Withdrawal of accessible staterooms.

[SarahHben]

16 hours ago, molecrochip said:

Iona affected cabins appear to be cabins 94xx, 104xx, 124xx port side and cabins 126xx starboard.

 

It makes sense that its the same zone on multiple decks. The Deck 126xx makes little sense unless it is to capture some accessible cabins within the isolation zone.

 

Should note that some of these cabins have been in standard use previously - so I do wonder if they have had to change the isolation zones or expand them.

Is there no isolation zone on deck 11? 

[terrierjohn]

17 hours ago, molecrochip said:

Iona affected cabins appear to be cabins 94xx, 104xx, 124xx port side and cabins 126xx starboard.

 

It makes sense that its the same zone on multiple decks. The Deck 126xx makes little sense unless it is to capture some accessible cabins within the isolation zone.

 

Should note that some of these cabins have been in standard use previously - so I do wonder if they have had to change the isolation zones or expand them.

I hope that the situation changes before Feb 2023, because we have cabin 12623 booked for that one, so that will also be cancelled.

[Peanut006]

10 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I hope that the situation changes before Feb 2023, because we have cabin 12623 booked for that one, so that will also be cancelled.

It’s a terrible situation for you for your upcoming cruise and especially as you booked so early.

Hopefully your 2023 cruise won’t be affected 

Michelle 

[molecrochip]

20 hours ago, SarahHben said:

Is there no isolation zone on deck 11? 

I think there is but can't remember. Not every deck has isolation cabins.

 

18 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

I hope that the situation changes before Feb 2023, because we have cabin 12623 booked for that one, so that will also be cancelled.

I really wouldn't worry about Feb 2023, things are expected to be back to normal by then.

[SarahHben]

2 hours ago, molecrochip said:

I think there is but can't remember. Not every deck has isolation cabins.

 

Thank you.

If anyone knows if/where Iona's deck 11 isolation is I'd be interested to know.

Hopefully by next year those areas won't be needed but you'd like to think P&O wouldn't sell cabins that are needed for isolation, less people disappointed that way. Many people book last minute so if indeed those cabins can be released for sale.

 

 

Edited September 13, 2021 by SarahHben

[Slugsta]

This is concerning on several levels -

 

Firstly, the general idea of cancelling people who booked accessible cabins long ago 😠

 

Secondly, because we have an accessible cabin on Iona booked for January and the P+O site won't let me login to the 'booked cruises' section. Our deck 12 cabin is not one of those that have been identified but I can't help but worry!

[silversurf]

We tried to book an accessible cabin through a TA on the launch date at 8.30 and were told none were available but were put on a waitlist. We accepted a standard balcony cabin, which wasn’t ideal b ut we managed.

While on board we got chatting to a fellow wheelchair user who told us they has booked last minute and got an accessible cabin easily.

Also saw a blog by an able bodied couple who were given an accessible cabin even though they didn’t need one. I thought these cabins could only be assigned to disabled passengers.

What’s going on P and O. Don’t you check waitlists?

[Selbourne]

12 minutes ago, silversurf said:

We tried to book an accessible cabin through a TA on the launch date at 8.30 and were told none were available but were put on a waitlist. We accepted a standard balcony cabin, which wasn’t ideal b ut we managed.

While on board we got chatting to a fellow wheelchair user who told us they has booked last minute and got an accessible cabin easily.

Also saw a blog by an able bodied couple who were given an accessible cabin even though they didn’t need one. I thought these cabins could only be assigned to disabled passengers.

What’s going on P and O. Don’t you check waitlists?

That’s poor isn’t it. When you book an accessible cabin it states very clearly that if you book one when you don’t need one you can be moved at your cost or the booking cancelled. I can understand able bodied people being allocated them at the last minute if there is insufficient demand from those who genuinely need them, but that rarely seems to be the case as they usually sell out very quickly.
 

I’m guessing that, in your case, the fact that you accepted a standard cabin may have suggested that you didn’t necessarily need one. My wife is a full time wheelchair user and cannot walk, so if we can’t get an accessible cabin we can’t go on the cruise. It’s not a preference for us, it’s a necessity. Perhaps that was the case with the late booker you spoke to? Of course, if the able bodied couple who made the blog were on the same cruise as you then the waitlist isn’t working or you weren’t ever put on it, which is extremely frustrating. 

