Arcadia - Canada - J114 (October)

[white_bear]

Does anyone know what is happening with this cruise?

We had an email from P&O some time ago mentioning the Canadian ban on cruise ships but saying they were not yet announcing cancellation.  Since then, heard nothing.......  but notice that the cruise is no longer apparently for sale.

It seems pretty clear that P&O will cancel it - but when?

[tring]

38 minutes ago, white_bear said:

Does anyone know what is happening with this cruise?

We had an email from P&O some time ago mentioning the Canadian ban on cruise ships but saying they were not yet announcing cancellation.  Since then, heard nothing.......  but notice that the cruise is no longer apparently for sale.

It seems pretty clear that P&O will cancel it - but when?

 

Could try ringing P&O, but I certainly agree with the likelihood of it being cancelled.  I have a brother in Newfoundland  and they are getting no new cases most days and have lockdowns if a few cases appear, like in Australia, NZ and the IOM.  The same with the other two coastal provinces as well.  They will not be admitting cruise ships this autumn.

 

 

[Son of Anarchy]

If memory serves me right, Molecrochip posted that that cruise, and I think the cruise to New York had been withdrawn from sale, but were still scheduled to sail, subject to Canada's and USA policies nearer the time.

 

Mind you, I thought Canada's ban was pretty much set in stone soon after that post and so would have been cancelled.

[Purdey16]

Yep I’m on that one had the same email a while back but not yet cancelled they were holding out hope that things would change 🤷‍♀️ We all know it won’t go a head Canada is so far behind vaccinations 

[terrierjohn]

3 hours ago, white_bear said:

Does anyone know what is happening with this cruise?

We had an email from P&O some time ago mentioning the Canadian ban on cruise ships but saying they were not yet announcing cancellation.  Since then, heard nothing.......  but notice that the cruise is no longer apparently for sale.

It seems pretty clear that P&O will cancel it - but when?

According to my SIL who lives in Ottawa they have just gone into another lockdown, so if the situation is now more serious than when Canada banned cruise ship visits until next year, then what are P&O waiting for?

[tring]

4 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

According to my SIL who lives in Ottawa they have just gone into another lockdown, so if the situation is now more serious than when Canada banned cruise ship visits until next year, then what are P&O waiting for?

 

It is beyond comprehension that it has not been cancelled.  I do not have detailed knowledge of Ottawa, but it is only the eastern coastal provinces that are more or less keeping it out altogether - but will not have ships for that reason.  They have a very strict quarantine rules to the extent that my niece from Montreal was not able to visit her dad when he had a stroke before Christmas without quarantining on arrival in Newfoundland before seeing him and could not have long enough off work.

 

Province Québec, especially the cities have been the worst in Canada, and have been in a lockdown situation more or less from the outset.  As academics, my niece and her husband have had to do everything on line throughout and  I think schools have been closed throughout as well, but am not completely sure of that.  I understand vaccinations are starting now and my brother (in his 80's) had his first jab a week or so ago, but his wife in early 70's with Parkinson's has no idea when she will get her's.  As you say Canada will clearly not be accepting cruise ships and will not for a long time.

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by tring

[tring]

We were talking to a number of our Canadian relatives, their other relatives and friends in other locations as well on Zoom about 3 weeks ago and they all said "the Boris bug" was taking a hold on all regions, so the the virus was increasing throughout Canada then.

 

Newfoundland has got rid of their very small outbreak with another lockdown since then and I think all is looking better there now.  Not going to let anyone in without strict quarantine though for a very long time.

 

[cockneyjock]

There's a rumour that she's going to Hamburg for a refit this year.

[Son of Anarchy]

I think pre-Covid, Arcadia was scheduled for refit immediately after her Worldie.  Could be wrong though, was a long time ago!

 

I think a lot of ships will have at least some of maritime inspection/MOT before they can go back to carrying passengers.  Azura for one has been overdue for some time.

[Purdey16]

1 hour ago, cockneyjock said:

There's a rumour that she's going to Hamburg for a refit this year.

Well hope it’s before my December cruise to Norway then 🤞

[bjenk]

On 4/21/2021 at 5:33 PM, Purdey16 said:

Hi bjenk we have just had our invoice to be paid on 12 th June  but we are expecting it to be extended like our last several cruises were , and we have never paid a balance on a cruise 20 weeks before sailing , Norman 12 weeks with us and we have been with them for 17 years now , recently over the last year or so 4 weeks before, so always phone them up and queirie this and ask for a extension but hopefully we will get a cancellation from P&O first 

Thank you for your help with this. I'm hanging on a bit longer in the hope P&O will cancel..But 12th June

is much more realistic.

[jeanlyon]

No I use a good Travel Agent who always gets me the cabins we want and always gives us a discount.  We are not allowed to mention them, but there are quite a few good ones.

