Currently on Ventura-Masks Again!

[yoj13]

1 hour ago, PamelaElle said:

 
I’m on board as well and this is my take too. Practically everybody wearing them when walking around. 

I can tell you, I was so pleased to read your (and others)comments on the ruling being adhered too.  Of course, there will always be the one that doesn't comply, similar to those who bypass the hand sanitizer when entering the d ining venues, look anywhere and everywhere else to avoid them.  I think the saying is, you can't educate people who don't want to be educated.  Thanks again.

[pete14]

Can somebody currently on Ventura please give an update on the location of isolation cabins on Ventura. We have a suite booked on C deck aft from Oct 29th which I believe has been, and possibly still is, where the isolation cabins are. P&O don’t seem to want to tell me.

[Red Leicester]

47 minutes ago, PamelaElle said:

I’m on Britannia too. Like you, we brought masks with us, I’m the one person still wearing one in Sainsburys! 😆

 

It’s been a brilliant cruise and we’ve loved it. 😊

Yes it has been a good one, smooth sailing too albeit I slept through last nights rough weather.  Food has been a bit meh for me but can't fault anything else, not even mask wearing being brought in has made any of it feel bad.

 

I am glad you enjoyed it too.

[Funboy]

4 hours ago, yoj13 said:

May I ask if, in your opinion, you feel passengers are complying with the mandatory instructions please?

 

2 hours ago, Red Leicester said:

In my opinion... yes.  Masks went on pretty much after the announcement was made.  I was genuinely surprised at the take up.  You see the odd person but that appears to be forgetting rather than rebellion.

In general the first couple of days yes they were but as usual time goes by and a few are now not wearing them. On our only on-shore visit on a shuttle bus a passenger stood up and told everyone to wear a mask and a number of people immediately put them on. In the Atrium you do not have to wear them whilst drinking but a good number of people were sat around talkin with no masks on but they were not drinking.

[Red Leicester]

12 minutes ago, Funboy said:

 

In general the first couple of days yes they were but as usual time goes by and a few are now not wearing them. On our only on-shore visit on a shuttle bus a passenger stood up and told everyone to wear a mask and a number of people immediately put them on. In the Atrium you do not have to wear them whilst drinking but a good number of people were sat around talkin with no masks on but they were not drinking.

I have found mask compliance to be near 100% since the announcement.  People appear to be forgetting them, I've been guilty of that, human nature, it is not intentional.

 

I'm in the Atrium and spent most of my time here and found compliance to be exemplary with no issues.  The rules previously used to be if you were sat down you didn't have to mask up.  If you were moving about you did and that is what people are doing.   

[s&gsjollies]

On 9/29/2022 at 10:46 PM, picsa said:

Then there is the issue of introducing it before the cruise started then that would be a significant change to the T&Cs for someone to be required to wear a mask for someone who it is impossible to do as they would have to forfeit their cruise unless P&O allowed the exemption.

Edited Thursday at 10:47 PM by picsa

When my husband phoned P&O again yesterday (we only booked next Saturdays trip last wednesday  (it wasn't at sale price) - he was informed that although P&O now agree that mask wearing is "optional" on Ventura's current cruise, they say things will be cleaned and off we'll go to Spain and Portugal as planned next weekend. All will be hunky dory and "no masks when we board!" I've said before why we've decided we do not want to risk going and P&O have said absolutely no way we can do anything about it despite all this happening within 24 hours

 

I am still trying to find out on here if anyone will show me the part of the letter that's been  given to the guests on board Ventura (or those on Brittania) saying that mask-wearing is "compulsory" as P&O office are saying that's untrue. Secondly I think I also read that someone said that shore trips are already cancelled but I'm not sure if this is true? - if yes, there must be a reason for this and we certainly weren't notified. The shore trips were specifically what appealed and we wouldn't have booked with this knowledge

 

We've decided that we definitely won't be going and are speaking to Which on Monday for advice, so just want to try and get a few facts before then. P&O are refuting things we've read here (maybe they haven't been updated?) but a lot of this must have been a thing when we booked and that's our issue

[Sleeptastic]

Excursions on the Ventura cruise that arrived back in Southampton today were cancelled by the port authorities in the Canaries due to the weather (lots of rain last weekend as a result of a storm nearby). It had nothing to do with COVID.  Excursions were in operation post the bad weather.  Members of staff were reminding people to wear masks so it definitely wasn’t optional but agree with the earlier post that passengers were wearing masks within minutes of it being requested and that anyone not having one on was due to them forgetting rather than not wanting to do their bit.

