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Cruise controls
Q: Can I am going on a Caribbean cruise if I’ve not been Covid vaccinated?
Caz
A: lt all relies upon. Sorry if that’s not useful, however the guidelines fluctuate throughout cruise strains and the locations en route. P&O Cruises says: “All company aged 18 years and over must be totally vaccinated.” Meaning not less than two weeks earlier than journey, and if the primary course was greater than 270 days earlier than the final day of the cruise, they should have a booster not less than every week earlier than departure.
But P&O’s sister firm, Carnival, guarantees: “Vaccines and testing now not required for many cruises. Unvaccinated company are free to disembark and revel in their time ashore. Nonetheless, sure locations have imposed sure restrictions and we can’t assure that extra won’t be added.”
On a Carnival voyage to locations with journey restrictions, you can be allowed to board the ship – however you should keep on the vessel at ports of calls with necessary vaccination guidelines. At current, within the Caribbean, it is advisable to be vaccinated to be allowed off the ship in Grand Turk (a part of the Turks & Caicos, north of Hispaniola) and the Colombian port of Cartagena – which might be a really vital loss, since that is the loveliest Spanish metropolis within the Americas.
Royal Caribbean says testing is required for everybody aged 12 or over on “Cruises from the US and Caribbean with stops in Colombia, Haiti, or Honduras”.
In the meantime, Norwegian Cruise Line says: “As authorities rules evolve, our well being and security protocols will evolve as wanted to make sure compliance. This will imply totally different protocols from ship to ship primarily based on native necessities.”
Lastly, Fred Olsen has some strict guidelines: “All company aged 12 and above have to be totally vaccinated to affix us on board. All company might want to convey proof of a damaging take a look at outcome, taken inside 24 hours of your cruise departure, to point out at check-in.
“When you have been involved with anybody with Covid-19 inside seven days previous to your cruise, we’re afraid you will be unable to sail with us.”
Given the vary of insurance policies and persevering with uncertainty, I might not advise anybody who’s classed as unvaccinated to e book a cruise – particularly involving a lot of totally different international locations, as Caribbean voyages are usually.
Altering planes
Q: We’re flying to Orlando from Dublin. We’re flying United altering in Washington choosing up one other United flight. We’re having to pay for maintain baggage at Dublin at check-in. Is there a approach to get our baggage to go straight by means of to Orlando slightly than having to gather at Washington and recheck it?
Wealthy
A: As a hand-baggage solely particular person, I’m not completely positive – however I imagine the scenario is as follows. Usually on arrival within the US you need to decide up all of your luggage and lug them by means of Customs earlier than re-checking them in your connecting flight.
However Eire is totally different. I’m a fan of travelling to the US through Dublin since you move by means of Customs & Border Safety on the first level of entry. Aer Lingus says: “You merely gather your baggage at your US arrival airport and get on along with your day.”
I imagine, although, that through-checked baggage will not be potential. With hand baggage, it’s not a problem: as quickly as you arrive in Washington you’re thought to be a home arrival and may go straight to your connecting flight. However the restrict on Aer Lingus is a minimal 7kg.
Q: Our flight house from Seattle was cancelled after sitting for six hours on the Tarmac. We have been advised the earliest flight they might provide was 4 days later. I wanted to get house for work commitments, so we booked an Aer Lingus flight ourselves through Dublin. Price: £2,800! I’ve put in a declare with the airline for the Aer Lingus prices. I’ve not heard any resolution as but. Studying on boards, and so on I really feel I’m not going to get my £2,800 again. Any recommendation please?
A: Many airways look like in no hurry in any respect to recompense the tens of hundreds of out-of-pocket passengers. These carriers have been advised at the beginning of the summer season rush what they needed to do when a flight was cancelled, particularly discovering different flights as quickly as potential. However they’ve ignored the stipulations despatched out by the Civil Aviation Authority with impunity.
I wrote to the earlier transport secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, to ask what motion she would take. She had not replied by the point she was fired by the brand new prime minister, Rishi Sunak. I shall ask Mark Harper, her alternative, however I detect no urge for food by any means for implementing client safety.
The one downside I can see with retrieving your £2,800 is: if that’s the determine for 2 of you, that appears very costly and you can face a requirement to point out why you needed to pay that a lot. In such circumstances it is best to all the time attempt to present a display seize exhibiting there was no alternative.
Should you imagine you’ve gotten a authorized declare in opposition to any firm, you may normally get their consideration by writing a Letter Earlier than Motion after which, if there is no such thing as a response, going to Cash Declare On-line.
Passport timing
Q: Any concept what’s the present (renewal) passport turnaround time?
B Cleeve
A: On the danger of this session turning into a protracted sequence of declaring the inadequacies of the federal government and its companies, it received’t be practically as unhealthy as candidates are led to imagine.
