Borealis Returning to UK After Abandoning Journey to Caribbean

[tring]

 It seems the passengers on Borealis have now received letters saying they are returning to the UK as the covid situation onboard will make things difficult in the Caribbean.  it is reported there are about 40 crew isolating and a handful of passengers, though I am not sure if that is those who test positive, or if a lot of them are isolating because of close contact with others.  Fred passengers have a wearable device which tells them who they passengers have have been in contact with.  Also some people choose to form a bubble with other guests (particularly single passengers and there are usually a number of those on Fred).  If someone in the same bubble tests positive, the others will be asked to isolate.

 

The previous cruise had some covid cases and some crew were isolating with facilities reduced at first, so it is not totally surprised it is returning.  P&O are using Queen Victoria as a support ship that is able to take crew and passengers on board to isolate.  I understand Royal Caribbean is using the same method with two support ships (one dubbed plague of the seas).  Apparently most, possibly all the Caribbean ports are insisting on no more than 1% of people isolating (or possibly just 1% of those testing positive) - I am not sure, so Fred were always going to have a difficult time over there.

 

Apparently everyone will receive a full refund.  They are staying in Madeira overnight before returning tomorrow, arriving in Southampton on the 15th and Liverpool on the 17th.  Sad times for cruising.

 

Edited January 10, 2022 by tring

[paulatsea]

What a shame - it’s still in Madeira - watching it on live stream .

[Pentlands]

Sad times for anyone going on organised holidays, but cruising the worst hit by it's nature of moving on.

[paulatsea]

Yes - it’s the booking and not knowing which is so frustrating - I thought about doing last minute but it’s hard to get the cabins we want doing it that way - and it’s nice to have something to look forward to. 😔 

[July morning]

That's a shame for the passengers but as we all know it's a risk you take cruising at the moment and for the next couple of months  😔

[penport]

Very sad indeed for those on board.

'Fortunately' for us we caught Omicron after Xmas as so were one of the (apparently) many who were forced to cancel this cruise at the last minute.

So we were able to transfer our booking to a later cruise.

Good on Fred for giving full refunds.

[Coravel]

Very sad to hear this - it was such a nice itinerary too.  

[tring]

It appears that Fred has put back sailing dates for Balmoral and Braemar.  I am not sure exactly how long those dates have been delayed, but it sounds like it may be into 2023 before Braemar is due to set sail, though as I say that is not totally clear to me at present.  People booked on affected cruises have been getting cancellation notices which is what Fred has taken to doing, before the new sailing dates are clarified publically.  We do not have any cruises booked on those ships.

 

[July morning]

We booked a cruise on Monday going from Newcastle on the 20th August and it was cancelled today😣 it was such a nice feeling thinking about going on a cruise as we were hoping by that time things might have calmed down!!

 

It was on Balmoral. The email said Braemar was delayed until March 2023 and Balmoral would be 2 May this year (I think) 

 

Shall be contacting us soon and please don't phone as they are going to try and help people with earlier cancelled cruises first.

[tring]

I have also heard passengers on Bolette have been told The Canaries are no longer accepting any ships which have anyone at all isolating on board (sounds like they do not even have to test positive).  Bolette returning to Southampton.

 

B

[Colin_Cameron]

10 hours ago, July morning said:

We booked a cruise on Monday going from Newcastle on the 20th August and it was cancelled today😣 it was such a nice feeling thinking about going on a cruise as we were hoping by that time things might have calmed down!!

 

It was on Balmoral. The email said Braemar was delayed until March 2023 and Balmoral would be 2 May this year (I think) 

 

Shall be contacting us soon and please don't phone as they are going to try and help people with earlier cancelled cruises first.

One of our Braemar cruises out of Rosyth has been cancelled. The other one the ship is being replaced with Balmoral. So you may have the option of moving to one of Balmoral's new Rosyth sailings. Whether these will be direct replacements of Braemar's sailings or if they've had to make changes to the itineraries of some of them isn't clear yet. Something to think about before Fred contacts you.

[July morning]

Thank you, I did read that Balmoral is taking over some of Braemar's cruises so as you say we're waiting to see what gets changed

[tring]

Fred now published new return to sailing dates:-

 

https://www.fredolsencruises.com/amendments?fbclid=IwAR0PCDDincUJSYDY-fItaIwbEPHrUYS6iwRuntf8IRBBFGKyYKpiVvCn-pU

 

I have also seen a mention of the next Bolette cruise being cancelled, but I have no first hand knowledge of that,

 

Barbara

 

[Coravel]

Many thanks for the link alert Barbara.  

[tring]

2 hours ago, Coravel said:

Many thanks for the link alert Barbara.  

 

Sounds like Fred has also done some changing around between Balmoral and Braemar cruises, as mentioned by someone above as well as elsewhere.  I suspect certain Balmoral cruises may have been cancelled because the location will not be easy to cruise to (or perhaps just not selling compared to the Braemar alternative), so he has put Balmoral on to replace Braemar in some cases.  I assume the cruises which are now scheduled will be on Fred's website soon, though they may not all show the changes yet.  Some are reported as leaving Rosyth instead of Newcastle, I think.

Edited January 13, 2022 by tring

[ighten]

On 1/13/2022 at 12:40 AM, tring said:

I have also heard passengers on Bolette have been told The Canaries are no longer accepting any ships which have anyone at all isolating on board (sounds like they do not even have to test positive).  Bolette returning to Southampton.

