Cancelling Cruises because of the C word

[alpha whiskey]

1 hour ago, AndyMichelle said:

P&O have replied to someone on twitter this morning saying that, as long as you have a letter from your doctor saying unfit to travel, you can transfer your booking, it was also posted on their website. 

I know others have been told they can't, but it is published in black & white, so I can't see they would have much of an argument. 

Lets face it, thousands of us could get that letter, so it will cost them a fortune, so they won't do it lightly... 

Andy 

Let's hope the GP surgeries have ordered in a lot of extra printer ink...they could be needing to do a lot of letters 🙂

[bobstheboy]

P & O will have to change the policy as others lines have. I am due to cruise in three weeks and over 70. I can't see it happening.

[NewWestwardbound]

I would suggest there are relatively few people who are unfit to travel on a cruise ship 

 

There are substantially more who would be at increased risk of severe ill health should they succumb to COVID 19. 

[indiana123]

Just a thought... if you go down the "unfit to fly" route now could it impact on future travel insurance applications?

[jake 26]

16 minutes ago, NewWestwardbound said:

I would suggest there are relatively few people who are unfit to travel on a cruise ship 

 

There are substantially more who would be at increased risk of severe ill health should they succumb to COVID 19. 

 

I think that sums up the situation.

 

I also think that while it the virus spread is low level in the UK, and there are no reported cases on UK ships,  P&O will hold back in changing their cancellation policy.

[ohnonotmeagain]

Re post 969. Don't know but just because they don't ask those sorts of questions at the moment, it doesn't mean to say that they won't in future. Just to recoup any substantial losses by asking for exorbitant price rises. 

Edited March 7, 2020 by ohnonotmeagain
Bad typing

[jeanlyon]

Janny, no and now the same information is available on the P&O website, so no longer a secret.

[jh1809]

2 hours ago, Polly1922 said:

I think the option to cancel  should be available for over 70s and people with health issues if they feel it is too risky for them to cruise.

No one should be forced to self isolate and miss their cruise if they still want to go.

Agreed. As a 71-year-old with no major health issues (at least so far as I'm aware), I shall be annoyed if I'm forced to self-isolate unless/until I develop coronavirus symptoms, especially if it should be imposed before I leave on my next cruise on Wednesday. I don't think it's very likely to come to that, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[janny444]

4 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

Janny, no and now the same information is available on the P&O website, so no longer a secret.

Jean....it was just to know for any future cruise bookings ....the one I deal with at the moment is a bit so so

[jeanlyon]

1 minute ago, janny444 said:

Jean....it was just to know for any future cruise bookings ....the one I deal with at the moment is a bit so so

 He's in Wales and has a passion for cruises.  !!

[jeanlyon]

Janny do you have a Facebook profile?

[Presto2]

Not sure if I have even asked this before - feels like Groundhog day reading through the news and CC at the minute ! My head is spinning with the constantly changing 'terms and conditions'.

 

Have they slackened the transfer date - i.e. if you transfer a cruise before your a re due to pay your full balance do you have to stick to a cruise within a 12 month period? We re considering transferring our cruise in August to a later one, but at the moment we are just watching what is going on as we do not have to pay until some time in May.

[terrierjohn]

10 hours ago, daiB said:

Where did i say i was not concerned. You are assuming what i am thinking.

I was assuming nothing, but if you don't post your concerns how are we to know them.

[jeanlyon]

15 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

Not sure if I have even asked this before - feels like Groundhog day reading through the news and CC at the minute ! My head is spinning with the constantly changing 'terms and conditions'.

 

Have they slackened the transfer date - i.e. if you transfer a cruise before your a re due to pay your full balance do you have to stick to a cruise within a 12 month period? We re considering transferring our cruise in August to a later one, but at the moment we are just watching what is going on as we do not have to pay until some time in May.

No, you don't have to stick to the one year period.  Go to their website and click on the Coronvirus stuff at the top

[janny444]

17 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

Janny do you have a Facebook profile?

I do...but don't use it a lot...just for our community singing group and a couple of MD websites

[Presto2]

Just now, jeanlyon said:

No, you don't have to stick to the one year period.  Go to their website and click on the Coronvirus stuff at the top

 

Thanks Jean - have read it twice and not seen it ! That is good news then in some ways as we have always wanted a Christmas cruise to the Caribbean - so this may be the move we make.

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

P&O have replied to someone on twitter this morning saying that, as long as you have a letter from your doctor saying unfit to travel, you can transfer your booking, it was also posted on their website. 

