P&O LATERAL FLOW -BEFORE YOU GO

[Dermotsgirl]

43 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

But surely that is always the case, none of us are time travellers so we have no idea what the future is going to throw up.

I can’t respond to that without going into territory that we can’t mention! 

[molecrochip]

To clarify a couple of points:

 

Of course people get sick on ships. When that happens the operator such as P&O does care - I didn't mean to suggest that they didn't.  They have large care teams for such incidents. Where we are now is that the difference between how we treat Covid and say Norovirus is disappearing.

 

2 years ago, if Covid spread through the ship, you risked say 60 people in a life threatening state. A ship is not set up to deal with that. If norovirus spread through the ship,  you would still get the same number ill but because we knew so much about it and treat it, the mass risk to life didn't exist. The medical team could deal with any serious cases. Yes the passenger experience would be poor but loss of life was not a high risk.

 

We are now at the stage where covid can be treated in the same was as norovirus. Many may get ill but we understand what you need to do to avoid large numbers of serious cases. This is why restrictions can reduce even though Covid is still at large. If a new variant came out which was more deadly, then I would expect restrictions to be put back in place swiftly.

 

Regarding NHS tests. It was the government who said they could not be used for travel as they felt that it was their place to fund such tests. They also told the likes of P&O that they should not be used for travel and not to advertise this as an option. As I understand it, if P&O know you used an NHS test then they are not allowed to accept it.

 

Of course, this comes onto the crucial point, how will P&O know. They won't. In fact, they won't know if you've taken one at all except for what you tell them.

 

I would expect this step to disappear soon except for the fact that passenger feedback supports a level of testing - even if minimal. P&O meanwhile rely on the vaccine keeping cases in the non-serious category and out of the life-threatening category,

 

 

[emam]

Does CDC have any say in P&O with them being part of Carnival?

 

 

[Gettingwarmer]

12 minutes ago, emam said:

Does CDC have any say in P&O with them being part of Carnival?

 

 

It only applies to cruises in USA. 

[Billish]

1 hour ago, molecrochip said:

To clarify a couple of points:

 

Of course people get sick on ships. When that happens the operator such as P&O does care - I didn't mean to suggest that they didn't.  They have large care teams for such incidents. Where we are now is that the difference between how we treat Covid and say Norovirus is disappearing.

 

2 years ago, if Covid spread through the ship, you risked say 60 people in a life threatening state. A ship is not set up to deal with that. If norovirus spread through the ship,  you would still get the same number ill but because we knew so much about it and treat it, the mass risk to life didn't exist. The medical team could deal with any serious cases. Yes the passenger experience would be poor but loss of life was not a high risk.

 

We are now at the stage where covid can be treated in the same was as norovirus. Many may get ill but we understand what you need to do to avoid large numbers of serious cases. This is why restrictions can reduce even though Covid is still at large. If a new variant came out which was more deadly, then I would expect restrictions to be put back in place swiftly.

 

Regarding NHS tests. It was the government who said they could not be used for travel as they felt that it was their place to fund such tests. They also told the likes of P&O that they should not be used for travel and not to advertise this as an option. As I understand it, if P&O know you used an NHS test then they are not allowed to accept it.

 

Of course, this comes onto the crucial point, how will P&O know. They won't. In fact, they won't know if you've taken one at all except for what you tell them.

 

I would expect this step to disappear soon except for the fact that passenger feedback supports a level of testing - even if minimal. P&O meanwhile rely on the vaccine keeping cases in the non-serious category and out of the life-threatening category,

 

 

Two points if I may 

1. If a passenger tests positive for his/her self administered test, will P&O automatically give them and their travelling companions FCC ?

2. If Covid is no longer seen as being serious or life threatening,  will there be no need for passengers who develop Covid to quarantine ?

[Yorkypete]

4 hours ago, zap99 said:

Perhaps P&O will tell you what the figures are on Celebrity. Personally I am not that interested. The crew on Celebrity are wearing masks because they are told to do so.

Have they been told to wear masks to protect you or themselves?

