Cruiser6270

5 hours ago, Isklaar said:

 

Have you now received in writing from Staysure that an international  cruise is covered despite FCO advisory against all international cruises? 

I have attempted to get a definitive response on this from Staysure and have had no luck up to now. A couple of posters on the Seabourn board have been told by Staysure that they will be covered, but I was told no on two occasions.

I've been unable to get such an assurance from any other UK insurer who all gave me a straight 'we won't cover until FCO advice is changed'. 

 

No, they've added the note to our quote meantime but we won't need StaySure policy if the FCDO change their stance, as our UK Insurance (through Nationwide BS) would become valid. If the FCDO advisory is still in place 2 or 3 weeks before the cruise, we'll go back to StaySure as we won't be travelling without insurance. 

58 minutes ago, Icedonut said:

I'm afraid they have been misinformed - you need to specifically mention the current FCDO advice on 'International cruises' and not the advisory's around the countries that are included. That is the key part that the insurers can't cover you for, so the cruise insurance in international waters is invalid.

 

Really annoying as I see that Croatia is also now on the green watchlist!

That's interesting. I spoke to Staysure at length about cover for a September med cruise. The rep contacted their underwriters who confirmed that as long as you take out their EU (travel against FCDO advice) extension which covers travel to Amber listed EU countries (little extra cost), then they WILL  provide cover for a cruise which ports in the EU/Med. They added this note to the quote and confirmed that they would put this in writing.  

Only reason I contacted StaySure was because UK Insurance (Nationwide BS) stated that they would not cover any international cruise while the FCDO advisory remains in place. 

With all the focus on countries, I suspect the FCDO/Gov have taken their eye of the ball with cruises. In the Report of the Global Travel Taskforce dated April 2021 (The Safe Return of International Travel), one of the 5 main recommendations was:

4 hours ago, Riocca said:

Unfortunately life is not that simple, according to the information we have in the U.K. Israel requires a negative PCR test within 72 hours of travel to Israel. That means Azamara would have to provide PCR tests for all passengers and crew which logistically might not be possible.

As Azamara sells cruises internationally they need to consider restrictions imposed by other countries, for example for the U.K. guests Greece is on our amber list meaning there are currently quarantine requirements on our return to the U.K. also Australian and New Zealand customers are not allowed to travel at the moment.

Often on med cruises US & Canadian passengers have only accounted for about 150 passengers, obviously only Azamara know what percentage of passengers have booked these cruises but it just might not economically possible to run them.

 I am sure all cruise lines would love to run a full set of itineraries but unfortunately that’s just not going to be possible for the moment.

And the UK FCDO is still advising against international cruises which most likely invalidates travel insurance. Running a cruise line must be one of the most complex and difficult tasks in business at the moment.

21 hours ago, les37b said:

 

 

This is the English version. Scroll down past the app mention.

 

This is the Scottish version.

Interesting. I have a login for the NHS website but have failed the new ID test using both my passport and driving licence ! Got an email asking me to check that my GP has my correct name, DOB and address. Been with same GP for 16 years, so this is a blind alley.

Would like to hear of anyone in Scotland who has managed to link their vax certificate to the NHS UK website.

On 5/24/2021 at 9:24 PM, Stefken said:

No good for people in Scotland, we can’t go on the England NHS app. Hope one comes to Scotland soon.

Indeed. Meantime, we have to make do with the certificate mentioned by tiggertom and just hope airlines, immigration and cruise lines accept  these easily created/forged docs 😳 

27 minutes ago, Hygge! said:

Interesting list.  Australia is closed so why is it on the green list?

So is NZ, but you've got to admire the creative efforts to make the round dozen 😀 

The self-guided tour ban makes sense to protect the ship community but the rest - for a ship that's fully vaccinated and tested - smacks of  over the top nonsense. 

1 hour ago, 4774Papa said:

I would opine that someone that uses a forged vac card could be liable if they have the virus and spread it to others.  

