COVID-19 acknowledgement for sailings in Australia
We have consulted with leading medical experts to create an extensive response plan for mitigating and managing COVID-19 cases on our ships, and have made arrangements with local port, health and transportation authorities to support our ships should it become necessary.
We have enhanced our shipboard medical capabilities with the necessary staffing, medications, supplies, oxygen, equipment and procedures to triage and treat multiple COVID-19 cases across the full clinical spectrum, including intensive care. Our highly experienced doctors and nurses are up to date on the latest COVID-19 scientific status and trained on all relevant COVID-19 procedures.
In addition to our on-board medical centres, our shoreside Health Operations Centre is staffed 24/7 by our team of dedicated medical and public health professionals.
Other measures in place include, but are not limited to:
- COVID-19 viral testing capabilities on board, including PCR
- Guests will have access to free-of-charge initial COVID-19 related medical consultations and ongoing testing in Australia
- Detailed quarantine and isolation management plan
- Required isolation for COVID-19 positive cases on board
- Detailed management plan for close contacts, including required testing, mask-wearing and in-room dining
- Enhanced cleaning and sanitising, including in guest cabins and public areas
- On-board signage and regular communication to guests about COVID-19 safe practices
- Regular monitoring of disease activity and health regulations in the destinations we visit, so that we can adjust our cruise itineraries as necessary
For more information about our vaccine and testing policy, please visit our vaccine and testing policy page.
Any guest reporting or exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms must notify, and be reviewed by, our on-board medical staff for testing. Guests who test positive for COVID-19 will be assessed either in their cabin or in a designated area of the Medical Centre.
Positive cases that do not require admission to the ship’s Medical Centre will most likely be asked to remain in their own cabin for the duration of their isolation. Positive cases will be required to isolate on board for a minimum of five (5) days (or for the entire cruise if it is less than 5 nights in duration). In order to leave isolation, the guest must produce a negative test result and show improved symptoms, both of which will be monitored by the on-board medical team, who will advise the guest when they may leave isolation.
Our dedicated medical teams will also be on hand to take care of guests who test positive for COVID-19, either for the duration of the required isolation period or until the ship reaches the scheduled port of disembarkation.
Close contacts of guests who test positive while on board are required by local government guidance protocols to follow these requirements for seven (7) days on board (or for the entire cruise if it is less than 7 nights in duration):
- Perform daily rapid antigen testing. We will provide you with seven rapid antigen tests (RATs) and kindly ask that you test yourself daily and let us know the result
- You are required to wear your face mask at all times when outside your cabin
- You are required to have your meals and drinks in your cabin
Any instances of positive cases on board will be managed by our on-board medical teams in conjunction with the local authorities, to determine the best course of action. The framework of protocols for cruise ships can differ slightly to those on land and to other forms of travel. Some ports may require guests and their close contacts who test positive on board to disembark in port and continue their period of isolation ashore.
The on-board isolation period is subject to change by the relevant state health departments.
Each ship has a dedicated team of medical staff operating the on-board Medical Centre, to serve the general healthcare needs of guests and crew. Our highly experienced doctors and nurses are up to date on the latest COVID-19 scientific status and trained in relevant COVID-19 procedures. We have also enhanced our shipboard medical capabilities in terms of staffing, medications, supplies, oxygen, equipment and procedures to triage and treat multiple COVID-19 cases across the full clinical spectrum, including intensive care.
You can contact the Medical Centre using the phone in your cabin to request non-urgent appointments. This avoids congregation of patients in the Medical Centre and allows the medical staff to predetermine the best location, including a guest’s cabin, for the consultation.
Whenever possible, anyone suspected of having COVID-19 will be assessed and treated in their cabin, with all medical first responders wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE). Medical staff will arrange the safe transfer of any unwell individuals to the ship’s Medical Centre if additional treatment is required that cannot be provided in the guest’s accommodation. Initial COVID-19 related consultations and suspected case testing will be free of charge.
