P&O LATERAL FLOW -BEFORE YOU GO

[paulatsea]

4 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

Having been at an airport in June I can understand why. Horrific experience.

 

That said our first Princess cruise this year had a very long wait for embarkation but that an exception rather than the rule.

 

While there is still some faff around testing for cruise lines it is as nothing when compared to the queues, crowds and general grumpiness at an airport at the moment.

 

Lines may even get some of the younger families they are all marketing for, how good the experience is once they get onboard is will determine if they keep those new, shiny, younger customers.

I’ve never known anyone who tried cruising for the first time who didn’t like it - even the die hard sceptics - you know , the ones who say it’s not for them/stuck on a ship/blah blah 

[Britboys]

3 hours ago, margsbolton said:

I sail on 18th August and have just received an e mail to say that a lateral flow test is still required within 2 days of sailing but a Certificate is no longer necessary. I presume that I can just use the NHS tests then ???

But why oh why can't P&O ever seem to communicate really clearly. Whilst the email strongly suggests you can use any standard test at home, there is room for confusion. I have seen elsewhere on social media plenty of people asking whether you can in fact just do a home test. Surely they could have added something like "Self-testing at home (using any standard NHS-approved test kit" is now acceptable ".

[paulatsea]

4 minutes ago, Britboys said:

But why oh why can't P&O ever seem to communicate really clearly. Whilst the email strongly suggests you can use any standard test at home, there is room for confusion. I have seen elsewhere on social media plenty of people asking whether you can in fact just do a home test. Surely they could have added something like "Self-testing at home (using any standard NHS-approved test kit" is now acceptable ".

It Implies any LFT - home or otherwise - Is there a list of approved ones ? I’m not sure there is ?

Edited July 20, 2022 by paulatsea

[Britboys]

1 hour ago, arlowood said:

..,I believe P&O set up a no testing trial for their Iona 7 day cruises. Perhaps they have analysed the data from that to allow this relaxation in policy. Our cruise is also a 7 day one so maybe they have extened the Iona trial to other 7 day sailings.

Not just for 7-night cruises. I had the email this morning and my cruise is 19 nights...

[bee-ess]

4 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Not just for 7-night cruises. I had the email this morning and my cruise is 19 nights...

I also got one for 14 nights on Britannia in Sept

[Bin man]

Yes but this is not the same as the iona trial as there was no testing involved as I saw it 

[MX-Drew]

41 minutes ago, crazy cat lady 83 said:

On our local south coast radio station the other day, it was reported that P&O bookings are up and are the busiest since before COVID. They claimed this was due to the disruptions at airports and people were looking to cruises instead.

It wouldn't have anything to do with the very high amounts of onboard spend they are offering by any chance?

[Yorkypete]

6 minutes ago, bee-ess said:

I also got one for 14 nights on Britannia in Sept

We got our e-mail this morning for the Britannia Baltic cruise in Sept. We have got a couple of boxes of NHS test kits and seeing they are exactly the same as the purchased ones then it is a rip-off not to be allowed to use the NHS ones. They are all made by the same company in China!

 

[Eglesbrech]

22 minutes ago, paulatsea said:

I’ve never known anyone who tried cruising for the first time who didn’t like it - even the die hard sceptics - you know , the ones who say it’s not for them/stuck on a ship/blah blah 

I would have agreed with you entirely up until May this year when we went on a Princess cruise which was rammed full and short staffed. A lot of very angry customers saying never again.

 

More experienced cruisers put it down to one bad cruise and know that what we experienced was just not normal. First timers may never try again after waiting in constant queues for just about everything onboard.

 

Thats why I said it’s down to that first experience. A few of the lines are offering poorer and reduced service at the moment due to staff shortages.

[paulatsea]

Just now, Eglesbrech said:

I would have agreed with you entirely up until May this year when we went on a Princess cruise which was rammed full and short staffed. A lot of very angry customers saying never again.

 

More experienced cruisers put it down to one bad cruise and know that what we experienced was just not normal. First timers may never try again after waiting in constant queues for just about everything onboard.

 

Thats why I said it’s down to that first experience. A few of the lines are offering poorer and reduced service at the moment due to staff shortages.

Yes True - I was going back in time.

