Coach transfers

[watsonbeau]

Have opted for OBC so would be using CruiseConnect/Intercruise booked by myself to travel to/from Southampton for cruise which departs in January.

 

I have been reading the post in P&O UK forum regarding whole bus of passengers denied sailing as one person on bus tested positive. Various opinions on this as a lengthy thread.

 

Does any one know Cunard and Cruise Connect protocols/procedures on this sort of thing ? Can’t see anything on either website about what they would do in similar situation which is worrying.

 

Could drive down if we had to but means an overnight stop for us. Train not practical. The coach is a more relaxing option for us.  We will be isolating 14 days before we sail to reduce risk but am getting a bit worried about the scenario re coach passengers. 
 

I can ring or email but just wondering if anyone on here has any knowledge or sage advice.  Thanks in advance ☀️

 

 

[exlondoner]

I am afraid I have no experience of this, but in view of what you say, I should be inclined to seek another way of reaching Southampton. Where are you travelling from?

[watsonbeau]

The frozen north 🧊  Think a steady drive down and a hotel overnight might be the best option.

 

Fromm reading the p&o thread I can’t see there is a way round it for those on coach.  If one coach passenger tests positive then all denied boarding as obviously they know exactly who were on that specific coach.

 

Not sure if any point to email Cunard and Cruise Connect as no doubt the rules will change again !

 

unfortunately others may be unable to opt to drive for whatever reason. In which case the alternatives to travel safely to the terminal will likely not be inexpensive.

 

was looking forward to no driving for once but think it’s not to be …

 

 

[exlondoner]

Well, the only other thing is to hire a car and driver, expensive, but convenient, and, if it means you don't have to stay overnight, perhaps not that expensive.  But I should certainly avoid the coach.

[Windsurfboy]

I'd absolutely not risk going on a coach if one passenger testing positive means no cruise. ONS survey one in 200 over 60s have covid. At 50 to a coach ,  one coach in 4 coaches will have trouble.  Will be reduced significantly  as passepassengers  tested before getting on coach,. However why risk it , not everyone will be sensible and isolate before holiday. 

 

Sorry but driving and stopping on way looks best, what's latest date you can cancel coach for a refund.

Edited August 27, 2021 by Windsurfboy

[exlondoner]

You could get the coach back, if you were driven down.

[watsonbeau]

Yes that’s a thought. One way. Not booked coach as yet so don’t need to worry about cancelling.  Am going to leave it and look at hotel/drive down I think as the safest option to miniseries Covid risk.

 

No point isolating for 14 days as a precaution only to be sealed in a bus and possibly denied boarding due to someone else 😐

[majortom10]

Whatever you decide as Cunard and P&O are run as one company i.e. Carnival UK you can guarantee that whatever the policy is with P&O it will be the same with Cunard. Having read about the situation recently on Iona with a coach passenger testing positive and the whole coach had to be offloaded the ship then in current circumstances there is no way would I be travelling down to Southampton by coach.

[Windsurfboy]

One question if you booked coach yourself , how will Cunard know you came by coach. They will have a list of everyone they booked on the coach.  However the coach company cannot pass on its passenger list to Cunard for people not booked by Cunard. That would be breaking both privacy and data protection laws

[Yaldi]

55 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

One question if you booked coach yourself , how will Cunard know you came by coach. They will have a list of everyone they booked on the coach.  However the coach company cannot pass on its passenger list to Cunard for people not booked by Cunard. That would be breaking both privacy and data protection laws

There must be an official connection between the two (Intercruises aka Cruise Connect and Cunard).

 

I’ve booked a disembarkation transfer on several occasions via Cruise Connect’s website and Cunard had me listed on their manifest for the bus. For example I was given a ticket on board and they delivered the appropriate colour coded labels for disembarkation to my cabin from the tour office without any prompt from me.

 

Same is true when Cruise Connect picked me up at Heathrow having booked on their website. A Cunard rep met me at arrivals and assisted me to the bus.
 

I would conclude from this they will know who is arriving by bus.

[Mostonian]

This information was received from P&O yesterday in an info update.

”You will need your mobile number because your results from your COVID test at the terminal will be delivered to your phone and your address is important as should another member of your party who lives at a separate address be denied boarding at the terminal due to a positive COVID test or having failed the health declaration, YOU will still be permitted to board if you do not live at the same address.”  I think this information is reassuring for passengers who need to travel by coach. ( Or am I reading in wrong?)

[Windsurfboy]

35 minutes ago, Yaldi said:

There must be an official connection between the two (Intercruises aka Cruise Connect and Cunard).

 

I’ve booked a disembarkation transfer on several occasions via Cruise Connect’s website and Cunard had me listed on their manifest for the bus. For example I was given a ticket on board and they delivered the appropriate colour coded labels for disembarkation to my cabin from the tour office without any prompt from me.

 

Same is true when Cruise Connect picked me up at Heathrow having booked on their website. A Cunard rep met me at arrivals and assisted me to the bus.
 

I would conclude from this they will know who is arriving by 

 

 

 

My point was that if you booked independently,  it would be illegal for the coach company to pass on your information, if you look at the privacy policy then cruise lines are not mentioned as someone they will share data with ( unless it's Marella who are part of Tui group)

 

I don't know if by giving intercruise your cruise booking ref you are implicitly letting them talk to Cunard.  

 

Anyway  looks like best thing is to avoid the coach. 

[Victoria2]

15 minutes ago, Mostonian said:

This information was received from P&O yesterday in an info update.

