Coronavirus

[Vgroom]

Am I the only one who is very concerned about our upcoming cruise at the beginning of April from Singapore to Dubai? With the increased spread and the speed with which coronavirus has developed over the past few days,  I think the situation had definitely changed and Azamara need to respond to this. 

[travelberlin]

2 hours ago, Vgroom said:

Am I the only one who is very concerned about our upcoming cruise at the beginning of April from Singapore to Dubai? With the increased spread and the speed with which coronavirus has developed over the past few days,  I think the situation had definitely changed and Azamara need to respond to this. 

I have read on another thread that the Emirates are imposing restrictions on ships. I think that Bahrain is not allowing any ships anymore. I am not sure for Dubai and passengers embarking in Singapore.

Ivi

[BBMacLaird]

Travel advisory updated yesterday, February 27

https://www.azamara.com/travel-advisory

[audobon_tx]

2 hours ago, Vgroom said:

Am I the only one who is very concerned about our upcoming cruise at the beginning of April from Singapore to Dubai? With the increased spread and the speed with which coronavirus has developed over the past few days,  I think the situation had definitely changed and Azamara need to respond to this. 

 

Singapore has gotten a bad rap.  It is probably the best managed country in the world as far as health risks are concerned.

 

Singapore Emerges as Litmus Test for Coronavirus Containment https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-27/singapore-emerges-as-litmus-test-for-coronavirus-containment

Edited February 28, 2020 by flyingshoes

[Lindy028]

38 minutes ago, travelberlin said:

I have read on another thread that the Emirates are imposing restrictions on ships. I think that Bahrain is not allowing any ships anymore. I am not sure for Dubai and passengers embarking in Singapore.

Ivi

travelberlin, may I ask where you read this, Bahrain is one of the stops on our Quest cruise in a couple of weeks. I have tried to find more information on this, but as it is a very fluid situation, it may be this has just been reported and not yet widely circulated. Nothing any of us can do if that is the case, what will be will be!

[katiebeth]

I am concerned as well we are scheduled to disembark in Singapore on 4/11 after a stop in Bali, Indonesia.    Azamara seems to be holding firm on not changing the itinerary or allowing guests to make any changes/provide a credit.    In the meantime, Delta is offering us a full refund on our round trip tickets because we are scheduled to fly out of Singapore thru Seoul South Korea and back to Atlanta on 4/14.     South Korea is now listed as a city with a travel advisory, along with Hong Kong, and Shanghai on Delta's website.

 

I think it is easy for people to tell others not to be concerned if they are not themselves traveling to Indonesia, Singapore, and South Korea!    Honestly, at this point why would anyone want to travel in this region?     Obviously, contacting the coronavirus is a major concern, as well as being quarantined for 14 days at some point in time.   The CDC and/or the Department of State is recommending only ESSENTIAL travel to South Korea.

 

Wondering if management/corporate of Azamara would be willing to travel to these regions with their families?     I still find it baffling that RCCL, Azamara's parent company, along with Celebrity, and most other cruise lines have pulled out of Singapore

 

My husband and I have taken countless cruises with Celebrity, RCCL, and Azamara around the world and they won't give us the time of day, in terms of working with us on a credit for a future cruise, or any other changes.    We purchased travel insurance as well, and no coverage for the coronavirus.

 

Feeling very frustrated, at the moment!   

 

 

 

[Vgroom]

Thank you Katiebeth. I was beginning to think it was only me! 
It really is a worry.  I am not too concerned about the coronovurus itself although I would rather not put myself in positions where I may have more exposure to it. My concern is being quarantined either in Singapore before boarding or onboard itself.  People will be flying in from all over the world and although they may be screened before going onboard, who is to say that they are not carrying the virus and not yet manifesting symptoms. I know Singapore seem to have been pointed out as an example of excellent practice in containing the virus but who knows where people have been to or contacts they may have had before joining the ship. Eeeek!
 

[Richteab]

43 minutes ago, Lindy028 said:

travelberlin, may I ask where you read this, Bahrain is one of the stops on our Quest cruise in a couple of weeks. I have tried to find more information on this, but as it is a very fluid situation, it may be this has just been reported and not yet widely circulated. Nothing any of us can do if that is the case, what will be will be!

that’s it in a nutshell - “fluid”. Nobody knows how far it will spread, where, when or anything else. We just have to cross fingers and hope it all works out. 

[travelberlin]

52 minutes ago, Lindy028 said:

travelberlin, may I ask where you read this, Bahrain is one of the stops on our Quest cruise in a couple of weeks. I have tried to find more information on this, but as it is a very fluid situation, it may be this has just been reported and not yet widely circulated. Nothing any of us can do if that is the case, what will be will be!