Agree with this. Any paper/card based system is next to useless without the backup of a Gov verification system and threat of very hefty penalties for those who forge their papers - akin to forging a passport. For those crossing country borders, a formal stamp in passports is the min needed - again with the threat to verify at any stage.

Have no issue with anyone not wishing to take the vaccine, it's their personal choice, but they in turn need to accept this may quite reasonably restrict their ability to move between countries or get on cruise ships, at least while COVID remains a global pandemic. 

23 hours ago, Randyk47 said:

Therein lies the rub.   Obviously vaccination is not a guarantee you won’t catch Covid so it could happen.  Then add the possibility of a false positive.  Unfortunately it’s a slight but real risk.   Sure makes insurance that would cover those possibilities important.   

In the same way a GP wouldn't go with a first high blood pressure reading,  you would expect SS to run a 2nd or even 3rd test before declaring you infected and refuse you boarding. To be denied by a false lateral flow test would be galling, and could have implications for you getting on a plane home etc.

Maybe a  La La Land moment ?  

3 hours ago, uktog said:

Unfortunately it has just been announced that the supplies of vaccine from the end of March in the UK has a possible problem.  Its all down to tensions between the UK and EU.  Many people are due second vaccines late March early April so it is concerning.  It will impact on these cruise restart plans.

We're stuck on an horrendous roller coaster, and the UK is in better shape than most ! How any cruise or holiday company can plan or manage their business in these conditions is a mystery.

On 2/3/2021 at 12:40 PM, HalifaxYorksCruiser said:

I paid my Tavel agent ( large U.K.  dot co.U.K. Agent ) on the 8th January for an Azamara cruise late April 2021. The Agent originally wanted paying 4 months in advance at the end of December but I asked them to extend until January. Within 4 days of payment Azamara cancelled . The Agent has confirmed that they have not paid Azamara but are saying the earliest that they can refund my payment is 19th April. I find this totally unacceptable and have commenced a Section 75 Credit card repayment claim with MasterCard. Needless to say I will book direct in the future.

Shocking behaviour which needs to be called out. As often happens during a crisis, those businesses which act with empathy and integrity will flourish in the new world. In time, all those who are effectively ripping their clients off will become known and attract the kind of business they deserve.

Exactly the kind of news we needed 👍 

Now just have to hope they retain Az brand values and experience. 

Very disappointing and concerning development for Azamara, despite the upbeat spin they're trying to put on this. 

Azamara is more than just 3 ships, it's a well established brand with it's own values, distinct onboard experience and a strong loyal following. Killing that off and trying to shoe-horn that into Siversea would be an odd move. 

47 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

More encouraging news just out. 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54902908

 

Phil 

Very exciting. Storage for up to a MONTH in a standard fridge = true game changer. 

57 minutes ago, ceejilly said:

I’ve been a ‘fly on the wall’ reading the interesting comments put forward by some long time sailing guests of Azamara and fully concur with all suggestions, comments and complaints on how Azamara has proceeded with the debacle of future cruising dates and late repayments of  well earned cash.

 

All that aside, I haven’t read anyone mentioning the repercussions of reduced guest occupancy once cruising starts.  My wife and I have cruises booked for September and December 2021 and to date bookings for Suites & Staterooms are selling extremely well with approx 80% already sold.

 

This raises yet another paradox insomuch Azamara are continuing to sell staterooms when its possible that reduced occupancy will be introduced as per current guidelines………what would be the outcome to guests being told (even though they have a confirmed booking) that their booking has been cancelled!!!

Az are in no position to turn business away so expect they'll be working to 100% capacity - to max cashflow - worry about cutting guests later, so it's a good question. I'd want to know the criteria for selecting who they keep and who to ditch ! Maybe it'll be around FCC v cash, loyalty points, geographics, demographics  .....Or perhaps they'll have an open action  ? 

7 hours ago, flyingshoes said:

Thanks, Phil.  The inability to leave the ship unless via a cruise line managed excursion will stop us from cruising Azamara.  Another favored line, Crystal, with much more to do onboard, has published their specific protocols and we won't be sailing with them either.  The hospital ship atmosphere is bad enough but the inability to escape on a port intensive line like Azamara makes cruising untenable.  Maybe 2022....

