COVID Testing on Iona

[Megabear2]

12 minutes ago, clearblueseas said:

Totally agree. Insurance not fit for purpose. I asked on my online chat to insurance company why aren’t you advising customers clearly in your contract that if they’re offloaded as a close contact they may not be covered for all costs. Their response was to phone the helpline !  Done that to no avail. Very grey area which needs to be addressed. Going around in circles here. 

Sorry you are encountering this. However at least you're doing it before you go and will be forewarned  imagine being ashore after offloading and finding out the situation which happened to the unfortunate "guinea pigs" back in October at a time when P&O believed the insurance cover was in place.

 

We know how the cruise lines didn't do their due diligence on what Covid insurance cover actually was but it's not really an excuse, just left behind a dreadful mess no one can find a way out of.

[clearblueseas]

Written to P & O re above but also included this from the government cruising site.

 

UK Government Cruise Guidance  information 8th October 2021

Can you explain please what your meaning of this quote entails and would this apply to any covid scenario

Quote “your operator is responsible for your health safety and security for the cruise and for repratriation, if this is necessary”

 

will await their reply with anticipation.

[clearblueseas]

It’s totally not fair to be put in a situation where a couple, or indeed family could be put in a very expensive situation or indeed split up.I would be devastated if I was seperated from my husband of 51yrs especially when we have purchased the top insurance cover and assumed we were covered for every eventuality. . Do P & O not have any feelings ?

[Megabear2]

7 minutes ago, clearblueseas said:

It’s totally not fair to be put in a situation where a couple, or indeed family could be put in a very expensive situation or indeed split up.I would be devastated if I was seperated from my husband of 51yrs especially when we have purchased the top insurance cover and assumed we were covered for every eventuality. . Do P & O not have any feelings ?

In fairness it's not a P&O problem how you are accommodated once ashore.  The port/country of offloading has the final say.

[Interestedcruisefan]

17 minutes ago, clearblueseas said:

It’s totally not fair to be put in a situation where a couple, or indeed family could be put in a very expensive situation or indeed split up.I would be devastated if I was seperated from my husband of 51yrs especially when we have purchased the top insurance cover and assumed we were covered for every eventuality. . Do P & O not have any feelings ?

They are saying that's a problem between you and your insurer

 

They appear to be trying to wash their hands of any responsibility 

 

The insurers won't just sit back and be prepared to be the bad guys in this

 

At some stage the cruise lines will have no choice but to start telling customers exactly how it is

 

 

 

 

Edited January 12, 2022 by Interestedcruisefan

[Megabear2]

13 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

They are saying that's a problem between you and your insurer

Correct.  However the argument remains they are digging themselves out of a hole by doing so.  So far they have been given the benefit of the doubt it was an accidental oversight this situation could occur.  The longer this goes on the more it could be construed as deliberately sticking their heads in the sand.

Edited January 12, 2022 by Megabear2

[Interestedcruisefan]

Just now, Megabear2 said:

Correct.  However the argument remains they are digging themselves out of a hole by doing so.  So far they have been given the benefit of the doubt it was an accidental oversight this situation could be occur.  The longer this goes on the more it could be construed as deliberately sticking their heads in the sand.

Yes they won't get away with this much longer. Sooner or later there needs to be some honesty and full disclosure

 

Blaming customers for not having "adequate insurance" is pretty scandalous in this situation tbh

[clearblueseas]

Totally agree. This is an appalling situation.

[Megabear2]

2 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Yes they won't get away with this much longer. Sooner or later there needs to be some honesty and full disclosure

 

Blaming customers for not having "adequate insurance" is pretty scandalous in this situation tbh

Please remember everyone this is not just a P&O problem. In the past 12 days virtually every cruise line has altered their protocols and terms and its mainly due to the volume of Omicron infections they are all having to deal with. Let's not beat P&O with the big stick yet, so far they've been seen to do the right thing by individuals in trouble.

[clearblueseas]

That’s good to hear. Long may it continue. Let’s hope we all eventually get a good outcome from this.

[Interestedcruisefan]

I will keep beating all the cruise lines with a big stick until they are 100 per cent transparent to their customers. 

 

We can all see what's going on here

 

 

 

 

[Megabear2]

3 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I will keep beating all the cruise lines with a big stick until they are 100 per cent transparent to their customers. 

 

We can all see what's going on here

 

 

 

 

Where are you beating them ICF? We can all talk on here but all that does is go round and round in circles.  Are you actually talking to any cruise lines directly, any insurance companies, any underwriters?  It would be good to know, no disrespect intended but if it's just on here what have you achieved?

 

 

[wowzz]

53 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Where are you beating them ICF? We can all talk on here but all that does is go round and round in circles.  Are you actually talking to any cruise lines directly, any insurance companies, any underwriters?  It would be good to know, no disrespect intended but if it's just on here what have you achieved?

 

 

Well said. Stirring things up on CC is easy. Doing the hard work that you have done is far more difficult.