[Valfan]

8 hours ago, Fionboard said:

OK if you want an inside, but I always have a balcony. Cannot see supplements removed from them any time soon!

I've just clicked on the link and started dummy bookings for 1 passenger for a couple of the dates given, and it is the same price for a solo passenger as for double occupancy for Seaview, Balcony etc. So it looks to be a great deal. It's just my luck that I've recently got fed up waiting for cruising to go back to anything like normal and have booked a coach tour. So I'll be away either during or just a day or two before or after nearly all the cruises included in the Solos deal. There's people who seem to be lucky in life and then there's me!

[davecttr]

4 hours ago, Valfan said:

I've just clicked on the link and started dummy bookings for 1 passenger for a couple of the dates given, and it is the same price for a solo passenger as for double occupancy for Seaview, Balcony etc. So it looks to be a great deal. It's just my luck that I've recently got fed up waiting for cruising to go back to anything like normal and have booked a coach tour. So I'll be away either during or just a day or two before or after nearly all the cruises included in the Solos deal. There's people who seem to be lucky in life and then there's me!

So they no longer offering a reduced price for sea views or balconies? I have reduced price for a balcony cabin on my 3 P&O bookings

 

Watch out for the hidden trap. Iona is in there and you might be upgraded from an inside to a 'nice' balcony on deck 8 where you might as well keep the curtains closed 🙄

Edited July 21, 2022 by davecttr

[ShelaghL]

10 hours ago, Billish said:

Two points if I may 

1. If a passenger tests positive for his/her self administered test, will P&O automatically give them and their travelling companions FCC ?

2. If Covid is no longer seen as being serious or life threatening,  will there be no need for passengers who develop Covid to quarantine ?

Copied just now from the P&O website:

We’re unable to accept guests who, within 10 days prior to the cruise, have been unwell with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. If you’re impacted by this, you would need to call our Customer Contact Centre on 0344 338 8003 (local call charges apply) and not travel to the terminal/airport. You’ll receive a non-refundable Future Cruise Credit (FCC) to the value of the cruise and we’ll automatically refund any pre-cruise purchases made through 

[paulatsea]

2 minutes ago, ShelaghL said:

Copied just now from the P&O website:

We’re unable to accept guests who, within 10 days prior to the cruise, have been unwell with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. If you’re impacted by this, you would need to call our Customer Contact Centre on 0344 338 8003 (local call charges apply) and not travel to the terminal/airport. You’ll receive a non-refundable Future Cruise Credit (FCC) to the value of the cruise and we’ll automatically refund any pre-cruise purchases made through 

Thanks for that - I was looking at ambassador conditions and it looks like with them you have to claim on your insurance - they don’t offer anything from what I can see.

[Yorkypete]

9 hours ago, Billish said:

People haven't been wearing masks in close proximity to others for months. 

Why should cruises be any different ?

Unfortunately,  if you want to be in a mask wearing environment,  cruising is not the ideal option.

Thats ok. As long as I am wearing a mask I will receive some protection from those not wearing them. Doctors surgeries,chemists and hospitals (at least in our area) all ask people to wear masks when attending.

[Yorkypete]

31 minutes ago, ShelaghL said:

Copied just now from the P&O website:

We’re unable to accept guests who, within 10 days prior to the cruise, have been unwell with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. If you’re impacted by this, you would need to call our Customer Contact Centre on 0344 338 8003 (local call charges apply) and not travel to the terminal/airport. You’ll receive a non-refundable Future Cruise Credit (FCC) to the value of the cruise and we’ll automatically refund any pre-cruise purchases made through 

I would hope that as it is the cruiseline refusing to let you sail then a full refund should be possible. Imagine purchasing goods on line for pick up and on attending the collection point being told there are none but you will get a note for a future purchase. What a carry on.

