picsa

4 minutes ago, paulatsea said:

? Has this changed?

Not on my iPhone it hasn’t.

3 hours ago, paulatsea said:

When Flight mode is turned on you need to switch WiFi on to use the ship WiFi and the onboard website.

 

So turn flight mode on - this switches everything off -  then next turn only your wifi on.

This way mobile data etc is all off and only WiFi is on.

That’s not the case with iPhones, as turning on flight mode only turns off the cellular signal, leaving WiFi and Bluetooth on.

2 hours ago, s&gsjollies said:

My husband made the call when we booked. He said they read a long page about P&O current regulations and situations. Very hard to take in and so much information and he can't remember a lot of it.

Even when your life might depend on it?
 

Personally I would want such things in writing and I would ask them to either post it to me or tell me where I could find it on the website so I could read and understand it, rather than just assume and hope for the best.
 

22 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I agree my t/a also gives all relevant information.  I know very little of direct bookings which is why I asked if we know if all agents ask the type of questions you mention. 

I have used a number of agents over the years, as well as booking direct with P&O both by phone and on the web, and all have asked health questions, so I do struggle to believe that there was not an opportunity raise the issue of the medical conditions that has resulted in them both being immune suppressed.

25 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I've done a dummy booking online and there is some information but not in my opinion enough to fully explain.

Seems to be pretty detailed to me - Vaccination & Testing Policy | P&O Cruises (pocruises.com)

2 minutes ago, Shelley61 said:

I do appreciate that for some people it can be much more serious and, as I say, if I was someone that was likely to have a serious problem from contracting it, I'd stay well away.

Absolutely - if I was making a booking by phone and I had a medical condition where I was immune suppressed then the first questions I would be asking (and not waiting to be told about) would be about the protocols that I would need to keep me safe. And if booking by web then I would be searching out and reading everything available.

21 hours ago, Purdey16 said:

I’m going to Madeira in March for a 10 day land holiday and hiring a car so any suggestions or tips to visit somewhere different? 

Câmara de Lobos which you can do easily by bus from Funchal and try the cafe in the market rather than the tourist trap cafes with 'barkers' trying to pull you in- the market cafe isn't fancy but it's good, particularly the tuna sandwich, which isn't tinned tuna but whole slices of marinated tuna.

Then there are the standard tourist visiting tours which are nevertheless interesting and can be done by car or inexpensively by one of the many mini-bus trips that run there from Funchal.

A trip to Curral das Freiras (nun's valley) is a good 1/2 day trip. Along the south of the island to the Cabo Girão Skywalk, Ponta do Sol, then up over the centre of the island, and down the Porto Moniz and back via Praia da Ribeira da Janela. The north-east of the island tend to take in Pico do Arieiro, Santa and Alagoa.

Obviously the cable cars and gardens in Funchal - although the cable cars are rather highly priced. If travelling by bus which you can do to the gardens or Monte, then get one of the reloadable cards.

If you are fit then the Levada walks are good, and an easy one the trips tend to stop at is the 'trout farm' at Levada do Furado. Others are much more spectacular with crazy high drops to one side or needing to navigate unlit tunnels.

For restaurants, be aware that all those down the street with the painted doors (Rua Dom Carlos 1) are tourist trap places that I would personally avoid (as are many in the 'restaurant street' in town - Rua da Carrreia), but the bar at the top of the hill overlooking the Barreirinha Lido is a pleasant place to while away a morning (and their goat's cheese toasted sandwiches are fabulous). And obviously stop at the coffee shops and have a Pastel De Nata (and nice coffee is a 'garoto' an espresso with an equal shot of hot milk and specific to Portugal).

March is a good time in Madeira, but like last few years I will be spending a month this December and January there enjoying the fabulous Christmas and new year celebrations.

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

I believe the lady's husband did the booking over the telephone direct with P&O and was not made aware testing of any kind had been dropped.  Having not made a direct booking myself with P&O in the last few months, I cannot say with certainty the current process, but when making my now cancelled October one there was no direct mention of testing either way, ie needed or not.  There was a read out statement about vaccination and insurance and mention their full terms and conditions could be found on their website.

 

When I made a telephone booking through a travel agent a few weeks ago for a cruise in late October the agent clearly stated what the current COVID protocols for boarding were (vaccination and recommended day before LFT) and specifically checked I understood and could meet them.

