Worst than the Noro.? Stuck on board with Coronavirus

[Manoverboard]

P&O have advised me that denied boarding is looked at on a case by case basis and if you were denied boarding due to the coronavirus then they would very likely refund you for your cruise.

My thoughts are that they will follow the line of the Insurers and therefore only refund if the passenger is a person who is at risk at the time of boarding.

Mob

If a cruise line think that a passenger is at risk at the time of boarding then they would be totally irresponsible in allowing the cruise to continue.....Other passengers will have been in contact with that passenger.

You are correct but one infected person arriving will logically result in a refusal to permit boarding rather than the wholesale cancellation of the cruise. I do not envisage too many refunds either, tis they could say, a matter between you and your Insurer.

[Gill W]

It’s for cruises where the actual booking is made between the dates of 4th March to 5th May, not for cruises booked prior to this date. As we booked this cruise two years ago, it doesn’t apply to our booking - only for cruises in booked in the two month period ( and applies to anything booked for this year, 2021 and 2022)

Gill, why would anyone want or need to transfer a cruise booking they have not yet made to a later date?

I think you need to be asking Fred Olsen that question, not me.

It’s their policy, not mine.

[Meg 50]

if they refuse boarding - the passenger has already put the others at risk - in the queue!


not saying they shouldn't refuse boarding - just saying that all they are doing is lessening the risk a tad

[Manoverboard]

if they refuse boarding - the passenger has already put the others at risk - in the queue ….

True … perhaps tis best to leave a big gap when queueing and wear a face mask at all times ?

[Stephen]

I'm doing a roaring trade in these.

59_1_282x282.jpg

[Gill W]

Now there’s Coronavirus issues with Grand Princess, approaching San Francisco, and on MSC Opera in Athens.

As far as I can make out, both ships have a passenger from the previous cruise who’ve caught Coronavirus.

In the case of Grand Princess, about 60 passengers stayed on board for B2B cruise, and some passengers now have symptoms.

With Opera, it may be nothing to do with the ship at all, as the person in question travelled home through Northern Italy.

[towny44]

It’s for cruises where the actual booking is made between the dates of 4th March to 5th May, not for cruises booked prior to this date. As we booked this cruise two years ago, it doesn’t apply to our booking - only for cruises in booked in the two month period ( and applies to anything booked for this year, 2021 and 2022)

Gill, why would anyone want or need to transfer a cruise booking they have not yet made to a later date?

I think you need to be asking Fred Olsen that question, not me.

It’s their policy, not mine.

I believe you are reading it incorrectly, it just does not make sense the way you say its being handled.

[Gill W]

Gill, why would anyone want or need to transfer a cruise booking they have not yet made to a later date?

I think you need to be asking Fred Olsen that question, not me.

It’s their policy, not mine.

I believe you are reading it incorrectly, it just does not make sense the way you say its being handled.

You take it on yourself to pick holes in everything I say, so your belief is not a surprise to me.

Is your belief based on prejudice, or have you actually made the effort to investigate this independently?

In case the former is true, I have made an effort on your behalf

Here is a Link to the Fred Olsen website, where it clearly says

To be covered with this guarantee, the booking must be made between 4th March and 5th May 2020 and applies to all cruises on sale.


https://www.fredolsencruises.com/travel-confidence

The Cruise Critic news item Whynd1 originally mentioned, where it clearly says

The NEW guarantee applies to all NEW cruise bookings made between March 4 and May 5, 2020, and guests can move their cruise once only. (my capital letters)

Edit - the link I provided didn't work, but if you check the cruise critic news, there is an item headed 'Cruise Lines Modify Cancellation Policies For Better Flexibility' dated 4.3.20, which contains the phrase I quoted.

[Manoverboard]

Is this the Cruise Critic link about Coronavirus … ?


.

[Gill W]

Is this the Cruise Critic link about Coronavirus … ?


.

No. That’s a different news item. it’s dated today ( (not 4th March)and doesn’t contain the relevant information.

[Manoverboard]

Is this the Cruise Critic link about Coronavirus … ?


.

No. That’s a different news item. it’s dated today ( (not 4th March)and doesn’t contain the relevant information.

Try this one.... scroll down to read ALL the News

[towny44]

I think you need to be asking Fred Olsen that question, not me.

It’s their policy, not mine.

I believe you are reading it incorrectly, it just does not make sense the way you say its being handled.

You take it on yourself to pick holes in everything I say, so your belief is not a surprise to me.

Is your belief based on prejudice, or have you actually made the effort to investigate this independently?

In case the former is true, I have made an effort on your behalf

Here is a Link to the Fred Olsen website, where it clearly says

To be covered with this guarantee, the booking must be made between 4th March and 5th May 2020 and applies to all cruises on sale.


https://www.fredolsencruises.com/travel-confidence

The Cruise Critic news item Whynd1 originally mentioned, where it clearly says

The NEW guarantee applies to all NEW cruise bookings made between March 4 and May 5, 2020, and guests can move their cruise once only. (my capital letters)

Edit - the link I provided didn't work, but if you check the cruise critic news, there is an item headed 'Cruise Lines Modify Cancellation Policies For Better Flexibility' dated 4.3.20, which contains the phrase I quoted.

