Updated Vaccation Policy

[Selbourne]

36 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

The previous wording was awful and many agreed. I'm pleased to say that the page has been updated within the last hour to provide clarity.

 

 

From 29 April 2022 onwards:

All guests aged five years and over will need to organise and pay for a private lateral flow/antigen test, to be taken one day prior to embarkation of the ship (NHS tests will not be accepted). Guests will need to present their valid negative antigen test certificate, often referred to as a ‘fit to fly’ certificate, at the ship's terminal.

In addition to the above antigen test, all unvaccinated guests aged five to 11 years will also be required to take a complimentary lateral flow/antigen test once they arrive at the terminal, administered by our service provider, Prenetics.

 

Organising your pre-cruise lateral flow/antigen test:

As mentioned above, guests aged five years and over will need to organise and pay for a private lateral flow/antigen test. You can order your lateral flow/antigen test kit online through any government approved testing provider in advance. You will need to take the test at home one day prior to embarkation of the ship. This test doesn’t need to be medically observed. Guests will need to submit their negative result online to their chosen testing provider and will then be sent a ‘fit to fly’ certificate within a couple of hours. Please note, NHS tests will not be accepted. To help, we’ve listed a few suppliers below (subject to availability).

Prenetics: www.projectscreen.co.uk
Collinsons: www.collinsongroup.com/en/covid-19-testing
Randox: covid.randox.com
Express Test: www.expresstest.co.uk/book-a-test/

 

Alternatively, guests can book an in-person test if they so wish, taken one day prior to travel.

 

Guests will need to present their negative fit to fly/travel certificate at the ship’s terminal. Guests that are unable to provide proof of vaccination status and a valid negative antigen test certificate (and PCR if applicable) will unfortunately be denied boarding.

Thanks. Much clearer. I don’t know how these tests work, but I’m intrigued by the fact that the tests don’t need to be observed. Does this mean that people could fiddle the result if they have Covid by getting someone else who is negative to do the test for them? I’m obviously not advocating that, but if that’s physically possible then it’s certainly going to happen and it would make a mockery of the whole pre cruise testing regime?

[Eglesbrech]

1 minute ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks. Much clearer. I don’t know how these tests work, but I’m intrigued by the fact that the tests don’t need to be observed. Does this mean that people could fiddle the result if they have Covid by getting someone else who is negative to do the test for them? I’m obviously not advocating that, but if that’s physically possible then it’s certainly going to happen and it would make a mockery of the whole pre cruise testing regime?

My cynical mind thought that as well. Most people would have a higher moral standard but it only takes one….

[molecrochip]

5 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks. Much clearer. I don’t know how these tests work, but I’m intrigued by the fact that the tests don’t need to be observed. Does this mean that people could fiddle the result if they have Covid by getting someone else who is negative to do the test for them? I’m obviously not advocating that, but if that’s physically possible then it’s certainly going to happen and it would make a mockery of the whole pre cruise testing regime?

Yes, that would work.

 

Generally, you enter details of person when you order. Before going test you activate the profile by matching test number to profile. Then you upload result.

[loveheart]

2 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

Yes, that would work.

 

Generally, you enter details of person when you order. Before going test you activate the profile by matching test number to profile. Then you upload result.

Following on from your post,  people can self test at home with one kit then if they are positive they  can get someone who has just tested negative to take the test for them. There is so much more chance of someone with Covid being on the ship with this method than if you were tested at the docks.

[PEMCO007]

3 hours ago, Yorkypete said:

I have just come off the phone to our TA which is one of the biggest serving P&O. They state categorically that the 24 hour time is  from the minute you have it done to your embarkation time. If your time to embark is 2pm the test must be done after 2pm the previous day!. We have booked our tests at 4.30 so hope our coach down is not delayed or we may be refused travel.

 

I have just heard from someone who has called p&o, that it is 24 hrs before, regardless to embarkation time.  I do hope they clarify this and everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet x

[molecrochip]

1 minute ago, loveheart said:

Following on from your post,  people can self test at home with one kit then if they are positive they  can get someone who has just tested negative to take the test for them. There is so much more chance of someone with Covid being on the ship with this method than if you were tested at the docks.

You will only have one test sent to you by the testing company. So if you test positive at 24 hours out, you won't have time to order another one, receive it, and upload a negative result. Hence the 24 hour requirement.

[molecrochip]

3 minutes ago, PEMCO007 said:

I have just heard from someone who has called p&o, that it is 24 hrs before, regardless to embarkation time.  I do hope they clarify this and everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet x

It has been and is live on the website now. Might need a Ctrl+F5 to clear cached page.

[Yorkypete]

2 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

So this certificate needs to have a time and date stamp?  What do you think P&O will do if someone arrives at the terminal with a Neg cert but it's timed at beford 24 hours?  Send them home?

According to my TA (and it works mainly for P&O) the answer is yes. One of the main reps told me this afternoon that if your embarkation was 2pm then the test had to be after 2pm the previous day. It would seem from other answers that P&O have no idea what they are doing.

 

[PEMCO007]

2 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

It has been and is live on the website now. Might need a Ctrl+F5 to clear cached page.

Brilliant! Thank you Molechip.  Clarification just needed on the boosters for 12-17 yrs old, which I believe you are working on and hopefully that should make it all clearer for everyone xxx

 

[Yorkypete]

2 hours ago, kalos said:

That's why I said if they mean the day before and not 24 hours to the minute . Then it could 

be workable . Setting off from Yorkshire or even further north would be a good feeling knowing 

you are fit to board ,rather than worry all the way down hoping you pass the test .

I think it was a post by Wowzz that he said surely they are not going to turn guests away as 

their certificate reads 14.00 and you turn up at the desk 14.29 

According to my TA ...yes they will.

