Covid on Iona

[PEMCO007]

31 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Actually most of them offer some form of Covid cruise cover. Barclays were one of the first to do so and were highly praised by Which?

 

The bank policies tend not to cover missed ports, excursions etc but have been widely praised for the rest of their cover.

 

Unfortunately none of them appear to cover the offloaded negative test situation - I checked RBS/Natwest, Halifax/Lloyd's, HSBC and Nationwide - all a resounding no.

I agree with you there Megabear, as you say, there doesn't seem to be any cover anywhere for a negative test, however the rest of the policy seems quite comprehensive. 

[JustOxford]

Megabear2 thanks for your continued good work i take it no reply from P & O or Holiday Extras!

[Megabear2]

Sorry, no. I'm going to chase tomorrow.

[JustOxford]

MegaBear2 just been reading about those poor negative test people on Britannia moved to isolation cabins. As they were moved and isolated by P & O hopefully they will compensate them. However they have been told to inform their insurers and we already know where that is likely to go!

[Megabear2]

Hi, can you direct me to that info, please? I'm contacting Holiday Extras again today and chasing the CEO's office. Like you, I'm trying to book something so need a reply pretty pronto.

 

 

[watsonbeau]

Not sure if relevant but look at the Ovation thread in Seabourn forum.

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2805632-covid-on-ovation-at-the-moment/

 

Greek authorities look to have forced removal. 
 

megabear2 you are doing excellent work. Thank you I am sure from us all.

 

 

Edited October 19, 2021 by watsonbeau

[Megabear2]

Seems to be a private chat site so I cant access unfortunately.  I have now had more contact with Holiday Extras.  Now sent a follow up email to my CEO contact:

 

Quote

 

Good morning. I hope this finds you well.

 

I'm sorry to chase but wonder whether you have had any reply from Holiday Extras or your higher management regarding the situation I outlined in my email of 12th October?  I appreciate that you stated it was a question you had not been asked before but as you will understand I and many other P&O and Cunard passengers are now fully aware of the number of passengers who are unfortunately being removed from cruise ships when their travelling companion or "bubble" member tests positive. I have been told of an incident on Iona and now one currently ongoing on Britannia.

 

As a consequence I have today chatted again with Holiday Extras and the transcript is attached. As you will see they have passed the question firmly back to you as the cruise line.

 

These incidents, of course, have not been limited to your cruise lines but the question still remains unanswered and in light of the stated policy of all of the UK insurance companies that quarantine costs would not be covered without a positive Covid test the question of who would meet any costs still looms large. 

 

The payment date for my Cunard cruise is closing fast, along with one on Aurora due very soon.  I have a considerable number of family and friends sailing on Iona on 27 November and wish very much to join them.  Regrettably with this issue unresolved I do not see how I can commit thousands of pounds to your companies at this stage and am aware of many others who await an answer urgently, one of who wishes to travel on 31 October.

 

I therefore ask if anything can be done to expedite these answers.

 

Thank you for your continuing help.

Unquote 

Customer support session (2021-10-19 0832) (HERoWS.eml

Edited October 19, 2021 by Megabear2
Spelling

[Megabear2]

25 minutes ago, watsonbeau said:

Not sure if relevant but look at the Ovation thread in Seabourn forum.

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2805632-covid-on-ovation-at-the-moment/

 

Greek authorities look to have forced removal. 
 

megabear2 you are doing excellent work. Thank you I am sure from us all.

 

 

Thanks for this. Unfortunately it was locked 2 days ago so no further updates.

 

However our North American cousins are apparently now asking questions too!

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2808009-does-travel-insurance-cover-negative-passengers-who-are-forced-to-quarantine-off-the-ship/

 

I've made a post there and asked if the Canadian contact in particular can reply and assist.  This would perhaps clarify my belief that it could be possible to purchase this sort of cover across the Atlantic.

 

Also, as an aside, I heard on Rip Off Britain this morning they're going to have live travel questions with Simon Calder later this week. I'm toying with sending a question on this issue if no reply arrives. Perhaps they could rattle the insurance companies' cages ...

Edited October 19, 2021 by Megabear2
Capitalisation

[Cathygh]

39 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Thanks Cathy, I'll have a read.

 

I believe Britannia is due in Gibraltar today so will watch with interest.

You are welcome. The people in isolation have been told they wil stay on till Southampton, I hope they can.

[Megabear2]

Well that's good because the insurance won't need to cover quarantine off the ship and they should be fully covered.

[Bin man]

Iona looks like it has aborted Cadiz this morning .Heading to Lisbon I wonder why?

[Astrajet]

1 hour ago, watsonbeau said:

megabear2 you are doing excellent work. Thank you I am sure from us all.

I would like to add my thanks too.

[Adawn47]

11 minutes ago, Bin man said:

Iona looks like it has aborted Cadiz this morning .Heading to Lisbon I wonder why?

That's just been reported on another thread.  There's a suggestion it could be due to the wind strenght. I wonder if someone on Iona at the moment can shed any light on it.

Avril

[Megabear2]

Thank you, no worries Cathygh has put me in the loop.  Sounds more positive if they can stay on. I think maybe it's due to Gibraltar being UK and also the short run to home for Britannia.

 

I mentioned you in dispatches this morning re 31 October, keep your fingers crossed!

[watsonbeau]

Rip off Britain sounds a very good plan.

