We would love to hear your thoughts about our site and services, please take our survey here.
London South East prides itself on its community spirit, and in order to keep the chat section problem free, we ask all members to follow these simple rules. In these rules, we refer to ourselves as "we", "us", "our". The user of the website is referred to as "you" and "your".
By posting on our share chat boards you are agreeing to the following:
The IP address of all posts is recorded to aid in enforcing these conditions. As a user you agree to any information you have entered being stored in a database. You agree that we have the right to remove, edit, move or close any topic or board at any time should we see fit. You agree that we have the right to remove any post without notice. You agree that we have the right to suspend your account without notice.
Please note some users may not behave properly and may post content that is misleading, untrue or offensive.
It is not possible for us to fully monitor all content all of the time but where we have actually received notice of any content that is potentially misleading, untrue, offensive, unlawful, infringes third party rights or is potentially in breach of these terms and conditions, then we will review such content, decide whether to remove it from this website and act accordingly.
Premium Members are members that have a premium subscription with London South East. You can subscribe here.
London South East does not endorse such members, and posts should not be construed as advice and represent the opinions of the authors, not those of London South East Ltd, or its affiliates.
Carrots it's getting tedious having to enlighten you on how cruises operate. Why don't you admit to readers here that you have never stepped foot on a cruise ship yourself yet are trying desperately to tell people how it all works? It's laughable.
I will say again what every person who has ever cruised already knows. Cruises are booked 1-2 years in advance and the itineraries are set out in the brochures. Thus in normal circumstances, I can choose a cruise that will depart say 18 months from today and know which ports it will be calling at. Indeed that itinerary selection is likely the primary reason why I will have chosen that cruise.
Now 18 months from now any of those ports/countries might slip from Green status to Amber or Red status. You have no way of knowing. The cruise line will have long since booked the berths at the ports at considerable costs. Elsewhere other ports have likewise taken bookings from a multitude of other cruise lines. So the notion that you can just detour and go dock at any other convenient port is a fantasy you are peddling. It's sometimes possible but not always.
That said, do you have any citations or written proof that a cruise ship would not STILL choose to dock at an Amber port if it was on the itinerary? If is did, presumably that would consign all passengers to the 10 day mandatory quarantining on return to the UK.
What happens is only some passengers choose to get off the ship at an amber port? Does that automatically mean everyone else suffers quarantining on return to the UK?
If you read cruise related forums you'll realise that this traffic light system is a total dog's dinner and will probably be totally unworkable for cruise lines. That's the difference between flying and cruising. Cruise trips are booked/organised years in advance. Flights can happen on a whim. If I want to fly to Germany I can decide to do so with very short notice. If Germany suddenly becomes Amber or Red then I can easily just choose a flight to another country. With a cruise you book so far in advance and people have to schedule their holidays in with work colleagues. Chopping and changing at the last minute just isn't feasible. Sure you could cancel your cruise but finding another quickly and getting any kind of decent cabin at the last hour will be impossible.
You really ought to take a cruise one day and actually start to get some appreciation of what it's all about and what it entails instead of just lamely trying to promote your investment position and duping PIs. DYOR
MrMagic.
You say "So come the day of sailing you're likely to find that one or more destinations are actually Amber which will mean a mandated 10 day quarantine when you get back to the UK in some crappy hotel at your expense.".
Incorrect. You don't seem to understand. First it's pretty obvious the cruise ships will only dock at a holiday destination that the UK Government has braded "Green". If on the way the UK Government says that it is going to be amber in a few days the ship would simply not dock. Even if the ship is docked when the Government gives the few days warning of a destination changing from green to amber then obviously the ship would leave and go elsewhere. Then you are incorrect when you say amber means you stay "in some crappy Hotel". You actually stay in your own place if you check your facts!
The bottom line is millions of people who would normally fly on holiday won't.
1. Because the few green destinations to fly to will be fully booked.
2. The orange destinations are too expensive due to the tests AND on return you have to self isolate at home.
Many people will be desperate to get away from the UK. Going on a cruise is the only obvious alternative.
The cruise line Co's must see this coming even if you don't. I think they will lay on as many cruises to the Med (for starters) from the UK as possible, more than they did before covid. Other than Israel the UK has just about the most vaccinated population in the World and extremely low covid rates now. The destinations will be adverised as only the green designated destinations as set by the UK Government. This is a massive opportunity for Cruise ship Co's to not only get back in business but actually make more money than before covid.
If you can't see the above then I find it difficult to believe.
Give it 3 weeks the sp will be past 1900 in my opinion, possibly much more.
Now the traffic light system has been revealed the Cruise ship Co's will be hard at work planning the Cruises.
Once they are advertised the market will respond, if not before.
Oh one more thing. Looks like you won't need proof of jab/jabs. Just the tests, although as we know over 60% of the adult population in the uk has had at least one jab. By the time the cruises actually start this will be what... 75 to 95%?
All IMHO.
Yep, all quite laughable really and a total joke for cruising. People book cruises up to 1-2 years in advance. So how can anyone possibly know that far ahead whether any of the destinations on the itinerary are classed as Red, Amber Or Green?
It's patently ridiculous.
So come the day of sailing you're likely to find that one or more destinations are actually Amber which will mean a mandated 10 day quarantine when you get back to the UK in some crappy hotel at your expense. Even if your ports are "Green" you could still find that there are Covid cases on-board and you test positive yourself and thus get quarantined on return to the UK, even if you have no symptoms and feel fine (asymptomatic).
This just isn't going to fly for most cruise passengers imo. It's just not practical. Retirees might have the luxury to expend 2 weeks on a cruise and then a further 10 days stuck in quarantine on return to the UK. But the young up and coming cruise audience who are still working simply can not afford to lose 10 days of their annual holiday allowance being wasted on quarantine.
I'm sorry Carrots old bean but you really have backed the donkey in the Grand National here.
There's just no way that loads of people are going to consider a (cough) "cruise" holiday with all these ridiculous restrictions and enforced quarantines on return. They are instead simply going to book land based breaks in hotels, holiday cottages and lets in their droves or else will just not go away at all. We will probably also find that the sale of caravans and motor homes takes off massively too.
One can not help but feel that the cruise lines are being bled dry to the point of bankruptcy. It almost feels like they are being punished by higher powers. They are being forced to offer a holiday experience which is not remotely "cruising" and which comes with all manner of undesirable restrictions and complications. It's all very sad.
SP here won't respond well to this traffic light system imo. DYOR
Correction. This is to come back to the UK.
Green.
1. Fill out passenger locator form.
2. Pre-departure test before coming back to the UK. Can be a lateral flow one I believe.
3. PCR test on or before day 2 of arrival back in UK.
Orange.
1. Fill out passenger locator form.
2. Pre-departure test before coming back to the UK. Can be a lateral flow one I believe.
3. 10 days isolation on return.
4. PCR test on or before day 2 and then day 8.
5. Test to release. Confusing. Seems that you can pay for a PCR test on day 5 to get released from isolation but still need the test on day 8............ 3 pcr tests!!!????
Red.
Let's just say don't bother?
My opinion is travelling to red or orange branded Countries is simply out of the question for most people. Red is just mad and orange you need TWO pcr tests per person, or 3 if you want to be allowed out from isolation on day errr... 6!!!! Is that right??? So add £240 PER PERSON assuming I'm reading this right!!!.
All IMHO.