Updated Vaccation Policy

[darknightsdespiser]

27 minutes ago, newbie cruissy said:

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?

This is what I don't understand, I thought it was a plastic thingy.

[Son of Anarchy]

We used Prenetics to do a self-administered test in the 24 hours prior to flying to Poland.  Registered our test packs prior to leaving, did the tests at the hotel the night before flying.  The certificates were e-mailed to us within 10 minutes of submitting photos of the test cartridges on line.  Downloaded the certificates into our phones for the Polish border to check (which they did).

[darknightsdespiser]

2 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

OK, I'm confused.  If I have to have an antigen test 2 days before, how do I get the certificate.

This is what I don't understand.

[purplesea]

 

1 minute ago, Son of Anarchy said:

We used Prenetics to do a self-administered test in the 24 hours prior to flying to Poland.  Registered our test packs prior to leaving, did the tests at the hotel the night before flying.  The certificates were e-mailed to us within 10 minutes of submitting photos of the test cartridges on line.  Downloaded the certificates into our phones for the Polish border to check (which they did).

Boots do similar but my phone is only pay as you go and not have the ability to download the required certificates!

[Wiseyowl]

 planning to get a fit to fly test within 24 hours of boarding, getting results and get it printed off whilst your travelling down now that’s sounds stressful!

 

[darknightsdespiser]

2 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

Right, so you upload a photo of your test result onto the website and get a certificate back.  Firstly anyone could take the test and say it was you.  Secondly, what on earth do elderly people do like my friend who is not online?

And how do you get a certificate printed on the morning of departure?

[darknightsdespiser]

2 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

Ah that sounds possible for someone without a mobile or internet.

Hope there are lots of branches in Southampton!

[loveheart]

Everyone is so confused by this email but my understanding is you don't have to test if you are jabbed and boosted. It's just so unclear on the email. If anyone gets through to P&O can they let us know once things are clarified.

[darknightsdespiser]

46 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

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.

Point 3; do you know where you get the proof?

[darknightsdespiser]

5 minutes ago, Wiseyowl said:

 planning to get a fit to fly test within 24 hours of boarding, getting results and get it printed off whilst your travelling down now that’s sounds stressful!

 

I just have no idea how we would do that; seems we would have to take a taxi to a chemist on the morning of the cruise!

[Snow Hill]

2 hours ago, Yorkypete said:

I think that P&O are having a laugh!. Prenetics charge at least £59 per test. Why isn't the NHS test acceptable. We have  a certificate from them saying we are negative. Is that not good enough? With Prenetics you have to either send the test back to them or drop it in at one of their stations...or you can use a private courier. We travel on a Saturday. Two days before is a Thursday when we should take our test. That means posting off on a Thursday  and  they will receive it on the Friday.  We travel down from Leeds either on the Friday or very early on the Sat.  How do we get the results back to show the cruise people?

 

Free Covid NHS tests were ended by the Government on 31 March, some can still get them if they met the criteria, this for England.

 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing/get-tested-for-coronavirus/

 

 

[Yorkypete]

The utter stupidity of these new 'rules' is obvious.  At present the rate of increase in covid is higher than it has ever been and you can catch it two or three times. Given this, you can test negative on the Thursday or Friday and be positive on the first day of the cruise. With the rapid infections it is a certainty that a number of people will be.  I cannot see why the NHS test is not sufficient given you will have a certificate...unless it is a money making ploy.

 

 

[darknightsdespiser]

5 minutes ago, Snow Hill said:

Free Covid NHS tests were ended by the Government on 31 March, some can still get them if they met the criteria, this for England.

 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing/get-tested-for-coronavirus/

 

 

We are leaving Scotland on the Thurs, breaking journey in the Lakes then on to Southampton on the Friday; looks like I now have to hammer down the motorway to get to a chemist in Southampton!

[darknightsdespiser]

1 hour 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! 

And how far in advance do they even give us our boarding times to enable us to book a test within 24 hours? 

