Flatbush Flyer Posted February 9, 2020 #201 Share Posted February 9, 2020 4 minutes ago, TrulyBlonde said: We were on a cruise to Asia this past October. We did see the Great Wall on our first tour day. The pollution was so bad that my my nose kept running and it gave me a sore throat. Between the pollution, terrible traffic, and the restrooms with hole in the floor, we chose to stay on the ship the next two days and miss Forbidden City. It was disgusting. FWIW: when in China, always look for the "handicapped" toilet (the only difference from the floor hole being that you get an actual toilet) and bring your own travel size TP and paper seat covers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrulyBlonde Posted February 9, 2020 #202 Share Posted February 9, 2020 20 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said: FWIW: when in China, always look for the "handicapped" toilet (the only difference from the floor hole being that you get an actual toilet) and bring your own travel size TP and paper seat covers. Thanks for the tip. I have zero interest in returning. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanandJim Posted February 9, 2020 #203 Share Posted February 9, 2020 10 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said: bring your own travel size TP and paper seat covers On the TP I agree, but my contention (purely unscientific of course) is that the seat covers only work on those rare occasions when they fit the bowl easily. Once we start to fiddle with them, the benefit evaporates. On a similar topic, I'm reminded of a Joan Rivers anecdote where she lost a (real) diamond earing down one of those "hole in the floor" Chinese commodes where the jewelry was still visible after it fell down the hole. "I am VERY health conscious", Joan reported, "and quite frugal as well". "But even I thought to myself, Joan that earing IS vintage Dior", before walking away from that bathroom, forever. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatbush Flyer Posted February 9, 2020 #204 Share Posted February 9, 2020 5 minutes ago, TrulyBlonde said: Thanks for the tip. I have zero interest in returning. 😉 You're not alone in that sentiment. Nonetheless, having traveled all over China pre-retirement and visited many places (even with clean toilets), I'll return when the whole virus mess is over and done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PaulMCO Posted February 9, 2020 #205 Share Posted February 9, 2020 It has been 15 years since I was last there. My first visit was in 1979. I have several passports filled with Chinese stamped visas. Remember being on the Great Wall alone. No one even near me. Was looking forward to seeing the changes. As far as respiratory illness in the winter we all came down with a bad cough due to the pollution. No not cars, but burning soft coal for heating which was the norm of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrulyBlonde Posted February 9, 2020 #206 Share Posted February 9, 2020 22 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said: You're not alone in that sentiment. Nonetheless, having traveled all over China pre-retirement and visited many places (even with clean toilets), I'll return when the whole virus mess is over and done. I would return to Japan in a heartbeat. Clean, and those toilets are fabulous! I will say that we did enjoy Shanghai and The Bund. We stayed at the Peninsula in both Shanghai and Tokyo and both were exceptional. There were positives to our Asia cruise. Beijing was just not one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohcsim123 Posted February 9, 2020 #207 Share Posted February 9, 2020 22 hours ago, susiesan said: Why would you cancel a European cruise in July? I am looking forward to my June Baltic cruise on Marina since the ports should not be as crowded, since Chinese nationals are not going to be traveling around the world much for the rest of the year as no countries will let them in. Chinese tourists have been mobbing European cities for the last few years so I expect these places will see smaller crowds. If your cruise is in the Med you will appreciate the lower numbers of tourists there. The Med has become an overcrowded over touristed mob scene and I won't be taking a Med cruise ever again. I don't think Baltic port cities have reached saturation point yet but they are getting there. Hi Susiesan, Thanks for the reply and valuable info. We too are looking forward to our UK cruise (also on Marina) and will not cancel unless it seems prudent before we have to make our final payment in about four weeks. If we had already made our final payment, cancellation would be more costly and would certainly change the decision calculus. This whole epidemic is still very new and uncertainty prevails. Of course, Europe is not immune and we are personally fortunate to have some time to watch and reevaluate before finally committing big $$$ four weeks from now. Europe will still be there even if we decide to postpone for now. I hope all goes well with your Baltic cruise. We cruised that area ten years ago and it was great. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShopperfiendTO Posted February 9, 2020 #208 Share Posted February 9, 2020 On 2/7/2020 at 10:06 AM, PhotoSail said: Just got this from my TA a little while ago.: IMPORTANT NOTIFICATION FOR GUESTS TRAVELING WITH OCEANIA CRUISES Dear Valued Guests and Travel Advisors, We wish to bring you an important update on our upcoming sailings to Asia that have been affected by the recent travel restrictions impacting mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. Nautica – March 4, 2020 Nautica – March 18, 2020 Nautica – April 13, 2020 Insignia – May 9, 2020 Insignia – May 24, 2020 At this time, itinerary revisions are currently underway but are taking longer than anticipated due to additional travel restrictions and port closures around the region. Our port operations team is working to secure ports and berthing arrangements as quickly as possible. As soon as we have revised itineraries confirmed, we will communicate them to you along with very attractive goodwill compensation. I would also like to present you with the most up to date restrictions that all guests need to be aware of. Policies currently in place include: · Guests who have traveled from, visited, or transited through airports in China, including Hong Kong and Macau, within 30 days of their voyage embarkation, regardless of nationality, will not be allowed to board any of our vessels. The standard incubation period recognized by the World Health Organization and United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for this virus is 14 days. · Guests who are denied boarding will be issued a refund when they provide proof of travel. · For all guests, we will continue standard pre-boarding health reporting and evaluation. Any guests who appear symptomatic are subject to pre-boarding medical evaluations including but not limited to, temperature checks as deemed necessary. · Any guest who exhibits symptoms of any respiratory illness while on board will be subject to additional screening at our onboard Medical Center and may be subject to potential quarantine and disembarkation. · We have implemented additional cleaning and disinfection protocols on board all voyages. These protocols will be enforced in addition to our already rigorous sanitization standards in place. · Our crew members who have traveled from, visited or transited via airports in China, including Hong Kong and Macau within 30 days will not be allowed on board our ships. · Singapore and the Philippines are not currently allowing Chinese nationals to disembark at their ports. Guests with a Chinese passport who are traveling on voyages that disembark in one of these regions will not be allowed on board our ships. If additional port restrictions are put into place, we may have to modify this policy as needed. · Guests who are denied boarding due to this will be issued a refund. The above measures will remain in effect until further notice and are subject to change at any time as we evaluate the situation and continue to consult with local health authorities, as well as the World Health Organization at www.WHO.int and United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.CDC.gov. On behalf of the entire team at Oceania Cruises, I thank you for your understanding and patience with this fluid and rapidly evolving situation. We look forward to sharing revised itinerary details with you shortly. Warmest regards, Carlos Ortega Vice President, Guest Services Oceania Cruises Please note this email does not accept replies. This email was sent by: Oceania Cruises 7665 Corporate Center Drive. Miami, FL, 33126. USA Latest update is here: https://www.oceaniacruises.com/coronavirus-statement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tocruiseguy Posted February 9, 2020 #209 Share Posted February 9, 2020 10 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said: I will respectfully disagree with you to a point. Just two days ago, we were on a safari-type excursion in South Africa where the four wheel drive truck on a very rough road proved way too much to handle for a guy with a "bad back" issue. He disregarded the clear warnings about physical capacity, which were in the tour description. We had to cut the tour short because of his decision to be inconsiderate. As you can expect, this type of behavior is not uncommon. I agree, there seems to be this attitude that because people are on vacation, nothing bad can happen to them. If you have serious pre-existing medical issues and something unusual does occur, specifically something like catching a bad norovirus or other communicable disease your risk level of a bad outcome will greatly increase. Cruise ships are clearly great places to catch something due to tight confines and constant contact with other passengers and crew. Cruise ships are not equipped to be temporary assisted living floating retirement homes. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susiesan Posted February 9, 2020 #210 Share Posted February 9, 2020 1 hour ago, PaulMCO said: It has been 15 years since I was last there. My first visit was in 1979. I have several passports filled with Chinese stamped visas. Remember being on the Great Wall alone. No one even near me. Was looking forward to seeing the changes. As far as respiratory illness in the winter we all came down with a bad cough due to the pollution. No not cars, but burning soft coal for heating which was the norm of the day. Paul, you would have been so disillusioned with the changes in China, not for the better. my first trip was a combo Yangtze River cruise and tour for 10 days in Oct. 2001. That's the trip where my husband got the respiratory infection at the end of the tour while in Beijing. The trip was somewhat enjoyable, but toilets in China are not for the fainthearted. My second trip to China was a DIY land tour in 2011, visiting Beijing, Guilin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou. People on Flyertalk helped me plan it. That's the trip where I have the photos of the air pollution in Beijing, thought it was just an overcast day. Not much had improved, buses and trains were packed, the sanitation was awful, the crowds everywhere were terrible. I did have plans to return to China, to visit another part of the country I had not been to but over the years I have lost my interest. As I get older, I just cannot tolerate crowds, rudeness, pushing and shoving, smoking everywhere, spitting on the streets. I may consider a trip to Taipei, a DIY land tour. That's as close to China as I want to get again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted February 9, 2020 #211 Share Posted February 9, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, susiesan said: Paul, you would have been so disillusioned with the changes in China, not for the better. my first trip was a combo Yangtze River cruise and tour for 10 days in Oct. 2001. That's the trip where my husband got the respiratory infection at the end of the tour while in Beijing. The trip was somewhat enjoyable, but toilets in China are not for the fainthearted. My second trip to China was a DIY land tour in 2011, visiting Beijing, Guilin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou. People on Flyertalk helped me plan it. That's the trip where I have the photos of the air pollution in Beijing, thought it was just an overcast day. Not much had improved, buses and trains were packed, the sanitation was awful, the crowds everywhere were terrible. I did have plans to return to China, to visit another part of the country I had not been to but over the years I have lost my interest. As I get older, I just cannot tolerate crowds, rudeness, pushing and shoving, smoking everywhere, spitting on the streets. I may consider a trip to Taipei, a DIY land tour. That's as close to China as I want to get again. If you decide to visit Taipei and have even a minimal interest in art, the National Palace Museum there has the best collection of Chinese art, primarily objects from the Chinese emperors’ private collections. I visited twice with an art group in 2011, and to view this collection was the primary reason we flew to Taiwan after our visit to mainland China. Edited February 9, 2020 by CintiPam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PaulMCO Posted February 9, 2020 #212 Share Posted February 9, 2020 That is the best day thing to do in Taipei. The treasures of China looted by the KMT 😀 I had to do the Chang memorial Too as my host insisted. the night market (aka snake ally) is also a not to miss. I am hoping that the Taiwan allows cruise ships soon and O makes it the replacement for Hong Kong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted February 9, 2020 #213 Share Posted February 9, 2020 2 hours ago, CintiPam said: If you decide to visit Taipei and have even a minimal interest in art, the National Palace Museum there has the best collection of Chinese art, primarily objects from the Chinese emperors’ private collections. I visited twice with an art group in 2011, and to view this collection was the primary reason we flew to Taiwan after our visit to mainland China. Agreed. Although the museum in Shanghai is not too shabby either 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UDSpud Posted February 9, 2020 #214 Share Posted February 9, 2020 Just a thought - If you are considering, or have booked an upcoming cruise, have you gotten a flu shot since last summer? (this flu season) I have not seen any news comments about American citizens that have been confirmed to have the coronavirus that answers this question - Did they have a current flu shot ? My next Oceania cruise is in April (TA and Med) and I intend to get a booster flu shot to follow up on my October 2019 flu shot. It may not prevent the coronavirus, but may decrease the effects. As far as other issues discussed in this thread, I note the following. There are many times on cruises and shore excursions, before I start, that I remind myself that I am 75, not 25. (and plan accordingly). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