[daiB]

2 hours ago, silversurf said:

We tried to book an accessible cabin through a TA on the launch date at 8.30 and were told none were available but were put on a waitlist. We accepted a standard balcony cabin, which wasn’t ideal b ut we managed.

While on board we got chatting to a fellow wheelchair user who told us they has booked last minute and got an accessible cabin easily.

Also saw a blog by an able bodied couple who were given an accessible cabin even though they didn’t need one. I thought these cabins could only be assigned to disabled passengers.

What’s going on P and O. Don’t you check waitlists?

Two points,

If the cruise is popular then the accessible cabins may go on the first day of booking. However this may be the priority day for higher tier cruisers, Caribbean of above. So by time the general bookings open there are no cabins left. At the moment with so few sailings this may be exacerbated by over demand.

 

With regard to non disabled passengers being given an accessible cabin, the ones I have seen have been fly cruises which do not attract many wheelchair users. In this case they are made available to all.

 

The late booker may have been lucky in getting an adapted cabin because someone has dropped out near to they sailing date.

[john watson]

On 9/11/2021 at 7:48 AM, Selbourne said:

 

 

Thinking about it, an accessible cabin is of no more use to an able bodied passenger in quarantine than a standard one, but I guess they need one or two kept vacant on each cruise should any passengers in the occupied accessible cabins need to be quarantined. 

 

Surely, based on the rarity of accessible cabins in comparison to others it is unlikely a passenger in an accessible cabin suddenly needs to be quarantined.  If they did they are already in one anyway.  If adjacent cabins were occupied, their occupants could be relocated.  On the other hand if you are only filling 75% of cabins just leave cabins near the accessible ones unoccupied.

 

Regards John

[molecrochip]

10 minutes ago, john watson said:

 

Surely, based on the rarity of accessible cabins in comparison to others it is unlikely a passenger in an accessible cabin suddenly needs to be quarantined.  If they did they are already in one anyway.  If adjacent cabins were occupied, their occupants could be relocated.  On the other hand if you are only filling 75% of cabins just leave cabins near the accessible ones unoccupied.

 

Regards John

As unlikely as it may be, not having 'reasonable provision' for such event is discrimination under UK law and not a fight that P&&O want to be having.

[john watson]

1 minute ago, molecrochip said:

As unlikely as it may be, not having 'reasonable provision' for such event is discrimination under UK law and not a fight that P&&O want to be having.

 

Precisely, hence my suggestion of leaving the cabins adjacent to accessible cabins empty so whichever disabled person becomes tested as positive that person is void of immediate neighbours under a 75% capacity scenario even though it is an unlikely event.

 

Regards John

[terrierjohn]

24 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

As unlikely as it may be, not having 'reasonable provision' for such event is discrimination under UK law and not a fight that P&&O want to be having.

So to avoid claims of discrimination, they ***** up the cancellation process so badly that they look as though they are being discriminatory. 

Moley if you are a Carnival employee then you have my utmost sympathy.

[daiB]

45 minutes ago, john watson said:

 

Surely, based on the rarity of accessible cabins in comparison to others it is unlikely a passenger in an accessible cabin suddenly needs to be quarantined.  If they did they are already in one anyway.  If adjacent cabins were occupied, their occupants could be relocated.  On the other hand if you are only filling 75% of cabins just leave cabins near the accessible ones unoccupied.

 

Regards John

Does not work John as most Adapted cabins on Britannia come in pairs.

[john watson]

21 minutes ago, daiB said:

Does not work John as most Adapted cabins on Britannia come in pairs.

 

Presumably then Dai, if the cruise line was on a 75% capacity scenario they should only allow 75% of cabins to be filled.  Therefore 25% of accessible cabins will be empty allowing for positive disabled people to relocate if they were next to such a passenger.  The same proportion of cabins being occupied/unoccupied across the board.

 

Regards John

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, daiB said:

Does not work John as most Adapted cabins on Britannia come in pairs.

But they only need to have one zone on port or starboard left empty to cover accessible quarantine, which would in many cases give them 2 balcony and 2 inside accessible cabins, more than adequate to cover the sort of outbreak that would still enable the ship to continue its cruise.  

Which brings us back to the current shambolic cancellations where on faceache alone there are 4 balcony and 2 inside cancellations; and I fail to accept that all accessible passengers are avid social media users  or that P&O discriminate against faceache users, although maybe they would.