I have read it in the subtitles from CNN but I could not confirm the information. Just in case here is a link for info on the Middle East.

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/02/26/Kuwait-bans-cruise-ships-from-coronavirus-infected-countries-to-dock-in-ports.html

[garlinn]

I am also booked on the 4/11 cruise out of Singapore. I am trying to decide how to cancel and minimize my losses. I am booked on American through Tokyo. Hopefully they will cancel flight to Tokyo and I can get a refund. I have insurance but do not have CFAR. My quandary is do I cancel the cruise before 31 days so I can at least get 25% back or risk the 25% hoping Azamara will cancel the cruise before departure date.

 

My wife is diabetic and has has a bout of sepsis in the last year. If you look at the statistics these put at a much higher risk than the average person.

 

This was going to be our first cruise on Azamara and we were looking forward to it. I will have to think twice about cruising on Azamara in the future.

[uktog]

22 minutes ago, garlinn said:

I am also booked on the 4/11 cruise out of Singapore. I am trying to decide how to cancel and minimize my losses. I am booked on American through Tokyo. Hopefully they will cancel flight to Tokyo and I can get a refund. I have insurance but do not have CFAR. My quandary is do I cancel the cruise before 31 days so I can at least get 25% back or risk the 25% hoping Azamara will cancel the cruise before departure date.

 

My wife is diabetic and has has a bout of sepsis in the last year. If you look at the statistics these put at a much higher risk than the average person.

 

This was going to be our first cruise on Azamara and we were looking forward to it. I will have to think twice about cruising on Azamara in the future.

Why not email Azamara and ask explaining your exact situation as your wife's situation is more than just the "average" - Bonnie indicated on the thread relating to the use of future cruise certificates to another poster that these are unusual times and it does not hurt to ask, so I would say the same here.  This is the email others have been using AzamaraCustomerService@Azamara.com

[difranco]

We have been holidaying in the UAE the past week. Although this is a land based trip we have been monitoring the situation here before flying back to the UK tomorrow. Today the cycling tour of the UAE was cancelled with two stages to go as two Italian cyclists tested positive for coronavirus. All cyclists and support teams are in lockdown in the Crowne Plaza Yas Island Abu Dhabi until they have tests. In Dubai where we leave tomorrow there are 400,000 Iranian’s working here, not to mention several million other nationals from all over the world. I would say the Middle East will become a hot bed for the virus within the next week or so. It also seems to me that the Iranian and Italian strain is quite potent.

In my honest opinion it isn’t the risk of contraction that is a worry, but where you contract it. 14 days quarantine at home is much safer than the same in a foreign country or cruise ship. Diamond Princess being a prime example. When you do get home you are then likely to be quarantined for a further 14 days. This is a once in a decade emergency, so if you have any underlying health issues the best place is in your home town. There is always another cruise but not another life. 

[cpgrneyes]

29 minutes ago, uktog said:

My wife is diabetic and has has a bout of sepsis in the last year. If you look at the statistics these put at a much higher risk than the average person.

 

 She might also speak to her doctor, as he would likely recommend she not travel there. With a doctor’s note, travel insurance may kick in.

[travelberlin]

4 hours ago, Lindy028 said:

travelberlin, may I ask where you read this, Bahrain is one of the stops on our Quest cruise in a couple of weeks. I have tried to find more information on this, but as it is a very fluid situation, it may be this has just been reported and not yet widely circulated. Nothing any of us can do if that is the case, what will be will be!

I have been trying to get more information on what I have posted before about Bahrain. It turns out to be that it was not Bahrain not allowing cruise ships, but a cruise line (MSC) stopping all calls in Bahrain due to Coronavirus in Bahrain.

 

[garlinn]

3 hours ago, cpgrneyes said:

 

 She might also speak to her doctor, as he would likely recommend she not travel there. With a doctor’s note, travel insurance may kick in.

Thanks for the advice. We just returned from a s. America/Antartica cruise. She is working on getting a not from her Doctor. As soon as she gets it we will start working to see if Azamara will give a refund or future cruise credit. If that does not work we will try the insurance company. I am hoping that American will cancel flights to Tokyo or JAL will cancel our flight to Singapore. Then we can get a fulll refund on the airfare. 

[katiebeth]

5 hours ago, garlinn said:

I am also booked on the 4/11 cruise out of Singapore. I am trying to decide how to cancel and minimize my losses. I am booked on American through Tokyo. Hopefully they will cancel flight to Tokyo and I can get a refund. I have insurance but do not have CFAR. My quandary is do I cancel the cruise before 31 days so I can at least get 25% back or risk the 25% hoping Azamara will cancel the cruise before departure date.

