Iona - COVID Testing Changes

[Snow Hill]

2 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

@Snow Hill, you seem to misunderstand the purpose of the trial. It is not looking at whether removing pre-boarding testing increases the incidence of Covid full stop (i.e. during and post cruise). The trial is only concerned with whether the removal of testing increases Covid during the course of the cruise.

 

Very much a valid trial. They have their control data and are now in their trial phase gathering comparative data. They do not need post cruising data as a comparative as that's not part of their control data.

Will they be trialling cruises of 14 days or more, or are they just limiting it to 7 day cruises so the number of cases is lower? 

[molecrochip]

2 hours ago, Snow Hill said:

Will they be trialling cruises of 14 days or more, or are they just limiting it to 7 day cruises so the number of cases is lower? 

The final Rotterdam cruise is 14 days.

[Innogy]

Did the first Iona Guinea pig’s non test cruise,both my wife and myself,tested positive on the Monday after returning home. Used the Randox test kit having already purchased both negative.

Having discovered from posting on twitter not the only ones going down with covid after that cruise. How many boarded knowing but not saying anything.

[Tikka234]

We go on 30th don't know whether to order test 9 of us so a lot of money if not needed. How long do they take to arrive ? 

Don't know how long p o will wait if they are going to carry on with trial

[davecttr]

16 minutes ago, Tikka234 said:

We go on 30th don't know whether to order test 9 of us so a lot of money if not needed. How long do they take to arrive ? 

Don't know how long p o will wait if they are going to carry on with trial

If you choose Randox you have the choice of postal delivery or collection from a local hub. The Randox site has all the details. In my case I collected from a local newsagent and there were several local collection points. I was surprised that they could get the kits to the collection point so Quickly. Apparently a batch of kits is already there and they just tell the shop to expect you. There was some confusion with me because  I did not use the magic word Randox. Ah!, she said, leaning under the counter and producing 2 kits.

[zap99]

1 hour ago, davecttr said:

If you choose Randox you have the choice of postal delivery or collection from a local hub. The Randox site has all the details. In my case I collected from a local newsagent and there were several local collection points. I was surprised that they could get the kits to the collection point so Quickly. Apparently a batch of kits is already there and they just tell the shop to expect you. There was some confusion with me because  I did not use the magic word Randox. Ah!, she said, leaning under the counter and producing 2 kits.

We collected ours from the local newsagent.' hello, I can I collect 2 Randox test kits please, here is my order ? '. Yes sir here they are , can I scan your code please.?. They appear to have a stock all ready to dish out.

[sandjango]

On 6/22/2022 at 1:07 AM, Valfan said:

A lot of people, myself included, don't have a smartphone, have never seen an app, and don't feel confident doing very much online. I also don't have the option to drive miles to get an in person test, as I don't drive either. So I've been in limbo while this edict for passengers to "organize, book and pay for" pre-cruise testing has been going on. 

 

[sandjango]

On 6/22/2022 at 1:07 AM, Valfan said:

A lot of people, myself included, don't have a smartphone, have never seen an app, and don't feel confident doing very much online. I also don't have the option to drive miles to get an in person test, as I don't drive either. So I've been in limbo while this edict for passengers to "organize, book and pay for" pre-cruise testing has been going on. 

 

[Megabear2]

If the test isn't officially required but is for peace of mind only, you could probably buy the test from Boots, Superdrug or Lloyd's chemist for a fraction of the cost of a Randox one. My last one cost just over £2.00.

[terrierjohn]

4 hours ago, sandjango said:

 

If you can use a pc or laptop to post on this forum and do internet searches, then you have all the expertise needed to do the same on a smart phone, and the P&O "App" is actually only a webpage, just like the CC forum, so you can already access one of these.

[Valfan]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

If you can use a pc or laptop to post on this forum and do internet searches, then you have all the expertise needed to do the same on a smart phone, and the P&O "App" is actually only a webpage, just like the CC forum, so you can already access one of these.

I've lost count of how many times I've tried getting a smartphone. At least 5 times. I just can't use them. I never got as far as trying "apps", whatever they are. I just knew smartphones aren't for me. So each time I took the thing back, well within the 14 days cooling off period. Usually first thing the morning after buying it, cos I just wanted to get rid of it out of my life. My eyesight isn't up to reading on such a small screen either nowadays. I only have this laptop because a Carers charity received a lot of funding at the start of the pandemic to supply brand new laptops and provide funding for data to family carers (which I was at the time) who were completely trapped at home looking after relatives without their usual hour or two a week online to check emails etc. at their local library. The library near me closed its doors for 15 months when Covid came along.

[davecttr]

I bought additional testing kits from Boots and Lloyds. In both cases I had to order the kits online and they were for collection at the branch of my choice.

[Waldo58]

On 7/10/2022 at 8:15 AM, Innogy said:

Did the first Iona Guinea pig’s non test cruise,both my wife and myself,tested positive on the Monday after returning home. Used the Randox test kit having already purchased both negative.

Having discovered from posting on twitter not the only ones going down with covid after that cruise. How many boarded knowing but not saying anything.

I did the same cruise and 3 out of 4 in our party have tested positive on return. We all did our own tests prior to boarding even though they were not needed and they were negative.

Thankfully, we all have mild symptoms.

 

[sandjango]

On 6/22/2022 at 1:07 AM, Valfan said:

A lot of people, myself included, don't have a smartphone, have never seen an app, and don't feel confident doing very much online. I also don't have the option to drive miles to get an in person test, as I don't drive either. So I've been in limbo while this edict for passengers to "organize, book and pay for" pre-cruise testing has been going on. 

 

On 7/7/2022 at 11:33 AM, PRINCESSTHE BEST said:

NCL to remove requirement for pre cruise test on August 1st. I suspect other cruise lines will soon follow.

 

[sandjango]

Yea lets get back to normal....has anyone thought of going on a cruise that requires no pre-testing...would anyone who loves Cunard do that?

Edited July 12, 2022 by sandjango
error

[sandjango]

Just now, sandjango said:

 

 

[zap99]

16 hours ago, davecttr said:

I bought additional testing kits from Boots and Lloyds. In both cases I had to order the kits online and they were for collection at the branch of my choice.

Boots and superdrug both had stocks in our local branch.

[zap99]

28 minutes ago, sandjango said:

Yea lets get back to normal....has anyone thought of going on a cruise that requires no pre-testing...would anyone who loves Cunard do that?

We have 3 cruises booked in the next 3 months. If we are required to test, we will. If the testing is dropped, we will still go ,willingly.

[jeanlyon]

I certainly hope testing is a thing of the past for October 2023.

[crazy cat lady 83]

October 2022 would be even more lovelier 😂 

My parents caught Covid from the initial Arcadia cruise which was 14 nights and they started showing symptoms the day after they got home. It’s one of those things. They still love their cruises and we are looking forward to joining them next weekend on Britannia 🤞😁
 

[Snow Hill]

Deleted, wrong thread

Edited July 12, 2022 by Snow Hill

[scifimonkey]

So three of these cruises have now returned. No news of plague ships returning to Southampton but does anyone have any anecdotal news of how the test is going?

[Dermotsgirl]

19 minutes ago, scifimonkey said:

So three of these cruises have now returned. No news of plague ships returning to Southampton but does anyone have any anecdotal news of how the test is going?

The social media site that we aren’t supposed to mention has people posting that they caught Covid after most cruises. But it’s impossible to know numbers, as P&O guard this secret very carefully. Likewise, we can’t tell whether more or less people were infected during the experiment. But logic says that there would have been an increase in infections on board, as there are more infections on land.