Cunard vaccination policy changed for 2022

[mcloaked]

I have today received an email from Cunard with a newly changed vaccination policy that will apply to cruises on QM2 and QE after the new year. There was some discussion recently on this forum that seemed to imply that not everyone would need to be vaccinated for cruises in 2022. However Cunard has now announced:

 

"All guests of all ages will need to be fully vaccinated in order to travel on any voyage departing from 13 October 2021, up to and including 17 April 2022 for Queen Mary 2 and up to and including 17 May 2022 for Queen Elizabeth. The vaccine policy currently does not apply to sailings on Queen Victoria, who is scheduled to return to service on 22 April 2022. Our definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ is a minimum of 14 days following the second dose of the currently approved Covid-19 vaccines or 14 days following the approved single-dose Janssen Covid-19 vaccine being administered. Please note, a single dose of any other vaccine will not be deemed 'fully vaccinated'. Further details of our vaccination and testing policy can be found on our website.

This is a change from our previous stated vaccination policy. "

 

So this has now been clarified for QM2 and QE cruises after the New Year, which was not unexpected.

[Megabear2]

They seem to have extended final payment dates 

If any guests on your booking will be impacted by this change, you will be able to take advantage of our flexible transfer policy. For added peace of mind, our flexible transfer policy means you can move your booking, free of charge and as many times as you like, prior to the balance due date. Moreover, in order to provide booked guests with as much flexibility as possible we have taken the decision to relax our balance due payment terms on all holidays departing up to and including 31 March 2022, to 30 days prior to departure. You can find our latest booking terms here. Thank you once again for your continued understanding and support. Simon Palethorpe President, Cunard

Edited September 30, 2021 by Megabear2
Text too large

[bluemarble]

I'm finding the new cancellation policy on the US website on their Covid-19 - Flexible booking terms page.

Canceling voyages of 30 nights or less, that are due to sail through March 31, 2022.

Period before departure within which written notice of cancelation is received by Cunard	Cancelation Fee Schedule (percentage of fare)
From the date of booking until 30 days before departure	Guests may cancel without incurring cancelation charges except for guests booked on a promotion with a non-refundable deposit will incur cancellation fee equal to the deposit amount.
29 - 22 days to sail	50%
21 -15 days to sail	75%
14 - 0 days or less to sail	100%

 

 

On a related note. they have finally corrected the typo in the table for the US cancellation policy on later voyages. We have been discussing on another thread how the first row of this table for the previous version of the cancellation policy had read "119 - 30 days to sail". (emphasis mine)

Canceling voyages of 30 nights or less, that are due to sail on or after April 1, 2022.

Period before departure within which written notice of cancelation is received by Cunard	Cancelation Fee Schedule (percentage of fare)
119 - 90 days to sail	Deposit
89 - 61 days to sail	40%
60 -31 days to sail	50%
30 - 15 days to sail	75%
14 - 0 days to sail	100%

 

Edited September 30, 2021 by bluemarble

[exlondoner]

I expect most people are very relieved to hear about the vaccine policy changes.

[Windsurfboy]

All Ages

 

So no children under 12 from any country , and none under 16 from UK as policy is one dose for under 16s

[bbtablet]

5 hours ago, kohl1957 said:

Yep, it just got posted it seems.

 

Oh well, I can't complain... I e-mailed Cunard two weeks ago asking that they extend the more liberal cancellation/final payment policy at least through the new QM2 schedule into April.  So they did. Just too late for my bank account!

But is it too late for my bank account, I wonder?

I have paid the final payment (over £5k )to my TA in the UK last week and now see that I would not have needed to do this until Dec 14th (we are on the QM2 Jan 14th 2022 Caribbean).

On the assumption that the TA have not yet handed my money over to Cunard, I have today asked my TA for MY money back for the 2.5 months that Cunard don't require it. Why should they have it interest free?

What are my chances?!

Surely legally it is still my money as they only hold it before sending it to Cunard?

