If you or a member of your travelling party tests positive for COVID-19 during your cruise, we’ll take care of you.

If you test positive for COVID-19 whilst on-board, you will need to isolate for your well-being and the well-being of other guests. We’ll make sure you’re well looked after with full room service, a menu choice of three meals a day, free access to TV channels and laundry service. Our dedicated medical experts will also be on hand to take care of you as you cope with the symptoms of COVID-19. This will be for either the duration of the required isolation, until the next port of call, or until the scheduled port of disembarkation.

Vaccinated close contacts of guests who test positive whilst on board are not required to go into isolation but additional testing and other protocols, such as in-cabin dining, may apply.

Any instances of positive tests on board will be managed by our on-board medical teams in conjunction with local port authority / Port Health requirements and protocols to determine the best course of action. The framework of protocols for cruise ships can differ slightly to those on land or to other forms of travel. Some ports may require guests and their close contacts who have tested positive to disembark their ship and continue their period of isolation ashore in that country.

If you’re required to disembark the ship, we’ll always work with the local authorities to secure the most appropriate accommodation for your period of isolation. In most instances, these will be pre-determined hotels which have been identified as ones able to accommodate positive cases of COVID-19. Our dedicated support team will help you to contact your travel insurance provider. However, if your insurance doesn’t cover your required disembarkation arrangements, we will organise and pay for your isolation stay and journey home*.

All UK resident guests who test positive for COVID-19 and are in isolation on their return to Southampton will be able to travel home to isolate after disembarkation.

If you're required to isolate/quarantine, or in some cases disembark the ship, due to testing positive for COVID-19 during your holiday, you'll be given a non-refundable Future Cruise Credit (FCC) pro-rated for the duration of days lost from your booked holiday with P&O Cruises. This FCC (which for UK guests is not ABTA or ATOL protected until a new booking is made with the FCC) can be used on any new booking and is valid for two years from the date of issue.

*Per our booking conditions it is mandatory to have travel insurance with COVID-19 cover. If you unfortunately test positive during your holiday, you should let your insurance company know immediately and keep them updated throughout your period of isolation. If you’re required to disembark the ship, we will look after you by providing all of the following free of charge: calls from the ship to your insurance provider to let them know of your disembarkation (and we will work with them to support any claims), hotel accommodation with standard meals, non-alcoholic drinks during the period of isolation, flights from the isolation destination to your country of residence, and associated airport transfers.

All guests aged 16 years and over need to be fully vaccinated* with an approved COVID-19 vaccine a minimum of 14 days prior to travel. If more than 270 days (calculated from the last day of the cruise) have passed since the full completion of a vaccination course, a booster vaccine will also be needed and must be administered a minimum of seven days prior to travel.

Guests who have had one booster vaccine, regardless of the date, are considered fully vaccinated. At this time, a second booster vaccination is not required, however, we strongly recommend all guests to have booster vaccinations at the earliest opportunity, should they be available to them, in order to comply with evolving vaccine policies from the countries we visit.

All guests aged 12 to 15 years need to be fully vaccinated* with an approved COVID-19 vaccine a minimum of 14 days prior to travel. A booster vaccine is not required.

Guests under 12 years of age are not required to be vaccinated.

*The definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ is having completed an approved (by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL)) two-dose COVID‑19 vaccination course, or the approved single-dose Janssen COVID‑19 vaccine (plus a booster if applicable).

Terminal/airport checklist

When you arrive at the terminal/airport, please have the following items with you:

• Evidence of COVID-19 vaccination status.

(The record card that is given out at the time of vaccination will not be accepted)

• Evidence of travel insurance
• Passport
• Boarding pass or travel documents

We recommend that guests wear masks on board, but they’re only required in the medical centre. Some destinations may also require you to wear masks when ashore and we recommend taking one with you whenever you disembark the ship.