What does this mean if I have already booked a holiday but haven’t yet had the vaccine?

If you are unlikely to meet the vaccine policy at time of departure, please refer to our flexible booking options.

If I am denied boarding at the terminal, as I have failed to produce my proof of vaccine - will you reimburse my out of pocket expenses to that point and the cost of my travel home?

There will be a P&O cruises representative on hand at the terminal to support any guests who are denied boarding, however for any costs incurred you will need to contact your travel insurance provider as these will be at your own expense.

What if I am exempt from receiving the vaccine?

All guests will be required to meet the testing and vaccine policy applicable at the time of departure.

My name registered with my doctor is different from the name on my booking / passport. Will you accept my proof of vaccination in my name registered with my doctor if this is different from the name on my booking / passport?

To travel please ensure that the name detailed on your booking, passport and the one registered against your vaccination is the same. If this is not possible as you have perhaps recently got married or changed your name by deed poll, please bring your marriage certificate / deed poll document as evidence of your name change.

I have had a vaccine as part of a clinical trial, can I sail with you?

Yes. If you have been a participant in a vaccine trial you are eligible to sail with us. You will need to show your letter sent to you by the Chief Investigator of each trial that confirms you were part of the vaccine trials. The UK Government have advised that these letters are currently being distributed to all participants in advance of the NHS app being updated by the end of July.

Our assurance to you

	As of 25 July 2021
	As of 25 July 2021

Our assurance to you

Our new protocols

As we return to sea, we’re combining over 180 years’ experience with the expertise of foremost accredited scientists, medical professionals and government advisors to deliver the P&O Cruises holiday you expect. We’ve developed enhanced health and well-being measures to protect everyone on board and all guests and crew will be required to follow these.

For years, we have had in place many of the protocols now considered advisable for other social gathering venues, such as hand-sanitising stations and rigorous cleaning procedures. We've also gone beyond those protocols by asking guests to complete a Health Declaration and having a comprehensive medical facility on board each ship providing 24/7 medical care and treatment and this will, of course, continue across the fleet.

To ensure you can continue to enjoy your incredible P&O Cruises holiday, our new measures include:

A stringent vaccination and testing policy for all guests
Pre-boarding health screening
The highest levels of cleanliness throughout the ships
Adherence to approved standards for the service of food and drink, entertainment and experiences on board and on shore
Enhanced on-board ventilation systems to provide improved filtration and increased fresh air
Enhanced sanitation measures
Appropriate social distancing in line with latest guidance for cruise lines
The requirement to wear a face mask, with no exceptions, in specific areas including the terminal, when moving around indoors on board, and when seated in the theatre. You’re free to remove your mask when seated elsewhere around the ship, when out on deck and when exercising. We’d always recommend guests wash their mask daily and choose a good quality, ideally medical grade, standard. Please note that visors and face shields will not be accepted as a substitute for a face mask
We will be operating initially with a reduced occupancy on our ships to support our new protocols
For all holidays sailing up to and including 24 September, guests will require a seven day gap between any of the UK getaway cruises. Back-to-back bookings will not be available. This seven day gap also applies to cruises booked with other cruise lines including our sister brands Cunard and Princess Cruises. From 25 September onwards, back-to-back bookings are allowed
Crew will also undergo a strict testing and quarantine regime as well as regular testing during their time on board
We have plans in place, tailored for each ship, to manage medical needs, including dedicated cabin capacity for isolation and quarantine, should this be required.

These protocols are subject to change as we continue to work with our experts and with government bodies to ensure all of our practices evolve in line with latest advice. Rest assured, our primary focus is always to protect the health and well-being of our crew and guests and the communities we visit.

Working with Bureau Veritas

Ahead of Britannia's return to sailing, in line with Chamber of Shipping guidance, the ship has achieved external validation of its health and well-being protocols from Bureau Veritas (BV), a world leader in testing, inspection and certification. Iona's inspection will be undertaken shortly.

President Marine and Offshore, Bureau Veritas, Matthieu de Tugny said:

“Our passenger ship experts have been supporting P&O Cruises with the verification of health and well-being standards to enable a return to service in line with the UK Chamber of Shipping’s guidance and Bureau Veritas guidelines. The ship was exceptionally well prepared and we give full credit to the entire ship’s crew and management. It will be good to see Britannia back in operation.”

