We board today

[Mrs f.]

    "Today is the day that is filled with surprises....

     Nobody knows what's gonna happen"

                          From the Mouseketeers Anything Can Happen Day

 

We board Nautica in Capetown today.

Been here 5 days see the sights and lots of wineries.

[jo-b]

Have a wonderful cruise (is there any other sort?)

[bobpatj]

We just disembarked this morning.  She's a beautiful ship and you are going to have a wonderful cruise.

[Mrs f.]

Check in was a breeze. Except they informed us that we now need a yellow fever shot for Mombasa. Last minute  ruling. $120 per person. 

 

Lovely lunch at Terrace Cafe.  Fantastic  staff.

 

1pm the penthouse, Vista, owners lounge ready. Our concierge  level was ready at 1:30 as was said on the paper they gave us. All other rooms at 3pm.  

 

Creative unpacking definitely  needed. Our suitcases don't fit under the bed. Finally got everything put away.

 

I took a picture of the wine package option. Would post it if I knew how. But if anyone wants to see it, I do know how to email it if you send me your email address.

 

[GeezerCouple]

1 hour ago, Mrs f. said:

Check in was a breeze. Except they informed us that we now need a yellow fever shot for Mombasa. Last minute  ruling. $120 per person. 

 

Lovely lunch at Terrace Cafe.  Fantastic  staff.

 

1pm the penthouse, Vista, owners lounge ready. Our concierge  level was ready at 1:30 as was said on the paper they gave us. All other rooms at 3pm.  

 

Creative unpacking definitely  needed. Our suitcases don't fit under the bed. Finally got everything put away.

 

I took a picture of the wine package option. Would post it if I knew how. But if anyone wants to see it, I do know how to email it if you send me your email address.

 

 

Was that sudden and mandatory yellow fever shot for all ages?  I thought it was riskier for those who are a bit, er, older.

 

Also, that is VERY worrisome.  What if someone has a medical condition that makes some vaccines contra-indicated, or absolute "no-no's"?  (I'm not sure if yellow fever is a live/attenuated/killed vaccine.)

And there's be virtually no time to check with home physician for advice/clearance.

Also, how long before the the port?  Is there time for the vaccine to fully take effect?

 

Mostly, I'm concerned about the "mandatory" nature, if it is without regard for each individual's "risk profile".

 

OTOH, if there is a sudden outbreak...!

 

GC

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Mrs f. said:

Check in was a breeze. Except they informed us that we now need a yellow fever shot for Mombasa. Last minute  ruling. $120 per person. 

 

Creative unpacking definitely  needed. Our suitcases don't fit under the bed. Finally got everything put away.

 

OH NO  I would have to disembark  I truely hate  needles

Where  do you get one now?

 

If you open the suitcase up you can slide it under the bed  you may have to lift the bed frame a bit to slide them under when closed

 

[palakika]

When we traveled Dubai to Cape town several years ago went to a number of African ports...Mombasa, Zanzibar, Dar as Salaam, Mozambique, etc.  We had a letter from our Dr citing that CDC didn't recommend older people (starting at maybe 60 or 65) have yellow fever shots due to the risk of complications.  Oceania accepted these letters from quite a few passengers.  Maybe things have changed, but I'd avoid the shot if possible. 

 

I agree with LHT28  if you lift the bed frame, can slide suitcases underneath.  We have 2 large ones, but aren't the hard sided ones. I imagine you can open those up if needed.

[GeezerCouple]

38 minutes ago, palakika said:

When we traveled Dubai to Cape town several years ago went to a number of African ports...Mombasa, Zanzibar, Dar as Salaam, Mozambique, etc.  We had a letter from our Dr citing that CDC didn't recommend older people (starting at maybe 60 or 65) have yellow fever shots due to the risk of complications.  Oceania accepted these letters from quite a few passengers.  Maybe things have changed, but I'd avoid the shot if possible. 

