jtwind

30 minutes ago, MRGACRUZR said:

It was a great cruise. Rumor from the crew is 450 pax next cruise. If they lose as many to the Bermuda administrative process as we did (about 90) it should be a very nice cruise. Enjoy

So you're confirming that 90 missed the first cruise.  What exactly were the problems?  Quarantined airline passengers?  Improper paperwork?

9 hours ago, su-arizona said:

We've cruised a number of times with other cruise lines, and I purchased this trip to "try out" Viking Ocean.  I called the customer service line today to question a charge for transfers, and took the opportunity to question this whole "guilty by COVID association" situation, and ask that Viking be more open in discussing the situation with booked passengers. 

 

The rep was aware of the situation, and only said Viking was conforming to all the requirements of the Bermuda government.  I've now been reading the "Royal Gazette" regularly and it appears that the Bermuda government has no interest in tourists returning to Bermuda.  And the various government websites are less than helpful.

 

I asked that Viking be more transparent (as has Celebrity) in posting a synopsis of the incident, and letting future passengers know what the rules are for EXPOSED passengers and how they will be handled.  Their health and safety talks about what happens for positive tests but it DOES NOT address how situations where contact tracing shows exposure to OTHERS testing positive.  I (and my insurance) am prepared for what happens if I test positive - but not for the possibility of a lengthy quarantine if I am in proximity to another passenger who tests positive!

 

I am really disgusted by this whole situation - disgusted with Viking, disgusted with Bermuda.  Like many others, I was lured by Viking's safety protocols...but I never considered what might happen if another passenger tests positive in Viking's regular onboard testing.  From reading the Royal Gazette, it also appears that Viking has agreed to quarantine the ship if 3 passengers should test positive.

 

I was willing to take the risk that I might test positive for COVID...but not that I might face significant problems  if I go on a Viking shore excursion with someone else who tests positive.

 

As always, there's a lot of noise on these boards - VIKING PLEASE use MVJ to give booked passengers more information regarding what we might expect if OTHERS test positive and we DO NOT.

This is interesting.  I brought this up on another Viking thread about a month ago and a large number of people called me a troll.  Now you're bringing up the same concerns I had about lack of info about how contact tracing info will be used, and your comment got a bunch of likes.

OK.  Good luck folks.  But for the sake of those of us who hope to go to Iceland later this year, please help keep Iceland and cruises safe and open by strictly following the rules being made by Viking and Iceland.

Did the mystery about why there were less people on the first cruise than there was supposed to be ever get resolved?

6 hours ago, shadowlover said:

  We are talking about vaccinated people being tested.  Statistically when you mass test a low risk population you will get more false positives.  It is my guess (as well as everyone there by the looks of it) that the positive test was likely a false positive.  But- even if it wasn't a false positive, the risk of a vaccinated person wearing a mask actually contracting covid from this positive person (who was also vaccinated and wearing a mask) is extremely low.

Y'all got it backwards.  False negatives are orders of magnitude more likely.  So, one should not be able to negate a positive test with one negative test.

It's too bad many liked that post.  It shows a lot of misunderstanding of the tests.  Check reputable sites like Harvard Medical School and Johns-Hopkins.

When performing any kind of test, it is very easy to accept the results when we get the answer we are hoping for.  When we don't get the answer we're hoping for, we start questioning the test.  It's just a human nature thing.

All of these covid tests are known to show way, way, way more false negatives than false positives. Whole countries, families, and organizations have been bitten by putting too much value on a single negative test result.  At one time, realizing that it could take some time for the infection to get to a high enough level to test positive, Bermuda was requiring visitors to be tested every few days.

10 hours ago, GonzoWCS said:

What party?

See post 1355.

Was the person who tested positive at the party?

20 minutes ago, stretchcruz said:

Here is what Steve just posted. He doesn't have to quarantine if he tests negative.

 

When we get back to our room, they will do a PCR test. We wait in our room for 4 hours for the results of that test. If successful, which it will be, we are free to roam the ship just like normal. This is normal Viking health protocol. It was the Bermuda government who initially wanted us quarrentined off shore for 14 days.

Yeah.  Just ignore the studies that say the PCR test will show 100% false negative within the first 48 hours of exposure, and that it can take up to 10-14 days to become positive.  This is why Bermuda wants to quarantine him.  Viking is nuts for thinking that this one test will clear him.  Best of luck, though.