[Manx buoy]

The Canadian F1 Grand Prix has just been scrapped for this year (June 11-13) due to ongoing COVID restrictions and quarantine measures so looking less likely for the cruise going ahead

[bjenk]

On 4/22/2021 at 8:40 PM, bjenk said:

Thank you for your help with this. I'm hanging on a bit longer in the hope P&O will cancel..But 12th June

is much more realistic.

Just heard "balance has been extended to 2nd June". It seems "things will be clearer" by then.

[tring]

11 hours ago, bjenk said:

Just heard "balance has been extended to 2nd June". It seems "things will be clearer" by then.

 

Really!  I would have thought they are pretty clear now.

 

The reason we transferred our Aurora US/Canada cruise to an Iona June cruise earlier this year is because we were concerned we would be restricted in ports and certainly not be allowed to meet up with our Canadian relatives.  That is, I suggest, a big factor with many people booking cruises similar to that.

 

Vaccinations now progressing in Canada, but as far as I know, still great restrictions on even other Canadians being able to enter NFLD without quarantine.  Hence travel not looked upon as likely any time soon.  The other coastal regions PEI and Nova Scotia,  have reportedly had the same controls with the same almost total lack of the virus, like the IOM or Australia.  Our relatives, who are in different parts of Canada hope they will be able to meet up sometime this year, but are not confident in that.  Going to send an email today so will ask for another update - we are in regular contact.

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by tring

[tring]

Latest update I have on Canada is that Covid numbers just seem to be getting worse in most provinces.  In NFL the numbers are increasing slowly, but are related to travel and not by community transmission, yet they are in what is called a "red alert stage" and another lock down may come in, if it continues, (I wonder how they would classify our situation, even with what we consider to be low numbers 🙂 ).

 

Have P&O said any more about your cruise?  Since we were originally booked on the Aurora September one it has left me wondering. 

[yorkshirephil]

28 minutes ago, tring said:

Latest update I have on Canada is that Covid numbers just seem to be getting worse in most provinces.  In NFL the numbers are increasing slowly, but are related to travel and not by community transmission, yet they are in what is called a "red alert stage" and another lock down may come in, if it continues, (I wonder how they would classify our situation, even with what we consider to be low numbers 🙂 ).

 

Have P&O said any more about your cruise?  Since we were originally booked on the Aurora September one it has left me wondering. 

We have friends who were booked on this who last week moved their deposit to a future cruise, their TA couldn't understand why it was still scheduled.

[wowzz]

You would have thought that, knowing the cruise cannot possibly go ahead, that P&O would want to cancel, so that they can schedule, and start selling, new cruise itineraries, for the time period in question. 

[Glenndale]

I booked 2 North American cruises from UK for September this year, one with Princess and one with Saga.

Booked Princess one on £50 deposit so was prepared to lose that as Saga cruise was preferred but at the point of booking Princess the Saga itineraries hadn’t been released.

Princess cruise was cancelled at end of February and Saga cruise in December 2020.

Cannot see that the Arcadia one will still go ahead. 

Just an excuse to hold onto your money?

[tring]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

You would have thought that, knowing the cruise cannot possibly go ahead, that P&O would want to cancel, so that they can schedule, and start selling, new cruise itineraries, for the time period in question. 

 

The two North American ones are sceduled for September, yet the cruises on other ships have been cancelled for then, even if not re-scheduled to sail.  I doubt Aurora/Arcadia will have other cruises planned for that time, sadly.

[marty98]

Having asked P&O recently about this cruise which doesn't take a brain surgeon to know will not take place I received an email reply dated 24th April from customer services who basically didn't answer the question .

What they did say though was that the balance and due payment date had now been moved from June to 30 days prior to departure.

[Adawn47]

40 minutes ago, marty98 said:

What they did say though was that the balance and due payment date had now been moved from June to 30 days prior to departure.

That's what P&O did to our June 24th cruise, so yes, it will most likely be cancelled. I don't know why they do it, unless it's to keep the deposits a little longer. Who knows, but if your cruise (September?) is cancelled then it's not looking too good for October 8th.

Avril

[molecrochip]

If P&O cancel and then Canada opens up, P&O will be liable for port fees etc as if they visited.

 

What P&O are doing is waiting for the local port authorities to cancel on them before then cancelling the cruise.

 

Whilst Canada is very unlikely to reopen this year, it’s a game of cat and mouse to ensure P&O don’t end up paying for something they can’t use!

[tring]

22 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

If P&O cancel and then Canada opens up, P&O will be liable for port fees etc as if they visited.

 

What P&O are doing is waiting for the local port authorities to cancel on them before then cancelling the cruise.

 

Whilst Canada is very unlikely to reopen this year, it’s a game of cat and mouse to ensure P&O don’t end up paying for something they can’t use!

 

Thanks for that insight.  Makes perfect sense put that way, but does not explain why the port authorities are sitting on it - except they are obviously hoping to gain some of those fees.

[bjenk]

On 5/5/2021 at 11:52 PM, bjenk said:

Just heard "balance has been extended to 2nd June". It seems "things will be clearer" by then.

Just asked for another extension,preferably 30 days before sailing. Will see what the response is