Corfu cancelled but green light for ‘no stop’ staycation cruise

I should have been in Corfu today, lying on this very beach.

Not complaining, just explaining.

We enjoyed our October 2019 holiday so much we booked to go again in May last year.

That got cancelled, obviously, so we re-booked for October 2020.

That got cancelled too so we re-scheduled for this week, flying out on Easter Sunday.

Soon after Christmas that got cancelled as well and I had forgotten about it until my wife mentioned it over lunch yesterday.

We’re now due to go in October but I’ll only believe it when we’re aboard that BA flight to Corfu.

Meanwhile you might recall my recent post about cruising (the ship variety).

Five days after booking a summer cruise from Southampton with several stops in Norway and Denmark it was abruptly cancelled.

The good news is that the cruise companies have obviously taken heed of the vaccine roll-out in the UK and are now offering ‘no stop’ staycation cruises from Southampton throughout the summer.

Cunard, for example, is currently offering ‘scenic cruising’ around the British Isles or what it calls ‘The Sun Voyages’.

There are however some strings attached:

Given the advanced progress of the UK vaccination programme, and strong expressed preference on the part of our guests, these UK Summer at Sea voyages will be for UK resident COVID-19 vaccinated guests only. The definition of vaccinated is a minimum of 7 days after the second dose of the currently approved COVID-19 vaccines being administered.

Proof of vaccination/dates given will be required (approved forms of evidence to be confirmed prior to departure) and will need to be shown at the terminal before boarding. Failure to provide this will result in denial of boarding at your own expense. There is no age restriction on these UK Summer at Sea voyages but all guests of all ages must meet the requirements of the COVID-19 vaccination policy.

All other Cunard holidays on sale currently do not require guests to be vaccinated. Pre-embarkation COVID-19 tests may be required as part of our framework of protocols and will be complimentary in the holiday cost. We will update all guests prior to their holiday departure date.

Personally I have no problem with any of that. In the circumstances it seems quite reasonable.

The idea of a ‘no stop’ staycation cruise is also rather appealing because if there’s one thing I don’t like about cruises it’s the constant getting on and off at various ports and the subsequent clock watching.

In fact, if there are three words in the English language guaranteed to make me happy on a cruise they are ‘day at sea’.

Sailing in and out of Southampton is also a win-win for me because it avoids airports and flying.

Anyway, judging by the manner in which the cruise industry has responded to the speed of the Government’s vaccine programme it’s another shot in the arm (no pun intended) for everyone responsible.

Credit too to the cruise industry for being flexible enough to adapt their itineraries according to the ever changing circumstances. Given the magnitude of the organisation involved, that’s no mean feat.

Comments

[Rose2]

Simon

I thought that smoking was banned on cruise ships in 2009. So though I wish you a wonderful holiday, it's just another pleasure we are no longer permitted even at sea.

Smoking ban in British waters
2008

"Ships travelling in British waters face a complete smoking ban in 2009 as P&O cuts back on lighting up.

SHIPS travelling in British waters face a complete smoking ban next year. The Department for Transport is considering banning smoking inside vessels within 12 miles (19km) of the British coast. The move would mean that smokers could light up for only 17 of the 29 miles between Dover and Calais.

William Gibbons, director of the Passenger Shipping Association, said that annoucements would be made to let passengers know when smoking was permitted. “The rules will apply to all ships, whatever the flag,” he said."
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/smoking-ban-in-british-waters-wbgl0tq7dhk

Perhaps you could find out what the situation is now.

[Simon]

Rose, many cruise ships still allow smoking in designated areas of open decks, plus certain bars and lounges. The most recent list I can find online is an article that was updated in January 2020.

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles.cfm?ID=225