cruising.mark.uk

This thread should be awarded the 'most misleading thread' title. And then it should be renamed 'Uneducated guess and random speculation about cruises surveys, with a side dish of attempted emotional blackmail'....

Exactly. And, certainly in the UK at the moment, Princess if offering all passengers up to $300 per cabin OBC. I sense that, if financial constraints mean cutting OBC, this type of offer will disappear before they even think about cutting shareholder OBC.

I think that you have to adopt a real glass half empty approach to life to argue that. Furthermore, it is only true for an elite passenger who used / uses exactly 150 minutes of internet under both the old system and the new (if that is the figure, your posts above say both 150 minutes and 250 minutes). For an elite passenger who doesn't use the internet onboard, they've replaced something with a benefit value of zero with something with a benefit value of zero. For a passenger who uses less than 150 / 250, they've replaced something with a benefit value of their usage / 50c per minute by something with a benefit value of $35. But, for anyone who uses more than 150 / 250 minutes they've replaced something with a benefit value of $75 with something with a benefit of $35, plus 50c per minute they spend on the internet over 150 / 250. So, any Elite passenger who isn't on one of the new Princess Plus packages where internet is thrown in who uses over 230 or 330 minutes gets more benefit under the new system than they did under the old. And, of course, many of those who only used less than the limit under the old system will now probably get more benefit from the new system because their usage is not metered and they can use as much as they like.

I don't think there's any need to do this. I think Megabear provided the answer herself at post 45 of the now closed 'If you have Covid a day before you cruise' thread, where she said she might well pay for fit-to-fly tests before her upcoming cruise. I'm pretty certain that those all have to be signed off by a doctor / medical professional and the tests conducted by government certified labs and would thus meet the needs of the insurers as expressed above. Certainly, the 3 fit-to-fly tests I've had, one in the UK, one in Paris and one in Brussels were all signed off by doctors, as was the PCR result I had when I tested positive on a cruise. I sense that the insurers are a drawing distinction between medically verified test results and DIY LFTs. If this is right, then there should be no need to involve a GP at all. The easy and most certain approach for anyone who doesn't want to run the risk of being denied boarding and then find themselves uninsured is to go and get a fit-to-fly test in the run up to a cruise. Those are still widely available. If positive, the info Megabear posted above suggests that will suffice for insurers, for the traveller and for members of their party. Having run foul of insurance small print on our May / June cruise, my wife and I will certainly be getting these tests in the run-up to our next cruises in Nov and Jan, whatever the cruise lines policies ref testing might be at the time. As far as I'm concerned, an outlay of £50 or even £100 a head is a small price to pay for peace of mind when a thousands of pounds are at stake.

.... unless they use more than 220 minutes of internet in their 7 days (about 30 minutes per day), in which case 'loyal passengers' win.

Thanks. That's less than ideal for people in this group and their families.

Are you saying that their own doctors don't know? Surely people in this group should be seeking advice from their doctor / consultant before they go on holiday?

You may be right for pensioners. But 65% of people are of working age and for a lot of them I don't think the risk factor will increase from being on a ship. I'd estimate that many of them who commute twice a day by bus or train, work in e.g. the NHS, a school, a factory, retail or a public-facing service industry, enjoy a meal out in a restaurant or go to the pub once a week, perhaps visit the cinema or theatre and shop in a supermarket will easily reach or surpass that 3000 figure for people they are in close proximity to over a 2-week period. And even if you are only in close proximity to 10 people a week, it only takes one of them to be one of the 1 in 60 and you are liable to catch Covid.

