Seabourn and the current issues surrounding the Corona Virus

[ael123]

On 3/6/2020 at 7:03 PM, Cantara24 said:

 

Sadly you are correct, I do not understand how people buy into these 3rd party cheap seats. Ya get what ya pay for.

 

On 3/9/2020 at 9:44 PM, Lindadave said:

We are very sorry to inform you that your Seabourn Encore cruise departing April 17, 2020, has been cancelled.

 

Seabourn has been closely monitoring the evolving situation with respect to the new coronavirus (COVID-19) that originated in mainland China. Our medical experts are being briefed regularly and coordinating closely with international health authorities to ensure we protect the health and well-being of our guests and crew, which is always our top priority.

 

The difficult decision to cancel your voyage has been made based on the additional changes we have seen recently in travel restrictions and port operations in Asia. While we expect things will stabilize, we always strive to ensure we can provide our guests with an experience that will live up to their expectations, and, due to the volume of port closures in the region, we are not able to offer the balance of destinations and sea days originally planned.  

All guests will receive a full refund of their cruise fare, Seabourn Flight Ease air, Seabourn pre- or post-cruise hotel packages or transfers, prepaid shore excursions and amenities purchased through Seabourn, and taxes, fees, and port expenses back to the original form of payment. 

 

As your cruise has been cancelled so close to departure, each guest will also receive a Future Cruise Credit equal to 25% of the cruise fare paid on this voyage. The terms and conditions of this Future Cruise Credit appear below.

 

If you booked flights independent of Seabourn, please work with your carrier directly regarding these changes. Most airline carriers are waiving fees for travel changes related to COVID-19.

 

4 hours ago, germanshep said:

 

Which port was the last port that you were able to get off? Was that in Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles? 15 consecutive days at sea is a long time, longer than what most people on other cruise lines usually go on! Are you sure you will be able to land in Broome and not get turned away?

What are they feeding you? You must not be getting any fresh salads, vegetables, or fruits. Do they have food deliveries out in the middle of the ocean?

[teamflames]

So far today have read about Norway closing cruise ports, Seabourn and Crystal cancelled repositioning cruises from Dubai to Europe, California closes cruise ports (Monterrey was one), Seattle cruise port has cancelled the next 2 ships visiting, USA is banning foreign nationals who have visited Europe from flying in. Analysts predicting the end of the cruise industry.
All hope this was going to calm down quickly seems to be lost.

An interesting article here from a doctor on the front lines in Europe. Pleading with people to stop travelling for the sake of not spreading it to the vulnerable. Seems to highlight this is not just another flu, the talk or scar damage to the lungs was particularly worrying (I have queried several times whether this virus will inflict long term damage on sufferers).

https://www.newsweek.com/young-unafraid-coronavirus-pandemic-good-you-now-stop-killing-people-opinion-1491797

[westmount]

I promised not to be political on this subject, but word has it Steven Miller wrote the European flight ban, so don’t try and make sense of it. The President has announced a ban on Europeans coming to America ( except from the UK ??) where The health minister has the virus, I’ll make no further comment on the policy. 
 For us, the news that Tom Hanks and his wife announced they have the virus after being tested in Australia is not very good news for many reasons. 
  To everyone who is reading our 32 pages of nonsense, this is going to change the way we live our lives for quite awhile, so get used to it. 
  As I have been saying, we are in self quarantine with all healthy people on board, but it doesn’t look like that will occur once we get off, and everyone will have to get off at some point. The world does look like the world will be  going to go into a 30 day freeze, especially since the US president believes it’s a foreigners problem that will go away when cruises and foreigners he doesn’t like aren’t allowed into America. 
im going to look for something positive and fun  to do today on the ship ( oh great, I see a presentation on the 100 days of Rwandan genocide is on for today ) but the good news is we move the clocks up one hour at 230 pm? again, less time to Broome. 
All kidding aside, the world is trying to figure out how to combat this quickly spreading and for many people dangerous and deadly virus, so don’t sweat it over cruise deposits and credits, Seabourn will be around and want all of us ( most) back , and will figure out reasonable accommodations  for everyone affected. 
  The airlines are in the same boat, reasonable changes will be made, ( my reservation just disappeared on the air canada site) not a good sign, but first we’d like to