It’s not nice when over busy.

[MX-Drew]

Just now, Eglesbrech said:

I would have agreed with you entirely up until May this year when we went on a Princess cruise which was rammed full and short staffed. A lot of very angry customers saying never again.

 

More experienced cruisers put it down to one bad cruise and know that what we experienced was just not normal. First timers may never try again after waiting in constant queues for just about everything onboard.

 

Thats why I said it’s down to that first experience. A few of the lines are offering poorer and reduced service at the moment due to staff shortages.

My son and his family went on their first cruise with us earlier this year on Azura and they have said never again, the airport experience was bad but the experience on the ship was even worse to the extent my wife and I have cancelled our future cruise on Arvia.

[Trevor Fountain]

1 hour ago, Fionboard said:

Yes, just request people with covid symptoms to remain in their cabins for a few days until feeling better, as with noro virus in the past. Have had covid and noro, and the latter was much worse!

That may be your experience, but obviously some people have been very poorly with covid, indeed many have died.

[Megabear2]

1 hour ago, davecttr said:

Maybe they are getting desperate. Apparently they are offering solo occupancy without solo supplements.

Which cruises is that for Dave, I'm currently abroad(!) so I have the call to book rather than prices option at present.

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, Dermotsgirl said:

No wonder P&O and the other cruise lines keep the figures a closely guarded secret. 
 

As I said elsewhere, now no doubt deleted, will there become a tipping point when people decide that the risk of getting Covid is too great, and decide to do other sorts of holidays.  The replies to my previous post suggested that this point is no where near being reached, but you’d think that, at some point, people will notice what’s happening, especially if people catch Covid on one cruise, then catch it again on another cruise! 

My Son and DIL tested positive on their return from a hotel holiday in New York, so it's just as easy to catch covid on a hotel holiday as a a cruise holiday.

[Dermotsgirl]

1 hour ago, paulatsea said:

Same risk as a flight or hotel.

Probably not exactly the same, as you don't live with the people on your plane for two weeks and in hotels you might have more room to distance in the hotel grounds, and you probably don't all do the same things together during the day - it's less of a closed community 

 

But that's not really the point I was making. If a person went on three cruises and got infected on two of them, is there a tipping point where they say 'blow that for a lark', and simply don't cruise anymore 

[Megabear2]

57 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

Having been at an airport in June I can understand why. Horrific experience.

 

That said our first Princess cruise this year had a very long wait for embarkation but that an exception rather than the rule.

 

While there is still some faff around testing for cruise lines it is as nothing when compared to the queues, crowds and general grumpiness at an airport at the moment.

 

Lines may even get some of the younger families they are all marketing for, how good the experience is once they get onboard is will determine if they keep those new, shiny, younger customers.

I've just been through Gatwick for the fifth time since 14 June, this time North terminal.  To be honest absolutely no problem, slight queue of 10 minutes at security mainly due to passengers not being prepared with liquids/iPad which is fairly normal. Three trips through Rome no problems and two through Barcelona and one through Palma. Could be I've been very lucky.

 

Assume this testing regime will only apply to ex Southampton or is it across the board?  Had to test in Rome for Celebrity (still current until 30 September) and Palma for Princess.

 

Just a thought but I assume this means Cruise with Confidence will soon disappear along with right to move your cruise to any on sale.  Anyone thinking they might not want their cruise should perhaps act sooner rather than later?

 

If there's no certification or proof required how will they deal with those who say they have covid on the health declaration? It's nigh on impossible to prove you have it now and certainly UK residents can't obtain a fit to fly certificate due to our country's regulations.  Will P&O now stop offering FCC to those who state they have covid or contact with 14 days?  If this occurs I foresee another insurance debacle on the horizon. How do you prove to your insurer you had covid at the point of cancellation for instance.

[Megabear2]

38 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

We got our e-mail this morning for the Britannia Baltic cruise in Sept. We have got a couple of boxes of NHS test kits and seeing they are exactly the same as the purchased ones then it is a rip-off not to be allowed to use the NHS ones. They are all made by the same company in China!

 

Seems a waste of government money to let them go out of date as well. Let's be honest thousands of people stock piled the blessed things when they didn't need them.