[Selbourne]

The requirement to wear masks on Ventura appears to have been unique to the last cruise. Ventura has just left Southampton on her next cruise. Those on board have NOT been asked to wear them. No mention at check in, no on board announcements and no notices. Suspect some may voluntarily choose to wear them, but according to those on board, nobody has been seen wearing one yet!

[Red Leicester]

I do wonder whether it is cruise specific depending on cases on board as the cruise goes further. We dock in Southampton tomorrow and i suspect those coming on board may not be required to wear masks at the start and see how it goes.  

 

Pure speculation mind.  We've had to wear masks for a few days, no real hardship for a superb holiday we've had.

Edited October 1, 2022 by Red Leicester

[Cathygh]

31 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

The requirement to wear masks on Ventura appears to have been unique to the last cruise. Ventura has just left Southampton on her next cruise. Those on board have NOT been asked to wear them. No mention at check in, no on board announcements and no notices. Suspect some may voluntarily choose to wear them, but according to those on board, nobody has been seen wearing one yet!

The requirement to wear masks seems to stop when a new cruise begins. On our last cruise we were told that cases of covid start to appear from day 6 so on a 1 week cruise no masks would be required, and only on a longer cruise if there were a lot of cases but we weren't told what constituted 'alot.' 

[zap99]

42 minutes ago, Red Leicester said:

I do wonder whether it is cruise specific depending on cases on board as the cruise goes further. We dock in Southampton tomorrow and i suspect those coming on board may not be required to wear masks at the start and see how it goes.  

 

Pure speculation mind.  We've had to wear masks for a few days, no real hardship for a superb holiday we've had.

We board tomorrow.  We would prefer not to wear masks, but if it becomes a rule  OK.

[happy v]

19 minutes ago, zap99 said:

We board tomorrow.  We would prefer not to wear masks, but if it becomes a rule  OK.

Especially as you don't have to wear them if you are eating and drinking. I intend to do a lot of both.

[Mark36]

Hi all just returned from Ventura today, the mask wearing not a lot of hassle only when walking about no big deal. My issue is incubation period of covid is quoted as about 6-7 days. The day of embarkation we were held in Mayflower terminal with at least 2000 other passengers for about an hour.  All sat next to each other a Covid paradise. The air bridge was faulty. A week into the cruise Covid appears. Coincidence ?????.  2000 passengers a lot of terminal staff all crammed in together. 

[showingdiva]

1 minute ago, Mark36 said:

The day of embarkation we were held in Mayflower terminal with at least 2000 other passengers for about an hour.  All sat next to each other a Covid paradise. The air bridge was faulty. 

 

The Mayflower air bridge  ..  50% metal, 50% yellow and black masking tape.

[alpha whiskey]

If the Captain says put your mask on, then you put it on.

The Captain's word is the last word, for everything, simple. 

 

[zap99]

2 hours ago, happy v said:

Especially as you don't have to wear them if you are eating and drinking. I intend to do a lot of both.

The chap behind DW needed reminding.  Perhaps he was just about to eat.🤔🤣

[Mad4WDW]

Hi All

 

We got back from Ventura yesterday, didn't have internet on the ship so couldn't update. To clarify, the mask wearing was REQUIRED not requested. The reason given was because of "the high amount of your fellow passengers who had tested positive for covid" I'd say from what I saw 100% complied. The odd person forgot when getting up and moving but nothing deliberate.

 

Not having mandatory testing contributed to the increased cases and tightening of the protocols IMHO. This one was our 11th or 12th cruise since the restart, the first one that didn't have required testing and the one with the most covid onboard. I'd say there were 100's of people with covid onboard. 

 

There were lots of people coughing in the terminal before we boarded a lot of them must've been covid. At check in we were not asked for our vaccine certificates, we were not asked if we'd done a test, people were packed in there. So yeah not great at all.

 

It seems to me that P & O have looked at what's a barrier to booking a cruise. They concluded that tests were putting people off so scrapped them where they could. And they figured that if cases rise onboard they'd introduce their "enhanced protocols" all to the detriment of our enjoyment but not their bottom line.

[wowzz]

14 minutes ago, Mad4WDW said:

It seems to me that P & O have looked at what's a barrier to booking a cruise. They concluded that tests were putting people off so scrapped them where they could. And they figured that if cases rise onboard they'd introduce their "enhanced protocols" all to the detriment of our enjoyment but not their bottom line.

