Compulsory Pre Cruise Hotel Stay

[ToxM]

So checking as I do often the status of my cruise booking and current pricing this morning for my May Sirena cruise, I noticed something I hadn’t seen before on my TA website: 

 

“*One night pre-cruise hotel stay may be required”

 

It is worth pointing out that my cruise is Southampton - Southampton. I am in the UK (in fact 60 miles from Southampton) so wouldn’t really need a hotel. My TA is a UK one. 

 

It may have been that I didn’t notice this before - but I think I would have noticed it. 

 

Is this to pre test for covid before embarkation? 

[LHT28]

Have you asked your TA about it ?

 

[ToxM]

11 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Have you asked your TA about it ?

 

Nope, nightmare getting through to them atm. 

 

I just thought it was an interesting potential thing. 

Edited August 5, 2020 by ToxM
Edited to deter pedantry.

[Noxequifans]

I believe the operative word is "may". it could apply to passengers arriving from specified locations. Suggest sending your TA an e-mail. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

25 minutes ago, ToxM said:

So checking as I do often the status of my cruise booking and current pricing this morning for my May Sirena cruise, I noticed something I hadn’t seen before on my TA website: 

 

“*One night pre-cruise hotel stay may be required”

 

It is worth pointing out that my cruise is Southampton - Southampton. I am in the UK (in fact 60 miles from Southampton) so wouldn’t really need a hotel. My TA is a UK one. 

 

It may have been that I didn’t notice this before - but I think I would have noticed it. 

 

Is this to pre test for covid before embarkation? 

Of course it is. 

 It's a good bet that US CDC (and other govt. watchdogs worldwide) soon may start requiring some form of very recent Covid testing results for embarking cruise passengers. And some versions of/processes for these tests could require that 24 hour buffer. Thus, a pre-cruise hotel requirement makes sense if the cruise line or govt agencies wants to have control of that testing.

That said, note that your TA said "may be" required. Good that they're covering all the bases.

[ToxM]

1 minute ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Of course it is. 

 It's a good bet that US CDC (and other govt. watchdogs worldwide) soon may start requiring some form of very recent Covid testing results for embarking cruise passengers. And some versions of/processes for these tests could require that 24 hour buffer. Thus, a pre-cruise hotel requirement makes sense if the cruise line or govt agencies wants to have control of that testing.

That said, note that your TA said "may be" required. Good that they're covering all the bases.

 

All of this is very much a moving target of course, but it does make sense to me, and then if testing is done prior to arriving at the terminal you don’t have a big load of people potentially infected - a much smaller blast radius in a hotel setting. 

[susiesan]

When is this cruise? 

[ToxM]

29 minutes ago, susiesan said:

When is this cruise? 

 

May 2021

[Two4Sea]

ToxM -I've seen this as a broad statement before. The majority of O's clients are from North America, they can't get to Southampton for an early afternoon boarding without an overnight either on the plane or in a hotel. O is just cautioning them that if they take O's air, the low price ticket may well be on a flight the day before and O isn't going to pick up the hotel cost.

 

For instance if I left Vancouver today (Wednesday) the earliest I could make a 2pm boarding in Southampton would be Friday, one night on the plane with a mid-day arrival at Heathrow and then an overnight in London or Southampton. There is not only 9-10 hour's flying time from the west coast there is an 8 hour time change against me.

 

As a UK resident this of course would not be relevant to you.

 

Bill

[LHT28]

53 minutes ago, Two4Sea said:

For instance if I left Vancouver today (Wednesday) the earliest I could make a 2pm boarding in Southampton would be Friday, one night on the plane with a mid-day arrival at Heathrow and then an overnight in London or Southampton. There is not only 9-10 hour's flying time from the west coast there is an 8 hour time change against me.

