Does the Vaccine policy for UK 'seacations' effectively mean no one under 40 will be on board?

[busymumofthree]

I am really really hoping to book for the Regal Princess when the bookings open on Wednesday this week BUT it seems a real risk that we wouldn't actually be able to go.  

 

(Apologies to non UK cruisers, this will be of no interest to you.)

 

My reasoning is this - we are a family of 6 and its my 60th in mid August so we had booked the Regal to Scandinavia for the occasion (well, it was the Grand, then switched to the Regal).  So the possibility of a quick break instead is so exciting.  BUT although my husband and I will have been fully vaccinated, and so will my priority group 6 daughters in their 20s, my 30 year old son and his fiancé are only 50:50 likely to have had their second vaccination, by my reckoning.  With the April vaccine delays already signposted, age 40+ are looking at May, so I'm guessing age 30+ will be June..... which is touch and go for the standard 11 week gap to have had a second dose by the time we would sail.

 

Thing is, do I book and hope for the best and then accept we may have to cancel (and we've had 4 cruises cancelled in the last year so our luck's not that good!) or do I wait to see when their first vaccine is and count the weeks forward to see if we could go and then book....? (And hearing how fast P&O have sold today, the ship could easily be full anyway by then.)

 

I know no-one can really advise me, and this couldn't be more of a first world problem, I'm just thinking our loud really ..... but if my logic is right, its not just children who are excluded this summer, but also the under 40s.....

 

 

[dog]

Anyone not fully vaccinated by sail date will not qualify to sail. Book last minute. 

[busymumofthree]

12 minutes ago, dog said:

Anyone not fully vaccinated by sail date will not qualify to sail. Book last minute. 

Yes, I get that.  I'm just wondering whether to book now but then may have to cancel or to leave it until I'm certain that we will all qualify to sail ....

[waltd]

Just curious, what is the cancellation policy?    if you can cancel last minute I would book now.   Probably better choice of cabins and maybe better pricing.  

[nomad098]

31 minutes ago, busymumofthree said:

I am really really hoping to book for the Regal Princess when the bookings open on Wednesday this week BUT it seems a real risk that we wouldn't actually be able to go.  

 

(Apologies to non UK cruisers, this will be of no interest to you.)

 

My reasoning is this - we are a family of 6 and its my 60th in mid August so we had booked the Regal to Scandinavia for the occasion (well, it was the Grand, then switched to the Regal).  So the possibility of a quick break instead is so exciting.  BUT although my husband and I will have been fully vaccinated, and so will my priority group 6 daughters in their 20s, my 30 year old son and his fiancé are only 50:50 likely to have had their second vaccination, by my reckoning.  With the April vaccine delays already signposted, age 40+ are looking at May, so I'm guessing age 30+ will be June..... which is touch and go for the standard 11 week gap to have had a second dose by the time we would sail.

 

Thing is, do I book and hope for the best and then accept we may have to cancel (and we've had 4 cruises cancelled in the last year so our luck's not that good!) or do I wait to see when their first vaccine is and count the weeks forward to see if we could go and then book....? (And hearing how fast P&O have sold today, the ship could easily be full anyway by then.)

 

I know no-one can really advise me, and this couldn't be more of a first world problem, I'm just thinking our loud really ..... but if my logic is right, its not just children who are excluded this summer, but also the under 40s.....

 

 

 

I agree no way they can advertise themselves as a family cruise line this year when they have set themselves up as selective adult only cruise line based on the science of facebook, tik tok, whatsapp and cruisecritic.

 

More worryingly this only applies to this new batch of UK only cruises according to Princess

" All other Princess Cruises holidays currently on sale do not require guests to be vaccinated."

 

As it stands it looks like because the UK have done well with it's vaccination program they can afford to discriminate based on age, comorbidities or profession, but in areas not doing well with the vaccination like Europe anyone is welcome 

 

Was looking at Princess UK cruise this year as we expect our RCL cruise in the Med to be cancelled.

