Compulsory offshore excursions due to Covid with P&O

[ScratchTheRat]

Anyone needing help, support or instruction on using a smartphone I am happy to help 😄

[Cathygh]

I'm not sure if this has been said, but a lot of the restrictions such as only doing a cruise company's excursions are there not just to protect the cruisers but also the local population. I would not be surprised if this is something other governments will insist on before they allow cruises in their waters. Even with all the restrictions Canada has just extended the ban cruise ships in their ports and waters until the middle of 2022. 

Cathy

[Splice the mainbrace]

I have an Apple iphone but don't download apps because even for free apps like the test and trace one they want me to enter account details. I know that they won't take a payment but why ask for it when an app is free.

[Selbourne]

40 minutes ago, Peanut006 said:

We are supposed to be cruising July but will be cancelling before final payment due and moving it further into the future. Booked a cottage instead in IOW, glad I booked early as they sound popular now and have read they are well booked up for the summer already

 

Michelle

Good call Michelle. We go to the IOW several times a year and the cottage we book is now sold out until December! 

[ScratchTheRat]

1 minute ago, Cathygh said:

I'm not sure if this has been said, but a lot of the restrictions such as only doing a cruise company's excursions are there not just to protect the cruisers but also the local population. I would not be surprised if this is something other governments will insist on before they allow cruises in their waters. Even with all the restrictions Canada has just extended the ban cruise ships in their ports and waters until the middle of 2022. 

Cathy

 

Also the glaring obvious one is that if one person gets a positive test result, P&O can pull up the excursion list and know exactly what other passengers that person was with on the excursion, thus isolating the right people.

[ScratchTheRat]

2 minutes ago, Splice the mainbrace said:

I have an Apple iphone but don't download apps because even for free apps like the test and trace one they want me to enter account details. I know that they won't take a payment but why ask for it when an app is free.

A) Some apps have optional paid services inside, even the free ones!

B) They use your payment method as a form of identity verification.

C) You can always use a card that you don't use/have money on 🙂

[Splice the mainbrace]

4 minutes ago, ScratchTheRat said:

A) Some apps have optional paid services inside, even the free ones!

B) They use your payment method as a form of identity verification.

C) You can always use a card that you don't use/have money on 🙂

 

I've just looked again and not only do they want a payment method but my address as well, I'm not a technophobe but I don't like giving out info unnecessarily even if it is secure. I've done without apps up til now so it's OK.

[AndyMichelle]

12 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Good call Michelle. We go to the IOW several times a year and the cottage we book is now sold out until December! 

And the ferry crew will be vaccinated as they are classed as a priority group. 

Andy 

[Peanut006]

2 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

And the ferry crew will be vaccinated as they are classed as a priority group. 

Andy 

Not booked ferry yet but will be doing very soon in fact I might do it today as I understand they get booked up

 

Michelle

[Selbourne]

3 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

And the ferry crew will be vaccinated as they are classed as a priority group. 

Andy 

Interesting. I have to say that Red Funnel Ferries have been real stars in how they have handled ever changing bookings during the pandemic. We have now had two IOW holidays cancelled since the pandemic started and both times they offered a choice of issuing a credit note for use until the end of the following year, transferring the monies paid to offset the balance of another booking or a full refund. No quibbling. Many other companies could take a leaf out of their book! 

[Selbourne]

5 minutes ago, Peanut006 said:

Not booked ferry yet but will be doing very soon in fact I might do it today as I understand they get booked up

 

Michelle

You should be fine. Red Funnel Ferries from Southampton to East Cowes is our preferred route. You see the cruise ships in Southampton (even now!) and it’s the same route that you take at the start of a cruise, so brings back nice memories. Takes a little bit longer than the other routes but there’s more to see. You may already be familiar with the IOW, but if not and you wanted some tips on nice pubs, restaurants, places to visit etc just ask. Recommendations would depend on whether you are adults only or with kids. 

[yorkshirephil]

10 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

 But surely they can only owe you the deposit which won't be much, unless you transferred an earlier fully paid FCC to it?

It is still my money, P&O have no right to keep it when the product they have sold me has changed to something I don't want, and because as you say it might not be much, so just give it me back. It is also one of the reasons I have not used my FCC to book another cruise, and won't until they play fair.

[joeecco]

18 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

And the ferry crew will be vaccinated as they are classed as a priority group. 

Andy 

I’m not aware of this, is this just for ferry transport crews? 
 

I have just checked the priority groups and no mention of any other key workers after careers and NhS. 
I work in the railway and we are not on any list, we will be group 10 as ‘the rest of the population’ 

 

If anyone is interested I have only came across 3 NHS workers on my trains since the pandemic began, the majority of passengers have been mask-less, rule defying folk off to see their ‘mates’ or to get some ‘stuff’ - I’ll leave that to your imaginations. Law Enforcement has been very little and we as employees have been told NOT to police any rules ourselves as the assault rate has rocketed, and as I’ve said before it’s not worth me getting my head kicked in but it doesn’t half irritate me! 
 

