Are you afraid of the coronavirus in your next cruise?

[KnowTheScore]

11 minutes ago, Zombatar said:

Interesting thoughts so here is my take on the situation: 

 

Imagine a 7 day cruise leaves the UK and day one or two a passenger develops coronavirus like symptoms. The ship will not be allowed into its next port so as pointed out previously it will cruise around until the tests are carried out. Now the nightmare scenario, the sick passenger has got the virus. Cruise ship immediately returns to its home port where all passengers and crew will have to be quarantined, which will be difficult with a small liner and impossible with the big ones at up to 7000 including crew. The only thing I can see happening is that the cruise ship will become a quarantine vessel, anchored off shore with nobody allowed on or off. God knows how they will manage to get supplies on board!!

 

I am sure you will all reply that it could never happen here, this is Britain and we are too civilised to allow that sought of thing. You will say that I am simply scaremongering  but..... "what if"?

 

Peter

 

 

Yep this is a very possible reality and has already happened.

 

"The ship, the Diamond Princess, ended its planned 14-day itinerary early and is currently docked off the coast of Yokohama, not far from the Japanese capital. Medical officials are going room-by-room to check each guests' temperature and medical condition, Japan's health ministry said in a statement. Several passengers have reported feeling ill, and the tests to check if they contracted the virus will take four to five hours, the ministry said.

Passengers and crew will now be required to stay on board until at least Tuesday night.

There are 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew members on board, Princess Cruises said in a statement."

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/04/asia/coronavirus-japan-cruise-intl-hnk/index.html

 

Holiday nightmare and what a waste of £000s to those cruisers.   Will anyone get any compensation?  I very much doubt it because cruise lines are not in control of the virus.  

 

Air conditioning on ships is for me invariably horrible and tends to circulate the same air through all cabins so if someone gets Flu it quickly spreads around and there's no way to switch off that air conditioning.   One can imagine that many people will get the virus if they are effectively quarantined on a ship with one or more sick passengers.  

 

But run your scenario again but this time say the passenger DIDN'T get confirmed with the Coronavirus.   What happens is you miss ports whilst they try and determine if it is just a cold/flu or Coronavirus.  And by the time they do that the next person will present with signs of cold/flu and so on it goes.   The holiday will be ruined with endless people SUSPECTED of having the virus whilst not actually having it.   Hence my original question, Is there any point cruising just now with this whole Coronavirus situation occurring?

 

 

Edited February 4, 2020 by KnowTheScore

[Pentlands]

I thnk these are all high probabilities and hope things are a bit clearer before July, when I am next on ship.

 

But the problem will be worse than just cruises. All airtravel will be affected as will coach holidays across Europe and hotels. The scenario, not just of catchting this, but of severe disruptions because of it and also because of the fear of it look likely to be exponential to me.

[Cruiser_1977]

TBH didn't read the whole original post. Don't have a cruise booked until Jan 2021. However, if I was given a chance to cruise in Asia, or anywhere, tomorrow I'd go. No more worried about Corona than the regular flu. Nor am I worried about the precautions. I cruise to be on the ship as much as for the itinerary. So if a port or two were closed to the ship, no biggie. Grab a book and head to the pool or a show or simply people watch.

Edited February 4, 2020 by JennyB1977

[cruisemom42]

Is there any point cruising?

 

Depends on your expectations I suppose. Some cruise for a relaxing holiday on the water with the ship as their destination. If that is the case, I think a reasonable holiday can still be had. 

 

It's not why I cruise, to be quite honest, but it is a draw for some...  I know plenty of Americans who brag that they don't even bother getting off the ship in many Caribbean ports, and have heard some Europeans say the same in the Med.

 

For those who cruise for the destination, it's more challenging -- but it has always been imparted to me (almost as rule #1 about cruising) that if one is going to be disappointed if one doesn't arrive at a particular port, then one may be better off NOT cruising but taking a different kind of trip. Cruises at ANY time may run into issues requiring cancellation of certain ports, sometimes with substitutions, sometimes just replaced by a day at sea. I've been cruising for a long time and have seen disruptions caused by not just disease (e.g., swine flu back in 2010) but also by political unrest (Arab spring; issues with Greek economy causing protests) and even by things such as dock workers striking.

 

As to the illness itself, at some point the disease will either be contained, or it will spread worldwide and then trying to limit travel in order to limit infection will become a moot point. Nothing stops now when flu outbreaks occur.

[KnowTheScore]

1 hour ago, JennyB1977 said:

 No more worried about Corona than the regular flu. Nor am I worried about the precautions. I cruise to be on the ship as much as for the itinerary. So if a port or two were closed to the ship, no biggie.

 

 

Can sympathise with that and that's normal cruising, you do get to miss an odd port sometimes, but the world we are currently in is far from normal cruising.  If there is a bout of Coronavirus on board then you are missing all your ports, no question, and as can be seen by the current predicament of the Diamond Princess it sounds like you'll be confined to cabin.  Maybe endurable if you have a balcony cabin, less so if you are couped up inside for the duration and again I pose the question would people genuinely volunteer to spend £000s on a holiday if it's potentially going to end up like that?

 

In a scenario without Coronavirus on board but when someone has cold/flu symptoms then I presume (could be wrong) that you'll miss every port until that person and any subsequent cold/flu cases are cleared of Coronavirus.

 

As previous poster suggested the potential for disruption and a crappy holiday is somewhat exponential.