europeaddict Posted February 10, 2020 #215 Share Posted February 10, 2020 I'm encouraged by the letter that I read posted her on Friday. I think we just have to see what they come up with to compensate those of us concerned about flying and traveling thru SE Asia in light of the potential pandemic as numbers increase and the virus spreads worldwide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hokapontas Posted February 10, 2020 #216 Share Posted February 10, 2020 8 hours ago, UDSpud said: Just a thought - If you are considering, or have booked an upcoming cruise, have you gotten a flu shot since last summer? (this flu season) I have not seen any news comments about American citizens that have been confirmed to have the coronavirus that answers this question - Did they have a current flu shot ? My next Oceania cruise is in April (TA and Med) and I intend to get a booster flu shot to follow up on my October 2019 flu shot. It may not prevent the coronavirus, but may decrease the effects. As far as other issues discussed in this thread, I note the following. There are many times on cruises and shore excursions, before I start, that I remind myself that I am 75, not 25. (and plan accordingly). Its a fine idea, and you will most likely get the southern hemisphere flu booster, but run it by your GP first. It will definitely reduce your chances of catching the flu on board, but none of the current variants include coronaviruses - and it's novel, as well. Maybe best to have your immune system kicking but not busy - healthy foods and hydrated with fluids for a start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hokapontas Posted February 10, 2020 #217 Share Posted February 10, 2020 17 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said: You're not alone in that sentiment. Nonetheless, having traveled all over China pre-retirement and visited many places (even with clean toilets), I'll return when the whole virus mess is over and done. Sadly, nobody knows when that will be 😕 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drkitkat123 Posted February 10, 2020 #218 Share Posted February 10, 2020 9 hours ago, PaulMCO said: That is the best day thing to do in Taipei. The treasures of China looted by the KMT 😀 I had to do the Chang memorial Too as my host insisted. the night market (aka snake ally) is also a not to miss. I am hoping that the Taiwan allows cruise ships soon and O makes it the replacement for Hong Kong. dunno, may be just me but I am now currently not keen to visit any markets in East Asia. That's where this whole thing started.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drkitkat123 Posted February 10, 2020 #219 Share Posted February 10, 2020 and some think from snakes although now others say not! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted February 10, 2020 #220 Share Posted February 10, 2020 Back to the pollution issue, we did a Viking riverboat trip to China in May 2008 and the pollution in Beijing especially was horrendous. All of my photos are a dingy grey, often more than just dingy. Friends from a previous Oceania cruise went there for the Olympics a few months after we were there, when the government had made efforts to clean up the pollution. They reported that it was much better in August than we found in May, but it appears things have gone back to normal. I assume there are still a tremendous amount of cars on the roads. In 2008 if your license plate ended wit an "odd" number , you could drive one day; those ending with an even number could drive the next day. I imagine that hasn't changed ... unless it's gotten even more stringent. I agree about the Shanghai art museum! That was one of the highlights of our trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irr Posted February 10, 2020 #221 Share Posted February 10, 2020 Has anyone received information from Oceania about the March 4 cruise from Singapore (now at orange alert due to the virus and a case cluster in France due to a traveler from Singapore as well as a case cluster in their financial hub) to ? as they do not know their port of disembarkation. All we know now is that the cruise is on. There are currently no refunds or credits for a future cruise being offered if you opt to cancel. You will not be allowed on board if you travel through Hong Kong but need to show proof of having traveled to get your money back. Everyone who did not book air fare with them is on their own to get home and find new air fare from wherever they wind up. All of this while the situation one the Princess cruise ship deteriorates with escalating number of cases, now at 130 (almost doubling in the past day) and more and more Asian ports unwilling to accept cruise ships as well as flight cancellations from Asian locations increasing. Please let me know if there is any other information anyone else has. We have heard nothing more since last Friday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PaulMCO Posted February 10, 2020 #222 Share Posted February 10, 2020 (edited) 32 minutes ago, irr said: Has anyone received information from Oceania about the March 4 cruise from Singapore (now at orange alert due to the virus and a case cluster in France due to a traveler from Singapore as well as a case cluster in their financial