[jeanlyon]

It's all over the social media page that people will cheat on the test if it's not observed.   For goodness sake, how many people who actually cheat? 

[Selbourne]

3 minutes ago, loveheart said:

Following on from your post,  people can self test at home with one kit then if they are positive they  can get someone who has just tested negative to take the test for them. There is so much more chance of someone with Covid being on the ship with this method than if you were tested at the docks.

Quite. If we were to assume that everyone was 100% honest, the new system is much better as it will reduce queues and delays on the day and avoid the heartbreak of being refused embarkation on the day. 
 

However, let’s have a reality check for one moment and consider human nature. A family has been looking forward to their two week cruise for a year or more. They are all packed, kids are excited etc etc. Dad has had Covid for the past week, but feels absolutely fine and has no symptoms. Under U.K. laws, he has gone about his business as normal. The day before, they do their tests and Dad is still showing positive. Do they fess up and cancel the holiday, or does Mum submit a negative test in his name? We can all get very moralistic about the rights and wrongs, but……

[molecrochip]

Just now, jeanlyon said:

It's all over the social media page that people will cheat on the test if it's not observed.   For goodness sake, how many people who actually cheat? 

Very few as the scenario only happens if you reasonably suspect you have Covid. I suspect, most will take a cheap LFT, be negative and then take proper test and again be negative.

[loveheart]

10 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

You will only have one test sent to you by the testing company. So if you test positive at 24 hours out, you won't have time to order another one, receive it, and upload a negative result. Hence the 24 hour requirement.

You don't have to test using the test you have been sent. I have lots of home tests. If I was going to cheat I would use a test I have and then get someone else to take the one I have to upload.

[Selbourne]

9 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

You will only have one test sent to you by the testing company. So if you test positive at 24 hours out, you won't have time to order another one, receive it, and upload a negative result. Hence the 24 hour requirement.

But, following on from my last post, I still have a load of tests at home, as I’m sure others do. If they don’t, they could obtain them. They could test themselves prior to doing the ‘official’ test and if they test positive (or even if they just think they will) get someone who is negative to take the official test for them. This new policy would be very easy to circumvent, which leads me to believe that it’s more kidology than anything.

[Ardennais]

2 hours ago, kalos said:

 

I have gave this some thought and as we would be one of those travellers who go to Southampton 

the day before ,I have worked out for us what could work  (Not much use with bank holidays )

We have found a company local to us that would do a test and certificate within 2 hours for £29.

Providing P&O accept "The Day before " ( as 24 hr) Then I would book us in for a morning test and then head off for Southampton . This would take away the worry of will we pass the test at the port ,no nervy wait to see if you qualify to board -Your good to go .

 

The company have other test centres so will leave link below .

 

https://officialrapidtests.com/pages/sheffield-test-centre

 

Sounds sensible, but for us, ‘local’ would mean a 60 mile round journey in the morning before our 5 hour drive to Southampton. 

[molecrochip]

3 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

But, following on from my last post, I still have a load of tests at home, as I’m sure others do. If they don’t, they could obtain them. They could test themselves prior to doing the ‘official’ test and if they test positive (or even if they just think they will) get someone who is negative to take the official test for them. This new policy would be very easy to circumvent, which leads me to believe that it’s more kidology than anything.

Not Kidology - but yes, P&O saying to foreign countries, we did what you required and got everyone testing in line with your rules.

[crompton21]

The current system doesn’t allow you to cheat and yet cases still manage to get on board. Isn’t it likely that the risk of it getting onboard from the test not detecting correctly is far greater than the risk of a minuscule amount of people cheating.

 

 

[Selbourne]

Just now, molecrochip said:

Not Kidology - but yes, P&O saying to foreign countries, we did what you required and got everyone testing in line with your rules.

Ah, I see. All is now clear! Well, at least nobody need worry that they won’t be able to go on their cruise now! I hope for the sake of the cruise industry that this whole charade of testing, quarantine  zones etc is consigned to history before the damage to the industry is irreversible. 

[loveheart]

3 minutes ago, crompton21 said:

The current system doesn’t allow you to cheat and yet cases still manage to get on board. Isn’t it likely that the risk of it getting onboard from the test not detecting correctly is far greater than the risk of a minuscule amount of people cheating.

 

 

Six of one and half a dozen of the other I would say.

[Eglesbrech]

1 minute ago, crompton21 said:

The current system doesn’t allow you to cheat and yet cases still manage to get on board. Isn’t it likely that the risk of it getting onboard from the test not detecting correctly is far greater than the risk of a minuscule amount of people cheating.

 

 

Because of the incubation period for covid (and indeed the percentage accuracy of a lateral flow tests) then yes that is the higher risk factor.

[Selbourne]

4 minutes ago, crompton21 said:

The current system doesn’t allow you to cheat and yet cases still manage to get on board. Isn’t it likely that the risk of it getting onboard from the test not detecting correctly is far greater than the risk of a minuscule amount of people cheating.

 

 

With human nature as it is, with all that is at stake when it comes to a major holiday and the contrast with what is required (or rather not required) with all other types of holiday and life in general, I genuinely don’t think it will be a ‘miniscule’ amount. 

[Megabear2]

Seems P&O are the only cruise line adopting the non observed test route so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Edited April 13, 2022 by Megabear2

[watsonbeau]

Cunard have just updated - for ex Southampton departure it’s not medically observed. 

[kalos]

1 minute ago, loveheart said:

Six of one and half a dozen of the other I would say.

 

And the other half dozen .."Have you suffered from the runs this week  " declaration 

And they don't mean cricket 

How many tick the NO box as they make sure they have Dia-calm at the ready .

Unfortunately the good cruise ship Honesty has not been built  yet .