 

 

If you left  YVR  on a non stop at 5:50 pm you arr in LHR at 11 am tomorrow   clear immigration & head to Southampton  arrive by 2 pm Thurs

Would not be fun to be jet lagged  but it can be done

[ToxM]

2 hours ago, Two4Sea said:

ToxM -I've seen this as a broad statement before. The majority of O's clients are from North America, they can't get to Southampton for an early afternoon boarding without an overnight either on the plane or in a hotel. O is just cautioning them that if they take O's air, the low price ticket may well be on a flight the day before and O isn't going to pick up the hotel cost.

 

For instance if I left Vancouver today (Wednesday) the earliest I could make a 2pm boarding in Southampton would be Friday, one night on the plane with a mid-day arrival at Heathrow and then an overnight in London or Southampton. There is not only 9-10 hour's flying time from the west coast there is an 8 hour time change against me.

 

As a UK resident this of course would not be relevant to you.

 

Bill

 

I would agree with this if it were not for localised geolocked versions of Oceania’s site which automatically provides flights or no flights for different cruises, as well as fares in £’s etc BUT, this wasn’t on Oceania’s site, this was on a UK TA site which clearly had it’s ducks in a row as it wasn’t even offering a fly cruise price. 

[Two4Sea]

LHT -so the time the plane's outbound leg to Vancouver the day before was delayed by European radar problems and while we barely made our onward connection at Heathrow our bags didn't get forwarded until the next day; ...that all didn't happen? Or the time the plane was bit late, lost its gate slot and we had be bussed from the spot where the plane got parked at a cost of about 45 minutes? My original point wasn't to split hairs on cautious timing, it was to suggest to ToxM what O can face in offering air to many of its customers.

 

ToxM -it's your cruise but I wouldn't consider all website statements to be that expertly written. The other posters have spoken well enough to the potental meanings.

 

Bill

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Two4Sea said:

LHT -so the time the plane's outbound leg to Vancouver the day before was delayed by European radar problems and while we barely made our onward connection at Heathrow our bags didn't get forwarded until the next day; ...that all didn't happen? Or the time the plane was bit late, lost its gate slot and we had be bussed from the spot where the plane got parked at a cost of about 45 minutes? My original point wasn't to split hairs on cautious timing, it was to suggest to ToxM what O can face in offering air to many of its customers.

 

ToxM -it's your cruise but I wouldn't consider all website statements to be that expertly written. The other posters have spoken well enough to the potental meanings.

 

Bill

Yes things do happen that is  why we fly in a day or more early even to cruise from Florida

 

I was replying to what you posted    i quoted your post...  😲

You did not post what actually happened in the past to you

 

As for TOXM's statement  they did say the hotel  statement  was on his TA site  ..nothing to do with Oceania

 

It is always good to get to the port city or within a short drive  the day before 

JMO

 

[edgee]

6 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Yes things do happen that is  why we fly in a day or more early even to cruise from Florida

 

I was replying to what you posted    i quoted your post...  😲

You did not post what actually happened in the past to you

 

As for TOXM's statement  they did say the hotel  statement  was on his TA site  ..nothing to do with Oceania

 

It is always good to get to the port city or within a short drive  the day before 

JMO

 

Lyn, your opinion is seem as fact by most even slightly experienced cruisers. IMO, the common practice of cruise lines scheduling passengers to fly from great distances with arrival times figured barely in time to make a ship's embarkation deadline is travel industry malpractice.

[LHT28]

31 minutes ago, edgee said:

Lyn, your opinion is seem as fact by most even slightly experienced cruisers. IMO, the common practice of cruise lines scheduling passengers to fly from great distances with arrival times figured barely in time to make a ship's embarkation deadline is travel industry malpractice.

 

A good  reason why some people book their own air  or pay the deviation fee  to fly in earlier  & choose the routing (if they take the included air offer)

I would have thought most Oceania cruisers were intelligent enough to figure  out flying in the same day  especially across the pond  is  a fools game 😎

JMO

[Kate-AHF]

I'm on this cruise.... and we have a rather extensive pre-cruise trip beforehand in France, that is nailed down and sewn up.  Glad I hadn't planned to ferry over to Southampton the day of.  As it is, we have a night booked in Southampton before boarding.