As well there was a question from the agent about any health issues which might cause problems, and I would have expected that if someone mentioned that both people on the booking had medical conditions that caused them to be immune suppressed and that contracting COVID would cause them serious problems then that would have resulted in further questioning about their ability to travel.

I would find it hard to believe that direct phone bookings with P&O don't currently follow a similar script (when I booked direct with P&O some years ago by phone they certainly had the health question), but if the person who is complaining doesn't believe they were asked the questions and it wasn't simply a case of them assuming something to be the case when it is not, then as P&O record booking calls (or certainly did in the past as I had cause to make use of this due to a dispute about what was said) then they should ask P&O to check the recording.

1 hour ago, bobstheboy said:

Share price still dropping. I wonder how low it will go ?  539 as I type.

Zero.

3 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Thank you for the clarification on how you view the situation. Clearly that is more reasonable than how you worded it previously.  Sadly it's not quite so black and white as following the current rules as this thread and the Britannia one also show that the rules can change in a heartbeat, however I assume from your current post you support and would comply with any new ones introduced including any future reintroduction of compulsory testing and making if P&O decide they become necessary.

Of course I would comply with the rules - even when they make no sense whatsoever.

I have travelled many many times since the start of the pandemic, both on cruises and flights to other countries and throughout I have followed what the rules actually are - and on some occasions needing to change as the rules changed - the changes last December from an LFT to a PCR to a pre-arrival test, etc.

When I cruised last year did I wear a mask in the theatre and walking around indoors - yes I did, even though when sat in the restaurant or show bars I was sat closer than I was to the people in the theatre and corridor and in the restaurant or show bars none of had to wear masks. I understood the 'security theatre' of the rules, but followed them nonetheless.

However what I do not support is people demanding what they wished the rules said trumping what the rules actually do say.

24 minutes ago, Gettingwarmer said:

But this has not been P&O's policy before so unlikely to happen. You may be giving her false hope.  

It wasn't P&O's policy to impose mandatory mask wearing with no exemptions mid-cruise before, so you may be giving her false despair.

4 minutes ago, Trevor Fountain said:

Everybody has been aware for some time now that mandatory mask wearing can be imposed at any point before or during a cruise.

Are they? P&O don't seem to be since they don't mention it on their website.

5 minutes ago, Trevor Fountain said:

If I was exempt from wearing a mask I would make damn sure I would be able to prove I was exempt.

Why would you have prepared for that eventuality when P&O give no indication it might be imposed.

6 minutes ago, Trevor Fountain said:

I travel on a cruise on Sunday. There is every possibility that by the time I reach check in that mask wearing on board will be mandatory. If that is the case then I expect non-mask wearers would probably be denied boarding. I don't know what they would say to those who can prove they are exempt, but if they can deny boarding to anyone who has had a cough in the last ten days, then I'm pretty sure they can deny boarding to people exempt from wearing a mask.

Of course they can deny people who don't pass the health check, their T&Cs allow it. But denying boarding because of something not mentioned before...

7 minutes ago, Trevor Fountain said:

It should be made clear to people who are exempt that they must provide suitable evidence of exemption or run the risk of having to quarantine should mandatory mask wearing become necessary mid-cruise.

And yet P&O don't.

8 minutes ago, Trevor Fountain said:

There are plenty of people who P&O do not accept on board for medical reasons

And P&O make clear who they do not accept onboard for medical reasons, and being unable to wear a mask for health reasons isn't one of them.

9 minutes ago, Trevor Fountain said:

so just because someone is exempt from wearing a mask should not necessarily mean they are to be allowed to endanger the lives of other passengers during any outbreak of a airborne transmittable virus on board.

But you could see from P&O's website that they would impose no such restriction before you booked, so if you have such strong views then why book with P&O rather than with a cruise line that does impose such requirements.

Just now, Megabear2 said:

I gained the impression from your posts on the Britannia link, particularly your conversations with Harry Peterson and Trevor Fountain.  If my impression is wrong I apologise but having re-read the posts as suggested cannot at this time see anything to change my view unfortunately.

It is wrong.

My view, to make clear, is that if a company has set out rules for you to use its services then people should follow those rules and if those rules provide for exceptions then those should be respected.

P&O is quite clear with its revised COVID policy that vaccinations are mandatory, pre-boarding COVID tests are optional (for most cruises), and mask wearing is only required in the medical bay.

