Updated Vaccation Policy

[SarahHben]

I’ve had an email about my August 2023 cruise but not my May 2022 one.

[newbie cruissy]

I wonder how strict the 24 hours prior to embarkation will be. If we tested at 3pm Friday before travelling to Southampton, and embarked at 4pm Saturday, will the clipboard brigade be wagging their pencils? Also, with only 24 hours to complete, I imagine many of the chemist's in Southampton will he very busy on Saturday mornings! 

[davecttr]

The pre cruise test now has to be 24 hours before embarkation. How the heck can you do that if you are travelling to Southampton on the day before the cruise.

 

My cruise starts on Saturday the 21 May so the test needs completing on the Friday.  That gives me a 3 hour window to take a test and get the certificate before my journey starts IF there is an in store pharmacy test available near my home.

 

It seems P&O are making it as difficult as possible for you to go on your cruise.

[silversurf]

1 hour ago, Camberley said:

Ok I’m confused. Though arguably that doesn’t take much at the mo! For our July Med cruise we got this email this afternoon: so we do have to be vaccinated etc (which is fine as we are and boosted, but friends coming with us are not quite in the same boat - well, figuratively!).
 

And of course ringing P and O for clarification is proving a challenge - as always! I think a wingless pigeon with no legs would be quicker and more reliable.

 

 

[bbtablet]

1 hour ago, Pencil62 said:

Sorry, should have read instore. £29:99

Thank gooness for that. I thought you were saying that some of their competitors row you out to sea in a little boat to do the test there!

[Mad4WDW]

1 hour ago, niltava42 said:

Testing policy as clear as mud...

 

there are two type of private test offered by Prenetics both offering 'proof'..

 

self administered or observed...

 

which do P&O want?

 

why isn't there a link provided? 

 

no rush my cruise doesn't go until 7th May....

 

P & O only require the self administered one. Princess require an observed one. The latter is double the price

[P&O SUE]

13 minutes ago, davecttr said:

The pre cruise test now has to be 24 hours before embarkation. How the heck can you do that if you are travelling to Southampton on the day before the cruise.

 

My cruise starts on Saturday the 21 May so the test needs completing on the Friday.  That gives me a 3 hour window to take a test and get the certificate before my journey starts IF there is an in store pharmacy test available near my home.

 

It seems P&O are making it as difficult as possible for you to go on your cruise.

I’ve just said similar to my husband, also if we were at work the day before! Not easy at all. Luckily after this weekend my next cruise isn’t until Oct 2023.

[silversurf]

I too have had this email today.

what happens if a person is not fully vaccinated, due to bad reaction, or indeed not vaccinated at all.

A friend has booked and wasn’t informed on booking that this was required. They do not use the internet.

Can they cancel and receive a refund of deposit?

[amajaa]

We have just had emails about our November 2022, May 2023 and December 2023 ( 20 months away) cruises saying we have to be fully vaccinated. 

[jh1809]

6 hours ago, Edith1950 said:

I have already received a email from CPS for my June cruise advising me that the Carnival drive through testing is closed. I haven't had a update as to whether tests will be carried out at the terminal.

They are, at least for my cruise on Aurora that departs tomorrow.

[jh1809]

3 minutes ago, amajaa said:

We have just had emails about our November 2022, May 2023 and December 2023 ( 20 months away) cruises saying we have to be fully vaccinated. 

And I've had one today for my summer 2024 cruise, so it looks like the requirement will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

[zap99]

Sitting on the balcony at the hotel in Lanzarote. No test to get here, no tests whilst here. Iona cruise booked for October and balance due in June. Can't be bothered is in my mind at the moment. Celebrity and RCI balances due first. Jury is out.

[molecrochip]

A few comments.

1. I have alerted P&O that the communications were as clear as mud.

2. The 270 day rule is that if its more than 270 days since your 2nd dose, then a booster is required. There is currently no expiry on the booster.

3. P&O only require a self administered LFT with proof presented.

4. NHS tests are no allowed as the Government told travel providers not to accept them to limit Government cost.

5. 12-16 year olds should generally have 270 days coverage up until end of August as these jabs generally started to be dished out in December from memory. Those who medically had one earlier, were entitled to the booster.

6. I believe Prenetics will still be on site for anyone who could not sort a LFT test ahead of arrival at the terminal. The Prenetics presence will be scaled back.

7. Drive through testing is already closed. Mainstream testing at the terminal closes on 28 April. New testing regime starts 29 April.

[jh1809]

30 minutes ago, davecttr said:

The pre cruise test now has to be 24 hours before embarkation. How the heck can you do that if you are travelling to Southampton on the day before the cruise.

 

My cruise starts on Saturday the 21 May so the test needs completing on the Friday.  That gives me a 3 hour window to take a test and get the certificate before my journey starts IF there is an in store pharmacy test available near my home.

 

It seems P&O are making it as difficult as possible for you to go on your cruise.

P&O are recommending that you self-test the day before, but they don't make it a requirement. (At least that's the case for my cruise departing the Mayflower terminal tomorrow.) Presumably the idea is to save you a wasted journey if you test positive, as well as avoiding the risk that you might infect someone else. Regardless of whether you self-test, they will test you on arrival at the terminal. You will also need to produce your Covid Pass in either paper or electronic form to show that you are fully vaccinated, of course.