[daiB]

1 hour ago, john watson said:

 

Presumably then Dai, if the cruise line was on a 75% capacity scenario they should only allow 75% of cabins to be filled.  Therefore 25% of accessible cabins will be empty allowing for positive disabled people to relocate if they were next to such a passenger.  The same proportion of cabins being occupied/unoccupied across the board.

 

Regards John

John in a perfect world that might work only these cruises were booked pre COVID and the adapted cabins would have all been booked long before they knew they would be sailing at reduced capacity. These cabin movements are only due to the fact they need a quarantine area. A block of cabins. In normal times that is not how cabins are booked.

 

Perhaps this is why so many people in adapted cabins have been affected. The ship is clearly not full but all the adapted cabins have been booked.

[davecttr]

Britannia accessible cabins are grouped together and the 4 that are on their own are next to suites.

Iona is similar except the suites and in both cases leaving passengers isolated in the original cabin might result in two adjacent accessible cabins being moved. Zones are the best way to do it with the added advantage that you can keep other passengers/crew from walking past the 'sick' cabins.

 

edit - Iona has accessible cabins on the prom deck, can hardly be used due to the adjacent keel and cow and prom deck itself a couple of feet below. There is also an accessible suite, don't know what they will do with that.

Edited September 14, 2021 by davecttr

[terrierjohn]

On 9/12/2021 at 4:37 PM, terrierjohn said:

I hope that the situation changes before Feb 2023, because we have cabin 12623 booked for that one, so that will also be cancelled.

Out of interest I was just checking if there were any accessible cabins available on Iona for Oct or Nov, and 12623 is still available for one cruise. Which is a bit odd because Moley advised that the starboard 126xx cabins were part of Iona's quarantine zone.🤔

[molecrochip]

2 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Out of interest I was just checking if there were any accessible cabins available on Iona for Oct or Nov, and 12623 is still available for one cruise. Which is a bit odd because Moley advised that the starboard 126xx cabins were part of Iona's quarantine zone.🤔

I always thought this bit of the info I was given was odd but no one could give me a better answer

[terrierjohn]

I have just had a telephone call from the executive office in response to an e-mail sent to them on Sept 11th asking for clarification on why my launch booking had been cancelled.

The answer is that although P&O did look at the booking date when trying to re-assign other passengers that had lost their cabin due to the change in quarantine location, they did not do this for accessible cabins, one has to ask why not.

However if FB posts are to be believed some accessible cabins in other areas of the ship also had their bookings cancelled. Which either means that there are multiple quarantine areas or someone is not telling the truth.

During the phone call I did question why, when protocols are being changed or refined on a regular basis, they had decided to revert to a 90 day balance payment date. This will be passed back to the management, but I doubt the accountants will let them do the right thing.

The phone call was spot on lunchtime, which meant I was unable to quiz the lady more, I wonder if this is policy since the last time I raised concerns in an e-mail the phone call came in over lunch as well. 

Overall no real satisfaction for me, it felt more like the shrug of the shoulders you sometimes get from the customer service desk, than any genuine concern about the complaint.

[terrierjohn]

How quaint, I have just received a cheque from Carnival for the refund of our cancelled cruise. Our first cheque for well over 2 years, now I wonder if my bank has any branches still open?

[Harry Peterson]

Just now, terrierjohn said:

How quaint, I have just received a cheque from Carnival for the refund of our cancelled cruise. Our first cheque for well over 2 years, now I wonder if my bank has any branches still open?

Glad you've got your refund at least, John, but a great shame about the circumstances.

 

Cheques are a damned nuisance these days.  Smaller one are OK in that they can be banked using a banking app, but not larger ones.  I'm wary of using the post after one of my mother's went missing once - maybe a Post Office?

[terrierjohn]

Just now, Harry Peterson said:

Glad you've got your refund at least, John, but a great shame about the circumstances.

 

Cheques are a damned nuisance these days.  Smaller one are OK in that they can be banked using a banking app, but not larger ones.  I'm wary of using the post after one of my mother's went missing once - maybe a Post Office?

Yes it will be the post office, I do have my banks paying in envelopes.

[Ardennais]

29 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

How quaint, I have just received a cheque from Carnival for the refund of our cancelled cruise. Our first cheque for well over 2 years, now I wonder if my bank has any branches still open?

They’ve all closed round here. Closest nearly 20 miles away.