[MX-Drew]

36 minutes ago, ShelaghL said:

Copied just now from the P&O website:

We’re unable to accept guests who, within 10 days prior to the cruise, have been unwell with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. If you’re impacted by this, you would need to call our Customer Contact Centre on 0344 338 8003 (local call charges apply) and not travel to the terminal/airport. You’ll receive a non-refundable Future Cruise Credit (FCC) to the value of the cruise and we’ll automatically refund any pre-cruise purchases made through 

I fear these maybe "old" T&Cs as these have been published for sometime but the big question is, will P&O update them when they hope this subject has been forgotten?

[paulatsea]

3 minutes ago, MX-Drew said:

I fear these maybe "old" T&Cs as these have been published for sometime but the big question is, will P&O update them when they hope this subject has been forgotten?

Hope it stays the same. I couldn’t afford to risk losing the cruise and having to claim on insurance. 

[jeanlyon]

If no test is required to prove you have not got Covid, then nobody will be turned away.  So if, say, you caught it, 4 days before the cruise, had very little in the way of symptoms, then nobody is going to know, so why should you be refused embarkation?

 

You are hardly going to say yes to the question, just like nobody admits to having a had stomach which could be noro.

Edited July 21, 2022 by jeanlyon

[Britboys]

18 hours ago, Fionboard said:

OK if you want an inside, but I always have a balcony. Cannot see supplements removed from them any time soon!

And okay if you want to go in the next month or so. Not okay if you already have one booked within that timescale...🙄😀

[Megabear2]

1 hour ago, paulatsea said:

Hope it stays the same. I couldn’t afford to risk losing the cruise and having to claim on insurance. 

All the policies on the three main Carnival lines - P&O, Cunard and Princess - are in place until 30 September as I understand it.  Those of us with large outstanding balances coming up are taking a plunge in the dark again.  Because P&O have no protocols announced for after the 30 September they will be taking in money from those of us travelling in October/November/December in particular before we know what we are signed up for much like they did last year.

 

With the UK government stating boosters for all over 50s in the Autumn it will be interesting to see what will become "fully vaccinated", particularly for the Caribbean.  There will clearly still be pockets around the world requiring testing and upgraded vaccination status no matter what the cruise lines think.

 

Personally I think we should all assume the nice customer friendly terms will disappear from 1 October and we will be on our own with insurance company claims and having to prove we have covid.  Which brings another dire warning from me, I'm afraid, check your policies very very carefully and match your health declarations to their current requirements.  Those of us who have had covid for instance need to check if our insurers require it to be declared, some do - LV springs to mind for instance.  There are questions on covid, particularly possible long covid on quite a few policies.  The cruise lines and some passengers might be treating it as a minor illness now but some of the insurers most definitely aren't.

[paulatsea]

10 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

All the policies on the three main Carnival lines - P&O, Cunard and Princess - are in place until 30 September as I understand it.  Those of us with large outstanding balances coming up are taking a plunge in the dark again.  Because P&O have no protocols announced for after the 30 September they will be taking in money from those of us travelling in October/November/December in particular before we know what we are signed up for much like they did last year.

 

With the UK government stating boosters for all over 50s in the Autumn it will be interesting to see what will become "fully vaccinated", particularly for the Caribbean.  There will clearly still be pockets around the world requiring testing and upgraded vaccination status no matter what the cruise lines think.

 

Personally I think we should all assume the nice customer friendly terms will disappear from 1 October and we will be on our own with insurance company claims and having to prove we have covid.  Which brings another dire warning from me, I'm afraid, check your policies very very carefully and match your health declarations to their current requirements.  Those of us who have had covid for instance need to check if our insurers require it to be declared, some do - LV springs to mind for instance.  There are questions on covid, particularly possible long covid on quite a few policies.  The cruise lines and some passengers might be treating it as a minor illness now but some of the insurers most definitely aren't.

If testing is required but FCC full amount not offered anymore if boarding denied then that would be the end for me - and perhaps a lot of us.

I think p&o will probably still offer this or perhaps a slightly reduced FCC until all testing is stopped.

It would be madness to book and pay for a holiday that you may not be allowed to go on due to a test and then have to go to insurance.

 

🤞

 

 

 

 

[Billish]

19 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Those of us who have had covid for instance need to check if our insurers require it to be declared, some do - LV springs to mind for instance.