Edited April 12, 2022 by jh1809

[yorkshirephil]

2 minutes ago, jh1809 said:

And I've had one today for my summer 2024 cruise, so it looks like the requirement will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

I will be amazed if the same vaccination rules apply in summer 2024. By that time we will likely have at least 2 more vaccinations. Realistically I think P&O should have put an end date on the new rule of end 2022. 

[newbie cruissy]

6 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

P&O only require a self administered LFT with proof presented.

Ah, but what is the proof? We have a supply of antigen tests (aka LFT) at home (work related) so can complete easily. But where does one get a valid negative antigen test certificate?

[SarahHben]

I think I’ll book a test at our nearest Lloyds pharmacy but as we’re travelling down on Friday late afternoon I’ll have to wait until we know our embarkation time so that I don’t fall foul of the 24 hour limit.

How close to the cruise should we be given our embarkation time?

[darknightsdespiser]

6 hours ago, Edith1950 said:

Is it P&O's policy that from the 1 May 2022 to allow unvaccinated passengers on board departing from Southampton. Reading the current policy which ends 30 April 2022 underneath was line stating:

All other P&O Cruises sailings on sale do not currently require guests to be vaccinated.

I have had an email saying we need vaccine status and a test done the day before; honestly thought by June all this nonsense would be finished. Now faced with driving for 2 days to Southampton with the risk of catching "it" enroute (and how to get home again if we are positive), how to print result when not at home (will hotel allow this?) and how on earth to find proof of Mum's vaccine when she doesn't have a smartphone! Whole thing is a mess and just feel like cancelling.

 

[Bill Y]

1 hour ago, clevercruiser said:

 

Although I admit that the wording could be clearer, the email actually says that if 270 days have elapsed between your second dose and the final day of your cruise, you must have a booster.

 

(the booster itself has no time limit whatsoever)

 

 

This is not good news for double-jabbed adults like myself who had booked to go on a cruise

in 2023 assuming that boarding rules would surely have been relaxed by then - do I cancel now

or hope that the rules are relaxed/abolished by the end of the year??

 

 

 

 

Although it's generally true that the booster does not expire, Countries such a Austria require it to be given within 270 days, This is affecting us with a river cruise at the end of July 22.

 

NHS says they have not been informed of a roll out of the spring booster (4th Jab) to the under 75's

 

 

[darknightsdespiser]

59 minutes ago, newbie cruissy said:

I wonder how strict the 24 hours prior to embarkation will be. If we tested at 3pm Friday before travelling to Southampton, and embarked at 4pm Saturday, will the clipboard brigade be wagging their pencils? Also, with only 24 hours to complete, I imagine many of the chemist's in Southampton will he very busy on Saturday mornings! 

This is what I don't understand, surely the vast majority of people travel the day before!

[purplesea]

As we live in the far end of Cornwall we always travel up to Southampton/Gatwick the day before to allow for any distruption on the roads/trains, so fall into those that will find it difficult to get a test and certificate within the 24 hours of embarkation. P&O obviously haven't taken into consideration that a lot of people live too far away from Southampton or the embarkation point to comply with the 24 hour ruling!

[darknightsdespiser]

58 minutes ago, davecttr said:

The pre cruise test now has to be 24 hours before embarkation. How the heck can you do that if you are travelling to Southampton on the day before the cruise.

 

My cruise starts on Saturday the 21 May so the test needs completing on the Friday.  That gives me a 3 hour window to take a test and get the certificate before my journey starts IF there is an in store pharmacy test available near my home.

 

It seems P&O are making it as difficult as possible for you to go on your cruise.

I just don't know where to get it done in Southampton on the morning of the cruise(having spent 2 nights in hotels enroute)

[darknightsdespiser]

37 minutes ago, jh1809 said:

And I've had one today for my summer 2024 cruise, so it looks like the requirement will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

They really don't want our business it seems

[darknightsdespiser]

33 minutes ago, jh1809 said:

P&O are recommending that you self-test the day before, but they don't make it a requirement. (At least that's the case for my cruise departing the Mayflower terminal tomorrow.) Presumably the idea is to save you a wasted journey if you test positive, as well as avoiding the risk that you might infect someone else. Regardless of whether you self-test, they will test you on arrival at the terminal. You will also need to produce your Covid Pass in either paper or electronic form to show that you are fully vaccinated, of course.

Not recommending, insisting! Many of us will have shelled out for 2 nights accommodation enroute.

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, clevercruiser said:

 

Although I admit that the wording could be clearer, the email actually says that if 270 days have elapsed between your second dose and the final day of your cruise, you must have a booster.

 

(the booster itself has no time limit whatsoever)

 

 

This is not good news for double-jabbed adults like myself who had booked to go on a cruise

in 2023 assuming that boarding rules would surely have been relaxed by then - do I cancel now

or hope that the rules are relaxed/abolished by the end of the year??

 

 

 

 

If you are double jabbed then you should now be able to get a booster jab which would then qualify you for cruising.