[Reggiefan]

Given the requirement that all be fully vaccinated, is there a requirement that all passengers wear masks in public spaces?

[Yorky67]

Reggiefan

From what I can see, it is still just the passengers who must be fully vaccinated and not the crew. 

[Megabear2]

12 hours ago, bbtablet said:

But is it too late for my bank account, I wonder?

 

I have paid the final payment (over £5k )to my TA in the UK last week and now see that I would not have needed to do this until Dec 14th (we are on the QM2 Jan 14th 2022 Caribbean).

 

On the assumption that the TA have not yet handed my money over to Cunard, I have today asked my TA for MY money back for the 2.5 months that Cunard don't require it. Why should they have it interest free?

What are my chances?!

Surely legally it is still my money as they only hold it before sending it to Cunard?

 

I would say depends on which agent and their processes. My agent agreed an extension of 20 days for final payment to see if the protocols were published and have just told me my new date is 7 December (same cruise as yourself). They could do this because they do not hold clients' money themselves but open an individual client account in the passenger's name. It is then a simple bank transfer direct to the cruise company. Very secure and gave me flexibility it works a bit like a solicitor holding your house purchase deposit.

 

[ighten]

Why do I find it no surprise that 24hrs after the email stating its now 30 days we get another email this morning saying our balance is due in a week or so for a Jan cruise (Direct booking with Cunard)... LOL

Edited October 1, 2021 by ighten

[Wordzz]

1 hour ago, ighten said:

Why do I find it no surprise that 24hrs after the email stating its now 30 days we get another email this morning saying our balance is due in a week or so for a Jan cruise (Direct booking with Cunard)... LOL

I received that email today, too. Appears to directly contradict the info on the website. I rang Cunard and of course it came as a complete surprise to the operative i spoke to. She assured me that our final payment date is definitely 90 days (i.e. 16th October), but she is going to raise it internally as a query.  So i'll just sit tight for a while 😉

[Reggiefan]

Yorky, Cunard does not require its crew to be fully vaccinated? I cannot say that I have seen anywhere--but then I have not yet looked--an article saying that all Cunard crew will be fully vaccinated. But if that is not the case, it seems to lessen the necessity for all passengers to be fully vaccinated.

 

I asked about the mask requirement because I am currently booked on a 2022 Transatlantic cruise. Because the ship makes no stops before its final destination, it would seems that if all on board--crew and passengers--have been fully vaccinated and tested before sailing, there would be little need to require the wearing of masks during the voyage.

 

In my case, if there is a mask mandate, I will comply, and I am fully vaccinated. However, if it appears that in April 2022 Cunard is still requiring that passengers wear masks in public areas, I will reschedule or cancel. For me, that is a condition that is a deal-breaker.

[exlondoner]

I think the latest version implied that, except in the theatre, you could remove masks when safely seated. 

[Annabel50]

3 hours ago, Wordzz said:

I received that email today, too. Appears to directly contradict the info on the website. I rang Cunard and of course it came as a complete surprise to the operative i spoke to. She assured me that our final payment date is definitely 90 days (i.e. 16th October), but she is going to raise it internally as a query.  So i'll just sit tight for a while 😉

We also received the same email today stating balance was due for 14th Jan cruise by 16th October. Called Cunard and they confirmed these were sent out in error and balance is due 30 days before 14th January.

[exlondoner]

6 minutes ago, Annabel50 said:

We also received the same email today stating balance was due for 14th Jan cruise by 16th October. Called Cunard and they confirmed these were sent out in error and balance is due 30 days before 14th January.

 

That's we love Cunard. 😀😀

[ighten]

19 hours ago, Annabel50 said:

We also received the same email today stating balance was due for 14th Jan cruise by 16th October. Called Cunard and they confirmed these were sent out in error and balance is due 30 days before 14th January.

 

Thats good to know and have confirmed.. The agent I spoke to knew nothing about it and asked me to ring back next week.