Now if people want to travel then they need to take into account those facts and should not criticise people who are following them because they perceive it does not provide them the reassurance that they personally desire.

But not if you are sailing in the next 90 days.

Flexible Cancellation Policy (pocruises.com)

Holidays booked from 3 August 2022 onwards:

For any bookings made after 3 August 2022, if you wish to reschedule your holiday, you can take advantage of our fee-free flexible transfer policy if you’ve booked on a Select Price holiday. This means you can:

• Transfer your booking once
• Transfer your booking to a P&O Cruises holiday of equal or higher value
• Transfer your booking up to the date that the balance for your holiday is due (90 days prior to departure of your existing booking)
• Transfer your booking to a P&O Cruises holiday sailing within 6 months of the original sailing date for full World Cruises, Classic Southern Hemisphere Journeys, Grand Tours or Exotic fly-cruises or 12 months of the original departure date for all other cruises.

2 minutes ago, Trevor Fountain said:

I don't much care for your attitude either. 

But I am not the one advocating imprisoning those with serious health conditions.

2 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I'm certainly not advocating "imprisonment", that suggestion was from another poster, and yes I put a like beside it but this was for irony.

You seemed to advocate "quarantine" for those unable to wear masks for health reasons. If you don't and agree that they are exempt from wearing them if a mask requirement is introduced mid-cruise then I apologise.

4 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

As I said earlier I find this whole argument ridiculous as you are one of the biggest supporters of people who are worried about catching covid cancelling their bookings or not travelling.  

Not sure where you get that mistaken idea from. If people want to travel then they travel, and everyone needs to make their own assessment for their own circumstances.

5 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

None of these arguments and ideas are helping to the poor lady who raised the masking issue after her husband booked for 8 October not knowing the mask mandate was back on Ventura.  Perhaps instead of causing her more alarm we could actually try offering her support and reassurance?

I was offering support and reassurance pointing out that if she had a serious health issue that prevented her wearing a mask (as she indicated) that she would likely be exempt from wearing one.

And it was that point that some people suggested that people like her with serious health issues should be imprisoned onboard - so perhaps those are the people that you should be calling out and suggesting that they offer her support and reassurance. 

5 minutes ago, Trevor Fountain said:

There are too many liars and cheats in this world to start taking the moral high ground and worrying about having an unpleasant view as you put it. Some people seem to spend their time thinking of ways to beat measures put in place for the safety of the majority. They think they are hero's until karma strikes.

So those with serious medical conditions should be imprisoned because of the potential for some to not tell the truth - what a lovely attitude.

6 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I'm not supporting the suggestion I'm merely stating the facts that the cruise lines are being draconian in following rules they are making up on the hoof.  Their rules have stated categorically through the mask regime no exemptions.  I saw a lady with a visor barred from her cruise earlier late last year because it didn't meet the rules set by P&O.  She was very tearful but eventually accepted she would need to wear her mask.  We did see her about the ship and she was masked. Whether she was happy or uncomfortable I have no idea.

But those rules were set out when booking so people had a choice.

The imprisonment regime that you are suggesting is imposed mid-cruise was not.

11 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Back when cruising resumed, and mask wearing was strictly enforced, P&O made it clear that medical exemptions with regards to mask wearing were not permitted.  If you could not wear a mask,  you could not cruise. 

If medical exemptions were not allowed then, why should they be allowed now ? 

That isn’t my recollection from when I took one of the first international cruises last September and when masks were required, as exemptions were permitted.
 

in addition now you have the issue if you introduce the requirement mid-cruise of passengers who can’t wear masks who are already aboard - what do you do with them? Lock them in their cabins?

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.

1 minute ago, Harry Peterson said:

Knowledge is everything when calculating personal risk. You know your own state of health and the likely outcome from Covid. The one thing you don’t know is the rate of infection in relevant locations. That information is still out there - it comes primarily from the ONS and the Zoe Study. It’s not easy to find though, but it’s essential in calculating risk.

 

UK hospitalisations increased by around 50% last week - and that’s reflects case numbers. Also what’s happening now on cruise ships. It’s a serious issue, but certain factors are deliberately underplaying it because it doesn’t fit an agenda.

With virtually no UK testing then the ONS and ZOE reports are going to be very ‘broad brush’ and certainly wouldn’t be helpful in telling anyone about the actual rates in their local area - the Zoe study places my area in the red but I am not aware of anyone infected.

