Covid Protocol changes

[OHHnoo10]

On 9/8/2021 at 3:18 PM, molecrochip said:

I understand that there is some good news to be announced in the next few weeks regarding restrictions being relaxed. This is all based on current trends, data and on-board observations by the Company.

 

Specifically around self-guided port calls. I'm expecting this to tie in with either the restart of international cruises or half-term. This follows good feedback on the restart of excursions for both P&O and Cunard last week. I expect it to be on a location by location basis, decided based on Covid infection/vaccination data per locale. Obviously if things turn for the worst then self-guided trips or even port calls could be stopped at the Captain's discretion.

 

Hearing that dancing may also be allowed (mask wearing likely). Feedback from guests is that mask wearing is not that much trouble.

 

Also under consideration was allowing all the tables/chairs to be used again / allowing drinking in the theatre (using Princess' sip & cover approach).

 

I can't share any more detail at present.

Thanks for the info, we're on the 25th Sept cruise to the med with P&O and normally don't go on many excursions but we felt pressured into booking them for all ports on this cruise as we were informed we wouldn't be allowed ashore otherwise. Hopefully we will be ok to cancel a few if your info's correct and we are allowed ashore alone. Do you know how long we have before the cruise we have to cancel for a refund.

Not had much luck in finding out if we will have to self test 3 days before returning to the UK, on a recent trip to Malta we had to self test via zoom, obviously on a ship there's no internet so that will not be possible.

[wowzz]

2 hours ago, molecrochip said:

It’s worth noting that the Princess policy is in line with P&Os while sailing in the U.K. November and December May now be no kids but that’s to fit in with the American rules they will operate under.

Sorry to be pedantic, but Princess policy for European cruises in October is no children unless vaccinated,  so not in line with P&O European cruises.  

[terrierjohn]

Well the dreaded protocols have just caused us to be bumped off the 9th October Britannia cruise. So much for Moleys expectation that there would be a relaxation announcement shortly. This extract is from todays e-mail:---

 

Due to our framework of protocols to protect the health and wellbeing of all crew and guests we are currently operating at a reduced guest capacity and we need to take an approved number of cabins out of service. As a result we need to move some guests into an alternative cabin from the one initially confirmed.

Unfortunately there are no available accessible cabins remaining for this cruise, meaning the holiday you had booked will not be able to go ahead as planned. We are so sorry for the disappointment that this will cause.

[Harry Peterson]

18 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Well the dreaded protocols have just caused us to be bumped off the 9th October Britannia cruise. So much for Moleys expectation that there would be a relaxation announcement shortly. This extract is from todays e-mail:---

 

Due to our framework of protocols to protect the health and wellbeing of all crew and guests we are currently operating at a reduced guest capacity and we need to take an approved number of cabins out of service. As a result we need to move some guests into an alternative cabin from the one initially confirmed.

Unfortunately there are no available accessible cabins remaining for this cruise, meaning the holiday you had booked will not be able to go ahead as planned. We are so sorry for the disappointment that this will cause.

Genuinely sorry to hear that, John.

 

Harry

[wowzz]

20 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Well the dreaded protocols have just caused us to be bumped off the 9th October Britannia cruise. So much for Moleys expectation that there would be a relaxation announcement shortly. This extract is from todays e-mail:---

 

Due to our framework of protocols to protect the health and wellbeing of all crew and guests we are currently operating at a reduced guest capacity and we need to take an approved number of cabins out of service. As a result we need to move some guests into an alternative cabin from the one initially confirmed.

Unfortunately there are no available accessible cabins remaining for this cruise, meaning the holiday you had booked will not be able to go ahead as planned. We are so sorry for the disappointment that this will cause.

Oh John - how sad for you.  I do wonder what criteria they used when deciding who to "bump".

[Dermotsgirl]

24 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Well the dreaded protocols have just caused us to be bumped off the 9th October Britannia cruise. So much for Moleys expectation that there would be a relaxation announcement shortly. This extract is from todays e-mail:---

 

Due to our framework of protocols to protect the health and wellbeing of all crew and guests we are currently operating at a reduced guest capacity and we need to take an approved number of cabins out of service. As a result we need to move some guests into an alternative cabin from the one initially confirmed.

Unfortunately there are no available accessible cabins remaining for this cruise, meaning the holiday you had booked will not be able to go ahead as planned. We are so sorry for the disappointment that this will cause.

Oh no, that’s a shocker. Really sorry to hear that.