 

I agree with LHT28  if you lift the bed frame, can slide suitcases underneath.  We have 2 large ones, but aren't the hard sided ones. I imagine you can open those up if needed.

 

But if Oceania was *requiring* these shots on very short notice (as in, "NOW; we are sailing in a few hours!") there's just no time for anything like such letters or even email, etc.

 

Is there any information from onboard how it was handled today, and were passengers told they'd be removed if they did not get the shot?

 

Many thanks.

 

GC

[palakika]

GC..good point about the short notice.  We were told before the cruise that either the shot or Dr letter with reason for not getting it were required at boarding in Dubai.  I'm also curious about how you can just require all passengers to have a shot that might be dangerous for some.

[GICNJC]

I wear a medic alert bracelet that indicates no live vacines due to biological drug I take.  Wonder if that would be enough proof for Oceania?

[Mrs f.]

We were told this today upon boarding in Capetown. Either shot, doctors letter or don't get off. I'll post the letter tomorrow.   I am 70+ years old, have a compromised liver.  I am in Capetown and my doctor is in NY. We already paid $200 each for visa and $100 each for excursion  in Mombasa. Really not happy.

[GeezerCouple]

8 minutes ago, Mrs f. said:

We were told this today upon boarding in Capetown. Either shot, doctors letter or don't get off. I'll post the letter tomorrow.   I am 70+ years old, have a compromised liver.  I am in Capetown and my doctor is in NY. We already paid $200 each for visa and $100 each for excursion  in Mombasa. Really not happy.

 

Ah.... so there was no issue about getting ON the ship?

It was only ("only"!) about whether you could get off for that one port?

 

Well... at least it wasn't a matter of, "Bye, Bye, have a nice flight home..." 😠

 

Any idea IF they'd allow for someone to get an email from a physician if one could get it prior to that port?

 

Thanks.

 

GC

 

[palakika]

Mrs f.  It's really a shame O didn't tell you in pre-cruise information about the yellow fever shot situation.  Hope the rest of your cruise goes without incidence.  What is your itinerary?

[Mrs f.]

Geezer couple.    You could embark on the cruise. You cannot get off in Kenya. Will try to contact my doc in N.Y. tomorrow but for all I know he could be away....i would assume they would take a fax or email....who knows.  Nothing was said in ANY communication from Oceania.

 

We start in Capetown and end in Singapore 30 days later.

It's almost midnight.  They showed the movie Bohemian Rapsody tonight. What a performance.   Going to sleep.

[LHT28]

looking at the US state dept  site  it does state YF required

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Kenya.html

 

I wonder if this was a recent  change  or was there before

 

On the Canadian site   it does not say required  but does mention a shortage of the vaccine  but says AVOID all travel

https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/kenya

Go figure

[pinotlover]

We looked at this cruise and were told YF shots required to leave the ship or enter country. This shouldn’t have come as a surprise. If one checks with the CDC they get the same information. 

 

Do people really sign up for cruises to exotic locations and never look at the vaccines required? If you can’t/ don’t take the vaccines, you stay on the ship. What’s so hard to grasp with that?

[GeezerCouple]

9 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

We looked at this cruise and were told YF shots required to leave the ship or enter country. This shouldn’t have come as a surprise. If one checks with the CDC they get the same information. 

 

Do people really sign up for cruises to exotic locations and never look at the vaccines required? If you can’t/ don’t take the vaccines, you stay on the ship. What’s so hard to grasp with that?

 

I totally misunderstood the import of the comment about being required to get the shot when arriving at the ship.  I thought it meant that if you didn't, you could not get on at all.

 

And we *always* check with both CDC and State Dept about medical and safety issues for foreign countries, and for places we aren't familiar with/have never been to, we also see the travel clinic at our hospital.

I'm also not sure that we would want to go someplace that yellow fever shots were recommended, if we could not both get them.

