Oceania's Action Plan for Coronavirus

[Mura]

Considering that they are telling Americans there now to come home, I'm not sure I'd want to have a port visit.  People complain about missed ports but in this case perhaps it's the best approach to take.

 

Interesting comments indeed from a physician!  Thanks for posting.

 

Mura

[Paulchili]

Would it help if they ended the cruise in, for example, Taiwan instead of HK as some other lines are doing?

[jcinma]

We have an itinerary that includes stops on Shanghai, Dalian and Beijing.  We have a flight to Hong Kong 3/15 and board the ship on 3/18. We will wait to hear from Oceania. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

6 hours ago, Nachosdelux said:

Updated policy:

 

This new policy is in addition to non-touch temperature screenings for all guests. Any guest who registers a body temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius or higher, will not automatically be denied boarding yet may be subject to further screening by the ship’s and/or local medical professionals. If a guest is deemed to be medically at risk, they may be denied boarding. These guests will not receive a refund and will be advised to open a travel insurance claim with their insurance provider. 

Would you mind reposting this as a pic of the actual email you received. There is so much misinformation floating around that "primary sources" take on a considerable significance.

[clo]

3 hours ago, irr said:

how many asymptomatic people are contagious

I worked a few lifetimes ago at CDC and that was a pretty big deal. Still is I'm guessing. Again, thanks.

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 hours ago, irr said:

5 hours ago, irr said:

I am a physician.... In my opinion Oceania's response to this is completely unacceptable...... 

And herein lies the conundrum. 

No matter what Oceania does, some folks will be unhappy. 

Fully insured with "hospital of choice" evac if you find yourself taken to an overwhelmed emergency room that cannot handle you? Some of those folks may want to take the health risk, with little money risk due to the favorable financial circumstances, and do their cruise. 

 

As for those folks without adequate insurance: yes - they will be SOL for a refund because they agreed to the T&Cs of their ticket contract.

[Paulchili]

6 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Fully insured with "hospital of choice" evac if you find yourself taken to an overwhelmed emergency room that cannot handle you? Some of those folks may want to take the health risk, with little money risk due to the favorable financial circumstances, and do their cruise. 

Not sure if I am understanding you but no matter how good your health & evac insurance is that may avoid overwhelmed ERs, I wouldn’t want to get sick with corona virus in the first place. Just stay away from China for now.

What am I missing?

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Paulchili said:

Not sure if I am understanding you but no matter how good your health & evac insurance is that may avoid overwhelmed ERs, I wouldn’t want to get sick with corona virus in the first place. Just stay away from China for now.

What am I missing?

Not missing anything- some folks jut don't see the risk factor as being huge. By the thinking of some of the above posts, whole airport international terminals of gateway US cities like LA and SF should be shut down.

[Nachosdelux]

9 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Would you mind reposting this as a pic of the actual email you received. There is so much misinformation floating around that "primary sources" take on a considerable significance.

 

I can't do a picture, but here is the full email, sent to me from my travel agent.

 

Dear Valued Guest,

Due to the growing concern regarding coronavirus infections in China and in an abundance of caution, we will be implementing new policies designed to protect the health and safety of our guests and crew.

These new policies will apply to all guests on all sailings worldwide, effective immediately, for the next 30 days.

In addition to the already announced non-touch temperature screenings detailed below, we will be denying boarding to any guest who has visited mainland China in the last 30 days. These guests will receive a refund for their cruise.

This new policy is in addition to non-touch temperature screenings for all guests. Any guest who registers a body temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius or higher, will not automatically be denied boarding yet may be subject to further screening by the ship’s and/or local medical professionals. If a guest is deemed to be medically at risk, they may be denied boarding. These guests will not receive a refund and will be advised to open a travel insurance claim with their insurance provider. 

We are still in the process of finalizing itinerary changes to ensure the health and safety of our guests and crew. All itineraries that call in mainland China for the next six months are currently under review and we expect to be able to communicate any itinerary revisions within the next 48 hours. We thank you for your understanding and patience.

Please know that the safety, security and well-being of our guests and crew is our number one priority. We truly appreciate your understanding and thank you for your diligence and assistance in helping us ensure that all of our guests and crew remain in good health.