 

I know we need to be be prepared to expect the unexpected, but that’s really out of left field. 
 

[davecttr]

26 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Well the dreaded protocols have just caused us to be bumped off the 9th October Britannia cruise. So much for Moleys expectation that there would be a relaxation announcement shortly. This extract is from todays e-mail:---

 

Due to our framework of protocols to protect the health and wellbeing of all crew and guests we are currently operating at a reduced guest capacity and we need to take an approved number of cabins out of service. As a result we need to move some guests into an alternative cabin from the one initially confirmed.

Unfortunately there are no available accessible cabins remaining for this cruise, meaning the holiday you had booked will not be able to go ahead as planned. We are so sorry for the disappointment that this will cause.

What a bummer. A possible explanation may be that they have to reserve some of the accessible cabins for possible quarantine. Moley might know

[daiB]

36 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Well the dreaded protocols have just caused us to be bumped off the 9th October Britannia cruise. So much for Moleys expectation that there would be a relaxation announcement shortly. This extract is from todays e-mail:---

 

Due to our framework of protocols to protect the health and wellbeing of all crew and guests we are currently operating at a reduced guest capacity and we need to take an approved number of cabins out of service. As a result we need to move some guests into an alternative cabin from the one initially confirmed.

Unfortunately there are no available accessible cabins remaining for this cruise, meaning the holiday you had booked will not be able to go ahead as planned. We are so sorry for the disappointment that this will cause.

Sorry to hear that John.

[daiB]

16 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Oh John - how sad for you.  I do wonder what criteria they used when deciding who to "bump".

Looking at other forum it appears that they have taken a block of each ship so that they can create a quarantine zone similar to that which they had for the staycation cruises.

[Ardennais]

47 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Well the dreaded protocols have just caused us to be bumped off the 9th October Britannia cruise. So much for Moleys expectation that there would be a relaxation announcement shortly. This extract is from todays e-mail:---

 

Due to our framework of protocols to protect the health and wellbeing of all crew and guests we are currently operating at a reduced guest capacity and we need to take an approved number of cabins out of service. As a result we need to move some guests into an alternative cabin from the one initially confirmed.

Unfortunately there are no available accessible cabins remaining for this cruise, meaning the holiday you had booked will not be able to go ahead as planned. We are so sorry for the disappointment that this will cause.

Really sorry to hear that. I know that you take a lot of care in selecting a cabin that works for the two of you, so that’s very disappointing news. 

[tring]

41 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Well the dreaded protocols have just caused us to be bumped off the 9th October Britannia cruise. So much for Moleys expectation that there would be a relaxation announcement shortly. This extract is from todays e-mail:---

 

Due to our framework of protocols to protect the health and wellbeing of all crew and guests we are currently operating at a reduced guest capacity and we need to take an approved number of cabins out of service. As a result we need to move some guests into an alternative cabin from the one initially confirmed.

Unfortunately there are no available accessible cabins remaining for this cruise, meaning the holiday you had booked will not be able to go ahead as planned. We are so sorry for the disappointment that this will cause.

 

I am also sorry to hear about this, especially as I suspect you will have had the cruise booked for a long time, possibly when it was launched.

 

It will not make you feel any better, but I also think it could well be because they are looking for accessible cabins for quarantine purposes. That does make us wonder if you could make a claim for discrimination.  Whilst they would not be able to rustle up an accessible cabin for you, you may just be able to get some sort of recompense, if indeed a claim is viable.

 

This also means that any of us could be in a similar position if a cruise is overbooked for current capacities, which could be any cruise which was launched some time back.

 

 

[tring]

11 minutes ago, daiB said:

Looking at other forum it appears that they have taken a block of each ship so that they can create a quarantine zone similar to that which they had for the staycation cruises.

 

Yes, a quarantine area is required for all cruises now.

[davecttr]

I wonder where the quarantine area is on Iona. I have 4 different carefully selected cabins booked for  future cruises and would not be happy if i was bumped.

[wowzz]

17 minutes ago, tring said:

 

It will not make you feel any better, but I also think it could well be because they are looking for accessible cabins for quarantine purposes. That does make us wonder if you could make a claim for discrimination

I presume that they need to leave a certain number of accessible cabins empty, in case anyone needing such a cabin contracts covid, so inevitably those being bumped off will inevitably be disabled. Not discrimination  therefore, but someone somewhere must have made the decision as to which couples were going to be disappointed.