Guest and crew well-being

We are committed to delivering the highest standards of health, safety and well-being for our guests, crew and the wider communities we visit. To achieve this:

Every area of the ship will be rigorously and regularly cleaned and sanitised
We’ll provide additional hand-sanitising stations
We have enhanced our on-board ventilation systems to provide improved filtration and increased fresh air
We’ll adhere to approved, up-to-date guidance for every aspect of the holiday experience including the mandatory use of face masks and social distancing which will be in place in certain areas
We will be operating initially with a reduced occupancy on our ships to support our new protocols
For all holidays sailing up to and including 24 September, guests will require a seven day gap between any of the UK getaway cruises. Back-to-back bookings will not be available. This seven day gap also applies to cruises booked with other cruise lines including our sister brands Cunard and Princess Cruises. From 25 September onwards, back-to-back bookings are allowed
Crew will undergo a strict testing and quarantine regime as well as regular testing during their time on board
We have plans in place, tailored for each ship, to manage medical needs, including dedicated cabin capacity for isolation and quarantine, should this be required.

Pre-existing medical requirements

It is understood that those with certain pre-existing medical requirements or of a certain age may experience more severe symptoms should they contract COVID-19 (coronavirus). We strongly recommend that you review the UK government guidance prior to making travel arrangements; this can be found here.

If you have any existing medical requirements, we advise you to discuss your travel plans with your doctor. We have put together a simple health advisory letter that you can provide to your GP so they can verify if you’re safe to travel.

DOWNLOAD HEALTH ADVISORY LETTER

All our ships have medical centres on board staffed by experienced doctors and nurses available 24/7, to help support your health needs. We are following all latest guidance to evolve our enhanced protocols to protect the health and well-being of guests, crew and the communities we visit once we begin sailing again.

Unfortunately we are unable to accept guests who have the following medical requirements:

Supplementary oxygen (including via oxygen concentrator)
Mechanical ventilatory support (except for overnight CPAP for sleep apnoea)
Dialysis
Within the 14 days prior to the cruise:
- Have been unwell with confirmed or suspected COVID-19
- Have been in close contact with someone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19
- Have been advised to self-isolate under a government Test and Trace system

We are so sorry to have to make this change, but we need to follow new industry procedures for the protection of everyone on board. Any guest that is impacted by the requirement for supplementary oxygen, mechanical ventilatory support or dialysis will be given a full refund of monies paid to date for their bookings.

Vaccine and testing policy*

The vaccination and testing policy has been updated for all sailings on Britannia and Iona departing between 8 July and 24 September 2021. These cruises are still for UK resident COVID-19 vaccinated guests only (irrespective of age) but for these cruises the definition of “vaccinated” will now be a minimum of 14 days following the second dose of the currently approved COVID-19 vaccines being administered or 14 days following the recently approved single-dose Janssen COVID-19 vaccine being administered. All guests will still also require a negative COVID-19 test at the terminal (the cost of which will be complimentary).

The vaccination and testing policy for all cruises departing from 25 September to 31 December 2021 requires all guests 18 years old and over to have completed their vaccination course a minimum of 14 days prior to sailing. All guests 17 years old and below will need to have completed their vaccination course a minimum of 14 days prior to sailing or will require a negative PCR test within 72 hours prior to travel. All guests will also require a negative COVID-19 test at the terminal; the cost of both the COVID-19 test at the terminal and the PCR test will be complimentary.

This vaccination and testing policy will be reviewed on a regular basis as the global situation continues to evolve.

At the time of travel, some ports of call may stipulate specific vaccine or testing policies for guests going ashore that differ from this policy.

All other P&O Cruises holidays on sale do not currently require guests to be vaccinated.

Whilst you are not required to take a test before your arrival at the terminal, we would recommend you follow the government’s advice of testing yourself regularly at home. If you were to test positive within 14 days of departure, you would need to call our Customer Contact Centre on 0344 338 8003 (local call charges apply) and not travel to the terminal. You’ll receive a non-refundable Future Cruise Credit (which is not ABTA or ATOL protected), ready for you to take your holiday again at a later date.

It is the responsibility of any guest travelling from the Common Travel Area to adhere to the local travel restrictions that apply when travelling in and out of England.

Proof of vaccination status

All guests will be required to show proof of vaccination status at the terminal prior to boarding which will be checked against the guest’s photo ID. This can be either in digital or printed format (a screenshot is fine) and must be an official certificate of vaccine status issued by your local health authority (e.g. NHS England). Please visit your relevant NHS or local health authority website for full details of how to obtain an official record of your vaccine status in advance of your holiday (please note that some authorities require up to 10 days to process applications to receive postal certificates). Guests in England can download the NHS app, register with their NHS number and photo ID and gain access to ‘Get your NHS COVID Pass’ – this allows you to download a PDF copy of your vaccine record and/or to request to receive an offline copy by email. Alternatively to prove your vaccination status you can show a screenshot of your vaccination details which show below your unique 2D barcode within the app. This shows the details of each vaccination and the date given; please note that there are two different screens for vaccination 1 and 2. Please register for the NHS app well in advance of travel as NHS app accounts can take up to 14 days to approve. If using the app, in case of any connectivity issues we’d recommend taking a screenshot so that you can easily show this at the terminal.