 

My wife is diabetic and has has a bout of sepsis in the last year. If you look at the statistics these put at a much higher risk than the average person.

 

This was going to be our first cruise on Azamara and we were looking forward to it. I will have to think twice about cruising on Azamara in the future.

We were in the same "boat" last week and were debating whether to cancel and receive 25 percent refund but decided to "roll the dice" and believed that Azamara would follow suit with RCCL, Celebrity, and other cruise lines and pull out of Indonesia and Singapore.   So far, it does not appear they are budging at all .....I have called several times this week and spoken with Azamara and they repeat the same "precautions" they have put into place ....which is really no precaution at all since you can have contracted the virus 14 days before showing symptoms.      Everyone representative I have spoken to has told me that Azamara is "staying the course" with no changes in itinerary anticipated.

 

Having cruised with the RCCL, Celebrity, and Azamara almost exclusively since 2003 ....this will be the last time we will book with them.      We have purchased travel insurance but they will not cover ......expensive lesson learned on so many levels.

 

I believe if you can provide a doctor's note concerning your wife, and you have insurance, you should be covered if you cancel ....sepsis, as you know, is nothing to mess around with and your wife definitely does not need to assume  the risk ....of either contacting the virus or, as my husband and I fear, being quarantined in a foreign county or on the ship.    Wishing you and your wife all the best .......

[Doh15]

I am curious what people who have deposits for the summer but could still largely get a refund are doing, or how they are thinking about it. 

 

Will the risk of quarantine be less as time passes, or is the prudent thing to do to try and get a refund and then wait and see about future travel? 

[Doh15]

Interestingly, Windstar has now adopted a policy that for cruises departing between June 2020 and December 2021 you can cancel and receive a FCC 15 days prior to sailing.  
 

My guess is that probably the larger the ship the harder it is to implement that policy but it would be great if Azamara adopted it (and I am sure Windstar did the math and realized the policy has benefits for them too). 

[vana]

Hello, 

 

AZ has a new travel advisory that states:

2. There will be mandatory specialized health screenings performed on:

• Any guest who has traveled from, to or through select countries impacted by coronavirus (COVID-19), within 15 days of boarding.
• Guests who are uncertain about contact with individuals who have traveled from, to or through select countries impacted by coronavirus (COVID-19) within 15 days of boarding.

Canada has 15 cases as of today. Therefore is it considered as a selected country impacted by the virus? Could this be more vague? Are we going to be able to stop anywhere? 

 

From Cruise Law News:

“The Voyager of the Seas has 2 or 3 crew members with flu-like symptoms aboard. The Vanatu and New Caledonia islands are not permitting the ship to disembark passengers due to concerns over coronavirus. Noumea initially said that it will accept passengers and crew but a few hours ago no one was allowed to disembark after the ship which docked for a short time. It was a big mess on the ship with guests upset and security was involved with a dispute with the guest relations desk.”

 

So if anyone gets a cold, it might prevent a whole ship full of tourists to be able to set a foot in a port of call. Really? This is getting ridiculous... no way I’ll be travelling soooo far to get turned around because someone has a cold... so AZ please take action and tell us that we can cancel. It will be afterwards our choice to do so or not... but right now, we are in this unknown situation of what can happen while onboard. I'm really not scared of catching the Coronavirus, I just don't want to ruin my vacation and travel so far to see NOTHING!

 

have a great day, 

[Kangakid]

An issue could be that those who board in Singapore could have issues, as some Countries have embargoed anyone who has transited through Singapore.  On my recent cruise on RCI Ovation of the Seas, New Caledonia instigated a new policy wherein any pax who had transited through Singapore were not permitted to enjoy the stop over in Noumea, they had to remain on board.  This impacted quite a few pax who had travelled from the UK.  So this is something to also keep in mind, you may not be permitted to get off the ship at certain ports of call.

[sunlover33]

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/359686/coronavirus-what-are-the-legal-implications-for-package-tour-organisers
 

interesting discussion re what constitutes a significant change in a package holiday. 

