Cancelled Option to Cruise Overseas

[MMDown Under]

In a moment of weakness I put an option on a cruise on a small ship around the Emerald Isle then went on holidays.

 

Then Fate stepped it with the small

ship I recently cruised on returning to Darwin with positive passengers.  Knowing their first class sail safe measures, I understood how impossible it would be to keep Covid off ships.  Remembering how nerve wracking it was trying to not catch covid for a month prior to my last cruise, I decided three months would be impossible, so cancelled my option.  Payment was in full.

 

Imagine Flying long haul from Australia to England then not being permitted to board the ship!  Would you take the risk in these times?

 

[Hogbay]

44 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

In a moment of weakness I put an option on a cruise on a small ship around the Emerald Isle then went on holidays.

 

Then Fate stepped it with the small

ship I recently cruised on returning to Darwin with positive passengers.  Knowing their first class sail safe measures, I understood how impossible it would be to keep Covid off ships.  Remembering how nerve wracking it was trying to not catch covid for a month prior to my last cruise, I decided three months would be impossible, so cancelled my option.  Payment was in full.

 

Imagine Flying long haul from Australia to England then not being permitted to board the ship!  Would you take the risk in these times?

 

What is risk ? You get in a car without a worry in the world but are scared of being eaten by a shark or struck by lightning. Live life as it's your last day .🙂

[portcbob]

28 minutes ago, Hogbay said:

What is risk ? You get in a car without a worry in the world but are scared of being eaten by a shark or struck by lightning. Live life as it's your last day .🙂

I agree. Everything you do or go to now has some form of risk attached to it with Covid. Unless you want to stay home wrapped in cotton wool, go out and enjoy life.👍

[arxcards]

It would be shattering to be denied boarding via a covid test result. It would be hard enough to take for a local cruise, and a risk I have to negotiate in 3 weeks time. We won't be cocooning for the week prior, but will will not be having any extra-curricular activities either. 

 

We are not looking further afield for a bit. It is not because of a risk of getting sick, but the risk of getting caught in layers of red tape or test results. Personally, I think it is a bit easier to get overseas now. Only a few weeks back, you had to test negative in order to fly home. Now that has been removed, I am starting to look at overseas itineraries again, but not for anything within the next year.

 

For anyone vulnerable to getting sick, there is the risk of catching it. Then there is the risk of having a holiday totally screwed-up, and we are all at risk of that - even with good insurance.

 

 

Edited May 9, 2022 by arxcards
Bad Grandma

[MMDown Under]

I am a frequent traveller. I’ve just returned from ten days on the Sunshine Coast.  Prior to that we drove to three music festivals in NSW.

 

However I don’t think it is worth the risk of

 being denied boarding on a small ship from a

port I haven’t visited before, on my own. I am in the official over 70 vulnerable age group.  
 

Will I visit Ireland again?  Probably by ferry when I next visit the UK.

 

[vegemeter]

Oh dear that’s such a shame, and very strange considering they aren’t doing testing in the UK before boarding. We have family there and they live without Covid, when people have it, they just accept it and get on with it.

[MMDown Under]

10 minutes ago, vegemeter said:

Oh dear that’s such a shame, and very strange considering they aren’t doing testing in the UK before boarding. We have family there and they live without Covid, when people have it, they just accept it and get on with it.

They do testing before boarding small ships. I recently cruised on a small ship in Australia

where their excellent “sail safe plan” included a PCR Test 72 hours prior to departure and a RAT on day of departure. If either test was positive you couldn’t board the ship. In addition a nurse took our temperatures every day. We had no positive passengers on our cruise.  However the same ship has recently returned to Darwin with positive passengers

 

 

[losfp]

We are looking to do something in Europe in around 18 months. Will it be totally safe by then? Who even knows. What I do know is that we're not getting any younger, and the kids won't be kids forever. So we're proceeding with planning, cautiously.

[MMDown Under]

34 minutes ago, losfp said:

We are looking to do something in Europe in around 18 months. Will it be totally safe by then? Who even knows. What I do know is that we're not getting any younger, and the kids won't be kids forever. So we're proceeding with planning, cautiously.

We pulled our daughters out of school for a year when youngest was pre school and elder one would have been year 4. It was the best thing we ever did as a family. Our travels would still work now. We swapped houses and stayed in farm cottages off season. We leased a car for five months.  It would be much easier to organise now with the internet.  Ours was all by mail.  Enjoy your planning 

 l

[arxcards]

13 hours ago, vegemeter said:

Oh dear that’s such a shame, and very strange considering they aren’t doing testing in the UK before boarding. We have family there and they live without Covid, when people have it, they just accept it and get on with it.

Which cruise lines in the UK no longer require testing before boarding? All of the Carnival brands still require a pre-boarding test.

 

As far as I can tell the only change in Southampton is you can no longer get a complimentary test at the pier, so now need to pay for a supervised test in the day(s) prior to boarding.

[gogo65]

We are taking the risk in August.

Flying to London, the embarking on a 28 night north west passage cruise.

We will have insurance.

There are no restrictions on entering any of the countries we will be visiting, no testing requirements. The only thing that may hold us back is pre embarkation testing, but then if countries currently aren’t requiring testing then maybe ships will stop testing?

Ponant have introduced their own insurance policy which provides additional reassurance.