Protocals make cruise ships more akin to floating prisons. Keep your distance, mandatory masks, multiple pre-checks, daily temp checks, no associating with locals, with underlying risk of solitary confinement. Sounds horrendous.

89 days since our claim went in. Every chaser and enquiry met with silence.  At first, it was the delay that bothered us but now it's the feeling Azamara are simply treating us with contempt. 

17 hours ago, uktog said:

I agree John.  This was a time they could have used social media to their huge advantage as many companies have but sadly they have come up seriously lacking.  It's all very well being able to blog and communicate with a marketing hat on, but its when it is less happy rosy messages that have to be worked with that the skilled communicators come to the fore.  I have a list of organisation (including travel providers) that I feel have genuinely tried (even if they did not get it 100% right) and there are those I feel have not.  You can guess where my remaining pounds will go in the future.

And herein lies the problem for Azamara. History has shown time and again that brands which treat their customers well and show corporate confidence during a crisis come out the other end stronger. Those that don't suffer the consequences. We saw that in 2008 and back in '87 when those that continued to live up to their values (or attempted at least) grew their share and retained loyalty. 

The lack of even basic communication around refunds suggests Azamara's management just see this as an operational / cash flow challenge and a minor inconvenience to customers. I find that baffling.  

Been patiently waiting since 13 March (66 days) for Azamara to contribute (up to) $500 pp towards flight costs to get ourselves home after Quest dropped us off in Muscat instead of Dubai. Have chased, but it's a comms black hole.  Also, travel insurer won't process our claim until we get an email from Azamara confirming we'll be getting no part refund. (Az were generous with the FCC instead). 

Given priority of refunds and general mess, starting to think we'll never see either of these no matter what we try.. 

Cruise lines have little control over date of resumption. Opening up of borders/ports and development of medication that reduces mortality will determine how quickly things get moving again. 

Then there's the separate question of viability and how confident folk will be to get on a ship. 

9 hours ago, Baynanno1 said:

 

As more cruises are cancelled each month, so the workload increases for those handling compensation. It irks to hear of refunds being received for more recently cancelled cruises while we continue to wait . . . . . . 🤐

That is very naughty. There should be regulations that dictate refunds be paid in chronological order. 

We had a little situation in the UK a few years back with a FOREX firm called Crown Currency Exchange (shudder). Some UK posters might remember them. Anyway, when they ran into financial difficulties they selectively chose who to refund and who to delay. Turned out, those that got there money back lived closest to their offices in Cornwall,  we suspect in an effort to stop the locals arriving with pitch forks. No relevance to Az situation, I'm sure, but they should be dealing with refunds is proper order.

On 4/14/2020 at 1:18 AM, lasvegaswinner1 said:

No more inside cabins with 4 people sharing a room. All rooms and public areas disenfected all day long

No more self serve buffets.  Less seating in all dining areas.  Less seating in show rooms. less Shore excursions passangers 

  All pasanger will have temperature and other health screenings every port going on and off.

Travel insurance will become mandatory Way more crew and staff. Sounds like costs going way up

Cannot see any travel insurance policy covering COVID 19 for bookings made after March 2020. The risks of falling ill, perhaps requiring hospitalisation & ICU and being prohibited from flying home is uninsurable. Until a vaccine is found, I see this as the biggest problem for the travel/cruise industry. Cost of self-funding care abroad could wipe you out. 

20 hours ago, amyr said:

We embarked Infinity on Saturday and the woman checking us in read from a paper and asked if we had been to China, Hong Kong, and two other places we couldn't quite make out what she said, I think one of them was Macau.  She was unsure how to pronounce them.  We said no, and she didn't look in our passports at all except the first page to make sure we matched the name on the reservation.  So, it's just self reporting really.  They were just the usual port workers, we didn't see any medical personnel around.

Wouldn't want to be someone who blagged their way onto a cruise, only for it to be quarantined and they subsequently find out that you've been to China / HK or Macau within 15 days of boarding ! Be a bad decision.