[bbtablet]

I am still seeing posts on this and the P&O site which imply that if you have been double vaccinated you cannot get COVID, and therefore nor can you give it to anyone else, so masks are superfluous, as are tests on embarkation.

All wishful thinking, unfortunately, -  this is wrong in all aspects, PLUS some people are asymptomatic but you wouldn't know it without testing.

[Reggiefan]

Bbtablet, I know that I raised the mask issue. It was certainly not my intent to say or suggest that those who have been fully vaccinated cannot get Covid. We can. But the evidence seems substantial that the risk of transmission is less and the risk of serious illness is dramatically less if one has been fully vaccinated.

 

I was trying to make these two points:

 

1. If sailing requires both full vaccination and a very recent negative Covid test, the environment on that ship for a transatlantic crossing seems very safe and for me sufficiently safe not to impose a mask mandate.

 

2. If there is a mask mandate except when seated for eating and drinking, that mandate for me is a deal-breaker. Now, if there is a mask mandate--and my state currently has one--I play by the rules and comply. But it seems to me that mask-wearing affects the ambience, the mystique, the allure of a transatlantic crossing, which are the reasons I want to cross the Atlantic on the QM2. And given the substantial fare charged by Cunard, I will pass and hope for better times in the future.

 

I realize there are those who feel different, and I am not suggesting their view is wrong. But I did want to clearly state my view.

[jimbo1683]

Presumably in the not too distant future the vaccination policy will change again because although this talks about 14 days since the second jab it doesn't mention how long ago it is acceptable to have been vaccinated. As we get into 2022, increasingly people will have been vaccinated more than a year beforehand.

[Yorky67]

Reggiefan

Cunard mention protocols for crew, but do not say that they require them to be fully vaccinated. 
 

[Bigrob1983]

But here's the problem. Children under 16 need to be fully vaccinated but only the Janssen vaccine qualifies. Our children have received the Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine and have had COVID in early July '21 but now can't come on our Cunard Cruise in Europe, in Feb 2022, because they have the wrong brand of vaccine! Other Carnival lines (P and O/Princess etc) have different rules.

 

Its the lack of consistency that gets me here. Its generally considered that the Pfizer Vaccine is as good as exists, but not to Cunard seemingly.  I also can't get through to anyone at Cunard to challenge this!

[Megabear2]

P&O have the same policy from 30 September on children's vaccination for their Caribbean holidays and have even cancelled some folks holidays elsewhere due to having "too many unvaccinated passengers". This has apparently included children who have had two shots as they live with people who have immune deficiencies.  I think the Carnival companies are actually on different pages of the score now and we can no longer assume they are all going to be doing the same.

[Host Hattie]

2 hours ago, Bigrob1983 said:

Children under 16 need to be fully vaccinated but only the Janssen vaccine qualifies.

Where have you seen this ?

[carlmm]

2 hours ago, Bigrob1983 said:

Children under 16 need to be fully vaccinated but only the Janssen vaccine qualifies.

No indication for this to be found.

 

2 hours ago, Bigrob1983 said:

Children under 16 need to be fully vaccinated but only the Janssen vaccine qualifies. Our children have received the Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine and have had COVID in early July '21 but now can't come on our Cunard Cruise in Europe, in Feb 2022, because they have the wrong brand of vaccine! Other Carnival lines (P and O/Princess etc) have different rules.

 

If you say your children have gotten one and only one dose of Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine, well, there is plenty of time to get a second dose!

[Megabear2]

2 hours ago, carlmm said:

No indication for this to be found.

 

If you say your children have gotten one and only one dose of Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine, well, there is plenty of time to get a second dose!

The English (UK) government only authorises 1 dose of Pfizer vaccine for under 16s so no English resident's child can meet the double vaccination requirement at this time.  The other nations of the UK are still discussing their plans.  The Janssen vaccine is one dose and therefore accepted by the cruise lines as such but no UK resident is at this time being given this vaccine.  There are a very few children in the UK who apparently have had two doses because they live with people who are autoimmune and at high risk.