free from work

4 hours ago, madmedic said:

We booked 2 cabins on Silhouette for June 17 th.  Final payment date is on our Celebrity account as April 8th but on my invoice from Celebrity UK it is March 25th. Which is the correct one? Really hope it is April as one of our party is due to have a medical procedure before he can get his travel insurance. This will be completed by then. Don't want to risk paying without cancellation insurance. A couple of weeks will make all the difference. 

Hi. 

We are on the same cruise. I have just checked and the final payment date is 8 April. 

If you sign in online and go to "make final payment" it shows your FPD there. 

Jim 

4 hours ago, JessicaB97 said:

Yeah that’s the other thing they could do… kindly ask a member of the public, I work on computers all day everyday and was able to fill out the form quite quickly, I hope there is a Good Samaritan that can help them. It is pretty shocking p&o are not helping. On the regal Princess they had scheduled time in on the cruise compass for passengers to go to walk in sessions for help with their forms, it was great.

We were on N125 Southampton /Canaries RT when everything went pear shaped. P&o made PC's available but no It support. I helped 1 passenger link their phone to the PLF system as they had no idea what to do. P&o distinctly Awol. 

J

12 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

My booster isn’t until Dec 6th so I haven’t experienced that yet. Have you just had it in the past few days? Wondering how long it takes to show up.

We had our boosters 16/10 and they have been on our surgery records from the following day. However they have only been on the NHS app from today. Perhaps this is only in England? 

Jim 

2 minutes ago, GOQ said:

As I have written, I ticked NO, I also put all the islands in date order. It seemed to me that if the arrival and departure dates for each island were always the same and I didn't travel on any trains or planes to answer was no. All very confusing. 

 

Now I am worried. What subsequent questions did the form ask if you ticked "YES" ?  

 

If you see an anxious looking bloke wandering around in a daze on N125, that will be me. 🥺

 

By the time we get onboard everyone will be in a daze I think. 

I don't think that any more questions were asked except did you visit the mainland. 

On another issue we found out today that our booster shots are on the NHS app so we've got another travel pass that shows these, just in case! 

Jim 

1 minute ago, Bobblehat71 said:

I put YES on mine but not sure anyone really cares too much. 

 

Did you put in all the different islands as stops?

We did. I couldn't work out how to combine Madeira and Portugal so separated them too. 

The good thing is that we will be home when it's all being checked so what can they do? 

Jim 

1 minute ago, GOQ said:

You had me a little worried there, I answered NO.

 

On my form it said:

“ Did you transit through this country via plane or train without passing border control?” 

 

No mention of ship ??

There was an info "here" tag which went to an additional page that mentions ships. That's where I read about the not leaving the ship. 

Having said that I have started to doubt myself as I don't know what information the ship passes on. I've decided that I did the best I could and they will have to settle for that right or wrong! 

Jim 

3 hours ago, Mad4WDW said:

Hi,

Im just filling in our PLF’s , for the canary island ports does anyone know if I should select YES or NO for the question, “ Did you transit through this country via plane, train or ship without passing border control?” 
 

TIA

 

Greg

Hi Greg

We completed ours yesterday. 

You need to select yes for transi even if you don't leave the ship. 

Jim 

26 minutes ago, Manx buoy said:

They seem to be taking a long time to make some kind of statement on this issue I hope they don’t think people are going to forget about it if they drag their heels

Tomorrow is 28 days since Natasha responded to my original email to Paul Ludlow. As this is the timescale P&O state ABTA allow for dealing with complaints I am expecting a reply of some sort. I imagine it will be another complaint holding letter. 

If nothing arrives by close of business tomorrow I will chase Natasha for a response. 

Jim 

14 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Yes Jim, the insurance falls down on removal of passengers with a negative test and that is what we are asking P&O/Carnival companies to deal with.  They are aware you cannot insure for this scenario although it's only because I told them in late September.  Unfortunately they did not take it onboard until we had what I term the "Cadiz Situation". They have assured it is now high on the agenda and they will resolve it.

 

At present there is no protocol ruie for P&O/Cunard to assist the "uninsured" people financially with quarantine, testing, food, repatriation costs. They have however confirmed that those who have fallen foul of the port offloading situation are not out of pocket and they have assisted them.  We are asking the cruise lines to incorporate this help as a guarantee in their protocols to match RCI/Celebrity.

 

I hope this makes it clearer.

 

Passengers testing positive who are debarked are fully covered under the medical section of their insurance and have no financial liability aside from their policy excess.

 

Cruisemeister2002: if you and your wife test positive and are removed from the ship your insurance will cover you.  This is why it is essential to have the best possible policy you can buy - I recall you have Staysure and they are most certainly one of the best. If however one of you tests positive and the other doesn't only the positive test passenger will be paid out under the insurance policy.