Subsequent medical consultations, non-COVID-19 related medical consultations, treatment and medication will be charged at private rates, must be paid for by the guest and should be claimed on their international travel insurance. All cruises on our ships are outside the scope of Australian Medicare, New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Corporation and private health insurance.
Guests will have access to free-of-charge initial COVID-19 related medical consultations and testing in Australia.
Subsequent medical consultations, non-COVID-19 related medical consultations, treatment and medication will be charged at private rates, must be paid for by the guest and should be claimed on their international travel insurance. All cruises on our ships are outside the scope of Australian Medicare, New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Corporation and private health insurance.
While our on-board Medical Centres are equipped to handle many medical conditions, including COVID-19, there may be occasions when it becomes necessary to disembark or evacuate a guest for further medical treatment. To ensure guest safety, this decision will be made by the on-board doctor and the ship’s captain in coordination with our shoreside medical experts and the relevant port and health authorities. Depending on the location of the ship and other operational factors, medical evacuation may need to take place via helicopter, medical water vessel or road ambulance, or a combination of these.
Our Customer Care team will provide support to any guest who requires medical evacuation, along with their family and travel party.
Guests who are in isolation on board at the end of their cruise, due to testing positive for COVID-19, will be disembarked in a controlled manner, separate from other guests. We will also follow the necessary requirements of local authorities.
If a guest is unwell and requires ongoing medical care, we will assist in making the necessary arrangements to transfer them to a local hospital or medical facility, as required by the local authority.
Please note, all accommodation, transport and other expenses are the responsibility of the guest unless local authorities require otherwise. Also, private transport does not include taxis, rideshare or public transport. Any remaining isolation period once disembarked is subject to the relevant state health department’s isolation requirements.
We recommend guests seek advice from their medical practitioner about their condition and any possible risk associated with cruise travel. If you are travelling with a specific medical requirement, please let us know at the time of booking, because we may require you to complete a medical questionnaire prior to travel.
Unfortunately, we are unable to welcome guests on board who require supplementary oxygen (via tank or cylinder) or require haemodialysis. Guests who use overnight CPAP for sleep apnoea will be able to travel. However, guests requiring oxygen via concentrator, those who utilise mechanical ventilatory support and those requiring peritoneal dialysis will only be accepted to travel with prior confirmation from our medical team.
If any of these medical requirements apply to you, please call our Customer Contact Centre on +44344 338 8003 (local call charges apply).
We strongly recommend that all guests purchase comprehensive international travel insurance at the time of paying their deposit for any P&O Cruises holiday, even for domestic cruises, to ensure they are covered if things do not go according to plan. While we will be providing free-of-charge COVID-19 related medical consultations and testing should it be required, guests will be liable for any other incurred cancellation, travel change fees, non-COVID-19 related medical services and medical evacuation, and other associated costs, unless they are covered by travel insurance. Australian Medicare, New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Corporation and private health insurance will not cover you for any medical costs on board, even on cruises with ports of call in Australia and New Zealand.
Guests should ensure they read the product disclosure statement for any insurance policy they are considering, to ensure it provides the level of cover they need, including COVID-19 for cruise travel, since some policies do not cover this.
While we hope you never have to use it, having appropriate travel insurance will ensure you're able to relax and enjoy your holiday with the peace of mind of knowing that you're protected should you need it.
Our itineraries are never guaranteed and may be altered for various reasons. In the event of COVID-19 positive cases on board, depending on the level of transmission and the perceived risk by local port and health authorities, we may not be permitted to visit certain destinations included in the itinerary. Guests will be kept up to date on board about any changes to the itinerary.
Where there is a potential risk of ongoing COVID-19 transmission, guests will be advised. Communication may include on-board announcements and letters delivered to guest cabins.
Any guest who tests positive for COVID-19 will need to comply with the relevant state health requirements set by the relevant state health departments. If there is a required isolation period that has not been completed by the guest by the end of the cruise, it may need to be continued upon disembarkation, which will delay any onward travel or accommodation arrangements.