If you have traveled to mainland China in the past 30 days, please contact your travel advisor or Oceania Cruises directly so that we may begin the process of cancelling your pending voyage, collecting your travel information and start the refund process.

For guests travelling on our upcoming China sailings, we will be sharing further information in the coming few days.

Please Note: The mainland China travel restrictions do not include Hong Kong or Taiwan.

Should you have any questions regarding the coronavirus, please speak with your personal physician or visit the websites for the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.CDC.gov or the World Health Organization at www.WHO.int. 

Sincerely,

Carlos Ortega
Vice President, Guest Services
Oceania Cruises

Edited February 1, 2020 by Nachosdelux

[irr]

The  problem here is that Oceania will not refund any money or even give a credit for a future cruise, claiming that Hong Kong is not China and therefore is not a problem. In my opinion the problem in Hong Kong is worsening and will continue to worsen. It is geographically part of China with an open border (even if there are some political differences with the main land) and now the major way that Chinese can get in an out of China. In addition, each day more and more flights to and from Hong Kong are being cancelled and you can arrive there after a 2 week cruise to find your flight cancelled without a place to stay. In addition, even for people without Coronavirus many people who live in Hong Kong with any respiratory infection will want to be checked. Checking for coronavirus includes the health care professional be fully garbed with gown, mask, gloves etc. it is fairly time consuming and personnel intensive further stretching resources.  If you need health care for any reason the health care system there is being severely stretched. 

I think that it is irresponsible to passengers, crew, and the unified public health efforts to stem the tide of this virus to not allow some alternatives to passengers. Currently in just a month there are more cases of Coronavirus than there were of SARS for the entire epidemic. While the lethality is less than SARS (3-5%) it remains significant  if you get ill and will probably surpass SARS in numbers by the time this is over.We also don't know if there are any long term sequelae I also think the fact that it is contagious in asymptomatic people is a game changer. There are many very nice cruise lines. I will not travel on Oceania in the future if they do not resolve this issue. I understand that this is an evolving issue and Oceania is now part of a large cruise line system and decisions are more difficult to make. Therefore, I will give them the benefit of the doubt if they change their policy but will be adamant about making sure to let others know about our experience if they don't. 

[irr]

Someone asked above how many asymptomatic people are contagious. We don't know. What we also don't know is how long after you have the disease you are contagious. That is going to strain quarantine facilities exponentially. Also, if you are traveling with a friend or family and they get ill they will be quarantined and you will most likely not be allowed to see them. I am not sure how that works for visitors. I don't quite think that the hotels are going to want someone with Coronavirus to convalesce there. 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, irr said:

 There are many very nice cruise lines. I will not travel on Oceania in the future if they do not resolve this issue. I understand that this is an evolving issue and Oceania is now part of a large cruise line system and decisions are more difficult to make. Therefore, I will give them the benefit of the doubt if they change their policy but will be adamant about making sure to let others know about our experience if they don't. 

What other nice cruises line are cancelling their cruises to those areas  affected ??

 

 

[irr]

I have not had a chance to research all of the cruise lines and what they are doing.It is actually impossible to know who is just offering lenient credits for future travel.  However, when I look at the boards for lines such as Crystal, Silver Seas, Viking there are no similar threads. If what the cruise line is doing is offering flexible credits for another cruise then this is not likely to make the news, 

Once again, it is hard to know from the news who is doing what. A number of cruise lines have cancelled or changed their itinerary to avoid Hong Kong. However, most people would be happy with just a more lenient credit to future travel policy like the Airlines that are still flying into Hong Kong are giving. I am just assuming as there is only chatter about Oceania's policy that  I can find that other cruise lines may be handling this with more respect for their passengers. 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, irr said:

I have not had a chance to research all of the cruise lines and what they are doing.It is actually impossible to know who is just offering lenient credits for future travel.  However, when I look at the boards for lines such as Crystal, Silver Seas, Viking there are no similar threads. If what the cruise line is doing is offering flexible credits for another cruise then this is not likely to make the news, 

 

Here is a place to start

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5016/

 

not sure  how you missed the Crystal thread

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2728931-crystal-the-corona-virus/

 

[1985rz1]

2 hours ago, irr said:

I have not had a chance to research all of the cruise lines and what they are doing.It is actually impossible to know who is just offering lenient credits for future travel.  However, when I look at the boards for lines such as Crystal, Silver Seas, Viking there are no similar threads. If what the cruise line is doing is offering flexible credits for another cruise then this is not likely to make the news, 

 

 

Here are some other threads to follow:

 

Viking. (See post #34): 

Regent (See post #41)

 

For Crystal, see post #99 in the link that Lyn shared, above.