Please note that the record card that is given out at the time of vaccination will not be accepted as proof of your vaccination status. Unfortunately failure to provide proof of vaccination at the terminal will result in denial of boarding at your own expense.

Please see the following FAQs for more information relating to the acceptable formats for proof of vaccination.

Vaccine policy infographic

We will update this page as necessary and update all guests prior to their holiday departure date. Please do ensure that your preferences and contact details are up to date in the My Account section of our website.

Frequently asked questions

It is our guests responsibility to ensure that they comply with our current vaccination policy.

You'll be required to show proof of vaccination status at the terminal prior to boarding which will be checked against your photo ID. This can be either in digital or printed format (a screenshot is fine) and must be an official certificate of vaccine status issued by your local health authority (e.g. NHS England). Please visit your relevant NHS or local health authority website for full details of how to obtain an official record of your vaccine status in advance of your holiday (please note that some authorities require up to 10 days to process applications to receive postal certificates). Guests in England can download the NHS app, register with their NHS number and photo ID and gain access to ‘Get your NHS COVID Pass’ – this allows you to download a PDF copy of your vaccine record and/or to request to receive an offline copy by email. Alternatively to prove your vaccination status you can show a screenshot of your vaccination details which show below your unique 2D barcode within the app. This shows the details of each vaccination and the date given; please note that there are two different screens for vaccination 1 and 2. Please register for the NHS app well in advance of travel as NHS app accounts can take up to 14 days to approve. If using the app, in case of any connectivity issues we’d recommend taking a screenshot so that you can easily show this at the terminal.

Please note that the record card that is given out at the time of vaccination will not be accepted as proof of your vaccination status.

Unfortunately failure to provide proof of vaccination at the terminal will result in denial of boarding at your own expense.

Please see the below useful links:

England: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/demonstrating-your-covid-19-status

We will accept the digital or printed version of the NHS England COVID Pass.

Wales: https://gov.wales/get-nhs-covid-pass-show-your-vaccination-status-travel

We will accept the printed (or soon to be available digital) version of the NHS Wales COVID Pass.

Scotland: https://www.nhsinform.scot/covid-19-vaccine/after-your-vaccine/get-a-record-of-your-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-status

We will accept the printed or digital version of the NHS Scotland vaccination status record.

Northern Ireland:

https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/news/vaccine-certification-faqs

We will accept the printed or digital version of the official Department of Health proof of vaccination document.

Jersey: https://www.gov.je/Health/Coronavirus/Vaccine/Pages/CovidStatus.aspx

We will accept Jersey’s COVID Status Certificate distributed to all vaccinated islanders.

Guernsey: https://covid19.gov.gg/faqs/july

We will accept Guernsey’s official proof of vaccination letter distributed to all vaccinated islanders.

Isle of Man:

https://www.gov.im/covid19vaxcertificate

We will accept the digital or printed version of the NHS England COVID-19 Pass.

Europe: https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/coronavirus-response/safe-covid-19-vaccines-europeans/eu-digital-covid-certificate_en

We will accept the EU digital Covid certificate.

Vaccine trials: Guests who have participated in an official UK Vaccine Trials

We will accept the official letter distributed to all participants confirming Vaccine Trial status.

Armed Forces: We will accept documented record of vaccination from the armed forces.

The vaccination and testing policy has been updated for all sailings on Britannia and Iona departing between 8 July and 24 September 2021. These cruises are still for UK resident COVID-19 vaccinated guests only (irrespective of age) but for these cruises the definition of “vaccinated” will now be a minimum of 14 days following the second dose of the currently approved COVID-19 vaccines being administered or 14 days following the recently approved single-dose Janssen COVID-19 vaccine being administered. All guests will still also require a negative COVID-19 test at the terminal (the cost of which will be complimentary).

The vaccination and testing policy for all cruises departing from 25 September to 31 December 2021 requires all guests 18 years old and over to have completed their vaccination course a minimum of 14 days prior to sailing. All guests 17 years old and below will need to have completed their vaccination course a minimum of 14 days prior to sailing or will require a negative PCR test within 72 hours prior to travel. All guests will also require a negative COVID-19 test at the terminal; the cost of both the COVID-19 test at the terminal and the PCR test will be complimentary.