[darknightsdespiser]

15 minutes ago, loveheart said:

Everyone is so confused by this email but my understanding is you don't have to test if you are jabbed and boosted. It's just so unclear on the email. If anyone gets through to P&O can they let us know once things are clarified.

The latest email is very clear, test needs done within 24 hours; impossible to book until we know our boarding time!

[loveheart]

1 minute ago, darknightsdespiser said:

The latest email is very clear, test needs done within 24 hours; impossible to book until we know our boarding time!

Why does is also say if you are jabbed and boosted you are eligible to travel.

[Yorkypete]

2 minutes ago, darknightsdespiser said:

And how far in advance do they even give us our boarding times to enable us to book a test within 24 hours? 

I have to say that matters are getting more confused by the minute. We have now had  THREE e-mails in the space of two hours all with differing requirements. The pleasure of a cruise is slowly being sucked out of us. We now have to book a test (completely unnecessary) as they will not accept the NHS one ONLY because the Gov have told them not to.

 

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, molecrochip said:

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.

Thanks, as always, for providing a degree of clarity but I still don’t feel that your explanation of the 270 day rule is as clear as it could be. Things are now so complicated and overwhelming when it comes to going on a cruise, I do feel that these never ending rules, requirements, restrictions and policies need to be expressed in ways that a child could understand. Plain English seems to evade those at P&O whose role it is to explain such things. As has been proved by the confusion expressed in this thread, P&O’s ability to score own goals is now World Class. 

[gsmt47471015]

8 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

I have to say that matters are getting more confused by the minute. We have now had  THREE e-mails in the space of two hours all with differing requirements. The pleasure of a cruise is slowly being sucked out of us. We now have to book a test (completely unnecessary) as they will not accept the NHS one ONLY because the Gov have told them not to.

 

Had all the e mails ,just to put some perspective on it we are sailing with HAL in ten days time to Alaska ,however we are on the Rocky Mountaineer for two days prior to boarding and a two day stop over in Canada before that , we are having to have an observed lft test 72 hours before boarding meaning we have had to book a test while we are in Vancouver on the day before getting on the train and it has cost £ 82 each, hopefully it will be negative but whose to say that by the time we embark the ship we may be positive. Agree that a lot of the joy of cruising is been knocked out of us😡

[newbie cruissy]

38 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

The utter stupidity of these new 'rules' is obvious.  At present the rate of increase in covid is higher than it has ever been and you can catch it two or three times. Given this, you can test negative on the Thursday or Friday and be positive on the first day of the cruise. With the rapid infections it is a certainty that a number of people will be.  I cannot see why the NHS test is not sufficient given you will have a certificate...unless it is a money making ploy.

 

 

I think the NHS have enough to do without providing freebie Covid tests to holiday makers, don't you? 

[P&O SUE]

1 hour ago, SarahHben said:

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?

We got ours 3 weeks before when you do the online check in.

[jh1809]

1 hour ago, darknightsdespiser said:

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

Maybe they're changing it subsequent to my cruise leaving tomorrow then. Perhaps they are phasing out the testing at the terminal to save money, and getting the passengers to self-test instead.

[darknightsdespiser]

58 minutes ago, loveheart said:

Why does is also say if you are jabbed and boosted you are eligible to travel.

I am just going by the email I have just received.

[Yorkypete]

43 minutes ago, newbie cruissy said:

I think the NHS have enough to do without providing freebie Covid tests to holiday makers, don't you? 

The point is that it is the GOV who have told P&O not to accept the NHS tests which are acceptable everywhere  but on P&O ships.. We have a couple of spare ones which we could use. It is not a question of taking any time from the NHS. P&O are changing their minds every 5 minutes.

[Snow Hill]

3 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

The point is that it is the GOV who have told P&O not to accept the NHS tests which are acceptable everywhere  but on P&O ships.. We have a couple of spare ones which we could use. It is not a question of taking any time from the NHS. P&O are changing their minds every 5 minutes.

They are not accepted on airlines either or for any other form of overseas travel. Anyway NHS tests are no longer available except under certain health circumstances or if you work in certain occupations.