 

For Azamara, there is a thread, but no info in it from Azamara:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[irr]

These are very helpful. Looks like Azmara and all the Royal Carribean owned cruise lines are offering full refunds for China or Hong Kong travel. Norwegian which also owns Regents  and Oceania have not. While I am not the kind of person to react about a decision during  an evolving situation, hoping it will change,  the frustration level has risen with Oceania customers as Oceania is trying to strong arm people into cancelling by tomorrow if they want any money back. What they are telling us through our travel agents is that if we cancel by tomorrow, February 2nd they will give us 25% back on our cruise but noting back on our land tour. However, if we cancel to get something back by February 2nd we forfeit the ability to appeal for the full amount if they change their policy. You can imagine the family discussions about what to do which has created an unnecessary stress. 

[irr]

I also, personally  think that the situation in Hong Kong is about to get much worse. I want to preface  this comment with the fact that this is just my opinion and based on trying to read the tea leaves a bit so not anything official. However, at the present time the only way to get out of China for many is through Hong Kong as many airlines have cancelled flights to the rest of China. Many flights in an out of Hong Kong are also being cancelled but not to the same extent. This will further increase burdens in Hong Kong. As most will need to leave for the Oceania cruise in February  it is possible to leave for the cruise and find that by the time you get to Hong Kong 2-3 weeks later things are much more difficult than you even thought in February with greater and greater demands on the health care system just to screen everyone with any symptoms at all. In addition, anyone who has caught any respiratory  infection on the cruise no matter how mild  or develops a low grade fever for any reason will need to find a way to get screened before being let onto planes. Even when you get home even  if you are asymptomatic the possibility of extended quarantine at home exists as now the US is requiring all who come in from China to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days.

 

For those of you who think this is an over reaction consider the following 1. We know nothing about this virus in terms of long term consequences, impact on pregnant women and children etc. We don't even know yet how long people are contagious after getting ill.2. While the death rate is lower than for SARS it remains 2-3% and it is much more contagious and a month after the first case was found there are more cases known about than in the entire SARS epidemic that lasted about a year. Therefore, the number of people who will die from  this may be more than the number for SARS. There were about 770 deaths from SARS in a year and already around 250 deaths from this virus in a month. From a public health stand point it seems to me that everyone and all elective travel related industries should be doing what they can to minimize unnecessary travel to the most impacted areas. 3. While there are those that say that the seasonal flu can be more dangers it is important to keep in mind that  it is possible to get vaccinated for the flu and there are anti viral medications that can decrease risk of serious illness from the flu. In addition, it is much easier to access health care while not traveling to an area already stretched to care for their own citizens. People need to take precautions about flu but this remains a unique and added risk, which by the way, is occurring at the peak of flu season as well, further compounding risks of travel to areas struggling to figure this out. 

[Caymus88]

I am on Oceania now. They have implemented noro rules today.  I think someone onboard may be ill but I don’t know   They also gave out a letter re. Coronavirus   Concierge lounge is open but nothin available etcetc. Bad internet so may not be online much  Riviera   They are being proactive I guess.  Boston reported a coronavirus case today

Edited February 1, 2020 by Caymus88
Added

[clo]

9 hours ago, irr said:

Someone asked above how many asymptomatic people are contagious. We don't know. What we also don't know is how long after you have the disease you are contagious.

That's the kind of thing that WHO/CDC can really only calculate pretty much after the fact.

Edited February 1, 2020 by clo

[Marilyn Johannes]

3 hours ago, irr said:

These are very helpful. Looks like Azmara and all the Royal Carribean owned cruise lines are offering full refunds for China or Hong Kong travel. Norwegian which also owns Regents  and Oceania have not. While I am not the kind of person to react about a decision during  an evolving situation, hoping it will change,  the frustration level has risen with Oceania customers as Oceania is trying to strong arm people into cancelling by tomorrow if they want any money back. What they are telling us through our travel agents is that if we cancel by tomorrow, February 2nd they will give us 25% back on our cruise but noting back on our land tour. However, if we cancel to get something back by February 2nd we forfeit the ability to appeal for the full amount if they change their policy. You can imagine the family discussions about what to do which has created an unnecessary stress. 

