arxcards

It is nothing new though. Cruise ships traditionally visit foreign ports, and have long been required to report numbers of respiratory illnesses and norwalk like viruses. Yes, also a risk for any form of travel, but when you add the sharing of gyms, pools, food & bar areas etc for several days reporting is a necessary evil. Every chance you can catch it on a plane, and the longer the flight the higher the risk. A secondary spread isn't possible on a 20hr flight though. 100 cases on a 10 day cruise is certainly newsworthy, but it doesn't need the hyperbole and sensational headlines that try to make it much worse than it really is. Whether you get really sick from it or not, 1:20 people on cruise ships in Australia over the past couple of weeks have contracted covid. Yes, some prior to boarding, but plenty have caught it aboard, and there are extra unreported numbers for others testing positive after returning home. It is important to know there is an elevated risk, but the cruise lines communicating that prior to boarding anyway.

Well Michael, I would have said not a chance in hades a couple of years ago. In that time though, the quoted shipping clearance has increased, and Pacific Adventure has had a haircut. We have seen an evolution of what would fit through various harbourmaster permissions (Sun/Dawn/Sea Princess then Ooster/Noor/Westerdam). P&O head office is insisting it will fit, and they continue to hold bookings with Sydney Ports for White Bay. So, against my better judgement, it is looking as if it will fit. It would be a shame to miss the tide though, and have to wait till the next day to depart.

Well, another nice ship stalking webcam. This one is a live stream via Youtube. A great vantage point to watch Pacific Explorer "rush in at full speed under the cover of darkness", so they can be tied-up in time for everyone aboard to enjoy the Today Show. 😉 Worth adding Sydney Harbour Today to your cam links https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWJOkJUp0vgm2KOCd2DnP1Q/videos

A relocation is usually 17 or 18 nights, but stops at ports along the way. For any shakedown, P&O's head office is in Sydney, and by a quirk of the port charges in Sydney, they shouldn't be paying much more than pilotage - based on a per head passenger tax. There is still the possibility that Encounter will also pick up crew in Manila. Explorer had a bit more urgency in getting here for plenty of eyes on Easter Monday, while Encounter doesn't have that sort of deadline. Whichever way, she should be in Sydney in early August, and we will find out if they have any intentions of trying to squeeze her under the bridge. Some are saying that both Encounter and Adventure have been modified to fit under the bridge, but from the images I have seen, Adventure is the only one with a shortened funnel.

Princess announced an altered set of rules for Australia when their restart here became apparent, in line with local protocols. A bit early yet for HAL to lock in their plans, as you say, lots can change. A medical authorised test is otherwise known as a travellers test. You can have a PCR or RAT test done while supervised at a pathology site or your chemist. There is a fee attached to these tests, and a certificate is sent to you electronically to verify the test & result for the cruise line/airline/foreign country that requires it.

Explorer was only at anchor off Singapore for a day. Gee, that seems so long ago. At this stage, here earliest entry for Brisbane ports is 20th August, the day of here first departure. That is still a month away, and hard to know how much of that time will be spent in Singapore and how much in Brisbane. I guess we will know for sure when the AIS updates whenever they depart Singapore.

DE for deck. As with your cabin, your deck isn't known yet. Our guarantee on Explorer switched to a cabin number 2 or 3 weeks before departing, and our DE turned into deck 9 Aft on the tag

No, you didn't break it. That happens sometimes when there is a blip in their system, and when the post doesn't save properly, it sits in a queue until an admin gets around to manually approving it. Takes a few days sometimes.

Singapore tomorrow. Not sure how long they plan to stay, but they have plenty of time up their sleeves.

In the current state, I wonder what Jacinda will require for an "amber" status ship upon arrival? All I have read so far relates to air travel, which requires a self-administered test on day 0/1 after arrival, and day 5/6. If the ship is healthy enough, I would say that an Auckland visit alone for Pacific Explorer next month would not require day 0 testing, but would require tests if there is an elevated level aboard. For ships doing a lap of NZ later in the year, it will be interesting if they still apply two RAT tests during the transit of NZ ports.