[katiebeth]

In my humble opinion, Azamara would be wise from a humanitarian, customer service, and financial position to allow currently booked passengers to receive a credit for a future cruise.   This is an extraordinary, fluid, unpredictable, and possibly deadly situation.    I am guessing not too many executives at Azamara, along with their families, will be on this cruise.      Azamara is currently offering no options for passengers other than taking the cruise or losing your cruise fare.    I am guessing Azamara and most cruise companies have insurance for these types of situations and will be compensated for lost revenue.   Not only is Azamara putting their crew and passengers at risk, I believe they could be placing themselves in legal jeopardy if they continue to ignore common sense and the rate at which this deadly virus is spreading.    It defies any type of logic and ignores the seriousness of the situation.   In fact,  it appears negligent on their part.     Currently, my husband and I do not even have a flight back to the United States from Singapore as Delta has refunded our trip as we were flying from Singapore to Seoul then Atlanta.      We have explained this several times to Azamara and we were told basically too bad, the cruise is a go and “no refund or credit for you”.    We did purchase $2,000 of trip insurance thru CSA and they will not cover our cruise fare either.     So we have eaten up most of our travel budget for a very long time .....but my husband cannot  afford another 14 days of potential quarantine away from work, beyond the time taken for the cruise.    (Or worse yet hospitalization in a foreign country if either of us contract the virus).  Azamara is being totally inflexible, and quite frankly, very short sighted IMHO.    

Edited February 29, 2020 by katiebeth

[Vgroom]

I agree with you katiebeth.  This is a very big holiday for us and one we wouldn’t be able to repeat for a long time. I am absolutely scunnered with Az. This is the reply I got today from them

This is not good enough!! 

 

Dear Mrs. Groom, 

Thank you for contacting Azamara. We are deeply sorry for the delay in our reply and hope this email finds you in good health. 

We continue to closely monitor global developments regarding the coronavirus, and we are fully focused on protecting the health and safety of our guests and crew. Your concern is understandable and I wish I could give you some kind of time frame. However, this is a fluid and constantly evolving situation. Therefore in an abundance of caution we are considering any possible itinerary modification very carefully as to not change to ship to another impacted zone. 

At the time of this correspondence we have not modified your itinerary so standard cancellation and admin fees apply. You will find the latest corporate communication regarding our precautions at Azamara.com. Any changes will be communicated to your travel agent, yourself and updated on the home page of Azamara’s website right away. Should you have any lingering questions please feel free to let us know at 0344-493-4016.

Mrs. Groom, once again we offer our warmest gratitude for choosing Azamara. After all, with Azamara you are family!

Sincerely,


Kara Frank
Azamara 
Le Club Voyage
Wichita, KansasOutlook
 

[katiebeth]

18 minutes ago, Vgroom said:

I agree with you katiebeth.  This is a very big holiday for us and one we wouldn’t be able to repeat for a long time. I am absolutely scunnered with Az. This is the reply I got today from them

This is not good enough!! 

 

Dear Mrs. Groom, 

Thank you for contacting Azamara. We are deeply sorry for the delay in our reply and hope this email finds you in good health. 

We continue to closely monitor global developments regarding the coronavirus, and we are fully focused on protecting the health and safety of our guests and crew. Your concern is understandable and I wish I could give you some kind of time frame. However, this is a fluid and constantly evolving situation. Therefore in an abundance of caution we are considering any possible itinerary modification very carefully as to not change to ship to another impacted zone. 

At the time of this correspondence we have not modified your itinerary so standard cancellation and admin fees apply. You will find the latest corporate communication regarding our precautions at Azamara.com. Any changes will be communicated to your travel agent, yourself and updated on the home page of Azamara’s website right away. Should you have any lingering questions please feel free to let us know at 0344-493-4016.

Mrs. Groom, once again we offer our warmest gratitude for choosing Azamara. After all, with Azamara you are family!

Sincerely,


Kara Frank
Azamara 
Le Club Voyage
Wichita, KansasOutlook
 

 This is craziness.   Their position has not changed in over a month, while coronavirus situation has multiplied exponentially.    I love their statement that “they don’t want to modify their itinerary to “another impacted zone” .....admitting they are sailing their passengers and crew into a currently impacted zone ....if it weren’t so deadly serious it would be laughable!    In addition, their parent company RCCL and Celebrity has implemented additional screening measures and reserves the right to refuse embarkation to  any passenger who has traveled thru Singapore .....(as well as pulled all ships from Singapore ....you cannot make this up!     We have cruised all over the world with RCCL, Celebrity, and Azamara since 2003 and this is how they treat their “valued” passengers?    Shameful!   Oh, and the “with Azamara you are family” part!  😂.    Who sends their family to the red zone and bed of the coronavirus?   

Edited February 29, 2020 by katiebeth

[travelberlin]

Just in case you wish to know how the virus has developed in Italy:

 

https://lab24.ilsole24ore.com/coronavirus/