I don't think you can criticise P&O alone. No major cruise line  requires testing at present, unless required to do so by certain destinations.  (Happy to be corrected)

[amfc_lenny]

Just got off Ventura yesterday, and on the day of departure we both felt grotty and have since tested positive for covid. 
 

with the prevalence on board I do feel p and o should be reducing occupancy. We sailed at 95% full and there were ppl having to isolate in inside cabins which can’t be a fun experience! 
 

I never heard an exact figure but the rumours I heard were that the no of cases were well into several hundred

[GSPG]

1 hour ago, Mad4WDW said:

It seems to me that P & O have looked at what's a barrier to booking a cruise. They concluded that tests were putting people off so scrapped them where they could. And they figured that if cases rise onboard they'd introduce their "enhanced protocols" all to the detriment of our enjoyment but not their bottom line.

And doesn’t that give you the impression “come back on board, it’s safe now”?

 

If it’s not (more for the vulnerables even after being jabbed), I feel it’s some form of negligence.
 

There’s a lot on board about safety etc, but in this instance seems that safety is being compromised by money.

 

It’s hypocritical and double standards.

 

Their main message, what they wouldn’t put out is it’s not safe for vulnerable people to cruise at this time, and omit from cruising.

Sorry if this seems hard nosed, but it isn’t safe for some.

 

 

Edited October 2, 2022 by GSPG

[GSPG]

11 minutes ago, amfc_lenny said:

Just got off Ventura yesterday, and on the day of departure we both felt grotty and have since tested positive for covid. 
 

with the prevalence on board I do feel p and o should be reducing occupancy. We sailed at 95% full and there were ppl having to isolate in inside cabins which can’t be a fun experience! 
 

I never heard an exact figure but the rumours I heard were that the no of cases were well into several hundred

Thanks and after that experience, would you cruise again at this time?

Or, as long as you are not considered vulberable, could you have put up with not being well, but just gone about the ship normally without any mask wearing.

 

 

Edited October 2, 2022 by GSPG

[amfc_lenny]

9 minutes ago, GSPG said:

Thanks and after that experience, would you cruise again at this time?

Or, as long as you are not considered vulberable, could you have put up with not being well, but just gone about the ship normally without any mask wearing.

 

 

tbh, it makes me a little wary, neither of us have underlying health issues. But don’t feel the current situation is handled very well.

 

 In my view, should be a fit to fly test required as a minimum.

have to say throughout our cruise we found the information being shared a bit lacking something which is always a weak point for p and o. 
 

we have a 7 nighter booked for feb, which we are going with dw parents, and I’m worried for them especially as Iona in winter indoors could be very crowded.

 

 

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, GSPG said:

And doesn’t that give you the impression “come back on board, it’s safe now”?

 

If it’s not (more for the vulnerables even after being jabbed), I feel it’s some form of negligence.
 

There’s a lot on board about safety etc, but in this instance seems that safety is being compromised by money.

 

It’s hypocritical and double standards.

 

Their main message, what they wouldn’t put out is it’s not safe for vulnerable people to cruise at this time, and omit from cruising.

Sorry if this seems hard nosed, but it isn’t safe for some.

 

 

It's not really for the cruise lines to say whether cruising is safe, even for those who are vulnerable. It is up to the individual to decide whether the potential risks outweigh the benefits of a cruise holiday. Cruise lines have put in place protocols to minimise the risks, but there can be no guarantees. P&O sem to be responding correctly to any significant covid outbreak onboard,  but they are between a rock and a hard place when it comes to applying tighter restrictions, some accept them as necessary, others hate them, so it's a fine line for the cruise lines who are struggling to survive with their reduced earnings and high debts.

 

[Megabear2]

15 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

It's not really for the cruise lines to say whether cruising is safe, even for those who are vulnerable

That may be case but all the information on their websites is certainly aimed to make people believe it is!   If it is as safe as that stuff indicates then we wouldn't have all these people upset because they were locked away or feeling misinformed.  P&O certainly can't be blamed for the medical conditions but they most certainly can for offering a false sense of it's all okay and we'll look after you.

 

If there's nothing to fear do away with all the stuff about their special measures and let people make their own choice on an open ship.

[s&gsjollies]

17 hours ago, Selbourne said:

The requirement to wear masks on Ventura appears to have been unique to the last cruise. Ventura has just left Southampton on her next cruise. Those on board have NOT been asked to wear them. No mention at check in, no on board announcements and no notices. Suspect some may voluntarily choose to wear them, but according to those on board, nobody has been seen wearing one yet!

Were you on the cruise who got a letter telling you about mask wearing? and was it a request or a definite instruction please - I cannot get a definitely answer on this but the above is very helpful thank you