Worried

[Dermotsgirl]

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

And 3,000 won't have it !

At the start of the cruise.

 

But, as we know, cruise ships are closed communities and viruses love closed communities. If no one makes an effort to stop the virus spreading, who knows how many have the virus at the end of the cruise.   There's no data about this. The cruise companies won't tell us and, apart from anecdotal evidence, such as people saying they found out they were infected when they returned home, there's no way of finding our how many people caught the virus on the ship.  

[wowzz]

11 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

At the start of the cruise.

 

But, as we know, cruise ships are closed communities and viruses love closed communities. If no one makes an effort to stop the virus spreading, who knows how many have the virus at the end of the cruise.   There's no data about this. The cruise companies won't tell us and, apart from anecdotal evidence, such as people saying they found out they were infected when they returned home, there's no way of finding our how many people caught the virus on the ship.  

But everyone on the ship will have been triple vaccinated, and many will have already have had covid, so will have additional immunity.

There comes a time when the preventative measures no longer are of benefit.  Yes, Covid is still with us, and probably always will be, but random rules such as masks in the theatre but not in the MDR are illogical, and realistically will do nothing to stop the spread of covid through the ship. 

 

Edited May 4, 2022 by wowzz

[BouncingWheel]

3 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Does that mean masks need not be worn in the theatre anymore?

Correct. No masks in P&O theatres (unless you want to of course)

[Dermotsgirl]

21 minutes ago, wowzz said:

But everyone on the ship will have been triple vaccinated, and many will have already have had covid, so will have additional immunity.

There comes a time when the preventative measures no longer are of benefit.  Yes, Covid is still with us, and probably always will be, but random rules such as masks in the theatre but not in the MDR are illogical, and realistically will do nothing to stop the spread of covid through the ship. 

 

We are straying into areas that we can’t talk about. 
Suffice it to say, why would we stop trying to to restrict the spread of a disease  can still be unpleasant for some people in the acute stage, and can cause long term health problems like Long Covid and organ damage. Also, having Covid doesn’t guarantee immunity, as a person can catch it more than once.

 

[wowzz]

Just now, Dermotsgirl said:

We are straying into areas that we can’t talk about. 
Suffice it to say, why would we stop trying to to restrict the spread of a disease  can still be unpleasant for some people in the acute stage, and can cause long term health problems like Long Covid and organ damage. Also, having Covid doesn’t guarantee immunity, as a person can catch it more than once.

 

I think what many of us are saying that a bit of ad hoc mask wearing on a cruise ship is a pointless exercise. Given that people eat and drink together, with no masks on, why bother with masks eksewhere ?

[wowzz]

1 minute ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I’ve come to the conclusion that it won’t be the virus that will stop me cruising, but it’ll be other passengers 

I think that is a choice for the individual. 

My wife and I caught Covid on our last  (Arcadia) cruise, presumbaly contracted on board, but possibly in a bar or restaurant ashore.

On our cruise, which was only half full, mask wearing was well enforced,  but even so there were some cases of Covid towards the end of the cruise.

There is only one way to be 100% sure of not contracting covid on a cruise, and that is not to get on the ship in the first place.  

[davecttr]

Infected passengers are going to board and then spread the disease, no way of stopping it. Taking a short cruise is best as if you do catch it less of your cruise will be spoiled by quarantine. For me the key thing is to get aboard and after that who knows.

[BouncingWheel]

The simple fact is that P&O has now adopted UK Govt rules where-ever it could. So walking around in a hotel, shopping centre or enjoying pub, theatre etc... is the same as on-board.

What has not gone away onboard yet is:

- Quarantine Cabins still in place (some rule of 5% space needed which P&O have to follow)

- No nightly turndown service (not sure why not back yet as staff levels must be back as Arcadia staff have moved onboard but it is probably a staffing issue.

- No Photographers still

- Kids club not operating normally (heard on Britannia 4 nighter some parents with multiple kids could not have them enrolled at same time so always had 1 of them with them so not ideal situation).

I think everything else onboard is back to normal but probably missed something.

The main thing is it is getting there.

[BouncingWheel]

Did forget at least one:

- No bar service in venues yet. Again that really needs to be fixed because I believe that table service only limits numbers in a venue and that DID cause issues in the Live Lounge .

[Selbourne]

4 minutes ago, BouncingWheel said:

The simple fact is that P&O has now adopted UK Govt rules where-ever it could. So walking around in a hotel, shopping centre or enjoying pub, theatre etc... is the same as on-board.

What has not gone away onboard yet is:

- Quarantine Cabins still in place (some rule of 5% space needed which P&O have to follow)

- No nightly turndown service (not sure why not back yet as staff levels must be back as Arcadia staff have moved onboard but it is probably a staffing issue.

- No Photographers still

- Kids club not operating normally (heard on Britannia 4 nighter some parents with multiple kids could not have them enrolled at same time so always had 1 of them with them so not ideal situation).

I think everything else onboard is back to normal but probably missed something.

The main thing is it is getting there.

Quarantine cabins remain the sole show stopper for us. We won’t cruise again until they have been dispensed with. We don’t want the worry of having our cabin, which we have specifically chosen and paid extra for, taken away from us at short notice. We would rather cancel before balance due date. 