Thank you for the update. I hadn't been aware that P&O had been making the "good will" payments where the insurance company was declining cover. That is at least a step in the right direction. 

Thanks again for your efforts. 

Jim 

7 minutes ago, wowzz said:

You need to refer to the Covid on Iona thread, where this issue has been discussed at length.  

I have been following the Covid on Iona thread and the great work by Megabear2. I thought the issue was passengers being offloaded and having to try and claim from their insurance which was falling short in some circumstances. 

Jim 

16 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

The right to remove has always been there, the Covid wording is newly added since the restart.  The "new problem" is the ports insisting on removal.  P&O are not alone in being caught out by this one, Marella and Fred have had recent problems.  The big difference with RCI/Celebrity is their confirmation that the passengers will not be financially liable for any costs of removal into quarantine and getting home.  P&O have already advised they will quarantine on board wherever they are allowed - passengers testing positive in Gibraltar were not offloaded.

 

At the end of the day if a port or country is determined that Covid passengers should be offloaded then there is nothing any cruise line can do to override that decision. I suspect RCI/Celebrity thought about the possibility before starting to sail internationally whereas P&O/Cunard were late in looking at the possibile problem.  They are, hopefully, on the case now and have confirmed that no one is out of pocket due to offloading.  The important thing is to keep the pressure on them to deal with this immediately.

 

At the end of the day it is for individuals to decide if they can risk quarantine ashore if the worst happens.  There is unfortunately no hard and fast rule for any voyage or ports, every sailing is different.   

 

Hi Megabear2. 

I must have missed this information but when did P&O confirm that no one will be out of pocket due to offloading? I thought that this was why they were insisting on everyone being insured. 

Jim

10 minutes ago, Glitterati said:

I’m hoping that P&O do a u-turn and follow the likes of Celebrity and RCI. They say if you get quarantined and have to be removed, they will pay for you and your party to quarantine/get home. However they also said they only remove passengers if they feel they require more medical assistance than is available on the ship. Which is the opposite of P&O who say the port dictate who is removed. 
 

Not sure who to believe!

If the ports are dictating removal of Covid cases would Celebrity and RCI be allowed to keep positive cases onboard? 

4 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I'm sure the number 12 was mentioned at some point, but they seem to have been told on board that it was 2.

 

Do we know why 12 people were offloaded, as there is a thread on this board that  is confidently entitled 'No Covid on Ventura'

 

 

This thread:

Post No 34. 

1 hour ago, emam said:

I have also just gotten the same reply. At least it shows they looking into it and haven't just forgotten about  it.

 

Further to our recent acknowledgement, please be assured that given the concerns raised your correspondence is currently being reviewed and investigated with the relevant management. Please accept our sincere apologies for the delay in issuing a reply and you have our assurances that a response will be sent in due course.

Same reply here too. 

Seems like Emily has been doing a lot of cutting and pasting! Just a standard holding letter to stop people phoning in to see what's happening. 

Jim 

43 minutes ago, Swanseasailor said:

Hi Megabear2 P and O seem to have gone to ground and this subject page slowly falling down the list. I Have still not had a reply but still hopeful.

Hi

I emailed Natasha last week about the timescale for reply as we leave for our cruise 22/11. She reiterated the 28 day ABTA limit so I'm not sure we will have an answer before we sail. 

Jim 

7 minutes ago, Dgtrainer99 said:

What’s the typical cost of a glass of wine? Plus can you use the onboard credit to go towards the drink package?

Do most people buy the package?

 

we’re first time cruisers, so green as grass in cruising.

Here's a link that's worth checking out. 

https://paulandcarolelovetotravel.com/po-cruises-bar-prices-drinks-packages/

We are on our first P&O cruise on Ventura in November. Do P&O do "happy hours" or cocktails of the day in any bars during the cruise? 

Jim 

41 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Mega has extremely good reason to not trust insurance companies as she's spent a lifetime working with them through the law offices she's worked in, and knows that sadly they will do anything to not pay out if they can.  Yes, if it's a clear cut case they can be relied on and I too have had good experiences in my 60 odd years following claims for sickness, cancellation, redundancy and death but I've also had to fight for payment for ambulances (private ones not included), changing from a local hospital to a private one after a broken wrist was set wrongly and being at risk of amputation as a result and also being told cancellation for my dying father wasn't a good enough reason for them to pay out. So yes, I do spend "inordinate" amounts of time on ensuring I'm fully insured.  That's my choice. Although I have shared my findings and information here, if it is unhelpful and not required I will cease to share any further.  