And percentage increases are meaningless - did the 50% increase mean there are now three patients up from two last week.

7 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

It's not a problem to me but clearly is to the immune deficiency people some of whom are only just getting brave enough to go out.

 

The poor lady on the Ventura Masks thread might have wanted to know so she didn't book for instance.

But would it have helped knowing there were x cases on board when you don’t know whether that is good or bad compared to the local area.

7 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

There is still some detail, but it’s not that easy to find because it was deemed unhelpful. Whether you agree with that analysis depends on whether you like your facts public or hidden, and if you need that information to enable you to calculate your own personal risk - you’re stuffed! And quite possibly in an ICU bed.

Not entirely sure how someone calculates a personal risk when the figures are not being collected because they were no longer useful.

A person’s personal risk is most likely going to be dependent on their own individual health, irrespective of COVID rates.

24 minutes ago, s&gsjollies said:

I told them we are both immune suppressed but I also have asthma and have trouble wearing masks (since getting Covid!)  and would never had booked and put myself in that situation had we been informed - they said they knew nothing at all in the booking office which is why we weren't informed when we booked but their "adopting protocol to protect everyone onboard" covers them. They also said it might be an optional/advisory thing.

Even if mandatory then the requirement to wear a mask will still have the full range of exemptions from wearing one that it did before - so if you can’t then you don’t.

1 minute ago, Megabear2 said:

There is no openness on how many cases there have been onboard, probably because cruise lines don't want to put people off.

Or because it no longer helps. 
 

There is no detail on COVID cases in the UK because it was no longer found to be helpful, so would it help knowing the number of infected people in a cruise ship restaurant but not a land based restaurant, or in a cruise ship cinema but not not a land based cinema, or even how many other people wandering around local supermarket are infected.

5 hours ago, cant think said:

Today I received an email inviting me to " check in on line" this involves personal details, next of kin, passport details and downloading photos!!!!!! sorry my partner is 84 years old im 74 so do not have the necessary skills!!!! we will do it at Southampton where P and O have cancelled our Loyalty reception so embarkation is easier!!!!

Going to be fun for the cruise companies running European cruises when ETIAS and EES comes on line and all this information will need to be provided in advance.

1 hour ago, Funboy said:

On our coach down ,despite the coach Co requirement we were the only two out of thirty or so to wear masks and several people were coughing all the way.

I am astonished that any organisation such as a coach company still has compulsory mask rules, and has not moved to a ‘recommended but not required’ position.

Even my GP’s surgery has now moved to that with no patients, myself included, wearing a mask (or the receptionists).

And as for being quarantined onboard, only those who test themselves or report to the medical bay for a test will end up being quarantined. You might strongly disagree with that, but that will be the reality.

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

To be fair, even if mask wearing is required, you would not need to wear a mask for a long time.

If you are eating or drinking, no mask is required,  nor will you need to wear one on outside decks.

Obviously the entertainment venues would be a challenge, but apart from that I doubt you would need to wear a mask for more than ten minutes at a time.

And that’s assuming a passenger isn’t exempt from wearing a mask from one the multitude of reasons.

Just now, Megabear2 said:

As I said, as long as your happy, nothing to worry about.  Enjoy your cruise.

And enjoy yours as well.

5 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Or you could be an unfortunate close contact to someone. It's been happening elsewhere and the  positive person is asked about table companions etc.  On my Celebrity and Princess cruises we were effectively tracked on excursion buses and in restaurants.

I don’t share tables, and on none of the P&O cruises I have been on in the last 12 months (including the full ‘COVID protocol’ cruises to the Med last September) has there been any tracking of people on shuttle buses.

4 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Thaats pretty standard wording to be honest and is great if you have the required positive test. You're right, hearing of some people's experiences on here and elsewhere including one of my best friends I'd want to know what sort of proof my insurer would require.

 

I'm glad you are happy and it is suitable for your needs.

The proof is stated in the policy document - ‘we will send a medical certificate for completion by the patient’s doctor to confirm the reason for your claim’ - to which the response from the GP would be, ‘patient self-tested and identified they were positive for COVID-19 and in-line with NHS COVID protocols was not examined by me to confirm and they did not require subsequent treatment’.  
 

Now if the insurer wanted anything more than that then they need to make that clear, otherwise the FCA is going to be having strong words with them.