 

I absolutely see the sense of that kind of requirement - if they can get a COVID test turnaround in 24 hours.

[LHT28]

59 minutes ago, Kate-AHF said:

I absolutely see the sense of that kind of requirement - if they can get a COVID test turnaround in 24 hours.

At this point in time I do not believe it is an Oceania  requirement 

 

[comcox]

11 hours ago, Kate-AHF said:

I'm on this cruise.... and we have a rather extensive pre-cruise trip beforehand in France, that is nailed down and sewn up.  Glad I hadn't planned to ferry over to Southampton the day of.  As it is, we have a night booked in Southampton before boarding.

 

I absolutely see the sense of that kind of requirement - if they can get a COVID test turnaround in 24 hours.

We seem to be doing the same thing although at this point I haven't nailed down anything in the pre-cruise trip to France.  Having so many plans and so much money lost this year to things nailed down, I've become paranoid.  Even 4 of my cruises next year are gone already.

Where are you staying in Southampton the night before?

[ToxM]

It’s actually going to be a bit of a pain for me if this happens. I am travelling with my mum who is disabled and uses a mobility device. This is a lot of faffing around for her from what would normally be an hour’s drive from where we live, which was the main reason we booked this cruise. 

 

If it does turn out to be a requirement, I can absolutely see why it will have to happen, and it makes good sense, but I may not think that when we are lugging all our stuff all over the place then trying to source a taxi that can carry my mum’s wheelchair the next morning. 

 

Luckily, by the looks of things we are pretty much the only ship in that morning, so there will be plenty of hotel space the night before. 

 

 

[LHT28]

4 hours ago, ToxM said:

If it does turn out to be a requirement, I can absolutely see why it will have to happen, and it makes good sense, but I may not think that when we are lugging all our stuff all over the place then trying to source a taxi that can carry my mum’s wheelchair the next morning. 

 

Why worry about something that may not happen?

 I do not understand  why Oceania  would require pax to be in SOU the day before

Are they going to run around  to all the hotels  to make sure people are there ?

 

Since it is on your TA site  just email or call & find the reason why instead of spreading rumours

[kentish belle]

I do not know which TA you are using, if it is the same TA that we use, that only books premium & luxury cruises, there website has always stated that you may need an overnight stay in a Hotel. This is to ensure you arrive at your embarkation port, wherever that is in the world, more than two hours before the ship sails.

 

It has nothing to do with COVID 19.

[ToxM]

59 minutes ago, kentish belle said:

I do not know which TA you are using, if it is the same TA that we use, that only books premium & luxury cruises, there website has always stated that you may need an overnight stay in a Hotel. This is to ensure you arrive at your embarkation port, wherever that is in the world, more than two hours before the ship sails.

 

It has nothing to do with COVID 19.

 

Never noticed it before, we may be talking about the same TA. 

[ToxM]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Why worry about something that may not happen?

 I do not understand  why Oceania  would require pax to be in SOU the day before

Are they going to run around  to all the hotels  to make sure people are there ?

 

Since it is on your TA site  just email or call & find the reason why instead of spreading rumours

 

I don’t believe I stated I was worried, nor do I feel I was spreading rumours. It was an observation, as I stated in my first post. 

 

it’s not as if we have anything much else to talk about, which I guess explains your tone as well 🙂

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, ToxM said:

 

I don’t believe I stated I was worried, nor do I feel I was spreading rumours. It was an observation, as I stated in my first post. 

 

 

I guess your comment in post 19   is not a concern then

 

 

 

 

 

[ToxM]

52 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

I guess your comment in post 19   is not a concern then

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe you just don’t understand the use of the words pain, faff and lugging. My edit in post 1 was definitely needed in post 19 then 😉

 

Have a lovely day and I look forward to your attempt at the last word.