hub) to ? as they do not know their port of disembarkation. All we know now is that the cruise is on. There are currently no refunds or credits for a future cruise being offered if you opt to cancel. You will not be allowed on board if you travel through Hong Kong but need to show proof of having traveled to get your money back. Everyone who did not book air fare with them is on their own to get home and find new air fare from wherever they wind up. All of this while the situation one the Princess cruise ship deteriorates with escalating number of cases, now at 130 (almost doubling in the past day) and more and more Asian ports unwilling to accept cruise ships as well as flight cancellations from Asian locations increasing. Please let me know if there is any other information anyone else has. We have heard nothing more since last Friday. Everyone on Nautica and Insignia that has port docking in Hong Kong/Singapore are still in suspense. Regent cruisers are in the same situation. We are still booked to Hong Kong in May. Last week Oceania sent a reminder to us to get our China visas. Kind of sad. Edited February 10, 2020 by PaulMCO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irr Posted February 10, 2020 #223 Share Posted February 10, 2020 This is unlikely to be resolved by May. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pearl64 Posted February 10, 2020 #224 Share Posted February 10, 2020 We just got this update. I guess the cruise is a go. We are okay with the changes so far. We are on the April 13 cruise out of Yokohama. Thanks. Important Itinerary Update Dear Valued Guests and Travel Advisors, We would like to inform you of some very important itinerary modifications that have been made to Nautica’s April 13, 2020 voyage from Tokyo to Singapore. This itinerary update also applies to guests on our April 3rd and April 13th Extended Journey voyages. To ensure the continued health and safety of our guests and crew, and in an abundance of caution with the current outbreak of Coronavirus, we will be bypassing Shanghai, China and Hong Kong. In their place, we have crafted a revised itinerary that includes a bevy of remarkable ports including Busan, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, and Ha Long Bay. To thank you for your understanding with this prudent change, you will receive a Future Cruise Credit equal to 25% of your cruise fare paid. The future cruise credit will be issued and added to your Oceania Club profile. You will have until February 10, 2021 to redeem your future cruise certificate on any Oceania Cruises voyage departing by February 10, 2022. The revised portion of the itinerary is detailed below for your reference: DATE PORT COUNTRY ARRIVE DEPART 13-Apr Tokyo Japan Overnight 14-Apr Tokyo Japan 4:00 PM 15-Apr Shimizu Japan 7:00 AM 2:00 PM 16-Apr Osaka Japan 9:00 AM 7:00 PM 17-Apr Hiroshima Japan 9:00 AM 5:00 PM 18-Apr Busan South Korea 10:00 AM 7:00 PM 19-Apr Nagasaki Japan 8:00 AM 6:00 PM 20-Apr Kagoshima Japan 8:00 AM 6:00 PM 21-Apr At Sea 22-Apr Ishigaki Japan 8:00 AM 8:00 PM 23-Apr At Sea 24-Apr At Sea 25-Apr Ha Long Bay Vietnam 8:00 AM 6:00 PM 26-Apr At Sea 27-Apr Nha Trang Vietnam 8:00 AM 4:00 PM 28-Apr Saigon Vietnam 12 Noon Overnight 29-Apr Saigon Vietnam 3:00 PM 30-Apr At Sea 1-May Singapore Singapore 8:00 AM Disembark Any shore excursions you had reserved for Shanghai, Beijing, and Dalian will be refunded to your credit card on file, where applicable. Shore excursions for the newly added ports will be available online shortly. Important Notes: Guests who have made their air arrangements independently are solely responsible for ensuring that none of their flights route through mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau and the return flight is changed to depart from Singapore. Oceania Cruises will pay up to US$300 per guest in the form of a shipboard credit for any change fees incurred by the airline. Please forward copies of the airline’s change fee charges prior to the cruise to the attention of specialservices@oceaniacruises.com for review. Any guests having traveled through mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau within 30 days of the voyage will be denied embarkation. In addition, guests that presents a Chinese, Hong Kong, or Macau passport will be denied boarding. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call your travel advisor or Oceania Cruises. We thank you for your understanding of this prudent and important change. Sincerely, Carlos Ortega Vice President, Guest Services Oceania Cruises This eMail was sent by: Oceania Cruises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrulyBlonde Posted February 10, 2020 #225 Share Posted February 10, 2020 @Pearl64 that is a nice itinerary and hope ports stay open for you. Changes are happening daily RE: Busan S Korea South Korea bans cruise ships: Meanwhile, South Korea will temporarily suspend entry to cruise ships amid the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said during a briefing Monday. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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