[Angel57]

8 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Well the dreaded protocols have just caused us to be bumped off the 9th October Britannia cruise. So much for Moleys expectation that there would be a relaxation announcement shortly. This extract is from todays e-mail:---

 

Due to our framework of protocols to protect the health and wellbeing of all crew and guests we are currently operating at a reduced guest capacity and we need to take an approved number of cabins out of service. As a result we need to move some guests into an alternative cabin from the one initially confirmed.

Unfortunately there are no available accessible cabins remaining for this cruise, meaning the holiday you had booked will not be able to go ahead as planned. We are so sorry for the disappointment that this will cause.

I am so sorry to read this Zap. What a disappointment for you both.

Gill x

[wowzz]

50 minutes ago, Angel57 said:

I am so sorry to read this Zap. What a disappointment for you both.

Gill x

John, not Zap.

[terrierjohn]

8 hours ago, tring said:

 

Yes, a quarantine area is required for all cruises now.

But I do wonder why it needs to be any different to the seacation cruises

 

[SarahHben]

9 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Well the dreaded protocols have just caused us to be bumped off the 9th October Britannia cruise. So much for Moleys expectation that there would be a relaxation announcement shortly. This extract is from todays e-mail:---

 

Due to our framework of protocols to protect the health and wellbeing of all crew and guests we are currently operating at a reduced guest capacity and we need to take an approved number of cabins out of service. As a result we need to move some guests into an alternative cabin from the one initially confirmed.

Unfortunately there are no available accessible cabins remaining for this cruise, meaning the holiday you had booked will not be able to go ahead as planned. We are so sorry for the disappointment that this will cause.

Oh no, how disappointing for you, that’s such a shame 😔

[wowzz]

14 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

But I do wonder why it needs to be any different to the seacation cruises

 

Good point. Longer cruises, with a greater distance involved in returning to the UK (assuming P&O don't want to drop positive pax off in Spain, or wherever) ?

[Dermotsgirl]

13 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

But I do wonder why it needs to be any different to the seacation cruises

 

I can only think it’s because, when the seacations went on sale, they kept blocks of cabins back for the quarantine zone.

 

When your cruise originally went on sale, nobody had even heard of Covid, so it may be that you were unlucky and your cabin was right  in the middle of what is now the quarantine zone, so anyone with a cabin booked in the area had to be moved or in your case bumped.

 

It seems late in the day to tell the passengers affected, though 

[zap99]

12 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Hope you are having a great cruise Zap.

Thanks Graham . The weather has been kind and exploring a new ship is always interesting. Some good things like the greater selection of restaurants and entertainment. Some not so good. Beach house is now free, but TBO not much cop. Glass house food menu is not great, but the keel & cow and Olive grove are worth a go. We haven't used the MDR much but the quality is still ok. We prefer it for a quick lunch. On balance We prefer Britannia, but will no doubt sail on Iona again.

Edited September 10, 2021 by zap99

[zap99]

1 hour ago, Angel57 said:

I am so sorry to read this Zap. What a disappointment for you both.

Gill x

I too am gutted for John. We are ok. But thanks for you concerns Angel.🤣

[grapau27]

10 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Well the dreaded protocols have just caused us to be bumped off the 9th October Britannia cruise. So much for Moleys expectation that there would be a relaxation announcement shortly. This extract is from todays e-mail:---

 

Due to our framework of protocols to protect the health and wellbeing of all crew and guests we are currently operating at a reduced guest capacity and we need to take an approved number of cabins out of service. As a result we need to move some guests into an alternative cabin from the one initially confirmed.

Unfortunately there are no available accessible cabins remaining for this cruise, meaning the holiday you had booked will not be able to go ahead as planned. We are so sorry for the disappointment that this will cause.

I'm very sorry to hear this John.

Have they offered you any alternative cruise or just FCC?

Graham.

[Dermotsgirl]

9 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

I'm very sorry to hear this John.

Have they offered you any alternative cruise or just FCC?

Graham.

As P&O cancelled this, they should also be offering a refund. I would take the refund. . Better the money in my coffers than theirs! 

[Cathygh]

9 hours ago, davecttr said:

I wonder where the quarantine area is on Iona. I have 4 different carefully selected cabins booked for  future cruises and would not be happy if i was bumped.

When we were on board they sealed off mid aft cabins with fire doors at each end. I think this was on every deck. They were being used to quarantine crew for 2 weeks before they started work. I read elsewhere mid forward are blocked off but they weren't on deck 14 when we were on.