[Megabear2]

22 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Well said. Stirring things up on CC is easy. Doing the hard work that you have done is far more difficult.

I'm delighted to see Harry has joined in by asking Saga the "big" question.  The more people asking the cruise lines what this is all about the better.  Hopefully if they see more people are clued up on this they just might be forced into more dialogue with the underwriters, at least with the ones they recommend anyway.  In Saga' s case it should be easy to have a chat with themselves!

 

Joking apart if one insurer/underwriter moves the rest will hopefully follow in the same way they did on seacations.

[zap99]

27 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I'm delighted to see Harry has joined in by asking Saga the "big" question.  The more people asking the cruise lines what this is all about the better.  Hopefully if they see more people are clued up on this they just might be forced into more dialogue with the underwriters, at least with the ones they recommend anyway.  In Saga' s case it should be easy to have a chat with themselves!

 

Joking apart if one insurer/underwriter moves the rest will hopefully follow in the same way they did on seacations.

Before I pay the balance of my Celebrity and RCI cruises I will do a bit more research, but on the face of it they seem to be a bit more upfront than P&O. Perhaps things will change before October for my Iona cruise. I haven't paid for insurance yet as only deposits are at risk. Early days for us,but a holiday to Lanzarote comes first.

[wowzz]

Just now, zap99 said:

Early days for us,but a holiday to Lanzarote comes first.

Enjoy - we are looking at options for three or four weeks in Faro Park in November.  

[zap99]

3 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Enjoy - we are looking at options for three or four weeks in Faro Park in November.  

Melia TG for us. Only 2 weeks at the end of March. BA will want the balance in a few weeks time. No cruises booked until July with Celebrity. At the moment no tests needed to fly into the Canaries.

[wowzz]

9 minutes ago, zap99 said:

Melia TG for us. Only 2 weeks at the end of March. BA will want the balance in a few weeks time. No cruises booked until July with Celebrity. At the moment no tests needed to fly into the 

Not sure where that is 

If Costa Teguise - great hotel, but not our favourite resort.

Edited January 12, 2022 by wowzz

[terrierjohn]

16 minutes ago, zap99 said:

Melia TG for us. Only 2 weeks at the end of March. BA will want the balance in a few weeks time. No cruises booked until July with Celebrity. At the moment no tests needed to fly into the Canaries.

Have you seen the current daily infection rate in Spain, its heading toward the Italy and France level. It may of course be passed its peak buy March, or it may not?

[wowzz]

4 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Have you seen the current daily infection rate in Spain, its heading toward the Italy and France level. It may of course be passed its peak buy March, or it may not?

Well, UK rates have fallen for seven consecutive days, so by the end  of  March,  Spain should also be on a downward trajectory as well, so Zapp will be good to go !

[zap99]

16 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Have you seen the current daily infection rate in Spain, its heading toward the Italy and France level. It may of course be passed its peak buy March, or it may not?

Who can say, but Surrey is pretty high as well. We aren't staying locked up. We will trust the scientists. Infections are one thing. Seriousness of the virus is another.

[tring]

Is Iona sailing to the Canaries at all at present?  Passengers on Fred's Bolette have been told  The Canaries will no longer avcept ships if anyone is isolating on board.  If what I have heard is correct the isolation crew or passengers do not even have to test positive.  Bolette's current Canaries cruise is heading back to Southampton.  This will surely increase peole being off loaded, if that is still possible elsewhere.

 

Fred now delayed Balmoral's return to sailing date and Braemar now not due to sail until 2023 (was due to start in June).   I have also heard NCL have cancelled cruises on another three ships (so eight in all).  RCI are to use another two ships as isolation ships (will join Vision ot seas and another ship already non that role, like Queen Vic.

[Dermotsgirl]

7 hours ago, tring said:

Is Iona sailing to the Canaries at all at present?  Passengers on Fred's Bolette have been told  The Canaries will no longer avcept ships if anyone is isolating on board.  If what I have heard is correct the isolation crew or passengers do not even have to test positive.  Bolette's current Canaries cruise is heading back to Southampton.  This will surely increase peole being off loaded, if that is still possible elsewhere.

 

Fred now delayed Balmoral's return to sailing date and Braemar now not due to sail until 2023 (was due to start in June).   I have also heard NCL have cancelled cruises on another three ships (so eight in all).  RCI are to use another two ships as isolation ships (will join Vision ot seas and another ship already non that role, like Queen Vic.

Maybe P&O will end up deploying a support ship to the Canaries, at this rate! 

[Gettingwarmer]

I’ve heard that Saga ships with quarantine passengers  still docking in the Canaries. Maybe it depends on the percentage affected. 

[ann141]

1 minute ago, Gettingwarmer said:

I’ve heard that Saga ships with quarantine passengers  still docking in the Canaries. Maybe it depends on the percentage affected. 

Is that just when Spirit of Discovery docked in Lanzarote to presumably disembark their covid case(s)? If so that was a day or two ago I think? Possibly things have changed.Hope the cruise I am due to go on next week goes ahead