[free from work]

19 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Actually most of them offer some form of Covid cruise cover. Barclays were one of the first to do so and were highly praised by Which?

 

The bank policies tend not to cover missed ports, excursions etc but have been widely praised for the rest of their cover.

 

Unfortunately none of them appear to cover the offloaded negative test situation - I checked RBS/Natwest, Halifax/Lloyd's, HSBC and Nationwide - all a resounding no.

We have travel insurance through our M&S CC (the old Premium Club cover). I have checked his morning and anybody insured on the policy is covered if their travelling companion tests positive but they test negative. 

 

I didn't check about the missed ports or excursions but at the moment I am not too worried about them. 

 

Thanks for all your efforts. 

 

Jim

[Redsquirrel59]

On 10/12/2021 at 3:54 PM, Megabear2 said:

Have we actually had confirmation of this rumour about Fred's passengers in Madeira? I've searched and can find nothing.

I've been following this thread over the last few days with interest, but have waited until now to comment having just flown home from Funchal. As one of the close contacts of a confirmed case on the ship I was evacuated from the ship and placed in quarantine for 10 days until I had 2 negative pcr tests, got the all clear on Sunday.

[Megabear2]

26 minutes ago, Redsquirrel59 said:

I've been following this thread over the last few days with interest, but have waited until now to comment having just flown home from Funchal. As one of the close contacts of a confirmed case on the ship I was evacuated from the ship and placed in quarantine for 10 days until I had 2 negative pcr tests, got the all clear on Sunday.

Excellent to hear you were all clear.  Hope you don't mind me asking the million dollar question, please? Did your insurance pay the bill and if so did it come under case by case or a clause already in the policy? If not the insurance are you allowed to tell us who paid?

 

Thank you.

[Interestedcruisefan]

33 minutes ago, Redsquirrel59 said:

I've been following this thread over the last few days with interest, but have waited until now to comment having just flown home from Funchal. As one of the close contacts of a confirmed case on the ship I was evacuated from the ship and placed in quarantine for 10 days until I had 2 negative pcr tests, got the all clear on Sunday.

Glad you are ok and hone safely now

 

What was the quarantine facility and food like in Funchal?

[Megabear2]

46 minutes ago, free from work said:

We have travel insurance through our M&S CC (the old Premium Club cover). I have checked his morning and anybody insured on the policy is covered if their travelling companion tests positive but they test negative. 

Jim, that sounds good if it's TRUE.  I assume they did confirm it covered quarantine ashore, if so I would suggest you ask for confirmation in writing for complete peace of mind. It would appear to be a very rare beast!

 

As you are the only person so far to have been told you are covered would you mind sharing the name of the underwriter in case they have other policies we may be able to buy.

 

Thank you.

[free from work]

3 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Jim, that sounds good if it's TRUE.  I assume they did confirm it covered quarantine ashore, if so I would suggest you ask for confirmation in writing for complete peace of mind. It would appear to be a very rare beast!

 

As you are the only person so far to have been told you are covered would you mind sharing the name of the underwriter in case they have other policies we may be able to buy.

 

Thank you.

Good idea about the written confirmation. 

 

It's underwritten by Aviva. If you look at the M&S bank website the have a FAQ section re covid cover. 

 

I will stress again that this is the withdrawn policy only available to historic cc holders so I am not sure about the current policy arrangements. 

 

Jim 

[Interestedcruisefan]

16 minutes ago, free from work said:

Good idea about the written confirmation. 

 

It's underwritten by Aviva. If you look at the M&S bank website the have a FAQ section re covid cover. 

 

I will stress again that this is the withdrawn policy only available to historic cc holders so I am not sure about the current policy arrangements. 

 

Jim 

How can an older withdrawn  policy cover the current Covid situation with all its complications?

 

[Redsquirrel59]

49 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Excellent to hear you were all clear.  Hope you don't mind me asking the million dollar question, please? Did your insurance pay the bill and if so did it come under case by case or a clause already in the policy? If not the insurance are you allowed to tell us who paid?

 

Thank you.

We were fortunate as the insurers agreed to pay for accommodation, pcr tests etc. and flights home, but they did require a letter from rhe cruise line confirming that we were being removed from the ship to quarantine. It does seem that it is very much a case by case situation at the moment. I believe some of the others who were removed in Funchal haven't been given this reassurance.

[Megabear2]

5 minutes ago, Redsquirrel59 said:

We were fortunate as the insurers agreed to pay for accommodation, pcr tests etc. and flights home, but they did require a letter from rhe cruise line confirming that we were being removed from the ship to quarantine. It does seem that it is very much a case by case situation at the moment. I believe some of the others who were removed in Funchal haven't been given this reassurance.

That's great news. Yes, I am aware most insurers are saying case by case but delighted someone has been paid out.  Are you insured on a specialist cruise policy or one from a major insurer or bank?

I'm sorry to hear some are struggling, I hope Fred is helping them at least in the short term

[Redsquirrel59]

56 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Glad you are ok and hone safely now

 

What was the quarantine facility and food like in Funchal?

The hotel that the authorities sent us to wasn't one I'd choose, rooms were basic but clean, did have a balcony which helped. Meals delivered to door three times a day plus drinks and snacks, quality not great. We were under the care of the hospital and received daily calls to see if we had any symptoms on the days when the nurse didn't visit to test us. Not being able to leave the room under any circumstances is what made it so difficult.