Expected. Time for Karl to walk the plank? Mutinous scurvy dog!!

My, how quickly channel nine has changed their brief now that they know pretty much everything is being done in line with government protocols. By the various media comments I have seen NSW government has not released the number reported to them by Pacific Explorer, but now they know how the colour system works, they are giving a ballpark number as to what they would be. Much more balanced reporting - https://www.9news.com.au/videos/health/covid-19-cases-reported-on-second-cruise-ship/cl5p1j9eg000m0js8srd50gey

Yes, interesting. This itinerary was altered last week, with Auckland replacing Noumea & Mystery Island. It would still be a nice break with all those sea days, but a think some must have taken the option of transferring to another cruise when the altered itinerary was announced. Nice price though.

Maybe. We have 3 Princess cruises between now and the end of October, so we need to be smart and probably lucky as well. Two of them are 3 nighters, so I guess if we are healthy on, we should also be healthy off. Hopefully IF though. I just don't feel like contacting Princess to see if we are close enough to the port for them to transport us home if it becomes a WHEN.

Yes, Amber/Orange is the New Black!

Not sure Les, the preference is to get them home if they live close enough to the port. I know Princess will try to shuttle you home, but never bothered on reading-up about P&O. Makes me wonder where I stand with either line in needing to get back to Newcastle. I guess we will cross that bridge when we need to.

Actually, redoing the numbers in my head, there would also have to be 50+ crew to trigger amber, if the 28 passenger number is correct. PS: It could also be based on unlinked clusters, so might not be about total numbers alone.

The numbers are fair dinkum, but there has been 10+ positives on every Aussie P&O and Princess cruise so far. 28 positives is unlucky, as a couple of cases less wouldn't have triggered the amber status, and we wouldn't be looking at another round of headlines.

The media has indeed made things a bit edgy for Princess cruisers this week, and we know it has nothing to do with the medallion, which is a breeze once you have worked it and the linked covid requirements out. There isn't a lot to talk happening with those fair-weather cruise lines ATM. Do you have a cruise booked on Royal later this year? We will all be in the same boat come October, and there will be another full moon then so that we can all howl together 😂

Yes, the jumping the queue comment was an observation from someone onboard, likely waiting in the line. I guess the moral is not to stand in a line that is going to be slowed-up by others not standing in the line. For those without a modern phone, I guess there isn't much choice though.

If you are standing in a line waiting to be served, they don't have your order. If you sit down and open the app to purchase a coffee, they have your order.

Using ports of convenience for registration is not about avoiding scrutiny for any misdemeanours aboard, but about the costs of compliance for the ship itself, cost of inspection, and the cost of crewing the ship. One of many significant reasons why P&O Australia doesn't register ships here - paying the staff on Australian awards and Australian/state taxes. It would be nice, but many of us couldn't afford to cruise on an Aussie flagged ship. Even in a worst case, I guess they had to mention Ms Brimble. Sure, there were some serious mistakes made in cleaning the crime scene, but the "men of interest" were answerable to an Australian court. Regardless of country of registration, SOLAS has authority over all ships, and all of the major cruise lines are signatories to it. They make it sound like a video extension of the crooze brooze (altered name) website. While the legal profession in the US can be referred to as ambulance chasers, those guys are ship chasers, drumming up business for the lawyer firm that sponsors them. I wonder if Under Investigation has support from someone looking to put together a class action?

They make it easy for us. And the price on the label includes all the taxes.

My first thought when I read the complaint - why would Princess be carrying a stock of ventolin puffers for their already diagnosed asthma?

According to Marguerite Fitzgerald, they do, or at least quoted as covid medications. I don't know if their protocols for dispensing are based on US or Australian guidelines, but they are generally of benefit to high risk patients, or those developing a serious illness. Not of much benefit if you only have a cough and a sniffle when testing positive. https://www.9news.com.au/videos/national/carnival-cruises-boss-speaks-about-coral-princess-covid-19-cases/cl5j56c1j000n0jntojfkxzq4