 

GC

[StanandJim]

3 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

I'm also not sure that we would want to go someplace that yellow fever shots were recommended, if we could not both get them

Common sense is often a good filter there.  While  Stan's mother and aunt were still traveling with us,  The Turkish Website seemed to promote certain shots which sounded over the top for octogenarians. 

Upon closer examination, it transpired that the recommendation was specific to those who expected to be in close proximity to livestock.

Edited January 21, 2019 by StanandJim

[BenMurphy]

20 hours ago, Mrs f. said:

Check in was a breeze. Except they informed us that we now need a yellow fever shot for Mombasa. Last minute  ruling. $120 per person. 

 

Lovely lunch at Terrace Cafe.  Fantastic  staff.

 

1pm the penthouse, Vista, owners lounge ready. Our concierge  level was ready at 1:30 as was said on the paper they gave us. All other rooms at 3pm.  

 

Creative unpacking definitely  needed. Our suitcases don't fit under the bed. Finally got everything put away.

 

I took a picture of the wine package option. Would post it if I knew how. But if anyone wants to see it, I do know how to email it if you send me your email address.

 

Do you really need/want a Yellow Fever shot? Don't have one if you can possibly help it and not if you atre over 65.https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jan/11/top-cancer-scientist-prof-martin-gore-dies-after-rare-reaction-to-yellow-fever-vaccination

[pinotlover]

We have the same continual issues with parents not wanting to vaccinate their children. 

 

Is there a big sign posted aboard ships reading: No mosquitoes! Why does one believe they’d be safe wandering around the deck? 

 

If one is to frail to take the shots, they’re to frail to take the cruise. Pick another cruise to take.

[palakika]

Pinotlover...  We are not too frail to travel anywhere!  Just chose not to take the yellow fever shot.  We've had all the other shots and vaccinations...too numerous to list.  BTW..have never seen a mosquito on either the ship or the numerous places we've traveled around the world.  Just lucky I guess!

[pinotlover]

Palakika;

 

Depends upon where you are. In February, when we were docked on the ocean, they were never a problem. When we went upriver to Saigon and Bangkok they were definitely there, particularly at dusk and evening. Fortunately, YF shots weren’t required there.

 

A peculiar add on was that we took the ship extension and went to Cambodia after the cruise. Some sources said we should have the vaccine before going there. We went to our Clinic and they wouldn’t give us the vaccination. Neither area were a “required “ area per CDC, and the vaccination was in such short supply, they were only giving it if mandatory.

[palakika]

Pinotlover..The ports in SE Asia you mention are on our "as yet unvisited" list . It does sound like an area that would have lots of mosquitos because of climate and geography.  We are very diligent using repellent in places where they might show up:)

I think in the late 80s when we lived and worked in Yemen,  yellow fever shots were required by USAID.  We were much younger then.....

[LAexNY]

17 hours ago, pinotlover said:

We have the same continual issues with parents not wanting to vaccinate their children. 

 

Is there a big sign posted aboard ships reading: No mosquitoes! Why does one believe they’d be safe wandering around the deck? 

 

If one is to frail to take the shots, they’re to frail to take the cruise. Pick another cruise to take.

 

Your analogy to the anti—vax movement is erroneous. The anti-vaxxers have a false fear with no scientific basis that vaccinations cause autism.  By refusing to vaccinate their children, they put the children at risk as well as the general population. Witness the current measles outbreak in the Portland area.

 

Yellow fever is caused by mosquito bites and is not contagious. A person’s failure to get vaccinated puts no one else at risk.

 

The additional problem on this current cruise is that Oceania did not notify us in advance of this requirement. Their pre-cruise information said the YF vaccination is recommended, not required. 

 

Furthermore, the CDC recommends that YF vaccine should be “given cautiously” to persons over 60. There is a much greater risk of serious side effects and even death.   I would venture to guess that 80% of the passengers onboard are over 60..

[bobpatj]

We stayed an extra day in Cape Town, so I know you were in port overnight.  Was that scheduled or because of needing the shot?