A family’s plans for a holiday of a lifetime were left in tatters after cruise ship bosses refused to let their daughter on board because she is just weeks too young to be double jabbed. Dannie Sheppard, 47, booked a one-week trip with P&O Cruises in November 2020 after another dream trip they booked two years ago had to be cancelled because of the pandemic.
Dannie, his wife Sharron, 51 and their two children Niamh, 12 and Ewan, 10, had been due to set sail on the journey around France, Spain and Portugal on April 16. The family, who have not been abroad since before coronavirus struck, were looking forward to visiting new cities - including Lisbon - and relaxing on deck.
Sharon was left in tears when she was told P&O Cruises’ new policy on Covid vaccinations had shattered their plans. Last December 20, P&O updated its jabs policy to say all guests aged between five and 17 years old need to be fully vaccinated or have a negative PCR test taken 120 hours before travelling.
The family called the company to make sure they understood the policy correctly and were reassured their daughter just needed to take the PCR test. Devastatingly, the company again updated its vaccination policy this February 22, stating ‘all guests aged 12 years and over need to be fully vaccinated a minimum of 14 days prior to travel’ with no mention of a negative PCR test.
To be counted as fully vaccinated, holidaymakers must have had at least two jabs. Sharron frantically called P&O again to explain that Niamh, who turned 12 on March 4 just seven weeks before the cruise, is not eligible to receive both doses before the cruise leaves.
Government guidance states there needs to be 12 weeks between the first dose of vaccination and the second, although the gap is shorter in many other countries. She rushed to have her first jab on her birthday but it could not save the holiday in time.
Devastatingly, the P&O agent said Niamh would not be allowed to travel with the family and the holiday would be cancelled. Niamh 'blames herself' for the sorry situation and has even offered to stay at home while her parents and brother enjoy their trip, the family said.
Dannie, a self-employed builder, said P&O have been ‘nothing but bare-faced and blank’ with the family and have not followed up phone calls or emails. He said: “My wife phoned them and, when they told her the holiday was being cancelled, she broke down on the phone. She was an absolute wreck.
“She argued with them and said it was ridiculous. It is ridiculous. She passed the phone to me and I didn’t know much about what was going on. I brought the policy up and went through it with the agent.
“The agent was very blank as if he was reading from a script. They immediately offered us our money back. By the time I finished speaking to them on the phone I was gobsmacked.
“They will not budge. I explained that the new policy wording excludes all children that have just turned 12 years old from travelling with them for at least 14 weeks, and that Niamh can meet the vaccination status required for all the countries the cruise visits and the requirements for re-entering the UK at the end.
“The policy wording has produced an absurd and unfair result, but P&O have been very strict to stick to its policy, even in the face of common-sense. Niamh has had Covid within the last six months and has the NHS app to prove it. It was my daughter’s birthday the next day and she thinks it is her fault we are not going on a cruise.
“I hated the idea of rushing her to her jab on her birthday but I wasn’t sure what else to do, we were doing everything in our power to save the family holiday. Our doctor was sympathetic and said they had gone through all the paperwork but there was no way they could safely condone Niamh having her second vaccine so close to the first.
“The last time I spoke to P&O they said there was nothing they could do and that we had to put something in writing. I couldn’t believe it. Since then they have not answered any emails and when I have spoken to them they twice said someone would call me that day but then no one did.
“My wife was adamant we don’t want our money back, we want to go. It is not something we can normally afford. We had booked a cruise for Easter 2020 but we had to spend six months trying to get our money back before we finally managed to that September.
“We decided to book another cruise two years away so we can pay the money in sections and we have not been on any foreign holidays since before the pandemic.
“We have had emails from them saying our cabins have been moved around and saying they are overbooked. I wonder if this is a way for them to get rid of people? We are going to try and book another holiday somewhere else and my wife is going to try and get a refund.
“I looked up the travel rules for going to and coming back from France, Spain and Portugal. They all said we only had to have a test, it is just the boat that is requiring vaccination. The kids have never been on a cruise before and they are of the age where they have started looking the ship up to see what’s on board and things they could do. They were really excited.
“We have never been to Lisbon and we were looking forward to the boat experience. I have never been on a boat either. My wife has been on one and she has been drumming into the kids how much fun it would be. I thought I would love it too, we really needed a break. The refund is as good as useless. Cruises are twice as expensive in the summer and they would be even more expensive given we wouldn’t have booked two years in advance.”
Sharron, who teaches at a local school added: “Niamh offering to stay home is typical of her wonderful and beautiful nature, but it is completely out of the question. I am saddened that she feels any responsibility for the crazy situation we find ourselves in. I booked the holiday so far in advance hopeful that the Covid crisis would have cooled down by the time we sailed”.