I am very sorry for doubting you Gill, clearly this is a ploy by FO to try and increase bookings during this crisis in confidence period. I very much hope potential passengers can see it for what it is, and that it has very much the opposite effect.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Clearly this is a ploy by FO to try and increase bookings during this crisis in confidence period. I very much hope potential passengers can see it for what it is, and that it has very much the opposite effect.

I'm not sure I see it quite a cynically as you Towny. Yes there is an issue of confidence in booking cruises at the moment, which is hitting cruise lines hard. So of course they want to try to encourage bookings. But there are also people out there who'd like to book a cruise but are worried at present, not knowing how long the crisis might last.* By saying you can book and if the worst comes to the worst you can transfer the booking without penalty seems to be a win-win for the customer and the cruise line.

*And on that note I saw a prediction today that once this immediate crisis has passed this strain could be endemic in the UK in future winters. Though of course they will have a vaccine by then.

[Quizzical Bob]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OyjmB ... 29-h938-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/O5J0O ... 81-h938-no

We arrived back from Australia on Saturday. We had been on the Majestic Princess and were supposed to sail from Sydney across the bottom of Australia to Perth and then on to Singapore.

After a wonderful two nights in Singapore and a wet and sunny five nights in Sydney we boarded the ship with no problems on the 12th February for the start of a nineteen night cruise. On the evening of the 14th as we were sailing away from Hobart the Captain interrupted the shows to announce that because of the uncertainties in the South-East Asia region the cruise would be terminated on our arrival in Fremantle on the 22nd. In our case this turned a nineteen night cruise into a ten night one cutting off six days of tropical sailing and days in Penang and Kuala Lumpur.

After a day of gossiping and rumours we received a letter stating that we would get a full cruise refund in the form of 50% back in cash and 50% as a future cruise credit which had to be spent before the end of February 2021. In addition those passengers who had made their own flight arrangements, i.e. us, would have all their extra transport costs refunded.

I took the view that we should not fly straight home from Perth but that we should spend a few days in Western Australia whilst we were there and I persuaded my wife that we should fly back on the late evening of Friday 28th giving us seven days to explore the area. Those passengers who had booked flights through a cruise agent or Princess themselves were at the mercy of these agents as to what they could do.

I just sat down with my phone and Skyscanner and looked at the available flights. Qatar and Emirates seemed to have the most options at reasonable prices. I wasn't willing to pay too much in case there was a problem with reimbursement. We decided to bin our return flight from Singapore and fly straight home with Qatar via Doha at a cost of just over £400 each. Then I booked a car for pickup at Fremantle and dropoff at Perth Airport thereby covering the morning before hotel checkin and the Friday afternoon after checkout.

After a couple of days it was revealed that the ship would be alongside in Fremantle for two nights until Monday 24th February and that those who could not easily arrange flights were welcome to stay on board during that time. I had previously decided that one night woud be enough and so I booked a hotel on Scarborough Beach from Sunday to Friday.

Other couples were not so fortunate or flexible. We met two couples who had booked theough Iglu and who had boarded the ship in Melbourne only to be turfed off in Fremantle after six nights and be flown straight home on that Saturday via Sydney, of all places. They said that they had not been able to contact their cruise agents on account of the time difference and it being a weekend. Another couple had phoned their daughter in the middle of the night and given her all their details so that he could deal with their agents during the daytime. Others reported long waiting times on the phone, not easy when you are at sea.

Others had planned to stay in Singapore for a few nights and had to cancel their hotels. Special mention to the Hotel Grand Central who willingly repaid one non-refundable booking once the circumstances were explained.

One enterprising Austrailan couple from the east coast went straight down to the cruise booking desk and spent their unepected future cruise credit on a 14 night cruise from Sydney to New Zealand and back.

The moral here is that if you had made yor own hotel and flight arrangements then you were much better placed to make any desired changes. we had a wonderful time driving around that part of the world including seeing the Pinnacles, kangaroos in the wild and quokkas on Rottnest Island. It was in effect a free cruise and we have now spent our future cruise credit on a 16 nigh cruise to Spitsbergen in June with money left over.

There are still quite a few details to sort out over the refunds but so far so good. Apparently the ship was due a dry-dock refit in Singapore immediately upon our return and the company could not take the risk that the ship's passengers might be refuse entry into Singapore in what was just over two week's time.

[Gill W]

I am very sorry for doubting you Gill, clearly this is a ploy by FO to try and increase bookings during this crisis in confidence period. I very much hope potential passengers can see it for what it is, and that it has very much the opposite effect.

I accept your apology, but would prefer it if you would get out of the habit of questioning everything I say. It's got to the point where it's adversely affecting my enjoyment of the forum.

it quite a cynically as you Towny. Yes there is an issue of confidence in booking cruises at the moment, which is hitting cruise lines hard. So of course they want to try to encourage bookings. But there are also people out there who'd like to book a cruise but are worried at present, not knowing how long the crisis might last.* By saying you can book and if the worst comes to the worst you can transfer the booking without penalty seems to be a win-win for the customer and the cruise line.