I think this is spot on. And I don't think P&O are telling the vulnerable that it is safe to cruise. See this answer to their Top 10 Covid-related questions: https://www.pocruises.com/frequently-asked-questions.our-covid-19-protocols.I-have-an-underlying-medical-condition-is-it-safe-for-me-to-travel-Will-I-be-denied-boarding.summary Everyone needs to understand the risk to them, and make decisions based on that understanding. Cruise lines are just following government policy. I stand ready to be corrected, but I don't think any cruise line operating out of the UK requires pre-boarding testing anymore unless it is a requirement of one of the countries a particular cruise is visiting. And, I don't think any form of travel or entertainment or work or any other activities in the UK require people to test before participating. So why should cruising be different? The latest ONS figures suggest that between one in 45 and one in 80 people in the UK have Covid, and the figures are probably higher than that because there is now so little testing. If that averages at about one in 60, then that proportion of people at every workplace, school, sporting event, social activity, supermarket, restaurant and on every mode of transport has Covid. The government policy is to live with that and the population seems happy to do that. What is the alternative - a return to a hard lockdown for ever more? So, as a rough estimate based on those figures, it is likely that about 50 people boarding a ship with 3000 passengers and crew will have Covid. That is living with Covid and I think individuals need to make informed judgements based on that and on their appetite to risk. But, the same proportion of people involved in every other activity they conduct as part of their everyday life will also have Covid at any given time. So, if they are happy to do those other activities, they should be happy to cruise. And there is little logic in trying to impose additional constraints on cruise lines compared with the rest of the travel business and wider society. Cruise lines have to take additional precautions to limit the spread on board, in the same way as any other travel provider or event organiser. And, if passengers are infected they have to take appropriate action. I am pretty sure that international regulations require that to include quarantine for contagious disease sufferers, in the same way as has always been the case for norovirus and the like. I think the lack of availability of effective insurance cover for some circumstances is a real issue which certainly needs addressing. But, I do feel that some posters have unrealistic expectations of cruise providers who are complying fully with government policy and are no different than any other part of the holiday industry and wider society in having removed most of the Covid-related constraints for those who wish to participate.

Oh no, you may just have fed the troll! I am so bored with being regaled with their incredible tales of woe on thread after thread after thread. I'm beyond caring, but I suppose there's still some comedy value to be gained from how they can't resist an opportunity to insert it, no matter how irrelevant it is to the subject at hand. And being told (by them) how rich and well-travelled they are always brings a smile to my face as well because they seem to think that justifies their obsession. On the contrary, it just makes me think that anyone that experienced in travel and with that much money (a) wouldn't spend 5 minutes trying (in vain) to recover what (for someone as mega rich as they would like us to think they are) is small change and (b) would have moved on from using a line that clearly causes them so much distress to one of the luxury lines which would treat them better and where they could mix with other people as wealthy and well-travelled as themselves.

Thanks. It's not the line you had problems with in July.

Unfortunately, Admiral refused us the £75ppnn for confinement because the Covid section of their policy specifically says that they won't pay anything under other sections of the policy for Covid-related claims. So we got nothing from them. Unfortunately, we also sailed on the only CCL brand cruise line that didn't promise a FCC for days in quarantine! However, as a result of a robust and protracted exchange of emails, they have just agreed to give us about 75% of the total per diem for the 7 days we lost, half of that in FCC and the other half as a cash refund. I won't name the company (not P&O or Cunard) as they haven't paid yet and I don't want to annoy them in the meantime in case they change their minds!

As far as I can see, the question is not whether insurers have liability for close contacts under the Covid section of their policy but rather why they will not pay out to individuals who are confined without having Covid under the non-Covid sections of their policy? Here's an extract from my policy: 'Cruise cabin confinement We will pay up to the policy limits shown in your policy schedule, for each 24 hours that you are confined to your cabin for medical reasons by the ship’s medical officer during your trip, providing you obtain their written confirmation'. No doubt many other policies are similar. The Covid section of my policy specifically excludes claims under this confinement section. But, in cases like that of your friend, she didn't have Covid. But she was confined to her cabin on, I presume, the orders of the ship's medical officer. Doubtless insurers will try to have it both ways. But it seems to me somewhat counter intuitive to say that people in her situation can't claim under Covid sections because they don't have a positive test and also can't claim under non-Covid sections because they were confined because of Covid!