I’m supposed to travel on Royal March 21 Shanghai to Shanghai. Called my travel agent yesterday and was told they are taking it week to week. Was also told if I cancel I would be in the normal cancellation period (less than 90 days and after final payment ). This was before I received an email from American Airlines cancelling my flight, offering full refund or rebooking within 330 days. Haven’t heard anything else from my travel agent so I don’t know anything about final payment. Checked with my travel insurance and they don’t cover claims due to epidemics. 

[RetiredLifer]

On Marina now.  Received this letter delivered to our room this morning.
We have heard nothing to indicate this letter was the result of anyone being ill at this time on this ship.  I wonder if all ships in the Oceania fleet put out this letter.

Edited February 1, 2020 by RetiredLifer

[YoHoHo]

Perhaps some don’t have cancel for any reason insurance, or are self-insuring or their insurance does not kick-in because the situation in Hong Kong, at this moment does not meet conditions of the policy to be covered for cancellation or interruption. And so some are looking to Oceania to cover that hole in their coverage.

 

Self-insuring is a personal choice and as per posts on this board, are happy that they have done and figure they are money ahead. Choosing a policy, or not checking policy supplied by a credit card or such, that does not have the conditions covered in a manner currently acceptable is on the purchaser.

 

BUT this situation, and the reaction and policies may change. And to address the "why is the CL treating Hong Kong so differently than China (where this outbreak started) as it is geographically or otherwise so close to China???

 

The CLs hire experts that specialize in risk analysis and their insurance companies input would make a big difference. The same as those booked, the cruise lines do not want to take the financial hit to cancel.

 

And a government advisory can make all the difference to CL polices and decisions. One's insurance policy could well be affected by your governments travel advisory, mine is. Travel to where they advise to avoid all non essential travel and I wouldn't be covered, for example. And for my policy travel to China is very different than travel to Hong Kong. I would still have  coverage as I have 75% CFAR.

 

So what does your government have to say on this? Canada at THIS moment makes a distinction between Hong Kong, China and even within China:

Hong Kong - Exercise a high degree of caution
China - AVOID NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL
         Hubei Province - Avoid all travel

 

And that could change. And then maybe your insurance policy will cover.

[clo]

1 hour ago, Marilyn Johannes said:

This was before I received an email from American Airlines cancelling my flight, offering full refund or rebooking within 330 days.

We're not affected by this but I totally understand the frustration. The airlines seem to be WAY more accommodating than Oceania. (I only mention O cause I don't know what other lines are doing.)

[Flatbush Flyer]

OK folks: In the spirit of "rule making" that underpins much of this thread, I am suggesting we all adhere to a few basic rules about posting in this conversation:

 

1.) Most importantly: If you are currently on an Oceania ship, please identify which one and where it is now.

 

2.) If you receive an applicable/informative Oceania correspondence (shipboard or Miami office [directly or via TA]), take a picture of it (if you don't know how to append a PDF) and attach it to the post. Paraphrasing and interpretive analysis often only serves to confuse things.

 

3.) References to actions by various other travel related entities (e.g., specific airlines and airports, the CDC, news media), likewise, should link to or display the actual PRIMARY info. You can certainly add an appropriate comment. But, too many of this thread's posts are just taking up space and time.

 

4.) Speaking of which: If you are not on an O ship right now or not on your way to one nor booked on one with itineraries/air travel involving Coronavirus threats, PLEASE stop posting your unsolicited opinions and jibberish about things/situations in your past, which may have little usefulness here other then to build your CC post count.

 

5.) This thread can become a very useful tool in helping to keep us all aware and up-to-date on a single specific situation of interest to those of us who will be involved in/impacted by it. Let's keep the unnecessary chatter to an absolute minimum.

 

And FWIW (no matter where you are), please wash your hands and completely cover sneezes and coughs with your sleeve).

[clo]

10 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

OK folks: In the spirit of "rule making" that underpins much of this thread, I am suggesting we all adhere to a few basic rules about posting in this conversation:

 

So are you someone here who gets to make rules? Just curious. One never knows.