[jh1809]

3 hours ago, BouncingWheel said:

The simple fact is that P&O has now adopted UK Govt rules where-ever it could. So walking around in a hotel, shopping centre or enjoying pub, theatre etc... is the same as on-board.

What has not gone away onboard yet is:

- Quarantine Cabins still in place (some rule of 5% space needed which P&O have to follow)

- No nightly turndown service (not sure why not back yet as staff levels must be back as Arcadia staff have moved onboard but it is probably a staffing issue.

- No Photographers still

- Kids club not operating normally (heard on Britannia 4 nighter some parents with multiple kids could not have them enrolled at same time so always had 1 of them with them so not ideal situation).

I think everything else onboard is back to normal but probably missed something.

The main thing is it is getting there.

I regarded the lack of photographers on the Aurora cruise I've just done as a big positive. I didn't know whether it was because of Covid or because - now that most people have smartphones and can take selfies - they would no longer sell enough photographs to make them sufficiently profitable.

[darknightsdespiser]

4 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Quarantine cabins remain the sole show stopper for us. We won’t cruise again until they have been dispensed with. We don’t want the worry of having our cabin, which we have specifically chosen and paid extra for, taken away from us at short notice. We would rather cancel before balance due date. 

I paid for ours in March and have had it taken away from us; wonder if this is even legal - to fail to supply goods/services the customer has paid for.

[bbtablet]

On 5/3/2022 at 3:06 PM, DamianG said:

 

I wish that I'd gone to schools where the food was of a similar standard to P&O MDRs. 

Ah! school dinners: pink custard anyone?

[terrierjohn]

1 minute ago, bbtablet said:

Ah! school dinners: pink custard anyone?

....and very thin and runny if I remember correctly.

[Selbourne]

1 minute ago, darknightsdespiser said:

I paid for ours in March and have had it taken away from us; wonder if this is even legal - to fail to supply goods/services the customer has paid for.

Their T’s & C’s allow them to remove cabins for ‘operational reasons’, but they are knowingly selling customers Select price cruises at a price premium in order to secure cabins that they know they cannot provide. Personally, I think it would be deemed a breach of contract, so a full no quibble refund should be offered. If it wasn’t, P&O would cave in at the first mention of a legal challenge, but hopefully it wouldn’t get to that. 

[Valfan]

7 hours ago, BouncingWheel said:

Correct. No masks in P&O theatres (unless you want to of course)

Well if that's the case no one has updated the P&O website. It still says masks must be worn in the cinema, theatre and medical centre onboard.

[Camberley]

6 hours ago, Valfan said:

Well if that's the case no one has updated the P&O website. It still says masks must be worn in the cinema, theatre and medical centre onboard.

Well, with P&O’s IT limitations and “flexible” communication skills I am not surprised. 

Edited May 5, 2022 by Camberley

[Host Sharon]

Please read red banner above.

[Fionboard]

On Ventura now.  Masks required in theatre.  Have heard (but maybe not true) that more stringent mask wearing reintroduced on Azura. Anyone heard this?

[BouncingWheel]

11 hours ago, Valfan said:

Well if that's the case no one has updated the P&O website. It still says masks must be worn in the cinema, theatre and medical centre onboard.

And you are surprised if the P&O website is not totally up to date!

Actually not sure about Medical Centre but the other 2 are definitely now only recommended.

 

Edited May 5, 2022 by BouncingWheel
Added text

[BouncingWheel]

25 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

On Ventura now.  Masks required in theatre.  Have heard (but maybe not true) that more stringent mask wearing reintroduced on Azura. Anyone heard this?

When did your cruise start?

New rules apparently came into play for all new cruises starting 29th April according to Britannia staff.

[BouncingWheel]

Have just been reminded of another item not back to normal yet.

Afternoon tea.

Used to be able to walk up to MDR (1st come 1st served) now you still have to pre-book and limited spaces though they do hold back some walk-ins.

Also, they put a cake stand on the table with sandwiches, cakes plus a plate of scones with cream/jam. Previously I am sure they walked around with the offerings plus also teacakes. 

At least you can share tables with others but conversations now include things like the "do you mind if I have the x item" which makes a change from the "How are you enjoying your cruise" starter line😁

I am hoping it goes back to way it was but this aspect may be here to stay.

[Fionboard]

Current cruise commenced 3 May.  Can assure you, masks still required in theatre!

[Fionboard]

1 hour ago, BouncingWheel said:

And you are surprised if the P&O website is not totally up to date!

Actually not sure about Medical Centre but the other 2 are definitely now only recommended.

 

Wrong. Are you on board now?  I am.

[AndyMichelle]

1 hour ago, BouncingWheel said:

 

Also, they put a cake stand on the table with sandwiches, cakes plus a plate of scones with cream/jam. Previously I am sure they walked around with the offerings plus also teacakes. 

😁

You are right and wrong in equal measures, from my memories of being an afternoon tea addict on numerous cruises... 

Always been a stand with the basics, but they would (sometimes) come around with tea cakes, crumpets and hot sausage rolls... 

I don't ever remember not having the sandwiches and cakes on a tiered cake stand. 

Andy