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P&O - Disembark or Isolate?

otbc

By otbc,
in P&O Cruises ( UK )

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otbc

otbc

Posted
Posted

Hi all, apologies if this is the wrong place to ask but I've checked the board & can't see anything similar having been asked recently!

 

I'm looking at booking a cruise for a (very) late honeymoon over Easter this year with P&O (to Spain & Portugal) but we're a bit confused by their policy around what happens if you get Covid whilst onboard. It sounds like they isolate you (fine), but then there's a sentence about 'or you will be disembarked'...

 

Does anyone know what this actually means in practice? We'd not have a problem isolating if we caught it onboard, but being made to disembark and then have to isolate in a different country & get a flight home isn't great - especially as my other half is terrified of flying. It's why we go on cruises!

 

Anyway - hoping someone may be able to help. It's been 18 months since we got married and we're wanting to (finally!!) have our honeymoon, but not wanting the stress of the fear of potentially being thrown off the ship!

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wowzz

wowzz

Posted
Posted (edited)

Currently the procedure is that if you test positive,  you and your partner will be moved to an isolation cabin,  and then you will be both be disembarked at your next port of call, to stay in a quarantine hotel.

Obviously if you test positive after your last port stop, there is no requirement to isolate in Southampton. 

Edited by wowzz
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ferretktf

ferretktf

Posted
Posted

it depends on the country/countries you are visiting.

Spain (at least in both November and January) were demanding disembarkation.... however this does not mean this will still be the case at Easter as Covid rules across Europe start to relax.

Caribbean (most notably Barbados) demands isolation as they do not have the infrastructure to cope - which is why Carnival is useing the Queen Victoria as a quarantine ship down there.

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tring

tring

Posted
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2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

OP has said Spain and Portugal. 

 

Agreed, but I do feel the OP may welcome information if it is still just some countries demanding disembarkation as they may decide to try to change their destination, if that is the case.  Perhaps the OP will confirm their thoughts on that.

 

I for one would be very happy to hear any up to date information about any country regards this matter, including if Spain is still demanding this and if it is always the case for Portugal.

 

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wowzz

wowzz

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30 minutes ago, tring said:

 

Agreed, but I do feel the OP may welcome information if it is still just some countries demanding disembarkation as they may decide to try to change their destination, if that is the case.  Perhaps the OP will confirm their thoughts on that.

 

I for one would be very happy to hear any up to date information about any country regards this matter, including if Spain is still demanding this and if it is always the case for Portugal.

 

That's a fair point, although the Caribbean will not be an option at Easter.

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otbc

otbc

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Hi all, thanks for the replies. Was looking for Spain/Portugal to be honest!

It's quite frustrating there doesn't seem to be (from what I've found) any good source of info as to what countries have what rules if you are on a cruise & catch covid whilst onboard!

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Fionboard

Fionboard

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Posted

Had no sniffles just tested to go ashore. 900 pax tested - only me positive!  Was a false positive and second test negative. Very scary. To add insult to injury, GiB dropped requirement the next day and then we could not dock anyway due to wind. And I do not even like GiB! Lesson is - do not test voluntarily!

 

 

 

 

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wowzz

wowzz

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1 minute ago, Fionboard said:

Had no sniffles just tested to go ashore. 900 pax tested - only me positive!  Was a false positive and second test negative. Very scary. To add insult to injury, GiB dropped requirement the next day and then we could not dock anyway due to wind. And I do not even like GiB! Lesson is - do not test voluntarily!

 

 

 

 

Fortunately Spain and Portugal now don't require testing. I agree with you about avoiding voluntary tests !

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ferretktf

ferretktf

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, wowzz said:

OP has said Spain and Portugal. 

I was demonstrating that the decision is not down to P&O, plus that it is variable based on individual countries policies at that moment in time.

The examples I gave were the ones that i have personal knowledge/experience of (sadly i have not travelled everywhere in the world in the past 6 months!)

 

Edited by ferretktf
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Ancos

Ancos

Posted
Posted

I can confirm that Spain requires you to isolate on the mainland. We have just experienced this  last month. P&O were excellent in covering costs but definitely not an experience to be repeated! 

I would concur with the comments regarding keeping quiet and staying in the cabin.

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otbc

otbc

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So I'm assuming the only way they'll force you off the ship etc is if you have a temperature when trying to embark/disembark the ship at a port, at which point they'd make you take a test? No daily testing etc unless you start displaying symptoms?

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wowzz

wowzz

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12 minutes ago, otbc said:

So I'm assuming the only way they'll force you off the ship etc is if you have a temperature when trying to embark/disembark the ship at a port, at which point they'd make you take a test? No daily testing etc unless you start displaying symptoms?

There is no temperature checking that I am aware of. Certainly no daily testing. 

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Fionboard

Fionboard

Posted
Posted

This is the worry. As a solo traveller I  like to have a shared table and if one of them tests positive the whole table is quarantined even if testing negative. And you cannot stay in your own stateroom. However, still prepared to take the risk.

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otbc

otbc

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3 hours ago, Stu UK said:

Currently on Iona. Daily temp checks at restaurants and gangways. They have offloaded positive people today in Cadiz and moved close contacts into isolation zone on ship. 

Do you know if there are many positive cases onboard? I've not really seen much info (I get why they'd want to keep it quiet!) about whether there have been many/any cases on ships recently...

 

My OH has a fear of flying, so the risk of being disembarked is really, really putting us off!

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CRUISENSNOOZE

CRUISENSNOOZE

Posted
Posted
17 minutes ago, otbc said:

Do you know if there are many positive cases onboard? I've not really seen much info (I get why they'd want to keep it quiet!) about whether there have been many/any cases on ships recently...

 

My OH has a fear of flying, so the risk of being disembarked is really, really putting us off!

We are due on Iona this weekend. We are taking enough Lateral Flow Kits with us. We will do a test on the morning of each port and if test positive..we won't be doing the ships test. We will stay quiet and stay in our cabin. Lesser of 2 evils I'm afraid.

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janny444

janny444

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3 minutes ago, CRUISENSNOOZE said:

We are due on Iona this weekend. We are taking enough Lateral Flow Kits with us. We will do a test on the morning of each port and if test positive..we won't be doing the ships test. We will stay quiet and stay in our cabin. Lesser of 2 evils I'm afraid.

I suspect that quite  a few could be doing that....laying low ....so unfortunately the OP question about how many onboard with a positive covid test can't be answered.

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wowzz

wowzz

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Posted (edited)
26 minutes ago, CRUISENSNOOZE said:

We are due on Iona this weekend. We are taking enough Lateral Flow Kits with us. We will do a test on the morning of each port and if test positive..we won't be doing the ships test. We will stay quiet and stay in our cabin. Lesser of 2 evils I'm afraid.

No tests required for Spain or Portugal. 

Edited by wowzz
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Stu UK

Stu UK

Posted
Posted (edited)

Iona is unexpectedly diverting to Lisbon for a medical emergency. Captain has announced we will be late into Southampton but has not yet confirmed a time. 

Edited by Stu UK
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otbc

otbc

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Posted (edited)

So, small update - unfortunately I've now tested positive and assume the wife will do in the next few days. 

Does that essentially mean if we were to go on the cruise over Easter we couldn't be disembarked because we've already had Covid so can't catch it again within a month of the first infection?

Edited by otbc
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