Getting off the ship at ports

[lorrainemargaret]

Hi I am going on Iona in Jan 2022 Spain and Portugal,Can you get off at the ports and sightsee individual,or do you have to have ship excursions,any info will be much appreciated thanks

[yorkshirephil]

22 minutes ago, lorrainemargaret said:

Hi I am going on Iona in Jan 2022 Spain and Portugal,Can you get off at the ports and sightsee individual,or do you have to have ship excursions,any info will be much appreciated thanks

Basically you will have to wait and see. Currently you can't get off unless you are on a P&O tour, even if that gives you free time. Who knows whether Spain and Portugal will accept ships in Jan. Covid is an ever changing thing and will likely be for some time. You need to consider what you are willing to accept and make a decision accordingly.

[terrierjohn]

As Phil says, no one knows what the rules will be for the restart of international cruises, even though they start at the end of September.

At present P&O say you are only able to go ashore on a ships excursion.  But Britannia and Iona only have a couple of cruises calling at Liverpool on the seacations, and P&O are promising an update for the restart of scheduled cruises, and that their protocols will be kept under constant review as govts change their regulations.

As Phil commented you have to decide 3 months in advance, if you think you will be happy with the then current situation.

[wowzz]

The silly thing is that Princess will let you get off independently in October - go figure!

But realistically,  no one knows what the position will be in January. 

[picsa]

51 minutes ago, wowzz said:

The silly thing is that Princess will let you get off independently in October - go figure!

But realistically,  no one knows what the position will be in January. 

Perhaps Carnival playing around with the different brands they operate to see what people will put up with, and more importantly will people pay.

 

On a 14 night cruise with 7 ports, getting off a P&O ship will cost a couple around £800 - that is a fair ‘chunk of change’ when such cruises are selling for £699 per person.

 

If people do book P&O cruises and do pay to get off the ship then expect P&O to “keep passengers safe” for a while longer. If people don’t book or pay to get off (and don’t forget they want people off so they can cut back on lunches and staff at that time) the expect them to move towards the Princess approach.

[yorkshirephil]

7 hours ago, picsa said:

 

If people do book P&O cruises and do pay to get off the ship then expect P&O to “keep passengers safe” for a while longer. If people don’t book or pay to get off (and don’t forget they want people off so they can cut back on lunches and staff at that time) the expect them to move towards the Princess approach.

I think the main gripe about this approach is that P&O are running trips with time on your own, which defeats the object of keeping people safe and smacks of making money from a bad situation. 

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, yorkshirephil said:

I think the main gripe about this approach is that P&O are running trips with time on your own, which defeats the object of keeping people safe and smacks of making money from a bad situation. 

The P&O website has shore excursions that state this, but since no international cruise has sailed as yet, then no one has any idea what these shore excursions will look like.

All I know is that the current shore excursions just look the same as they did pre covid.

[picsa]

17 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

The P&O website has shore excursions that state this, but since no international cruise has sailed as yet, then no one has any idea what these shore excursions will look like.

 

P&O's upcoming international cruises are to amber/green list countries who are quite happy to accept UK nationals flying in if they are double vaccinated, so it seems pretty unlikely they will raise any objection to people off cruise ships who have been additionally tested for COVID (albeit with an LFT) doing whatever they want.

 

The requirement by P&O that people cannot get off unless on an excursion is 'security theatre' as best, and a money grab at worst.

 

24 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

All I know is that the current shore excursions just look the same as they did pre covid.

 

No, you know that you cannot disembark unless on an excursion, unless you haven't read the P&O web site. Or do you mean you don't care because you only book excursions and never get off on your own.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, picsa said:

 

No, you know that you cannot disembark unless on an excursion, unless you haven't read the P&O web site. Or do you mean you don't care because you only book excursions and never get off on your own.

I was merely stating that the excursions on the website appear to be exactly the same as they were before covid, whereas P&O said they would be offering cheaper  limited option excursions which operated on a bubbled system which limited the possibility of you infecting locals or vice versa.  So IMO the excursions listed will not operate as proposed, unless of course P&O are going to relax their proposed protocols which, if they do, would seem to be shooting themselves in the foot if they continue to deny passengers the ability to go ashore independently.

[Slugsta]

I think we are on this cruise too (29th Jan?) and have booked P+O excursions for all ports. We wouldn't normally do more than 1 or 2 on a cruise, especially as many of them don't really fit with our interests and abilities. However, if that's the only way we will be allowed off, that's what we will do. If things change in the interim, we will cancel what we don't want.

[lolabarola]

Do P&O still charge 10% for any excursions you cancel? I seem to remember Princess don’t but may be getting confused!

[picsa]

20 minutes ago, Slugsta said:

I think we are on this cruise too (29th Jan?) and have booked P+O excursions for all ports. We wouldn't normally do more than 1 or 2 on a cruise, especially as many of them don't really fit with our interests and abilities. However, if that's the only way we will be allowed off, that's what we will do. If things change in the interim, we will cancel what we don't want.

 

Perfectly understand your reasoning, but P&O will be rubbing their hands in glee if everyone is doing this and won't be changing their policy any time soon.

[purplesea]

We are on Iona in January too (15th) and I although I have looked at the excursions we are just waiting to see what the situation is nearer the time.

[tring]

2 hours ago, picsa said:

 

P&O's upcoming international cruises are to amber/green list countries who are quite happy to accept UK nation wantals flying in if they are double vaccinated, so it seems pretty unlikely they will raise any objection to people off cruise ships who have been additionally tested for COVID (albeit with an LFT) doing whatever they want.