[lissie]

We are flying to the USA in  July - 10 days on land - cruising SF to Barcelona - 6 weeks in Europe cruising Barcelona-Singapore flying home. 

 

I currently have Covid which means I can now get a "recovery letter" to enter the USA- kinda hoping that my partner  gets it off me - but so far he's testing negative.  We will probably still have to test to get on the ship - but our immunity should be high. If P doesn't get covid off me he should get a 2nd booster before we leave. 

 

We don't have Covid insurance  -we have coverage for other health issues. If we need a plan b because we are denied boarding I guess we'll just need to make a new plan 🙂

Edited May 10, 2022 by lissie

[vegemeter]

18 hours ago, losfp said:

What I do know is that we're not getting any younger, and the kids won't be kids forever

 

Yes this is how I feel and I suspect many others. For those of us who sadly lost people to the pandemic (myself included), honoring them by travelling to the places they wanted to go to when they could not is a very fine thing to do and a very human thing to do.

 

The biggest risk you can take right now is not travelling and waiting until inflation hits, making it totally unaffordable. Travel is a luxury not a right. Flights in many countries have returned to pre-pandemic levels with minimal or no testing at all.

 

Newspapers will always sensationalise dramas of course for the mega big bucks but look at that outbreak recently, totally contained, those individuals are likely coming out of isolation and getting on with it.

 

You can differ with me if you wish!

[Mikamarii]

We are coming to Australia on a Transpacific cruise on October as part of a 52 day vacation in Australia. If it is one thing we've learned over the last couple years is that time can easily be taken away from you. Our kids are 10 and 8 and will soon hit the age where they want nothing to do with us! Time is precious and should be spent doing the things you love with the people you love. Risk is risk and is different to everyone. 

[SuitesRbest]

I am doing the repo cruise in October out of Honolulu and we are going to do travel from Australia to board the ship. It is what it is, lets just start living our lives again..

[Ethel6666]

We’ve booked B2B small ship cruises out of the UK for next year. At the end of a longer mostly land based trip. If the Covid situation is the same, we’re planning on laying very low 2 weeks prior to the cruise  - rent a hire car, stay in self catering accommodation in small places, etc. We like staying in remote areas, wildlife watching, walking, so it’s not too much hardship. Hopefully will improve our odds. 

[windsor26]

On 5/10/2022 at 6:44 AM, vegemeter said:

Oh dear that’s such a shame, and very strange considering they aren’t doing testing in the UK before boarding. We have family there and they live without Covid, when people have it, they just accept it and get on with it.

I am booked on Princess Sky from UK in July and they do want a test 2 days before embarkation as well as fully vacinnated

[vegemeter]

3 hours ago, windsor26 said:

I am booked on Princess Sky from UK in July and they do want a test 2 days before embarkation as well as fully vacinnated

 

I suspect that requirement may change 🙂

[windsor26]

9 hours ago, vegemeter said:

 

I suspect that requirement may change 🙂

I wish  it would save me 60 pounds sterling (more wine)

[bazzaw]

Don't think that just because you have booked for and paid for a cruise starting overseas that you will definitely be on the ship - have a look at what is happening with Cunard right now , suddenly cancelling peoples bookings on QE and QV to reduce the number of passengers onboard. 

[possum52]

11 hours ago, vegemeter said:

 

I suspect that requirement may change 🙂

It is current at the moment. I have family in the UK too and one has just completed a cruise from Southampton and had to test before boarding. It is up to the cruise company to decide if that is what they want to do for the well being of both passengers and staff. P&O UK require it too - 

 

What Do I Need to do Before My Cruise

•         Obtain evidence of your COVID-19 vaccination status (up-to-date NHS COVID-19 Pass or valid vaccination certificates issued by your local health authority)

•         Organise and pay for a COVID-19 lateral flow/antigen test for all guests aged five years and above (NHS tests are not accepted). The negative antigen test certificate must be presented at the terminal

 

 

Edited May 13, 2022 by possum52

[MicCanberra]

One person's  risky experience is another's routine. 

Perhaps arrive a week earlier than the cruise to allow cancellation  time.

[vegemeter]

On 5/13/2022 at 2:16 AM, bazzaw said:

Don't think that just because you have booked for and paid for a cruise starting overseas that you will definitely be on the ship - have a look at what is happening with Cunard right now , suddenly cancelling peoples bookings on QE and QV to reduce the number of passengers onboard. 

 

From memory, that news article mentioned QE itineraries in America are not fully staffed and that a reduced capacity is operating as a result of maritime law requirements. I believe they are operating at 75% capacity. Did I miss something?

Edited May 16, 2022 by vegemeter

[lissie]

7 minutes ago, vegemeter said:

 

I haven't seen this? Do you have a source to support this?

Just check the Cunard board  Brits and Americans cancelled off cruises starting in SF and Vancouver to Alaska - about 2/3 weeks out.  Cunard is short staffed and is reducing passenger numbers accordingly 

[vegemeter]

6 minutes ago, lissie said:

Just check the Cunard board  Brits and Americans cancelled off cruises starting in SF and Vancouver to Alaska - about 2/3 weeks out.  Cunard is short staffed and is reducing passenger numbers accordingly 

 

Thanks Lisse. I just remembered I read this someplace and changed my post as above. Thankfully I think there is some time for crew numbers to increase.