29 Jul QM WB Questions (Covid Test and Insurance)

[belfblack]

Hello, All!

 

I'm trying to get my ducks in a row and have a couple questions I hope you can answer.  We'll be heading from Germany to Southampton on 24 July, spending a few days there until we embark on the QM2 for its westbound journey to NY on 29 Jul.  My husband and I are US citizens.  I noticed on the mobile Cunard website that travel insurance is required ($2 million coverage) for UK residents and those who do not have proof of insurance will not be able to board, but I can't find it anywhere else.  Does this pertain to US citizens as well?

 

Also, does anyone know off the top of their head where COVID test locations are located in Southampton, and would we need to make a time reservation for them?  We'll be staying at the Moxy, fwiw.

 

I guess I'm a bit nervous about our journey.  It'll be my third cruise (others were Caribbean cruises on Carnival with my gal pals) and my husband's first cruise and our 28th anniversary.  I want everything to go well.  🙂 

 

Many Thanks!

 

[exlondoner]

The proof of insurance is certainly on the list of things we are required to produce at Soton for our voyage (the one before yours). On our last cruise nobody looked at it, but you never know. I suspect the insurance requirements are based on residency rather than citizenship.

 

The Regenerative Clinic in West Quay does tests, as do many branches of Lloyds Pharmacy.

[TheOldBear]

Cunard does not require US Citizens to have travel insurance - I think it is a good idea without an explicit requirement. If your primary residence is not in the US, things may be a bit complicated - I would check with an insurance agent [e.g. Tripinsurancestore ] and see what coverage makes sense for you.

[ballroom-cruisers]

Do people actually travel, and go on cruises without travel insurance?  If you were unlucky and had a serious medical problem whilst on a voyage you could end up with astronomical costs that you would then be fully liable for on your own. That make no sense to me at all unless you have infinite assets at your disposal to pay for potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds, or much much more. 

[lissie]

9 hours ago, ballroom-cruisers said:

Do people actually travel, and go on cruises without travel insurance?  If you were unlucky and had a serious medical problem whilst on a voyage you could end up with astronomical costs that you would then be fully liable for on your own. That make no sense to me at all unless you have infinite assets at your disposal to pay for potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds, or much much more. 

May have to - we managed to get insurance this time for my partner's pre-existing conditions - but at some point the last company in the country that will cover him will say no. What  does he do then  - stay home and wait to die?  He's 69 

[lissie]

9 hours ago, TheOldBear said:

Cunard does not require US Citizens to have travel insurance - I think it is a good idea without an explicit requirement. If your primary residence is not in the US, things may be a bit complicated - I would check with an insurance agent [e.g. Tripinsurancestore ] and see what coverage makes sense for you.

Its not  your residence - its which version of Cunard's contract you signed up for - I think the UK version is the only one that makes insurance mandatory 

[Jack E Dawson]

On 7/7/2022 at 10:32 AM, belfblack said:

 

Also, does anyone know off the top of their head where COVID test locations are located in Southampton, and would we need to make a time reservation for them?  We'll be staying at the Moxy, fwiw.

 

 

Belfblack,

We used Lloyds in Southampton to get our COVID tests, specifically the one located at 9 St. James Road, Shirley. Its directly across from the Sainsbury's grocery store. They were efficient and this store has Saturday hours. Highly recommend that you make a reservation which is easy to do on their website. We did find them a bit expensive (around U$30 I think) but we did not want to do the on-line testing. They gave us a printed copy of the negative (thankfully) test and promised to e-mail us a digital copy which they never did. 

Hope this helps.

Jack

 

 

[fabnfortysomething]

we are on same sailing and looking for test site

we will be staying night before at Hilton Southampton which is outside of city and didnt really want to travel into Southampton itself 

requirements changing all the timeand I note the Heathrow testing site we used in April [Colloinson] no longer seems to be in operation

its making sure we have the correct one for a cruise ship which isnt paying over the odds

[belfblack]

Thanks, everyone, for your advice!  

[rsquare]

On 7/8/2022 at 12:12 PM, Jack E Dawson said:

Belfblack,

We used Lloyds in Southampton to get our COVID tests, specifically the one located at 9 St. James Road, Shirley. Its directly across from the Sainsbury's grocery store. They were efficient and this store has Saturday hours. Highly recommend that you make a reservation which is easy to do on their website. We did find them a bit expensive (around U$30 I think) but we did not want to do the on-line testing. They gave us a printed copy of the negative (thankfully) test and promised to e-mail us a digital copy which they never did. 

Hope this helps.

Jack

 

 

Jack, are you sure that this is the Lloyds at 5 St. James Road in Shirley?  Google Street View shows a much smaller store at that address, built into the front of a terraced house, with St. James Street itself an ordinary traffic street, not pedestrianized as in your photo (see below), and with no Sainsbury in sight.

[rsquare]

Your photo of the larger Lloyds appears to have been taken from a pedestrian street just off Shirley High Street, as shown in this Google Street View; as you noted, it is across from a Sainsbury.  I suspect that you have the right branch (left center in the photo below), but a wrong street address; the two branches of Lloyds are about 3000 feet apart.

Edited July 15, 2022 by rsquare