Will be fully vaccinated by the end of May but with the rules they have in place they quite obviously do not want or need my families holiday £££'s. 

 

[wowzz]

5 hours ago, dog said:

Anyone not fully vaccinated by sail date will not qualify to sail. Book last minute. 

Absolutely no chance of booking last minute. If the P&O experience is anything to go by, all the cruises will be sold out in less than 48 hours.

[busymumofthree]

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Absolutely no chance of booking last minute. If the P&O experience is anything to go by, all the cruises will be sold out in less than 48 hours.

Totally agree Wowzz - go early or no chance!

[dides]

6 hours ago, busymumofthree said:

I am really really hoping to book for the Regal Princess when the bookings open on Wednesday this week BUT it seems a real risk that we wouldn't actually be able to go.  

I know no-one can really advise me, and this couldn't be more of a first world problem, I'm just thinking our loud really ..... but if my logic is right, its not just children who are excluded this summer, but also the under 40s.....

 

 

Yes it's risky for an August cruise - you can book but be prepared to move it/lose the deposit. Otherwise best waiting until all your family members get their first vaccine before booking. And note there are ex-UK Regal Princess cruises in October available to book now which don't currently fall under the vaccination rules.

Edited March 22, 2021 by dides

[dog]

5 hours ago, waltd said:

Just curious, what is the cancellation policy?    if you can cancel last minute I would book now.   Probably better choice of cabins and maybe better pricing.  

 

29 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Absolutely no chance of booking last minute. If the P&O experience is anything to go by, all the cruises will be sold out in less than 48 hours.

 

9 minutes ago, dides said:

Yes it's risky for an August cruise - you can book but be prepared to move it/lose the deposit. Otherwise best waiting until all your family members get their first vaccine before booking. And note there are ex-UK Regal Princess cruises in October available to book now which don't currently fall under the vaccination rules.

Yes, good advice. 

[wowzz]

26 minutes ago, dides said:

And note there are ex-UK Regal Princess cruises in October available to book now

And Sky Princess as well.

[black_velvet]

If you book by end of April, you can cancel up to a month before sailing and get what you've paid as FCC. we're planning to book 2 on Wednesday, in early August and late September. If the first one makes us decide to wait longer, we'll cancel the second one.

[black_velvet]

6 hours ago, nomad098 said:

 

I agree no way they can advertise themselves as a family cruise line this year when they have set themselves up as selective adult only cruise line based on the science of facebook, tik tok, whatsapp and cruisecritic.

 

More worryingly this only applies to this new batch of UK only cruises according to Princess

" All other Princess Cruises holidays currently on sale do not require guests to be vaccinated."

 

As it stands it looks like because the UK have done well with it's vaccination program they can afford to discriminate based on age, comorbidities or profession, but in areas not doing well with the vaccination like Europe anyone is welcome 

 

Was looking at Princess UK cruise this year as we expect our RCL cruise in the Med to be cancelled.

Will be fully vaccinated by the end of May but with the rules they have in place they quite obviously do not want or need my families holiday £££'s. 

 

Of course Princess want and need families. But at the moment the need for stringent vaccination requirements takes precedence.

[donaldsc]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

Absolutely no chance of booking last minute. If the P&O experience is anything to go by, all the cruises will be sold out in less than 48 hours.

 

They may be sold out really quickly because everyone is so desperate to get onto a cruise.  However, I suspect that many people will have 2nd thoughts after booking so fast so there will also probably be a lot of cabin turnover.

 

DON

[wowzz]

7 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

They may be sold out really quickly because everyone is so desperate to get onto a cruise.  However, I suspect that many people will have 2nd thoughts after booking so fast so there will also probably be a lot of cabin turnover.

 

DON

I doubt it, especially as it means losing your deposit. (Or, at the very least, having to transfer it to a new booking)

[busymumofthree]

Thanks for the replies everyone - I appreciate your thoughts.