No published contact tracing rules, so Viking gets to make them up on the spot.

It's like the 10% of people on the cruise critic forum who don't support fully vaccinated cruises are all on this thread.

The article about the dogs in Finland seemed to say that the dogs did really well, and that the decision to not use them was a little puzzling.

https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/18786-finnish-customs-won-t-use-dogs-to-sniff-out-covid-19-despite-months-of-preparation.html

I wonder how they pick the servers for those areas?

On 6/15/2021 at 8:51 PM, Hlitner said:

I would guess that you were on Oahu which is the one island I prefer to avoid.  Oahu is great for those that like Miami Beach kind of places with lots of traffic, commercialism, high rise hotels, etc.  Go to Maui and get out of the main towns, spend time on the Big Island, or enjoy Kauai and it is a lot different then Oahu.   I also doubt if Southwest is to blame for tourism in Hawaii.  There are only so many hotel rooms and they are often full during the busier months.   Southwest is just one more airline.

 

Hank

Nope.  Big Island.  And I have to go with what all of the locals were telling us.  Sure there are other airlines.  But the addition of cheap flights with Southwest was the straw that broke the camel's back.

6 hours ago, Roz said:

 

That's a very elitist attitude.  Travel expands our horizons, and IMO should be available to as many people as possible.

One mosh pit at the Mona Lisa for Roz.

I was there just before the pandemic became a "thing".  I've never seen it so crazy crowded.  All hotels other than the most expensive were fully booked.  Lines at the rental car pickup were an hour long.  We couldn't park within ½ mile a few snorkel spots.  I asked the employees at restaurants, hotel, and car rental what was going on.  They all said that it had been that way since Southwest airline started flying there.

Do you have documents in addition to your CDC card, that can be used to verify that you have been vaccinated?  I live in the US.  I do.  And so far, everybody who I have asked does.  In my case, I can print out or use a smart phone to get to an app that has the record from the hospital that distributed the vaccine through a mass vaccination site.

I see that some of my posts were deleted, so I'll try to word things differently.

Before the pandemic hit, travel had become so cheap and easy that it was readily available to a big percentage of the world's population.  Popular destinations and attractions had started trying to figure out how to limit crowds.  Personally, I got involved in physical shoving matches with 2 different tour groups and lost both times.  It wasn't pleasant.  My wife and I were saying to ourselves that something was going to have to change.

So, now prices are up.  We're cheering.  Bring on the exclusivity that high prices will hopefully bring!

1 hour ago, PTC DAWG said:

Just another reason to stay an extra day on the Island, problem solved

But if you did that, you may have to get another test.

18 minutes ago, NeilP57 said:

As the first cruise isn’t until June 26, I think they will be following the Icelandic entry protocol and then touring on their own until they join the ship on June 26. 

Yes, I see that now.  Thanks.  Is the airport test still scheduled to end on June 30?

1 hour ago, LindaS272 said:

By midnight PDT tonight we’ll be landing at KEF. I’m getting my rain jacket out of my luggage and putting it with my carry-on! (Raining here too today).

Will you still have to quarantine before getting arrival results, or are you going directly to the ship?

4 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

Apparently Holland America yesterday told all passengers on B2B Alaska sailings this summer that they will have to change their plans as the CDC has now said B2B's aren't allowed.  I can't document this, just repeating what someone on one of those ships stated.  I wonder if this is in response to the 2 positive results on Millie.

This would be very good for the cruise line.  You can bet Celebrity couldn't get the passengers off the ship fast enough.  Any possible transfers from the 2 infected people likely would not show up yet.  If that had been a 14 day cruise instead of a seven day cruise, this could have possibly been a completely different story.

Celebrity can't get those folks off the ship fast enough.  St. Martin wants them off their island, the sooner the better.

I'm hoping and thinking that Celebrity will put much effort into verifying vaccinations for those two, because it would be good for all of us if they faked it.  But I can't imagine any reason why Celebrity would want to follow up on the other passengers.  Nothing but bad could possibly come from it.  They've already been able to convince the media that no one else got it.

All of this stuff is really going to help folks who were on the fence about wanting to be early adopters or not.  As you read through this thread, it's easy to figure out whether the announcement of 2 positive cases would ruin your last few days, or if it wouldn't bother you.