 

B

Not sure thats true as we are on the Queen Elizabeth and disembarked 1 family on GC then continued to Lanzarote with no issues. Captain explained the Canarys rules are no isolation on ship.. you have to disembark any effected, think that's been the rule for a while though.

 

Anyway now in Madeira hot and sunny, just saying... 😉

 

Will finish that Borealis report when we get back. Was hoping to do it on sea days but Cunards wi fi has been patchy at best.

 

 

[tring]

3 hours ago, ighten said:

Not sure thats true as we are on the Queen Elizabeth and disembarked 1 family on GC then continued to Lanzarote with no issues. Captain explained the Canarys rules are no isolation on ship.. you have to disembark any effected, think that's been the rule for a while though.

 

Anyway now in Madeira hot and sunny, just saying... 😉

 

Will finish that Borealis report when we get back. Was hoping to do it on sea days but Cunards wi fi has been patchy at best.

 

 

 

Yes, I have had a "conversation" about that on the other thread about Bolette.  I suspect numbers involved would make a difference as well.  I think Fred possibly has more crew infected/Isolating than passengers as some were isolating at the start of the current cruise.

 

Thanks for your report on the cruise you took,

 

Barbara

[tring]

18 hours ago, ighten said:

Not sure thats true as we are on the Queen Elizabeth and disembarked 1 family on GC then continued to Lanzarote with no issues. Captain explained the Canarys rules are no isolation on ship.. you have to disembark any effected, think that's been the rule for a while though.

 

Anyway now in Madeira hot and sunny, just saying... 😉

 

Will finish that Borealis report when we get back. Was hoping to do it on sea days but Cunards wi fi has been patchy at best.

 

 

 

Just to clarify that if you can. Is it just people testing positive who have to be disembarked in the Canaries, or would it also apply to those testing negative, but are isolating as they have been close contacts of people who are now known to be infected?

 

Edited January 15, 2022 by tring

[ighten]

On 1/15/2022 at 11:13 AM, tring said:

 

Just to clarify that if you can. Is it just people testing positive who have to be disembarked in the Canaries, or would it also apply to those testing negative, but are isolating as they have been close contacts of people who are now known to be infected?

 

Sry for delay.. First wi fi since Madeira 

 Hard to be definite on this but the guests in  cabin removed and another who were travelling with them but they may have chosen too being related. This is a guess with info from various crew but negative crew  who were close contacts went into isolation but also off ship. But not sure if that's Canaries policy or Cunards.  Has had 1 net result that we loose a turndown service but he leaves chocolates in the morning so no problems lol..

 

I do have to say though this all comes with the usual caveats that it depends what and who you ask. At one time over lunch  a guest told us she watched 25 being removed onto a mini bus at 6.3o in the morning then it dawned on us she was watching our group going on an early sunrise trip to walk up a volcano.

 

 

[tring]

4 hours ago, ighten said:

Sry for delay.. First wi fi since Madeira 

 Hard to be definite on this but the guests in  cabin removed and another who were travelling with them but they may have chosen too being related. This is a guess with info from various crew but negative crew  who were close contacts went into isolation but also off ship. But not sure if that's Canaries policy or Cunards.  Has had 1 net result that we loose a turndown service but he leaves chocolates in the morning so no problems lol..

 

I do have to say though this all comes with the usual caveats that it depends what and who you ask. At one time over lunch  a guest told us she watched 25 being removed onto a mini bus at 6.3o in the morning then it dawned on us she was watching our group going on an early sunrise trip to walk up a volcano.

 

 

 

That is the problem with the cruise lines being so "coy" about that facts and can make things sound worse than they are.  Would be a whole lot better if all the cruise lines were upfront with the information to begin with.  I have seen medical confidentiality used as an excuse, but there is absolutely no need to mention names, so that is a total irrelevance.

 

Glad you got the chocs, I do agree that is important 🙂

 

Barbara

Edited January 18, 2022 by tring

[1160451]

Our cruise in the Breamar in April 2023 has been cancelled  

[tring]

10 minutes ago, 1160451 said:

Our cruise in the Breamar in April 2023 has been cancelled  

 

Is that s recent cancellation, I know they had cancelled until spring 2023, including the Caribbean season?

 

I was waiting for those smaller ships to start up as we prefer them to the newer ones, but have become more and more worried about Braemar.  Balmoral was still looking on track for this summer, when I last heard, thankfully, but who knows what will happen as Fred still loosing money, from what we were told by one of the Captains in late December.

[1160451]

Hi 

we had a letter around a month ago saying our cruise may be affected. We will be getting a further letter. Then when I look on my Cruise Personaliser it says Cruise Cancelled. 

[tring]

On 2/6/2022 at 8:39 PM, 1160451 said:

Hi 

we had a letter around a month ago saying our cruise may be affected. We will be getting a further letter. Then when I look on my Cruise Personaliser it says Cruise Cancelled. 

 

Not a good way of finding that information, sorry to hear that.  You must be very annoyed about it, I would be.

Edited February 7, 2022 by tring

[1160451]

22 hours ago, tring said:

 

Not a good way of finding that information, sorry to hear that.  You must be very annoyed about it, I would be.

To be honest we are loosing the will to cruise at the moment.

The restrictions that I read about just aren’t how we want our cruise experience.

For instance we have a Princess Cruise booked but we would have had to wear a mask all the time. We have moved that cruise to 2023.

No Dancing on any cruise just isn’t for us.

We are booked on the 15 day cruise up to Spitzbergan but we are going to loose our deposit as Fred will only transfer to a Cruise of the same monetary value and there is nothing we fancy.