Edited February 5, 2021 by joeecco

[joeecco]

1 minute ago, yorkshirephil said:

It is still my money, P&O have no right to keep it when the product they have sold me has changed to something I don't want, and because as you say it might not be much, so just give it me back. It is also one of the reasons I have not used my FCC to book another cruise, and won't until they play fair.

Be careful with not using your FCC until they refund you a deposit because if they don’t, and probably won’t, you’d have lost your deposit and your FCC amount, it won’t be there forever. 

[yorkshirephil]

Just now, joeecco said:

Be careful with not using your FCC until they refund you a deposit because if they don’t, and probably won’t, you’d have lost your deposit and your FCC amount, it won’t be there forever. 

I don't have any deposits that I want refunding at the moment and hopefully my next cruise in Jan 2022 will go. For me it is more the principle of why I should be forced to lose money for something I don't want. I understand the predicament that cruise lines are in and don't want to lose them any more than anybody else which is one reason I have a FCC. I feel that in taking the FCC (full payment) I am doing my bit to help P&O, I know I get the extra 25% but that will be of little value if cruises go up by 30% which I feel is a reasonable assumption when pent up demand kicks in. If I don't find a cruise that suits me or the restrictions are such that I am not willing to accept a cruise I will take up my contracted right to a refund of 100% of moneys paid, which if I remember correctly is 31-12-21, if P&O are willing to extend that date I will be happy to leave the FCC with them.

[Adawn47]

1 hour ago, davecttr said:

From the Times this morning, " government plans vaccine passports to allow holidays". Officials have started work on a vaccine passport.

It had to happen, there was no way this situation with airlines and holiday companies would be allowed to continue. Too many have folded in the last year.

Avril

[ScratchTheRat]

17 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

It is still my money, P&O have no right to keep it when the product they have sold me has changed to something I don't want, and because as you say it might not be much, so just give it me back. It is also one of the reasons I have not used my FCC to book another cruise, and won't until they play fair.

According to their terms though, they have sold you a week on the ship with its amenities. The ports and excursions are "subject to change" as per your contract of booking.

[terrierjohn]

5 hours ago, Bazrat said:

The point was people could be carriers but not have the symptoms 

There will now always be that danger, although the vaccination and herd immunity should make it less of a problem.

However these virus's are less potent in the summer so it was reasonable to relax the lockdown, and if people had continued with social distancing and followed all the recommendations, the virus might not have returned as fast as it did.

[Adawn47]

58 minutes ago, ScratchTheRat said:

Anyone needing help, support or instruction on using a smartphone I am happy to help 😄

Hey cheeky😉, just because we are 'a certain age' and don't feel the need to spend a money on on an expensive, unnecessary phone, doesn't mean we don't know how to use one😁

Avril

[yorkshirephil]

8 minutes ago, ScratchTheRat said:

According to their terms though, they have sold you a week on the ship with its amenities. The ports and excursions are "subject to change" as per your contract of booking.

Within reason.

[Harry Peterson]

3 minutes ago, ScratchTheRat said:

According to their terms though, they have sold you a week on the ship with its amenities. The ports and excursions are "subject to change" as per your contract of booking.

Ports are always subject to change. Huge difference though between the odd dropped port and being allowed off the ship only if you book a P&O excursion.

 

Simple answer, and they may well offer this as an alternative to refunds to those who argue their case well enough - free or at cost excursions.

[terrierjohn]

56 minutes ago, Splice the mainbrace said:

I have an Apple iphone but don't download apps because even for free apps like the test and trace one they want me to enter account details. I know that they won't take a payment but why ask for it when an app is free.

If you have an Android phone Google always gives you the option to skip putting your card details in, which is what I always do, if Apple does not have that facility that's reason number 5599 to switch to Android. 

[Peanut006]

29 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

You should be fine. Red Funnel Ferries from Southampton to East Cowes is our preferred route. You see the cruise ships in Southampton (even now!) and it’s the same route that you take at the start of a cruise, so brings back nice memories. Takes a little bit longer than the other routes but there’s more to see. You may already be familiar with the IOW, but if not and you wanted some tips on nice pubs, restaurants, places to visit etc just ask. Recommendations would depend on whether you are adults only or with kids. 

Thank you, I may well ask you nearer the time for nice restaurants etc

 

Michelle

[ScratchTheRat]

9 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

Hey cheeky😉, just because we are 'a certain age' and don't feel the need to spend a money on on an expensive, unnecessary phone, doesn't mean we don't know how to use one😁

Avril

Wasnt being cheeky, more just offering help if people need.

 

They can be very useful for people of all ages and I work in that area 🙂

[ScratchTheRat]

9 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Ports are always subject to change. Huge difference though between the odd dropped port and being allowed off the ship only if you book a P&O excursion.

 

Simple answer, and they may well offer this as an alternative to refunds to those who argue their case well enough - free or at cost excursions.

They have offered people the chance to rebook for free to a later cruise.