bazzaw

My wife and I were first timers

No - my explosive vomiting/diarrheal incident which lasted for several hours resulted in a major cleanup requirement by the "team" and then resulted in the Nurse giving me a RAT test followed by a PCR test the next day. No more tests required after those results. I was practically unconscious after this.

I had a RAT test after I explosively covered the entire walls and floor of our bathroom with vomit 😞

Our cruise was only a short one of 8 days - we were really looking forward to it after 4 years. We shared your anxiety about the possibility of testing positive before departure - we actually did a test before we flew to Sydney - no point in even flying down there if tested positive. Wouldn't even dream of doing a cruise from a foreign port. Our last cruise(es) were a 3 Queens package out of Southhampton including transatlantic to New York. This time We booked a balcony cabin just in case we got Covid - but we did not fully understand how we would not cope with being locked in our cabin for even such a short time as 4 days. I have no idea how long they keep people in isolation on a longer cruise and the thought of a 10 day isolation ( seems to be about the average time to test negative again) is horrendous to me. The balcony for the duration of the cruise was mostly wasted - too cold and windy down south.- so the only place to comfortably watch TV for the 4 days/ 24 hours per day was in bed. Nope - we have loved our cruising around the World - lost count at 400 nights - but no more for us. People need to FULLY realise and understand what they are exposing themselves to - most get away with it without any difficulty. BUT!!!!!

People (especially older people like me) die everyday of all kinds of causes. Many of these causes are avoidable ( smoking, obesity, car crashes,etc) and as a Society we generally dont get too worried about the odd death here and there. So it is a form of paranoia to continue to treat Covid as an exceptional case (especially now that we know much more about it and we are all vaccinated) and attempt to maintain zero Covid deaths.

Yes - but not for up to 10 days !

In Australia , nobody HAS to isolate after testing positive. Welcome to the new World of "living with Covid" - the Worlds of "Covid exceptionalisn" and "zero Covid" are now gone. But the paranoia engendered in those Worlds remain amongst many.

Yes- first infection. I am 76 and the Doctor examined whether I should have any antivirals and we both agreed that I had no need for them

I am not rich enough to engage in this version of Russian Roulette either 🙂

On QE, all who posted positive were transferred to a balcony cabin - we were actually already in a balcony so we were saved that inconvenience of having to move - but even with a balcony, I still went stir crazy!! 🙂

I think you like cruising more than I do 🙂 - and hence the rationalising of how great it is even when having Covid 🙂

You have presented a very good argument - but it confirms my decision to not risk cruising again.

You must have been on a different cruiseship in a different cabin class to us!!!! Free booze?? Fresh linen every day?? Free wifi?? - and if you find the TV channels on a cruiseship suitably entertaining for 24 hours a day, day after day , well I have no answer to that 🙂 I think that you are rationalising

Well this is EXACTLY what the rest of the World is now doing! There is nothing exceptional about the cruising World. I was worried about what to do after we were ejected from the ship - we had to fly home from Sydney that afternoon and we were both positive. So I rang the National Covid Helpline for their advice - their advice to me was that they had no advice - they had generalised recommendations only and they told me directly that we could do whatever we needed (or wanted) to do . I NEEDED and wanted to fly home, in a positive state. When you are outside your home, COVID is now everywhere! - and there is a strong possibility that you are sitting next to somebody with positive Covid . Time to get over the idea that cruising is some special particular circumstance.

At least I now know something of what it must feel like to be in gaol - I am going to have to rethink my existing life of crime to make sure that I dont ever experience the real thing. 🙂 This was enough to send me almost insane 🙂 Wife and i have enjoyed our World cruising - lost count at 400 nights - but NEVER AGAIN for us until this mandatory isolation requirement ceases. BTW I will be perfectly happy to voluntarily isolate at home in my large house and land if we should ever catch it again. - and like almost everybody else that we encountered along the way including on the flights , we will not be wearing masks ever again.

We did not know how many were in the same boat as us - until right at the end when we were departing the ship. I would guess that there were less than 100? They had a "special" procedure for us to depart the ship after EVERYBODY else - waiting until 1030 for them to come and collect us from the cabin was the final cream on the cake of torture 🙂

If you really must get a dose of Covid, just make sure that you don't get it on a cruiseship 🙂 Cruiseing is the only Industry that I am aware of that has mandatory isolation of positive cases . I now have personal experience of this and once bitten, very much twice shy for me - will not be cruising ever again until this requirement ends - if it ever does!

Can you attach a pic ? - I have nothing from that cruise. One strong memory I have is that they took us by boat from White Bay where we had checked in - to the QM2 alongside Garden Island. They opened a big hole in the side of the ship where we entered directly into the QM2 Queens Room - stewards in red hats and white gloves. Anybody who has not experienced QM2 Queens Room will not understand my awe at that time 🙂

I think that it is reasonable to say that relocation cruises are not known for the quality of their entertainment or their shore stops. Their purpose is to get from Point A to Point B as quickly and beneficially as possible for the cruiseline. They are usually well valued pricewise and are more suitable for experienced cruisers who love to relax onboard on the long sea days.

HeHe - yes- our cruise is "free" too - so something good has come out of the Pandemic. I mean really free - as in Cunard's money, not mine 🙂 Took us a long time to get a large $30K refund for cancelled cruises in 2020 and we had also been promised this FCC - but after we received the cash refund I was happy to forget about the FCC - but Cunard reminded me. So , because QE is only here for a limited season, and when we booked this cruise Covid was still very much on the radar, so I picked a cruise that stayed within Oz waters (not even NZ) . This is also our first since 2019 - there are still "risks" involved (thinking of the requirement for a negative test before boarding). Wife and I can do anything - we can go camping in shorts and T-shirts, we can eat at the RSL bistro, and we can dine in Tuxedo and Gown 🙂 I often wonder why people limit themselves Re the drinks package - I have never bought one as, although a pretty good drinker, I could never drink what is required of a drinks package participant 🙂 These days I am now trying to give it up anyway.

Have sailed with Cunard 10 times - but 9 of these have been in British, Europe and American waters. One (our first) was a very brief taste of QM2 from Sydney to Auckland (only 4 days) - can't really remember much about this except that I was overwhelmed by the ship and all the men on our CC roll call wore Tuxes at Dinner ( which was a first for me!) 🙂 The cruises abroad - culminating in the Atlantic Crossing Southampton to New York - had a certain style about them which we enjoyed as a change from those we had previously experienced at home on Aussie based ships.. So - what to expect on our short 8 day QE - Sydney to Hobart and return cruise next week?? Anybody here recently been on the ship?

Cunards Queen Elizabeth is in Lyttleton NZ today - thought she had been blocked from going to NZ??

There is a need - but it is a commercially viable need???

Perhaps there have been some changes regarding this ? Will check it out later today - thanks for the input. I am "suspecting" that these will turn out to be just words - it is what is offered that counts. Gold Card , etc ?? I am not actually looking for anything - as I have no negative physical effects from my 20 years of Military Service.