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Experience of recent cruise.

GOQ

By GOQ,
in Marella Cruises (formerly Thomson)

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GOQ

GOQ

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Hi, I have just arrived back after the Iberian Explorer cruise 10th to 22nd September.

 

My check in time was 13:00 but the train was late so I arrived at 13:45, no bother, I was allowed to join the queue after confirming I had a vaccination certificate and cruise insurance. After these details and my passport were checked I was given a boarding pass (didn't need my self printed out passes) and 2 part coloured number sticker, then lead to the testing area. Tests were done in colour groups, we waited 15 minutes for the result and were were all waved through security as a group. 

 

On board were were required to take a temperature test every day using one of their automated machines. We all needed to take a LFT 72 hours before Gibraltar and were given access to the Chronomics web site via the navigate.tui app to upload a photo of our negative test strip result, Chronomics then confirmed our result. However the app would not let us download the test result so I took a screen copy. While trying to do this the Explorer Wifi was heavily overloaded and I had to repeatedly  reconnect to enter my data. There was help to sort things out Latitude 53, but the queue was about an hour long, with lots of confused people. They ended up just giving us all a self declaration to sign declaring we had received a negative test result, which we then had to show back to the staff to be allowed off the ship. A joke really. 

 

We had to repeat this procedure  with the return to home covid LFT and the PLF (again the app gave us access to the Chronomics and government PLF websites), with more queues to sort it all out.

 

There were no problems with Vigo, Malaga, Gibraltar and Cadiz where we were allowed to go ashore independently, Lisbon only allowed Marella organised trips, and La Coruna stopped everybody (coach trips included) from going ashore in the morning but changed their minds in the afternoon.

 

The ship appeared to be about one third capacity so the service was very good but the food not so good.

 

It was very nice just to be on a cruise for the first time in 20 months.

 

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GOQ

GOQ

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2 hours ago, Pensioncruiser said:

Thanks for report just one question are they still charging for the WiFi? 

Wifi is not free, but the navigate.tui app has buttons which specifically link you to the Chronomics and government PLF websites, and those websites are free.

 

But the catch is you cannot download any certificates, you need to wait until you get a phone signal so you can access your email via your phone mobile data.

 

But when I disembarked at Southampton nobody ever asked to see my downloaded PLF or Chronomics test certificate. That bit may be just chance. 

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GOQ

GOQ

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1 hour ago, davecttr said:

If in Gibraltar buy your booze in Morrisons. According to the cruise director their stuff does not send you blind.

 I never thought of that, I could have had a nice cup of tea and a sausage sandwich at the same time. The booze was cheaper in town but it was in heavier glass bottles. The Brexit duty free allowances being 4 litres of spirits per person a non flying Southampton to Southampton cruise does have a slight advantage, don't have to worry about suitcase weight.

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Kalynan

Kalynan

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On our recent Icelandic Adventure from Newcastle (10th - 22nd Sept), the internet connection onboard Explorer 2 was abysmal (and yes, they are still selling internet packages which I would never, ever purchase).

 

They gave us vouchers to get free access to upload test results to Chronomics and to complete PLF documents for both entry to Iceland and return to UK.  

 

En route to Iceland, we were eventually able to get the necessary connection and certificates, however on way back to UK we were never able to get the Chronomics certificate downloaded.

 

NONETHELESS, both in Iceland and the UK, no person from any government organisation ever asked to check any of these documents.  We simply walked off the ship into the 3 ports in Iceland without having passport checked, COVID vaccine passport examined or any mention of PLF, in fact no-one at all looked at anything.  

 

Same for the return to UK at Newcastle.

 

 

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Kalynan

Kalynan

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Lynn....agreed, we really expected to be checked for everything when entering Iceland as UK infection rates were really (and still are) quite high at the time, but we walked off the gangway, through a small portacabin-type office and into the car park for tour buses.  Presumably those travelling ashore independently did the same.  The only official we saw was a uniformed police, customs or immigration officer standing near the portacabin watching the passengers walk off.

 

We didn't have such expectations when returning to the UK at Newcastle, as our expectations are always low when it comes to officialdom in the UK !!!

 

The only place where there was apparently any official local or governmental interest was when the ship berthed at Kirkwall in the Orkneys (probably due to the fact that there was COVID on board our ship and another, the Celebrity Silhouette which were visiting that day).  We had about an hours delay before the ship was cleared by the port authorities, but ultimately people were allowed to go ashore independently and on pre-arranged ship tours.

 

Having said all of the above, COVID issues & the small amount of infected people on board the ship, were handled really well and Marella procedures left us feeling safe and keen to make another booking soon.  

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JuneDavid

JuneDavid

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12 hours ago, LynnForestgate said:

This is not good is it ?

You would expect to have a covid passport checked upon entry to a country via a sea port or air port.

I was on the Icelandic Adventure cruise too and after all the stress, upset and anxiety to a lot of passengers re getting the test results and relevant entry documents to both Iceland and the UK sorted via the awful wifi situation, I was really surprised that we just walked off the ship and no one ever asked to see proof of anything. Quite mindboggling really.