His Majesty’s Passport Workplace warns: “Permit as much as 10 weeks to obtain your passport.”
However that seems to be an train in bottom-covering. For the overwhelming majority of easy renewals, with purposes made on-line, two weeks is extra probably – with many saying they get their passports a lot faster than that.
Kent checks
Q: Any replace on technical options to the challenges introduced by utility of the Entry Exit System for le Shuttle and x-channel automobile ferry passengers?
Paul M
A: Sadly, no, but when your MP supported Brexit then I recommend you ask them for the answer they’d it thoughts on the time they voted on the EU withdrawal settlement.
The Brexit treaty made the UK a “third nation” with strict controls on entry and exit. At Dover, frontier controls are “juxtaposed” with French officers conducting checks on British soil.
Subsequent summer season, harder border checks that the UK helped develop whereas a member of the European Union will apply to British passport holders. Beneath the Entry Exit System, every time a third-country nationwide crosses an EU exterior border, the system will register the date and place of entry and exit. Fingerprints and a facial biometric will even be checked.
Doug Bannister, chief govt of the Port of Dover boss advised MPs final month: “We haven’t seen what the method is, we don’t know what the expertise is.”
Mark Harper, the brand new transport secretary, presumably is aware of an answer for ferries and Eurotunnel. In 2019, he voted in opposition to the delicate (-ish) Brexit proposed by then-prime minister Theresa Could. It might need averted the necessity for everybody to be photographed and fingerprinted on the arduous border that the UK later insisted upon – and which Mr Harper supported.
“Authorities’s fundamental process is to ensure that our future relationship with the EU is the absolute best one for serving the British folks, our objectives and our pursuits.”
He known as Brexit “a chance for our nation to unfold its wings.”`
Rail woes
Q: My daughter is heading again to school on Sunday with a pre-booked GWR ticket from London Paddington to Plymouth. The place does she stand if her practice is cancelled? She has to get again for lectures on Monday, so actually must journey Sunday.
Mary B
A: A reminder: the principle rail union, the RMT, has known as one other spherical of strikes in its battle with Community Rail and 14 practice operators on pay, jobs and dealing situations. Employees working for Community Rail will stroll out tomorrow (5 November), on Monday (7 November) and on Wednesday (9 November).
These employed by the practice operators, together with GWR, will cease work tomorrow and on Wednesday.
On the day after a strike, morning trains are tousled – with the early rush hour normally worn out till signallers clock in and rolling inventory is again the place it must be. However the one GWR practice from London Paddington to Plymouth that I can see affected on Sunday morning is the 7.52am departure. If she is booked on this one and must be again in a rush, she will journey earlier (7.18am) on the Elizabeth Line from Paddington to Studying and onwards from there on GWR.
All of the later journeys are unaffected – which makes it all of the more unusual that GWR is eager to discourage passengers on the times after strikes. The practice operator says: “Keep away from travelling and search other ways to make your journey.” Different rail companies are taking an analogous view.
A spokesperson for the Rail Supply Group advised me: “No one on this trade needs to see passengers pushed off trains, however with the RMT persevering with to name these damaging strikes, it’s rail firms’ duty to maintain as many trains operating as potential and to be real looking concerning the extent of the probably disruption on what will probably be very restricted providers, in order that the railway can function safely and our passengers could make knowledgeable selections about their journeys.”
I hope and anticipate your daughter may have a clean and enjoyable journey – if folks take discover of GWR, her practice will in all probability be very empty.
BA grumbles
Q: Our current flight from Rhodes was put again 24 hours and, while BA put us up in an resort and paid for meals, we acquired no different compensation aside from further automobile parking bills at Heathrow Terminal 5. BA have rejected our declare for compensation as they are saying the inbound plane needed to make a pressured touchdown as a result of ‘technical causes’ which we’re led to grasp was a chook strike compromising the plane’s security.
Does this appear affordable given the EU’s scheme which we’ve got signed as much as regarding delayed flights?
SmartMart59
A: Sorry to listen to it. British Airways has carried out its obligation of care beneath European air passengers’ rights guidelines. The onus on BA is to pay compensation (£350 on this case) until it will probably present a complete rationalization of why it shouldn’t have to take action. So please ask.
Indian visas
Q: Any replace or progress on the Indian visa farce? Booked to journey in December and have an appointment booked 150 miles away from the place I dwell later this month for Visa processing. Can be good to suppose {that a} answer will not be far-off!
Ceri
A: Sadly there is no such thing as a change: British travellers are nonetheless barred from acquiring an eVisa for simple entry to India, and should attend an in-person interview. Extra background here.
B Cleeve added: “If of any use, attended VFS Birmingham final Wednesday. Absolute chaos however none the much less acquired e mail this morning saying my passport and visa again for courier posting/assortment.”
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