles. The overnight business class flight and shower at Heathrow on your way to a meeting days are over for now, and have been.. And until the cruise end of cruise travel gets ironed out, I don't know what additional impact it would have on non-existent cruising.

 

 

Edited February 17, 2021 by markeb
Clarification and some confusing grammar.

[marieps]

I posted about this a few days ago on the Oceania forum as it affects my October TA on Sirena.   My Travel Agent just received confirmation that O is amending the final payment and penalty dates for all cruises scheduled to sail through 10/31/21.  That means I'll have until August 18 to cancel w/o penalty instead of April 18.  Gives four additional months of cushion for UK to ease up should things dramatically improve.

[PTC DAWG]

Apparently the UK is ready to stay shut down.  More power to them.  Meanwhile, people are getting vaccines and cases are dropping in my area.  

[Oceangoer2]

Am I wrong in thinking X has stopped any cruises until Oct. 31, 2021, from US?  And if there were to be any this year they would be 7 nights per CDC?  If 7, then our 10 ni. Nov. cruise may be revised OR may not sail.  I'm getting confused with so many threads and opinions of no cruises this year at all.

[wrk2cruise]

I think they have adjusted all sailings from the US through July to 7 night.   I still have a 12 and 9 night B2B on Equinox on the books for Sept 2021 not that I'm expecting it to stay that way.

[marieps]

 A correction on my earlier post.  Final payment on the Sirena October TA had been May 18.  The extension gives 3 add'l months, not four.

[paulh84]

48 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Am I wrong in thinking X has stopped any cruises until Oct. 31, 2021, from US?  And if there were to be any this year they would be 7 nights per CDC?  If 7, then our 10 ni. Nov. cruise may be revised OR may not sail.  I'm getting confused with so many threads and opinions of no cruises this year at all.

 

There are cruises available for booking from May onward from Miami and Fort Lauderdale although there is zero chance they would actually sail. The current 'official' cancelation is through April 30th with some various outliers. Vaccination rates in the US are increasing at a solid pace. I would expect to see cancelations done in smaller segments, probably 1 month extensions at a time, after the next round of cancelations are officially announced. The order with the 7 day rule is currently in place is through November 1, 2021 unless there are other changes in the mean time.  

[Ashland]

6 hours ago, BigAl94 said:

I really cannot see Silhouette or indeed any Celebrity ship in UK or Europe in 2021. 

I'm with you.....X cancel my July 2021 BI already so I can get my NRD ...not interested in any thing else offered at this time with Celebrity.

[marieps]

RCG has been moving in lockstep with NCLH, which has cancelled through May.  Can't see RCL or =X= bucking that.