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GOQ

GOQ

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6 hours ago, JuneDavid said:

I was on the Icelandic Adventure cruise too and after all the stress, upset and anxiety to a lot of passengers re getting the test results and relevant entry documents to both Iceland and the UK sorted via the awful wifi situation, I was really surprised that we just walked off the ship and no one ever asked to see proof of anything. Quite mindboggling really.

The day before I set out on my cruise I bumped into a neighbour who had just returned from France. I told him of my concerns, he just said don't worry. In Wales we are required to have the more expensive Day 2 NHS approved test , my neighbour just took the English test instead and the PLF accepted it  without question. A fellow traveller of his hadn't booked the day 2 test so he gave him his own  reference number and suggested he just change a few numbers, the system just accepted it.

No one checked our tests.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Brummijam Holiday Sharing Rare

Brummijam

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1 hour ago, Pensioncruiser said:

Good question, sounds like Tui are hoping to pick up more business. I would just suggest you contact your insurers for confirmation you have total cover. Good luck. Hope all well. 😉 

Hi PC.

As always thanks for replying. I was thinking similar regarding  TUI  drumming up business. On all insurance sites cruise cover is pretty much the same.🤷‍♂️ Hoping that RR or GOQ or other recent cruise pax could confirm.

All fine here, hope you and yours are well.😉

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GOQ

GOQ

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I just assumed my travel insurance covered cruises, when I read through the details I couldn't see cruise cover specifically mentioned anywhere in the wording . So I phoned my insurance company  and they confirmed my policy covered cruises.

I asked them to confirm this cover which they did in an email, which I promptly forgot to take with me on cruise day. However when asked for proof of insurance I just handed the check in staff my policy document (which as I stated above, doesn't specifically mention cruise cover) and they just accepted it.

 

So no problem , just get details of the cruise cover confirmed by letter or email, and don't loose it like I did. 

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Pensioncruiser

Pensioncruiser

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45 minutes ago, Brummijam said:

All fine here, hope you and yours are well.😉

Hi BJ we are OK unfortunately grandson just received a positive covid result, as have most of his school, its not over yet! We are still not ready to book anything still looking at the old phots and film's of past holidays, tonight after strictly & the match we found March 2013 Portafino unexpected fantastic holiday, if you like music look up Andrea Bocelli in Portafino, wow what a fantastic day. 

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Brummijam Holiday Sharing Rare

Brummijam

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On 9/28/2021 at 4:04 PM, GOQ said:

The day before I set out on my cruise I bumped into a neighbour who had just returned from France. I told him of my concerns, he just said don't worry. In Wales we are required to have the more expensive Day 2 NHS approved test , my neighbour just took the English test instead and the PLF accepted it  without question. A fellow traveller of his hadn't booked the day 2 test so he gave him his own  reference number and suggested he just change a few numbers, the system just accepted it.

No one checked our 

2 hours ago, GOQ said:

I just assumed my travel insurance covered cruises, when I read through the details I couldn't see cruise cover specifically mentioned anywhere in the wording . So I phoned my insurance company  and they confirmed my policy covered cruises.

I asked them to confirm this cover which they did in an email, which I promptly forgot to take with me on cruise day. However when asked for proof of insurance I just handed the check in staff my policy document (which as I stated above, doesn't specifically mention cruise cover) and they just accepted it.

 

So no problem , just get details of the cruise cover confirmed by letter or email, and don't loose it like I did. 

Many thanks for your reply it’s very helpful.

when I renew my insurance I always include the Cruise cover option because most of our travels are cruise holidays, but Marella have never stipulated that passengers need specific cruise insurance before and on the online booking page it states “ Comprehensive cruise cover” is required.🤷🏻‍♂️  As PC remarked it is probably to get you to buy from their favoured supplier who happens to be AXA I believe.

Keep well. Regards BJ.

 

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Brummijam Holiday Sharing Rare

Brummijam

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2 hours ago, Pensioncruiser said:

Hi BJ we are OK unfortunately grandson just received a positive covid result, as have most of his school, its not over yet! We are still not ready to book anything still looking at the old phots and film's of past holidays, tonight after strictly & the match we found March 2013 Portafino unexpected fantastic holiday, if you like music look up Andrea Bocelli in Portafino, wow what a fantastic day. 

Hi PC. Sorry to hear about your grandson, Thankfully the youngsters can usually shrug it off and I hope this is the case with regards to him. Two of my daughters have had it albeit at different times and although both were a little poorly they are fine now.👍

We have bit the bullet and booked a cruise departing in a couple of weeks, I think we were getting a bit stir crazy not having a holiday for nearly two years and after reading positive reports on here we have gone for it. I have also been going through old photos of past trips, all good memories. YouTube is a good place to watch all things Thomson and Marella and it passes a couple of hours.

Keep well.😉

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