Brits banned from cruising....

[BermudaBound2014]

"BRITS can now travel to 74 countries without needing to quarantine - but the Government says all cruise holidays are still banned."

https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/12077399/cruise-holiday-travel-ban/

 

"The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has today changed its advice, urging all holidaymakers against embarking on cruise ships, over fears of the spread of Covid-19. The government had previously urged over-70s to avoid sailings."

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8507291/Foreign-Office-tells-tourists-not-cruises-coronavirus-risk.html

 

 

Disclaimer: I'm not sure how reliable these news sources are, can anyone from the UK comment? Obviously there will be no ships sailing from Southampton soon, but are Brits banned from flying to a port city and embarking on a cruise?

 

[lovetoholiday]

It's correct I'm afraid, see below.  Hopefully they will change this advice before November. (when I'm next due to cruise)  If you did travel then your travel insurance would be voided.

 

COVID-19 travel guidance

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office currently advises British nationals against all but essential international travel. Travel to some countries and territories is currently exempted.

This advice is being kept under constant review. Travel disruption is still possible and national control measures may be brought in with little notice, so check our travel guidance.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office advises against cruise ship travel at this time. This is due to the ongoing pandemic and is based on medical advice from Public Health England.

The government will continue to review its cruise ship travel advice based on the latest medical advice.

If you have future cruise travel plans, you should speak to your travel operator, or the travel company you booked with, for further advice.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office continues to support the Department for Transport’s work with industry for the resumption of international cruise travel.

[CruisingFox27]

You're correct BB, although the 2 news sources quoted are generally quite unreliable. 

[little britain]

So FCO say you cannot go on a cruise... when there are no cruises operating yet.  
Let’s see what they say in a month or so. 

[hamrag]

18 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

...I'm not sure how reliable these news sources are, can anyone from the UK comment? Obviously there will be no ships sailing from Southampton soon, but are Brits banned from flying to a port city and embarking on a cruise?

 

 

No, we are not banned as such. However, given this is an advisory from the FCO, anyone doing so would find any travel insurance invalidated in the event of any sort of claim....never mind specifically in relation to Covid-19. So, I'd say that knocks cruising out for 99% of those who would consider cruising until the restriction is lifted.

 

The advisory has been in place for >70s since March, but was extended a few days ago to cover ALL no matter your age. In that regard, it's a game changer....although no cruiselines are gonna be sailing anytime soon tbf.

Edited July 13, 2020 by hamrag

[cruiser man 60]

Dear Customer, We are sending this email with regards to the FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) update and advisory against cruising.  Currently there are no cruise ships sailing and this will continue for the coming months. How-ever we can assure you the Cruise Lines are working extremely hard along with the government and other regulatory bodies so when cruising does return it will be at its best and one of the safest ways to travel.  We are all working hard together to make sure that our customers are being made aware of any updates and we continue to book new cruises for next year and rebook/change customers cruise holidays to 2021/22.  Cruise Lines continue to offer incredible prices and low deposits plus fantastic flexible booking conditions so you can change your cruise holiday with confidence.   just got above in email from cruise 1st so looks like talks behind scenes, with Aida, Costa and TUI all restarting soon the European authorities have obviously approved sailings for Germans and Italians as a minimum.

[kelleherdl]

3 hours ago, hamrag said:

 

No, we are not banned as such. However, given this is an advisory from the FCO, anyone doing so would find any travel insurance invalidated in the event of any sort of claim....never mind specifically in relation to Covid-19. So, I'd say that knocks cruising out for 99% of those who would consider cruising until the restriction is lifted.

 

I wonder is cruise line offered travel insurance policies can be modified by the carrier to now cover these passengers. Certainly would likely carry a premium increase.  Just considering there is always an option.  

[Sancho_proudfoot]

The latest amendment to the FCO advice narrows it down to "sea-going" ships, so would appear to allow river cruising, which seems a tad illogical.

[little britain]

12 hours ago, Sancho_proudfoot said:

The latest amendment to the FCO advice narrows it down to "sea-going" ships, so would appear to allow river cruising, which seems a tad illogical.

Now, the FCO has further amended its advice to say: 'For information on cruises in UK waters contact the Department for Transport: Maritimeengagement@dft.gov.uk......

I wonder how many emails they are getting!? 

[CruisingFox27]

17 hours ago, little britain said:

Now, the FCO has further amended its advice to say: 'For information on cruises in UK waters contact the Department for Transport: Maritimeengagement@dft.gov.uk......

I wonder how many emails they are getting!? 

 

A lot 😂

[CruisingFox27]

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/5464/?et_cid=3345772&et_rid=212588139&et_referrer=Boards - CC-UK

 

River cruises are exempt in the latest FCO update.