 

I still don't know what I'll do!  But that's tomorrow morning's decision....

[the english lady]

14 hours ago, nomad098 said:

 

I agree no way they can advertise themselves as a family cruise line this year when they have set themselves up as selective adult only cruise line based on the science of facebook, tik tok, whatsapp and cruisecritic.

 

More worryingly this only applies to this new batch of UK only cruises according to Princess

" All other Princess Cruises holidays currently on sale do not require guests to be vaccinated."

 

As it stands it looks like because the UK have done well with it's vaccination program they can afford to discriminate based on age, comorbidities or profession, but in areas not doing well with the vaccination like Europe anyone is welcome 

 

Was looking at Princess UK cruise this year as we expect our RCL cruise in the Med to be cancelled.

Will be fully vaccinated by the end of May but with the rules they have in place they quite obviously do not want or need my families holiday £££'s. 

 

We have gone to a lot of time and effort and cost  in the UK, to be where we are now. It is possible the cruise line were informed that if they wanted to try and sell these cruises, these conditions had to be met. It is one holiday in one year. Nobody knows what will be the case later on in the year. With cases rising in Europe and further lockdowns there, it is possible more cruises in Europe will be cancelled, especially for non nationals. If the only way they can start up is with fairy steps and having fully vaccinated passengers onboard, then so be it.  Once the world opens up more I am sure cases will rise throughtout the world and more lockdowns will possibly happen.

[Geoffa30]

8 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

They may be sold out really quickly because everyone is so desperate to get onto a cruise.  However, I suspect that many people will have 2nd thoughts after booking so fast so there will also probably be a lot of cabin turnover.

 

DON

We aren’t afforded the same cancellation policies in the U.K. as you are in the US, so I highly doubt people will be booking now only to cancel thus losing their deposits. I’ve always found the attitude of booking cruises to snag the best cabins just in case I fancy going on it to be very annoying.

[CCFC]

Just spoke to my travel agent to get her to ring me first thing in the morning for a September cruise on Regal, she said they are only sailing at 40% capacity so you really do need to be quick off the mark.

[seapals2]

On 3/22/2021 at 4:43 PM, busymumofthree said:

I am really really hoping to book for the Regal Princess when the bookings open on Wednesday this week BUT it seems a real risk that we wouldn't actually be able to go.  

 

(Apologies to non UK cruisers, this will be of no interest to you.)

 

My reasoning is this - we are a family of 6 and its my 60th in mid August so we had booked the Regal to Scandinavia for the occasion (well, it was the Grand, then switched to the Regal).  So the possibility of a quick break instead is so exciting.  BUT although my husband and I will have been fully vaccinated, and so will my priority group 6 daughters in their 20s, my 30 year old son and his fiancé are only 50:50 likely to have had their second vaccination, by my reckoning.  With the April vaccine delays already signposted, age 40+ are looking at May, so I'm guessing age 30+ will be June..... which is touch and go for the standard 11 week gap to have had a second dose by the time we would sail.

 

Thing is, do I book and hope for the best and then accept we may have to cancel (and we've had 4 cruises cancelled in the last year so our luck's not that good!) or do I wait to see when their first vaccine is and count the weeks forward to see if we could go and then book....? (And hearing how fast P&O have sold today, the ship could easily be full anyway by then.)

 

I know no-one can really advise me, and this couldn't be more of a first world problem, I'm just thinking our loud really ..... but if my logic is right, its not just children who are excluded this summer, but also the under 40s.....

 

 

Had exactly the same dilemma ... my husband is 70 in August we have booked a hotel in Uk for a couple of nights for all the family which includes two teenage grandkids and then a short 4 nt Sky Princess just the two of us.  Would have loved them all to have been on the cruise with us.  We did it for our 60th birthdays and wedding anniversary and the whole family had an amazing holiday.  
Have you decided?  