We strongly recommend taking out appropriate international travel insurance that may cover changes to post-cruise travel and accommodation arrangements.
Guests arriving in Australia on a cruise that has transited international ports are responsible for ensuring they meet Australian government entry requirements. Failure to do so may result in denial of boarding, being issued a fine, deportation or the ship being denied entry.
Guests are responsible for ensuring they meet the entry requirements, including any vaccination requirements, of the countries included in their itinerary.
Details continue to be updated regularly, and official websites and apps developed by government departments, agencies and tourism ministries are the recommended resources. These include:
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/
https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/covid19/entering-and-leaving-australia
Any guest who fails to comply with the on-board public health measures may be disembarked at the first available opportunity. Other consequences could include being denied service, required cabin isolation and being banned from sailing with P&O Cruises and other Carnival brands in the future.
If you are non-compliant, no refund of the fare for missed cruise nights or travel expenses (if travelling home) will be covered.
If your travel party is impacted and/or they are required or voluntarily choose to disembark with you, the same policies will apply to them: no refund of fare for missed cruise nights or coverage of travel expenses.
There will be a P&O Cruises representative on site at the terminal to support any guests who are denied boarding. However, if you are denied boarding due to failure to produce proof of being fully vaccinated at the time of embarkation (which means the final vaccination dose must have been received at least 14 days prior to the beginning of the cruise), any costs incurred will be at your own expense.
If you test positive for COVID-19 within seven (7) days prior to departure, you will not be able to travel and you should notify us or your travel agent so that we can cancel your booking.
Where possible, guests should make a claim through their travel insurance to recover any cancellation fees incurred. Alternatively, guests can contact us or their travel agent. Valid proof of a COVID-19 positive test result, a medical certificate confirming a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, or proof of close-contact status may be requested by your insurers.
If you are a close contact (from the same household) of a COVID-19 positive person, you must have valid proof of a negative COVID-19 test result and declare your close-contact status at the terminal. You will be referred to secondary screening, where you’ll have to undergo a rapid PCR test and produce a negative result to be able to board the ship.
As required by local health authorities, close contacts are required to follow these requirements for seven (7) days on board (or for the entire cruise if it is less than 7 nights in duration):
- Perform daily rapid antigen testing. We will provide you with seven rapid antigen tests (RATs) and kindly ask that you test yourself daily and let us know the result
- You are required to wear your face mask at all times when outside your cabin
- You are required to have your meals and drinks in your cabin
Rest assured, P&O Cruises will take great care of you so you can relax and enjoy the holiday you deserve.
All guests are required to complete a health declaration prior to boarding, to confirm that they do not have symptoms of COVID-19 or any other respiratory or gastrointestinal illness and have not tested positive for COVID-19. Guests will need to confirm that they have had a negative COVID-19 test result by either a PCR performed within 48 hours prior to boarding or with a lateral flow/antigen RAT test within 24 hours prior to boarding.
Guests aged 12 years and over are required to present proof of their vaccination status.
Guests travelling from overseas to join a cruise departing from Australia must ensure they are able to meet the Australian government entry requirements. Guests should also ensure that they understand any requirements, including any testing requirements, to return to their home country following their cruise.
Guests from overseas should ensure the vaccination course they have received is approved or recognised by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
If a guest is required to isolate during their cruise due to testing positive for COVID-19, P&O Cruises can assist in arranging suitable accommodation ashore for the remainder of the isolation period, if required. Any accommodation costs and any other expenses incurred from needing to change post-cruise travel arrangements will be the responsibility of the guest unless local authorities require otherwise. We strongly recommend guests obtain appropriate international travel insurance that may cover costs associated with changes to travel arrangements.
Guests travelling from overseas should also ensure that their travel insurance provides cover for COVID-19 related medical care. If ongoing medical treatment is required after disembarkation, any associated costs will be incurred by the guest.