 

This is not so.  We will soon be travelling with Fred, who have already run one international cruise and are running the rest of their programme from 11th Sept. Last week four Spanish ports scheduled would not have let people off independently, yet three others on the same Spanish cruise would.  This week all scheduled ports, including the same ones, will allow people off.  The real crunch though is that decision can (and will) change regularly, so we have all been told to expect changes to those decisions until the ships are about to arrive at any port.  The current position regards that will be posted on the ships as they sail.  Hence not only is it uncertain re every port, but it will remain so until last minute. 

 

That will be the same for all cruise lines, as there will still be a lot of uncertainty for some time to come regards decisions both by our Government as well as those from other countries and even individual ports within each country visited.

 

I agree with John re excursions, I have been told by Princess that if excursions need to be cancelled re covid, they will be fully refunded, though they have been on sale for months.  Fred has taken a different approach, only publishing excursions which will take.place but they are not published until two or three weeks before each cruise at present, due to the uncertainty.

 

Edited September 6, 2021 by tring

[Cristaltips]

I’m due on the USA/ Caribbean cruise in February. The balance is due to be paid next month(booked with  an agent) At the moment, USA aren’t allowing us in.  Combined with the current situation of not being able to get off the ship independently and not being able to transfer booking after balance has been paid, I suspect there won’t be many balances paid.

[Son of Anarchy]

26 minutes ago, Cristaltips said:

I’m due on the USA/ Caribbean cruise in February. The balance is due to be paid next month(booked with  an agent) At the moment, USA aren’t allowing us in.  Combined with the current situation of not being able to get off the ship independently and not being able to transfer booking after balance has been paid, I suspect there won’t be many balances paid.

We're on that one as well, though booked direct so our balance is a little later.  It does seem a bit of a gamble at the moment.  We previously looked at moving our booking to 2023, but we decided on something else for the early 2023, so that isn't really an option anymore.  We're trying to be positive and keeping our fingers crossed that it will go ahead as planned and with the ability to go ashore independently.  It's such a great itinery.  The only excursion we're planning on doing is to NASA, and I don't relish the idea of staying aboard or shelling out for tours for the other 34 days when the ship is due to visit lots of places we've never been to.  And I have to try an oyster po' boy in New Orleans!

🤞

[Cristaltips]

1 hour ago, Son of Anarchy said:

We're on that one as well, though booked direct so our balance is a little later.  It does seem a bit of a gamble at the moment.  We previously looked at moving our booking to 2023, but we decided on something else for the early 2023, so that isn't really an option anymore.  We're trying to be positive and keeping our fingers crossed that it will go ahead as planned and with the ability to go ashore independently.  It's such a great itinery.  The only excursion we're planning on doing is to NASA, and I don't relish the idea of staying aboard or shelling out for tours for the other 34 days when the ship is due to visit lots of places we've never been to.  And I have to try an oyster po' boy in New Orleans!

🤞

Agree, a real gamble a d a really good itinerary. Hope P&O delay balance payment on it as how can we book a cruise to a country who won’t let us in! We haven’t planned anything on it yet but hope to do NASA also as the last time we went was in the 80s! We’ve thought of moving the cruise but are pretty booked up for next year with other moved cruises and are doing the leg of the world from Hong Kong in 2023. Decisions,decisions! 😂

[Bobblehat71]

Also booked on Iona for January. Will probably move it if there's any doubts about getting off the ship independently. 

Also booked for the Canary's in November but not so bothered about that one as I will just be happy to have a holiday  😁

[Eglesbrech]

22 minutes ago, Cristaltips said:

Agree, a real gamble a d a really good itinerary. Hope P&O delay balance payment on it as how can we book a cruise to a country who won’t let us in! We haven’t planned anything on it yet but hope to do NASA also as the last time we went was in the 80s! We’ve thought of moving the cruise but are pretty booked up for next year with other moved cruises and are doing the leg of the world from Hong Kong in 2023. Decisions,decisions! 😂

They have not delayed the payments for cruises at the end of this year, still require the balance at 3 months (and you can’t get through on the phone, they ignore emails etc).

[Cristaltips]

I know they haven’t delayed them at the moment but wonder if they will. They can’t expect people to pay for a cruise to a country that won’t accept them! 

[terrierjohn]

38 minutes ago, Cristaltips said:

I know they haven’t delayed them at the moment but wonder if they will. They can’t expect people to pay for a cruise to a country that won’t accept them! 

Why do you expect P&O to change? Everyone due to sail anytime up to early December have already had to pay their balance, so if you are hoping for a change of heart from them, I think you are in for a big disappointment.

[yorkshirephil]

11 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Why do you expect P&O to change? Everyone due to sail anytime up to early December have already had to pay their balance, so if you are hoping for a change of heart from them, I think you are in for a big disappointment.

I have to agree which is why we moved our Jan 22 cruise on Ventura. We would have hung on if 30 day payment was in place.

[Cristaltips]

22 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Why do you expect P&O to change? Everyone due to sail anytime up to early December have already had to pay their balance, so if you are hoping for a change of heart from them, I think you are in for a big disappointment.

I don’t expect them to but wondered how a cruise to a country that we are not allowed into could possibly go ahead. But things change rapidly and if they shorten the balance due date, things may be clearer. I am well aware, thank you, that everyone has had to pay their balance, indeed, I have too for a November cruise.

[majortom10]

Cunard have reduced balance payment to 30 days for November cruises. We are on 1st November cruise to Canaries and they changed it a while back.

[Cristaltips]

Thank you for that. Perhaps P&O will follow suit 🤞