[seapals2]

On 3/23/2021 at 9:17 AM, Geoffa30 said:

We aren’t afforded the same cancellation policies in the U.K. as you are in the US, so I highly doubt people will be booking now only to cancel thus losing their deposits. I’ve always found the attitude of booking cruises to snag the best cabins just in case I fancy going on it to be very annoying.

There may be some late deals once balance payments get requested 30 days before cruise.  Some may have seen the low £50 deposit tempting but get a change of mind later.  

[busymumofthree]

4 hours ago, seapals2 said:

Had exactly the same dilemma ... my husband is 70 in August we have booked a hotel in Uk for a couple of nights for all the family which includes two teenage grandkids and then a short 4 nt Sky Princess just the two of us.  Would have loved them all to have been on the cruise with us.  We did it for our 60th birthdays and wedding anniversary and the whole family had an amazing holiday.  
Have you decided?  

Thanks for asking, seapals!

 

I decided it wasn't fair on the 30 year olds for them to be the reason we would have to cancel a trip so I've booked a hotel in the Isle of Wight for my actual birthday week.

 

BUT I have also booked the Regal cruise on 23rd Sept for just my husband and myself, stopping at Liverpool, Belfast and Greenock - its almost an exact replica of the Cunard cruise we've had cancelled for June which was just going to be the two of us, so I don't feel guilty about that at all!  

 

So it seems you and I think pretty much alike 🙂   Enjoy your summer!

[Worldtraveler 4727]

On 3/23/2021 at 5:17 AM, Geoffa30 said:

We aren’t afforded the same cancellation policies in the U.K. as you are in the US, so I highly doubt people will be booking now only to cancel thus losing their deposits. I’ve always found the attitude of booking cruises to snag the best cabins just in case I fancy going on it to be very annoying.

Hello Geoffa, I'm off this subject a bit here, but I am trying to find some comprehensive blogs/information on the Princess land and sea Australia/New Zealand trip, and I ran across a posting on CC that you were booked for 2019. Did you by any chance write a review or blog that you could direct me to? Or do you know of any? Friends and I have booked a 20 day land/sea tour on the Royal for fall 2022. Thank you in advance for any info you would kindly toss my way!

[Geoffa30]

18 hours ago, Worldtraveler 4727 said:

Hello Geoffa, I'm off this subject a bit here, but I am trying to find some comprehensive blogs/information on the Princess land and sea Australia/New Zealand trip, and I ran across a posting on CC that you were booked for 2019. Did you by any chance write a review or blog that you could direct me to? Or do you know of any? Friends and I have booked a 20 day land/sea tour on the Royal for fall 2022. Thank you in advance for any info you would kindly toss my way!

Hi @Worldtraveler 4727 we didn’t do the Princess land tour in the end but did something independently prior to our cruise. My partner did a blog http://livinglifeonecruiseatatime.blogspot.com/ about our trip. The ordering of the posts and actual dates seem to be messed up now but hopefully it gives some idea of what we got up to. I expect the cruise part will be of more interest. We had an amazing trip. I’m sure you will do too.

[downsmead]

To answer the OPs question; There are people under 40 who would be able to cruise - those who qualified due to an underlying condition, NHS frontline staff, carers to name a few. An issue may be that only one person in a couple may be vaccinated and so the trip would not possible in those circumstances.

[Worldtraveler 4727]

2 hours ago, Geoffa30 said:

Hi @Worldtraveler 4727 we didn’t do the Princess land tour in the end but did something independently prior to our cruise. My partner did a blog http://livinglifeonecruiseatatime.blogspot.com/ about our trip. The ordering of the posts and actual dates seem to be messed up now but hopefully it gives some idea of what we got up to. I expect the cruise part will be of more interest. We had an amazing trip. I’m sure you will do too.

Thank you, Geoff! I thoroughly enjoyed the blog and took lots of notes! Much appreciated!