”You will need your mobile number because your results from your COVID test at the terminal will be delivered to your phone and your address is important as should another member of your party who lives at a separate address be denied boarding at the terminal due to a positive COVID test or having failed the health declaration, YOU will still be permitted to board if you do not live at the same address.”  I think this information is reassuring for passengers who need to travel by coach. ( Or am I reading in wrong?)

If one of the linked booking party is denied boarding due to a positive result, as long as there has been no contact in x number of hours, e.g. travelled together, then the other passengers  in the linked booking may board.

 

It would seem anyone who travelled with a fellow passenger e.g. in a coach, who tested positive at embarkation, will be denied boarding.

As to who would know who travelled independently in a coach, if the coach disembarks passengers at the cruise terminal, is it possible all those passengers would be herded into a test facility together and so any positive tests would impact on all the passengers? Just an idea.

[Mostonian]

As I understand it, as long as you test negative and do not live at the same address as the person testing positive you will be allowed to embark, irrespective of the fact that you have travelled by coach as one group.

[Windsurfboy]

I don't think this is the case,  I  would interpret this only as saying ,on a joint booking , for two households  who live seperately and travel  seperately,  if one of them is positive the other household can board.

[rakkor]

59 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

I don't think this is the case,  I  would interpret this only as saying ,on a joint booking , for two households  who live seperately and travel  seperately,  if one of them is positive the other household can board.

 

We travelled independently to Jane's father on last week’s cruise for precisely this reason. We would normally have travelled down to the New Forest to stay with him the night before a cruise, but we didn't want to mess up their cruise if one of us was tested positive and vice versa.

 

Edited August 28, 2021 by rakkor

[Photo Andy]

watsonbeau,

 we drive down from the NE UK and usually stay 1 night in Soton prior to embarkation. 

It is a long drive that my wife and I share with regular stops. The one caveat that I would say is snow and ice maybe an issue in early Jan. Winterise your car, to give you the best chance to arrive hopefully as stress free as possible.    

[watsonbeau]

Yes the possibility of snow and ice was one of the reasons for thinking less stress by coach. 
 

Not booked anything as yet but hotel and drive down day before is looking 99.9% most likely.

[ace2542]

On 8/27/2021 at 12:10 PM, watsonbeau said:

Have opted for OBC so would be using CruiseConnect/Intercruise booked by myself to travel to/from Southampton for cruise which departs in January.

 

I have been reading the post in P&O UK forum regarding whole bus of passengers denied sailing as one person on bus tested positive. Various opinions on this as a lengthy thread.

 

Does any one know Cunard and Cruise Connect protocols/procedures on this sort of thing ? Can’t see anything on either website about what they would do in similar situation which is worrying.

 

Could drive down if we had to but means an overnight stop for us. Train not practical. The coach is a more relaxing option for us.  We will be isolating 14 days before we sail to reduce risk but am getting a bit worried about the scenario re coach passengers. 
 

I can ring or email but just wondering if anyone on here has any knowledge or sage advice.  Thanks in advance ☀️

 

 

What about travelling down at night itself? Might be a quick journey the motorways are usually very quiet at night and I can't see the A34 being that busy. You and your wife could share the driving maybe. You would get down there in 4 hours if you pushed it.

Edited August 28, 2021 by ace2542

[majortom10]

3 hours ago, Mostonian said:

As I understand it, as long as you test negative and do not live at the same address as the person testing positive you will be allowed to embark, irrespective of the fact that you have travelled by coach as one group.

That is not correct as one passenger on P&Os Iona tested positive and was refused boarding and he had travelled to Southampton by coach and P&O offloaded the whole coach who had already tested negative and were onboard and put them up in a hotel for the night and sent them home the next day.

[Mostonian]

As I understand it, as long as you test negative and do not live at the same address as the person testing positive you will be allowed to embark, irrespective of the fact that you have travelled by coach as one group. 
 

I obtained this information from the P&O website updated on the 27th August, so perhaps they have changed their protocols. Only passing on information I have read.

Edited August 29, 2021 by Mostonian
Added info.

[watsonbeau]

It looks like coach operator used by P&O have now revised their protocol as their website now says the following -

 

Prior to Departure Date

In line with the safety protocols introduced by the Cruise Lines, we now request that you provide proof of a negative rapid lateral flow test taken 24 hours prior to boarding the coach for your journey to the port.

 

I have messaged CruiseConnect who provide Cunard service as nothing on their website I could find and also Cunard customer service to see what they have to say.

 

Nonetheless will likely drive down but will be interested in reply.

[majortom10]

1 hour ago, watsonbeau said:

It looks like coach operator used by P&O have now revised their protocol as their website now says the following -

 

Prior to Departure Date

In line with the safety protocols introduced by the Cruise Lines, we now request that you provide proof of a negative rapid lateral flow test taken 24 hours prior to boarding the coach for your journey to the port.

 

I have messaged CruiseConnect who provide Cunard service as nothing on their website I could find and also Cunard customer service to see what they have to say.

 

Nonetheless will likely drive down but will be interested in reply.

Trouble is how will they know the LFT are genuine or appertaining to the actual person travelling on the coach.

[watsonbeau]

Yes - too easy for people to

guve ‘false’ results unless supervised I suppose while doing. 

[Electra 7]

One of the key words is ventilation! therefore if you are thinking of driving down and staying in a hotel I would choose one without air con and windows that open ! We drive 400 miles so always stay overnight the hotel that we booked for our upcoming cruise had air con and windows that do not open so we have changed the hotel just a thought !