1: see land 

2. touch land 

3. stay healthy 

4. get home from Perth

the order is not necessarily in sequence   
I’ve suggested to the Seabourn sales agent on board they should have a reunion cruise for 2022 that hopefully takes us from at least the Seychelles to Singapore or Sydney, not sure this baby is going to make it to San Francisco. 
four more sea days to go, tour schedules just went out , all sold out within 30 minutes 

[SLSD]

Viking has suspended cruise operations worldwide:  https://thepointsguy.com/news/cruise-line-viking-suspends-operations-worldwide-due-to-coronavirus/?utm_content=BDC8C7B4-6416-11EA-9619-37283A982C1E&utm_term=Editorial&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1LDQwjSmjozB6N3XkJp9UkUmVPSZpWm5b9mQjeIQNn50bG_lgk3RgCHXc

[Chairsin]

It would have been nice had Trump clarified the travel ban in his speech. 
 

In any event I still wonder how the cruise lines will react to this development. 

[tv24]

2 hours ago, SLSD said:

Viking has suspended cruise operations worldwide:  https://thepointsguy.com/news/cruise-line-viking-suspends-operations-worldwide-due-to-coronavirus/?utm_content=BDC8C7B4-6416-11EA-9619-37283A982C1E&utm_term=Editorial&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1LDQwjSmjozB6N3XkJp9UkUmVPSZpWm5b9mQjeIQNn50bG_lgk3RgCHXc

This is amazing, even though it's only for a month.  

[lydiamight]

A very lengthy article, but one of the best that I have read on Covid19

https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca

 

[teamflames]

1 hour ago, lydiamight said:

A very lengthy article, but one of the best that I have read on Covid19

https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca

 

Fantastic article, thanks so much for sharing. Backs up the article SLSD posted early by the doctor on the front line in Europe.

We need strong decision makers right now, short term economic pain will result in a much better outcome (a la Singapore, Hk, Taiwan etc).

This article proves that you cannot just assume it will get better quickly and cite China as a reason.

Fascinating read.

[Reef Knot]

Who is Thomas Pueyo? a health expert, doctor, crisis manager?

 

 

 

[jenidallas]

2 hours ago, lydiamight said:

A very lengthy article, but one of the best that I have read on Covid19

https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca

 

This article was making the rounds yesterday among healthcare leaders I know.  It sums up nicely what I heard in a physician leadership briefing on Tuesday at a large health system.

 

The emergency departments in our city were swamped yesterday.  We had our first positive case identified... a clergy member who had contracted it at a clergy conference in another state two weeks prior.  (The same conference the infected Washington DC clergy member had been at but know known contact with that individual.)  This is our area of town and people we know attend that church.  It’s here.

 

My work travel is now (sensibly) suspended until further notice.  I think chances of going on the April 20th transatlantic are looking pretty grim at this point, not only because of the virus but because of how much work I’ll have backlogged when things get sorted out.

[Flamin_June]

2 hours ago, lydiamight said:

A very lengthy article, but one of the best that I have read on Covid19

https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca

A great self-publicist, but not a very good scientist. Way too much 'this will PROBABLY happen', or 'that will PROBABLY happen', speculation in other words, being presented as fact, or used to build further argument. A  basic grasp of statistics, with a number of comparative graphs lacking adjustment for factors such varying population size, individual state medical support and facilities , and so on. Other graphs lifted from publications and tinkered with and presented almost as if original work. And lengthy because it is a grab bag of all current research and speculation lumped together. That is not to say that his predictions and conclusions are unfounded - in fact many are quite predictable and already in current circulation.

The truth is we don't know what will happen, but we do know the virus is very contagious because nobody has any immunity to it, apart from (we all hope) the 68,587 (currently) people who have recovered. As it appears that a number of nations have failed to act decisively in terms of tracing, confining and testing contacts or potential carriers in the very early stages of import into their communities, it is now running rampant, I have heard it described 'like a bush fire', and we all expect it to continue spreading. A number of scientists think that the Wuhan/Hubie experience of rapidly increasing contagion, plateauing and eventual decline  wil replicate in other communities. The numbers affected will depend on population size and density, and effectiveness of lockdown policies. But can the world just close itself down for several months?

The good news is that 90% of the 55890 currently infected have only 'mild' symptoms.

[SLSD]

Princess Cruise Lines has also suspended operations.  