*And on that note I saw a prediction today that once this immediate crisis has passed this strain could be endemic in the UK in future winters. Though of course they will have a vaccine by then.

I see it as somewhere between the two points of view.

Fred Olsen have just released their new brochure, so they want to do everything they can to get people to book during the launch period. Once people have booked, they are within the Olsen 'ecosystem', and Fred has their money, even if it ends up going towards a different cruise.

I think some people would like an assurance that they can transfer their booking to another cruise without penalty. However, it should be noted, that anybody who makes a new booking for 2020, can only transfer it to another 2020 cruise. As things are likely to get worse rather than better, I'm not sure someone who is already concerned about Coronavirus would feel reassured about going on a cruise later in the same year, when things might be worse rather than better.

We've got our cruise at the end of March. As we've paid in full we'll have to go - it's too much money to just write off. However, we have no other cruises booked until March 2021, and I am quite pleased about that.

QB, I'm glad it worked out ok for you. We called at Freemantle three years ago, and thought Perth was a lovely city. If we had been there for longer I would have definitely done the Rottnest Island trip.

I think the most likely outcome of our approaching cruise is that there could well be unexpected changes to the itinerary. We are going to the Canaries and Cape Verde Islands, so if it all goes really pear shaped, they'll bring us back to Dover. At least there won't be the additional logistical issues of getting us home.

[Onelife]

Gill wrote....

"I think some people would like an assurance that they can transfer their booking to another cruise without penalty. However, it should be noted, that anybody who makes a new booking for 2020, can only transfer it to another 2020 cruise. As things are likely to get worse rather than better, I'm not sure someone who is already concerned about Coronavirus would feel reassured about going on a cruise later in the same year, when things might be worse rather than better"

Hi Gill....l think you are thinking along the right lines with the above

P.s not wishing to stir things further but l think you let towny (John) off far to lightly........l would have thought walking the plank with his trousers round his ankles more appropriate

[Onelife]

I'm doing a roaring trade in these.

59_1_282x282.jpg

Just a polite warning........get off my patch Stephen l do the selling on this forum

[Stephen]

I'll make you an offer you can't refuse. I believe you like the gee gee's!

[Onelife]

I'll make you an offer you can't refuse. I believe you like the gee gee's!

Thats 'beastility' Stephen.....l love my horses but not that much

[Mervyn and Trish]

I had a very reassuring conversation with Cunard this morning about our fly out and QM2 back from New York in May..

My slight worry is not about getting the virus. I don't feel that is any more likely on a cruise than at home. Everyone joining the ship is health screened. Those in Sainsburys aren't.

My concern was more practical. Like what would happen if our outgoing flight was cancelled? Or for some reason the ship wasn't allowed to dock to pick us up?

While they cannot anticipate every hypothetical situation Cunard were very clear that if the cruise package significantly altered we'd have the option of cancelling and getting our money back. And if things happened after we'd flown out, because it's all booked as a Cunard package, they'd sort it. So the balance gets paid next week.

[RAwllE-12]

On news, if you visit Italy you will be subject to quarantine on return to the U.K.

[Onelife]

I had a very reassuring conversation with Cunard this morning about our fly out and QM2 back from New York in May..

My slight worry is not about getting the virus. I don't feel that is any more likely on a cruise than at home. Everyone joining the ship is health screened. Those in Sainsburys aren't.

My concern was more practical. Like what would happen if our outgoing flight was cancelled? Or for some reason the ship wasn't allowed to dock to pick us up?

While they cannot anticipate every hypothetical situation Cunard were very clear that if the cruise package significantly altered we'd have the option of cancelling and getting our money back. And if things happened after we'd flown out, because it's all booked as a Cunard package, they'd sort it. So the balance gets paid next week.

Ask them to put it in writing Sir Merv, only then can you be sure they'd sort it.

[anniec]

On news, if you visit Italy you will be subject to quarantine on return to the U.K.

Unless I misheard, only quarantined if you have symptoms. But it definitely included all of Italy, not just the northern towns currently in lockdown.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I had a very reassuring conversation with Cunard this morning about our fly out and QM2 back from New York in May..

My slight worry is not about getting the virus. I don't feel that is any more likely on a cruise than at home. Everyone joining the ship is health screened. Those in Sainsburys aren't.

My concern was more practical. Like what would happen if our outgoing flight was cancelled? Or for some reason the ship wasn't allowed to dock to pick us up?

While they cannot anticipate every hypothetical situation Cunard were very clear that if the cruise package significantly altered we'd have the option of cancelling and getting our money back. And if things happened after we'd flown out, because it's all booked as a Cunard package, they'd sort it. So the balance gets paid next week.

Ask them to put it in writing Sir Merv, only then can you be sure they'd sort it.

No point mate. At the moment we're talking in general terms about hypothetical events.

[jacksparrow]

If you go on Bolsover cruise club website there is a drop down box on coronavirus and on there are statements from each cruise line if that helps anyone.