Edited July 20, 2022 by Megabear2

[Dermotsgirl]

17 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

My Son and DIL tested positive on their return from a hotel holiday in New York, so it's just as easy to catch covid on a hotel holiday as a a cruise holiday.

As I said to Paul, that's not not really the point I was making.

 

But, it could easily apply to hotel holidays. If a person did three hotel holidays, and got infected on two of them, would there be a tipping point where they felt the risk of catching covid again would outweigh the pleasure of the holiday. 

[terrierjohn]

1 minute ago, Dermotsgirl said:

Probably not exactly the same, as you don't live with the people on your plane for two weeks and in hotels you might have more room to distance in the hotel grounds, and you probably don't all do the same things together during the day - it's less of a closed community 

 

But that's not really the point I was making. If a person went on three cruises and got infected on two of them, is there a tipping point where they say 'blow that for a lark', and simply don't cruise anymore 

It would very likely to depend on how much they enjoyed the other part of their cruise, how long they were in quarantine, how well looked after they felt in quarantine, and whether they were adequately compensated.

[Dermotsgirl]

Just now, terrierjohn said:

It would very likely to depend on how much they enjoyed the other part of their cruise, how long they were in quarantine, how well looked after they felt in quarantine, and whether they were adequately compensated.

Well yes, plus other health factors too, which can't be discussed here.  I'm sure everyone has their own individual tipping point 

[Eglesbrech]

1 minute ago, Megabear2 said:

I've just been through Gatwick for the fifth time since 14 June, this time North terminal.  To be honest absolutely no problem, slight queue of 10 minutes at security mainly due to passengers not being prepared with liquids/iPad which is fairly normal. Three trips through Rome no problems and two through Barcelona and one through Palma. Could be I've been very lucky.

 

Assume this testing regime will only apply to ex Southampton or is it across the board?  Had to test in Rome for Celebrity (still current until 30 September) and Palma for Princess.

 

Just a thought but I assume this means Cruise with Confidence will soon disappear along with right to move your cruise to any on sale.  Anyone thinking they might not want their cruise should perhaps act sooner rather than later?

 

If there's no certification or proof required how will they deal with those who say they have covid on the health declaration? It's nigh on impossible to prove you have it now and certainly UK residents can't obtain a fit to fly certificate due to our country's regulations.  Will P&O now stop offering FCC to those who state they have covid or contact with 14 days?  If this occurs I foresee another insurance debacle on the horizon. How do you prove to your insurer you had covid at the point of cancellation for instance.

I suspect you have been lucky, thankfully. Many people don’t even get to the airport as their flight is cancelled just days before travel.

 

The points you raise crossed my mind too. I think things will go back to “normal” to an extent. However if they refuse to let you travel and they are asking you to test, then surely they have to take some of the burden? 
 

In terms of insurance covid may become like any transmittable disease  for travel. If I have chicken pox I can’t travel and would need my GP to confirm it for insurance purposes.

 

 

[Eglesbrech]

12 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

But that's not really the point I was making. If a person went on three cruises and got infected on two of them, is there a tipping point where they say 'blow that for a lark', and simply don't cruise anymore 

Probably. If I was being made ill by a holiday be that cruise or hotel then common sense would dictate to avoid the situation until something changes.

[Megabear2]

6 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

In terms of insurance covid may become like any transmittable disease  for travel. If I have chicken pox I can’t travel and would need my GP to confirm it for insurance purposes.

But you aren't allowed to go to the doctor with covid symptoms- long term you may be right but short term it's all on trust.  

[Dermotsgirl]

2 hours ago, Fionboard said:

Yes, just request people with covid symptoms to remain in their cabins for a few days until feeling better, as with noro virus in the past. Have had covid and noro, and the latter was much worse!

The problem I could see with that is that is that room service will still be required, and the already stretched staff will continue to be put under pressure. Plus, if I was sitting on my balcony, I wouldn't be too delighted if I could hear Covid coughers on the balcony either side.

[Dermotsgirl]

2 hours ago, Billish said:

I'm not disputing the fact that there were a lot of cases onboard, but your figure of 400/500 is basically an estimated guess, not an official figure.

As we can't get any official figures, we have to rely on word of mouth reports