I know others have been told they can't, but it is published in black & white, so I can't see they would have much of an argument. 

Lets face it, thousands of us could get that letter, so it will cost them a fortune, so they won't do it lightly... 

Andy 

The problem Andy will be that most of us are fit to travel, its just that the possibility of catching Covid19 could be very serious, and even if we don't then being cooped up in our cabins for 14 days could also be very detrimental.

I doubt that most GPs will be prepared to stick their neck out except for very frail patients.

[Bazrat]

11 hours ago, wowzz said:

"Goodwill " is a vastly over rated concept. I pay for a holiday and enter into a contract - I expect to get the holiday that is in my contract.

If circumstances change,  why should I expect the provider of that holiday to tear up the contract,  just for that nebulous  idea of "goodwill".

"Goodwill" doesn't pay for the waiters, cabin stewards, kitchen staff, etc. 

My feeling us that I have paid to go on a cruise. P&O are going to provide me with a cruise. Why should I break that contract?  

 

That’s my view why panic so far the cruises are going ahead and by the looks at the reports people are enjoying them, as for Facebook they took a decision to wait for the experts to make a decision to cruise or not and not uninformed posters on here with there various motives.

[jeanlyon]

29 minutes ago, janny444 said:

I do...but don't use it a lot...just for our community singing group and a couple of MD websites

Did you understand my previous post.  Try looking for cruise Travel agents in Wales.  He goes under two different names, one is specifically for cruises and the other for all over travel.  If you type "cruise travel agents in Wales" I am sure you will find him.  Ask for Steve, the boss and mention my name.

Edited March 7, 2020 by jeanlyon

[janny444]

13 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

Did you understand my previous post.  Try looking for cruise Travel agents in Wales.  He goes under two different names, one is specifically for cruises and the other for all over travel.  If you type "cruise travel agents in Wales" I am sure you will find him.  Ask for Steve, the boss and mention my name.

Jean....think I have found it....BTW I have a hobby a real passion for making carts!

[Rupert2251]

1 hour ago, Presto2 said:

Not sure if I have even asked this before - feels like Groundhog day reading through the news and CC at the minute ! My head is spinning with the constantly changing 'terms and conditions'.

 

Have they slackened the transfer date - i.e. if you transfer a cruise before your a re due to pay your full balance do you have to stick to a cruise within a 12 month period? We re considering transferring our cruise in August to a later one, but at the moment we are just watching what is going on as we do not have to pay until some time in 

Yes you can now transfer regardless of value, fare type, unlimited transfers, and no longer has to be within 1 year. For how long who knows!

Edited March 7, 2020 by Rupert2251

[davecttr]

2 hours ago, Tommart said:

The plan doesn't seem to be to force people to self-isolate (words we barely ever heard just a month ago!) - just to advise the elderly to self-isolate.  And not self-isolation in the way that those potentially infected are asked to self-isolate - just to keep themselves away from other people to avoid infection.

 

It makes a lot of sense, in that the 80% of the population who will just get the virus and get over it will be less likely to infect the 20% of the population who may need hospital treatment.  If that slows down the rate at which the 20% are infected it buys a bit of time to spread the almost impossible load on hospitals.

The governments delay plans are vitally important and we should all cooperate with them. Apparently about 5% of diagnosed cases need ventilators to assist their breathing, essentially intensive care. About 15% of the diagnosed will need hospital care with access to oxygen supplies. If the NHS has 170,000 beds and NHS England has 4000 intensive care beds, almost all of which are occupied do the maths and you can see the potential problem. The problem is not with the overall death rate, it is with the 20% of diagnosed who need hospital care.

[AndyMichelle]

25 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

The problem Andy will be that most of us are fit to travel, its just that the possibility of catching Covid19 could be very serious, and even if we don't then being cooped up in our cabins for 14 days could also be very detrimental.

I doubt that most GPs will be prepared to stick their neck out except for very frail patients.

I don't agree John.

We asked our Doctor if catching the virus could be serious for Michelle and he said, although under usual circumstances she would be fit to travel, he would happily say she is unfit in the current climate. 

They have a duty of care, so anybody with existing conditions that it could affect should not have any trouble getting the letter. 

Andy 

[jeanlyon]

24 minutes ago, janny444 said:

Jean....think I have found it....BTW I have a hobby a real passion for making carts!

 

He's really a nice guy Janny, I get a discount on the price of the cruise and always get the cabins I want.  Just use the name you see on here and I'm in Devon.  He knows me well.

[janny444]

Many thanks Jean