[jozi]

Reliable sources include https://www.sciencemag.org/coronavirus-research-commentary-and-news?IntCmp=coronavirussiderail-128

https://www.thelancet.com

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Flatten the curve is Explained all over, e.g., 

https://healthblog.uofmhealth.org/wellness-prevention/flattening-curve-for-covid-19-what-does-it-mean-and-how-can-you-help

 

[Isklaar]

ongoing press conference by UK govt. right now :

 

1) UK is approx 4 weeks behind Italy. Disease expected to peak here in 10-14 weeks

2) Approx 5-10k people in UK are believed to be currently infected but asymptomatic at this point/untested. 590 diagnosed cases. 

 

Conference is being given by Prime Minister, UK Chief Scientific Adviser and Chief Medical Officer.

 

Govt advice at this point - Don't go out if you have a cough, stay home for 7 days.  People aged over 70 should avoid going on a cruise. Continue to wash hands. 

No other measures at this stage...

 

 

 

 

 

[galeforce9]

Thanks Isklaar. Just to add stay home for 7 days if you have a high temperature. 

[Isklaar]

Thanks galeforce! I was just about to say if any of my fellow UK cruisers heard anything different or I misunderstood anything please add it to the thread. I

Actually I'm a bit shellshocked by the 10-14 week thing,  perhaps naively I had expected it to peak within the next 3-4 weeks!

[galeforce9]

Me too!  Scary as we got off a cruise yesterday (we went as we had no option to cancel it or delay) and my 78 year old father accompanied us and doesn’t have the best respiratory health.  

[shellsrus]

Coursera has a free online course on Covid-19 for anyone interested in learning more about it:   https://www.coursera.org/learn/covid-19

[Tallante]

I watch Boris’s speech tonight with amazement. Here in Spain the government is so much more proactive and we have four times as many people infected,

[germanshep]

17 hours ago, westmount said:

I’ve suggested to the Seabourn sales agent on board they should have a reunion cruise for 2022 that hopefully takes us from at least the Seychelles to Singapore or Sydney, not sure this baby is going to make it to San Francisco. 

four more sea days to go, tour schedules just went out , all sold out within 30 minutes

 

Dear Westmount:

Thank you so much for your feedback. We are booked on the Sojourn from Perth to Sydney. Do you think Sojourn will ever make it to Perth? We are afraid our Perth to Sydney segment may get cancelled. Please let me know. 

 

GermamShep

 

[Flamin_June]

2 hours ago, shellsrus said:

Coursera has a free online course on Covid-19 for anyone interested in learning more about it:   https://www.coursera.org/learn/covid-19

Great link

thanks!

[rols]

20 hours ago, SLSD said:

He did say that there would be exceptions for U. S. citizens who are properly screened (he was vague on the standard).  Still--I see it as problematic to assume you would be able to fly back to the United States.  AND, how many flights will there be?  I don't quite understand the exemption of the UK.  It seems like Europeans from any country could just plan to fly from the UK.  Am I missing something?

Yes the prohibition is on anyone who has been in a schengen country in the past 14 days, it's not where you fly out of, it's where you've been. So no going to the UK and flying out of there doesn't help you. This is similar to the current rules about China, it's not whether you fly out of China, it's whether you've been there in the previous 2 weeks. 

.. and if that wasn't clear from the .. speech .. that's because it was incoherent and error riddled, you have to read some of the guidance which came out later. 

 

[Joc123]

I have no knowledge just speculation but I think Sojourn will make it to Perth.

The ship has been self isolated for over 2 weeks so is probably the safest place in the world at the moment. Broome is isolated by it’s very position but it is a tourist destination so who knows if the virus has arrived there or not.

The problem with Australia is we are coming into our flu season (winter officially starts June 1st) and although relatively clear here, we are starting to record more cases daily - even Tom Hanks and his wife, who were making a movie on the Gold Coast have the virus. 

[zimflyer]

....will SB now stand up and do the right thing....? 

 

Or do they just want the $$$ from Sojourn's hapless new joiners (due out from Perth in a WEEK from now ....with whatever health risks they may bring aboard...) Just to cover the finishing of the world cruise...

 

Hmmmmm, I hope this doesnt backfire, because the company has NO excuse for ignoring the risks...

[Joc123]

Just announced - Australian F1 Car race will go ahead in Melbourne this weekend but without spectators.

Its anyone’s guess what restrictions will be in place in the not too distant future.