 

I have no desire to cause stress to anyone.

I for one fully appreciate your efforts and sharing of information. 

It's certainly making me take more interest in our insurance. Should have done it sooner! 

Jim 

1 hour ago, Shipsareus said:

Off to the Caribbean soon and getting all our documents together.

we have checked with our bank that we have the cover specified by P&O but on our online portal with the bank it shows the whole policy - 48 pages!

Anybody who has travelled recently - could you advise what document you provided at check in. We are with the Rooyal bank of Scotland.

many thanks

We contacted our bank and had to request a Proof of Travel Cover confirmation letter from the underwriting company. This is a 2 page summary including cruise cover. 

I will take the policy booklet as well just to be sure. 

29 minutes ago, Marmaduke said:

Does anyone know if the Travel Insurance provided by a bank is the same for all customers of that bank regardless of their account  eg.   Silver, Gold, Platinum ?

 I guess that the more prestigious accounts may have extra benefits eg.  cover for winter sports insurance, a higher amount for baggage loss etc but is the basic terms and conditions the same for everyone?

Our M&S CC provides paid for travel insurance. We receive higher benefits than newer CC holders, possibly at a higher price, due to legacy T's&C's. 

As Mb2 suggests, we all need to read our policies and query any ambiguity or lack of personal understanding. My understanding of a policy may not be the same as the claim handlers. A few "what ifs" before travelling should give some peace of mind. 

Jim 

18 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Interesting- she's who I'm speaking to.

I was thinking it might be a robot name used on all complaints. 

Perhaps you could mention the need for a prompt resolution of your enquiry due to the serious consequences for P&o customers. 

I also raised the issue of onshore support for anyone disembarked and how they would deal with CPS for those who selected parking as part of the package. 

Jim 

19 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Had my update that it's still up the line and nothing to report yet.  I've emailed again mentioning I know a lot of people from the forums and on line chats are emailing because they've become aware of the issue.  Also mentioned Snow Hill's reply that protocols are changing and asked for confirmation of when.

 

I'd like to have a list of the names on everyone's replies if possible? One or two I've dealt with have been better than most. The last but one in July called me and gave me £250 OBC on my next cruise due to poor communication. 

 

If you get time could you let me have the names, thanks.

Mine was sent by:

Natasha

Guest Support Representative,
Office of Simon Palethorpe, President, Carnival UK
Office of Paul Ludlow, President, P&O Cruises
Email: executive.correspondence@carnivalukgroup.com
Web: www.pocruises.com | www.cunard.com
Carnival House, 100 Harbour Parade, Southampton SO15 1ST

Jim

1 hour ago, lindyloo22 said:

I have had an email back saying they have noted my comments and that they will investigate and once all completed will come back to me. May take up to 28 days depending on the level of investigation needed.

Has anymore  people had a reply.

 

I too have received the standard 28 day holding letter. No doubt they will take the maximum allotted time to reply. We set off for our cruise in 30 days so not much hope there then! 

Jim 

7 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Here you go:

 

Executive.Correspondence@carnivalukgroup.com

 

 

I have emailed. 

Thanks for the time, effort and perseverance you have committed to the problem. 

Jim 

32 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I think from my original research Aviva would cover the offloading from the £5,000 under the abandonment section. If the M&S policy Jim holds is underwritten by Aviva I assume it pretty much has the same policy levels. Certainly they were the most positive I spoke to originally.

 

I suppose for all of us the costs are the crucial element.  Would £5,000 cover your quarantine costs complete with all the tests etc? I've no idea. Redsquirrel59 had a major insurer pick up his tab but it sounds like others offloaded at the same time did not.  

 

The Bajan quarantine hotel  looked at was the cheapest at US$125 per night plus $30 for food.  If it went 10 days you would use up about £1100 on that, then add medical expenses and flight home ... if you are near the end of yourv14 nights not much change in your £5,000.

 

Probably okay in Europe.

I have confirmed the cover in our policy on a webchat which I copied so happy with that. 

As I mentioned to ICF in my previous post the level of cover was reduced for new customers so we are not unhappy with our policy protection. 

Having said that you only know how good an insurance policy is after you have made a claim. We have needed to claim on ours in the past and were very pleased with the service. 

Jim 

30 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I guess my point us Jim how can it even refer to Covid etc when it's an old policy?

 

And even though it's something you are entitled to surely it's subject to annual changes?

Yes you are right about the annual changes. Covid cover was specifically included into the policy in Feb 2021. We have to confirm eligibility for the policy cover each year too. Underwriting is done in the same way as other Aviva travel insurance but the level of cover is significantly higher than currently available. 

Jim