As a matter of interest, assuming you did not require medical treatment,  how would an insurance company know if you had had covid or not  ? 

[Trevor Fountain]

4 minutes ago, paulatsea said:

If testing is required but FCC full amount not offered anymore if boarding denied then that would be the end for me - and perhaps a lot of us.

I think p&o will probably still offer this or perhaps a slightly reduced FCC until all testing is stopped.

It would be madness to book and pay for a holiday that you may not be allowed to go on due to a test and then have to go to insurance.

 

🤞

 

 

 

 

If they do stop offering fcc in these circumstances, it should be with a notice period, and only include those who have not made final payment.

I have paid in full on the understanding that a ffc will be given if I need to cancel due to covid.

[Megabear2]

7 minutes ago, Billish said:

As a matter of interest, assuming you did not require medical treatment,  how would an insurance company know if you had had covid or not  ? 

Those of us who had covid before April 30 took tests which we were required to report. These appear on your covid/medical records and therefore some companies request you declare it.

 

I purchased a new annual policy in May this year and did a lot of quotes. Quite a lot of companies wanted it declared.

 

Your point about how would an insurance company know is very valid and something I mentioned earlier in the thread. It's a very grey area which would need an answer if the cruise lines stop the FCC option.  Some lines are, of course, approaching that point rapidly - the RCI and Celebrity confidence programs are apparently already announced as stopping asbo understand it.

[paulatsea]

12 minutes ago, Trevor Fountain said:

If they do stop offering fcc in these circumstances, it should be with a notice period, and only include those who have not made final payment.

I have paid in full on the understanding that a ffc will be given if I need to cancel due to covid.

Yes - absolutely 

 

In fact any no fcc change should only apply to new bookings made after the change has been announced. 

Edited July 21, 2022 by paulatsea

[paulatsea]

2 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Those of us who had covid before April 30 took tests which we were required to report. These appear on your covid/medical records and therefore some companies request you declare it.

 

I purchased a new annual policy in May this year and did a lot of quotes. Quite a lot of companies wanted it declared.

 

Your point about how would an insurance company know is very valid and something I mentioned earlier in the thread. It's a very grey area which would need an answer if the cruise lines stop the FCC option.  Some lines are, of course, approaching that point rapidly - the RCI and Celebrity confidence programs are apparently already announced as stopping asbo understand it.

I think those lines are stopping testing at the same time ?

[Megabear2]

4 minutes ago, paulatsea said:

I think those lines are stopping testing at the same time ?

I think all lines are stopping testing as CDC states not required. Everyone is assuming every country will stop requiring tests, not necessarily the case. Italy for instance are reviewing on 30 September and we have absolutely no idea how some of the Caribbean islands and destinations on the world cruise might react, yet these are the exact voyages where large sums of money are going to be spent very shortly.

 

The problem for the passenger will be if they know they are unwell when they complete the health declaration. Technically they should answer honestly they are poorly, many won't as there is no credit for being honest.  That will allow more symptomatic people on the ship and inevitably some won't be able to avoid being spotted. 

 

Passengers will be between two stools: I feel awful but I'm going, or I feel awful but how do I get my money back without a fight.  Then there's the legal argument, if you lie when completing the health declaration you're breaking the contract!  As I see it a whole minefield.

[yorkshirephil]

2 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

 

 

The problem for the passenger will be if they know they are unwell when they complete the health declaration. Technically they should answer honestly they are poorly, many won't as there is no credit for being honest.  That will allow more symptomatic people on the ship and inevitably some won't be able to avoid being spotted. 

 

Passengers will be between two stools: I feel awful but I'm going, or I feel awful but how do I get my money back without a fight.  Then there's the legal argument, if you lie when completing the health declaration you're breaking the contract!  As I see it a whole minefield.

I can see this becoming a major issue when cruise lines stop issuing fcc's, especially when people have so called covid insurance that doesn't cover the preceding 14 days of the cruise. Lots are booking knowing that they have the security of fcc albeit we knew it wouldn't last forever.