Topic: Couple feeling feverish about P&O Cruises

I am always amazed at the questions people ask on forum sites
I would never book a cruise without the brochure in front of me.
Before.my Amazon cruise in 2003 both my T.A.&P&O advised me about Yellow Fever.

While I do feel some sympathy for the couple missing their honeymoon, I cannot agree with them that the cruise line is to blame! We simply cannot shelve every responsibility in life and blame everyone else when things go wrong.

This was to have been a honeymoon cruise so I imagine that it was prebooked quite some time in advance and we know for certain that they received a brochure several weeks before the cruise departure date and, by their own admission, the information regarding vaccinations required/compulsory was on page 4 of the brochure they received so it wasn't exactly buried in the back pages which is where I expect to find this kind of information!
I am assuming that even though they may be a young couple, they must surely have some small knowledge of foreign travel, including the nasty diseases which can be found around the world, particularly in the tropics! Well I surmise that they MUST have some knowledge since it would seem that only the groom did not have the required vaccination! By the same token, when travelling to foreign lands, it behoves us to investigate the wisdom of visiting certain countries. To this end, I always visit a couple of reputable internet sites just to check my facts and these are:

http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/home.aspx for health information and
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country for personal safety information

Just for enlightenment, in the 2009 P & O brochure, the only cruises mentioned where Yellow Fever vaccinations are compulsory are cruises P001 (9 Jan 2010) and P005 (6 Mar 2010) so I think we can safely assume that their proposed cruise was on Artemis on 9th January 2010. Both of these cruises are specifically mentioned in the Vaccinations section at the back of the brochure!

Presumably this couple are of the 'someone should have read the relevant parts of the brochure to us, then taken us both down the doctor's surgery for the jabs' school of thought.

My wife and I are going to the Caribbean & Amazon 6th March on the Artemis and looking forward to the trip. We booked this back in summer 08 I have had emails from P&O and T.A. way back then telling us that we need YELLOW FEVER vacs back then. P&O and T.A.have sent us reminders right up to 1st Feb this year so it is no excuse that you forgot to have it done so do not blame the cruise company or any other factor with this out come. (you all have time to get your vac 14 days prior to sailing)

You have my sympathy about failing to get yellow-fever jabbed.
Probably like me, you associate yellow fever with some God-forsaken backwater of the former British Empire or banana republic whose shores you probably would not touch with a barge-pole!

P&O's quoting of 'chapter and verse' of their small-print T's & C's is typical administrative 'giving the 'V' sign' or, putting it crudely, saying 'sod-off.'

As for getting your money refunded, no chance, they are more likely to wan't more as in my recent case where, by necessity, caused by P&O's inability to provide a 'fully equipped' disabled cabin (as stipulated) which, after enquiry & booking on the assurance that it was fully-equipped, turned out to be 'partially' equipped and whose outside cabin window view was obstructed by a life-boat.

In cancelling the cruise just over a week later, I stood to lose over £450 deposit paid on the (as yet uninsured) cruise unless I chose an alternative of equal or higher value, which I did - for higher cost - and was duly charged an additional £100.00 'administration fee' for selecting, not only a more expensive cruise, but also one of 10 days less duration than the one cancelled.

Written appeals x 2, to the MD, only resulted in being quoted the same 'chapter and verse' as yourselves where, apparently, the same T&C's for cancelled cruises appear with Yellow Fever information in their voluminous 'small print.'

Insensitivity and monolithic management appear to pervade the portals of P&O.

Never mind, by disappointing experiences and in retrospect, like me, you will learn that there are more Cruise Companies with ships that sail the seven seas, other than those of P&O, and they want your custom.

With commiserations and better luck for the future,
Gordon

QUOTE:

You have my sympathy about failing to get yellow-fever jabbed.
Probably like me, you associate yellow fever with some God-forsaken backwater of the former British Empire or banana republic whose shores you probably would not touch with a barge-pole!

P&O's quoting of 'chapter and verse' of their small-print T's & C's is typical administrative 'giving the 'V' sign' or, putting it crudely, saying 'sod-off.'
C's for cancelled cruises appear with Yellow Fever information in their voluminous 'small print.'

Gordon, your take on this thread is totally coloured by the [very poor] service you received from p&o. In this case, p&o have every right to quote 'chapter and verse' of their small print. There comes a time when the client has to take responsibility for their own holidays and that include any required injections especially if pre informed that they are mandatory either in the small print or in any pre cruise documents.

I agree entirely with the comments when you book a dream cruise you check everything visas, insurance, injections,climate currency,it takes months to complete the checklist.
Whilst I feel sorry for them they must take responsibility they are adults.

QUOTE:

Sometimes there is so much to take in when booking a holiday, i think it should be made clearer with a seperate booklet about diseases and injections so we know where we are when we travel to different destinations. But i always check with my doctor before i travel and see if i need any boosters, i travellled caribbean last December with Princess and i checked with the nurse through all the islands we were visiting. Give them a refund its there honeymoon after all. Denna.

This message is being read via the internet and off a computer, WHY do you want a booklet? If you want to know somthing, ask or research. DON'T blame someone else and then winge. Lets start taking responsibility for ourselves again, we are adults after all!

Maybe, but with a wedding to sort plus a honeymoon it doesn,t say how old this couple are either . Don't be so harsh there's more crisis in this world look at Haiti. Give them there money back they can afford it.

QUOTE:

Gordon, your take on this thread is totally coloured by the [very poor] service you received from p&o. In this case, p&o have every right to quote 'chapter and verse' of their small print. There comes a time when the client has to take responsibility for their own holidays and that include any required injections especially if pre informed that they are mandatory either in the small print or in any pre cruise documents.

Hi Morton

Well it's alright being wise after the event (as many wise sages commenting on this thread appear to be) but bear in mind this is a young couple embarking not only on a voyage of the seas but also on 'life's voyage,' and what an officious and unsympathetic start to it.

My Mrs is a bit like you (and the others) in condemning, let's face it, their 'ineptitude' in failing to conform to one of several conditions as well as their matrimonial arrangements and committments, by smugly (excuse me) comments like 'they ARE the rules' and 'right is right and wrong is wrong,' 'black is black and white is white.'

This is termed UNCOMPROMISING and certainly not customer friendly, as I have recently experienced first hand from this same Company whose shortcomings I will continue to reveal.

So what, if the 'groom' didn't have yellow fever jabs, the risk of contracting the disease is his, not P&O, and THEY would not be held responsible for repatriating him back to the UK if he did catch it, in that unlikely event they would isolate him onboard, then offload him at the nearest port of call for the local health authority to sort out, together with his travel insurers.

Really, this was making a mountain out of a mole-hill, the bloke didn't have the disease, he just didn't have the piece of paper confirming that he had a reasonable chance of avoiding it, and surely P&O wouldn't choose fever-ridden countries in their itinerary?

It reminds me of an equally incongruous situation of 'forms' whilst serving my National Service in the Royal Air Force as a driver.
I was despatched on a rather long journey from Derbyshire to a sub-station at Cairn Ryan in Scotland.
I had the correct FORM that allowed me to drive the vehicle, but did not have form FMT3 (details of an accident to the vehicle.)
On requesting this form (to be carried at all times) a spare one was not available.
When I asked what would happen in the case of actually experiencing an accident - the reply was, "just don't have one."

You see, there's an answer for everything, usually extrapolated by those who are gifted with that ability.

You cannot put an old head on young shoulders.

Regards from Gordon