Was your friend trying to claim a daily rate for quarantine? If so, I wonder if her insurance has non-Covid cover for quarantine? As my wife and I found out to our cost when we both caught Covid on our May / June cruise, our insurer (Admiral Platinum) has cover for medical confinement to cabin (£75 per night each), but that is not under the Covid section of the policy and cover for quarantine because of Covid is specifically excluded. So, we would have been better off in insurance terms if we had been quarantined ashore. Other travellers confined as close contacts might find they can claim (assuming they can get a document from the ship confirming that they were quarantined for medical reasons without mentioning Covid) under the non-Covid sections of their policies. That might be difficult if they are part of a couple and the other is claiming after testing positive, but could apply to single travellers or members of larger groups who are quarantined purely for being contacts.

Hmmm, I know everyone has different expectations from their vacation time. Mine is to have a fantastic holiday. Gauging success on how big a file of complaints one can build up with the provider seems like a slightly strange metric by which to measure the enjoyment accrued from expensive leisure time. It brings to mind the definition of insanity attributed to Einstein: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” But, each to their own...

Hello all, We've just booked 21 nights on Virtuosa from Southampton in January 2023. Does anyone know what the onboard currency for the bars, spa, casino etc is for these UK departures this Winter? Is it £ or Euros? Thanks in advance, Mark

No, I don't think you are missing anything. The perks are minimal at best. At the higher tiers you used to get an onboard credit of 50 euros as well, but I think they have now changed that so you only get it if you book a long time in advance. We certainly haven't been given it for the cruise we just booked for January 2023.

That still doesn't make it the cruise line's problem. It means you need better travel insurance and / or that you need to book refundable / variable air tickets and hotels. I've no idea how these things work in the US, but in the UK decent travel insurance will cover events like this and it's simple (although it might cost a bit more) to book flexible flight tickets and accommodation which allows dates and arrangements to be changed right up to the day of travel (or very close). It's a shame if individuals find themselves financially disadvantaged by their own failure to allow for contingencies in their independent travel arrangements and / or to cover themselves against the associated risks, but they made those decisions so they need to be prepared for the consequences.

I really don't subscribe to the compensation culture that many seem to. Ship happens. And it happens on all modes of travel and all cruise lines. So, the OP has 7 weeks notice that they are getting an extra night on a newer ship. The change in date may mean they incur some additional charges. This is what travel insurance is for. I don't believe there is any reason for the cruise line to help them rearrange their travel arrangements or to pay any costs incurred, unless those arrangements are all part of a package holiday sold by the cruise line. If it is not a package, the OP chose to make independent arrangements to join the cruise and thus accepted the risk involved with that. No doubt, they also mitigated that risk by purchasing travel insurance...

Only in the same way that all Australians are Australian not Aussie. You can't speak for everyone. I for one call myself a Brit far more often than I call myself British. Perhaps appropriately given the title of this threat, I'm now slightly confused how we ended up having semantic discussions about popular terms used to describe the inhabitants of the British Isles as a group. A non-Brit poster was advised not to use the term by a Brit poster as it might offend. I merely noted that neither I nor any other Brit I know would be offended by the term - it is one that I and many other compatriots I know and have met abroad use to describe themselves. I'm not convinced it's possible to patronise yourself, unless perhaps you're trying to be ironic, and I think anyone who feels patronised by being described as a Brit is taking life a little too seriously. Those who worry about whether Brit / British is a noun or an adjective (or a verb!) might be over-thinking things as well - as the examples used by posters above clearly demonstrate, it can be either, depending on usage / context.

Well you have now!

Really? As an Englishman, I can without a doubt say that I have never in my life met a fellow countryperson who minded the term Brit. I can understand why some of the more nationalist-minded Scots, Northern Irish and Welsh might make a thing of it, but again I've never heard any one from those countries complain either. What is your recommended generic term for people from the British Isles?

Although I don't think they base any ships there, both MSC and Costa allow boarding at Marseilles on many of their itineraries. My wife and I joined our last Costa cruise in Savona in May by train and have considered cruising with Costa and MSC from Marseilles, but not yet done it. Pre-pandemic Eurostars used to run from London to Marseille direct in the Summer, but they stopped that during the pandemic. Even so, it's easy to do with Eurostar to either Lyon or Paris and then TGV to Marseille. I'm sure we'll do it one day.