[KnowTheScore]

22 minutes ago, 2wheelin said:

All of their scenarios could be possible but the probability of all those stars lining up for them is pretty darn small.

 

 

Sorry but that's really a nonsense.  We have seen plainly with the Costa Smeralda that any passenger presenting with cold/flu like symptoms gets quarantined and the passengers are refused permission to disembark until the affected person is cleared of Coronavirus.

 

It's a nailed on 100% certainty that on EVERY cruise there will be people with cold/flu symptoms and therefore it follows that it is a nailed on certainty that every cruise is going to be impacted in the same way.   Can you remember any cruise where there wasn't at least one passenger coughing and sneezing ?

[Harry Peterson]

All UK citizens are being advised, along with citizens of various other countries, to leave China as soon as they can, if they’re able to.

 

This is on another level from influenza.  The economic impact, and not just on cruise companies of course, is severe, and is going to be felt for some time. 

 

Would I like to be on a locked down cruise ship? No. But my concerns go way beyond that.

[KnowTheScore]

More and more threads on this topic !

 

To answer OP

 

NO I'm not worried about getting Coronavirus, though 100% I would prefer to tackle it and get through it whilst at home with all my natural remedies and comforts than trying to do it on a cruise ship.

 

But YES I am extremely concerned about the huge likelihood that any cruise in now going to be disrupted by people presenting with ordinary cold/flu symptoms which will result in the cruise line isolating and testing the person until they are cleared and in the meantime passengers will not be allowed to disembark at ports (imo).   This is what we saw with the Costa Smeralda in Italy.

 

Since there are ALWAYS going to be people displaying cold/flu symptoms it seems to me a nailed on certainty that you are going to miss ports.   So the question is really do you want to spend £000s on a trip that is far more likely to see you miss multiple ports than normal?  

 

And as you say there is also the smaller chance that there is an actual bout of Coronavirus on board in which case the entire ship becomes a floating quarantine vessel. 

 

Each to their own but not for me I think.   If I'm paying £000s I don't want to waste it on a trip that in all seriousness is destined to not be able to deliver normal experience.

 

 

[KnowTheScore]

13 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

 No. But my concerns go way beyond that.

 

 

Likewise.

 

Once you're quarantined you enter a different world, controlled by higher powers.   Where will you end up?

In some hospital in a foreign country being tested until you can be cleared?

Transferred to a military facility for the duration?

Stuck in the ship's medical centre?

Being treated in a way you don't want?

 

etc etc

 

 

 

 

[2wheelin]

1 hour ago, KnowTheScore said:

 

 

Sorry but that's really a nonsense.  We have seen plainly with the Costa Smeralda that any passenger presenting with cold/flu like symptoms gets quarantined and the passengers are refused permission to disembark until the affected person is cleared of Coronavirus.

 

It's a nailed on 100% certainty that on EVERY cruise there will be people with cold/flu symptoms and therefore it follows that it is a nailed on certainty that every cruise is going to be impacted in the same way.   Can you remember any cruise where there wasn't at least one passenger coughing and sneezing ?

So you are saying that 100% of cruises in the near future will impose quarantine and miss most if not all ports. It currently takes one day to confirm or clear coronavirus. As I said, you probably should not travel.

[d9704011]

1 hour ago, KnowTheScore said:

 

 

Sorry but that's really a nonsense.  We have seen plainly with the Costa Smeralda that any passenger presenting with cold/flu like symptoms gets quarantined and the passengers are refused permission to disembark until the affected person is cleared of Coronavirus.

 

It's a nailed on 100% certainty that on EVERY cruise there will be people with cold/flu symptoms and therefore it follows that it is a nailed on certainty that every cruise is going to be impacted in the same way.   Can you remember any cruise where there wasn't at least one passenger coughing and sneezing ?

The people/passengers who reported flu-like symptoms were a Chinese passenger and her husband who had flown in from Hong Kong to join the cruise. So, I’ m thinking that those details largely contributed to the ‘lockdown’ while precautionary testing was undertaken.

[KnowTheScore]

9 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

The people/passengers who reported flu-like symptoms were a Chinese passenger and her husband who had flown in from Hong Kong to join the cruise. So, I’ m thinking that those details largely contributed to the ‘lockdown’ while precautionary testing was undertaken.

 

 

As can be seen from the Coronavirus Questionnaire Form being imposed at Gibraltar that doesn't matter.   All they are asking is if anyone has experienced cold/flu symptoms and if the answer is Yes then it's no disembarkation.   Unless I've misunderstood that form but I don't personally think I have.   It's common sense.   If someone has symptoms then everything is on halt until they can determine whether or not it is Coronavirus.   If you are due in port then that day's wait to do the testing is going to effectively mean that the port is missed.

 

I iterate again, how many people generally go down with cold/flu symptoms during the course of a cruise.  It's usually quite a few imho and they will be spread across the duration of the cruise.   So this "song and dance" routine is going to affect multiple ports imho.  Depends on the size of ship and health of passengers generally.

 

 

 

[Markanddonna]

I understand the OP's thinking on how cruising might not be the best option during this outbreak. I'm going on a cruise in the Caribbean this Saturday and my vacation goal is just to be warm and enjoy sunshine. I can have that on the ship or on land. So, even if every port was cancelled (worst case scenario,) my goal would be somewhat achieved. Of course, who wants to stay on a quarantined ship?

 

I was on two B2B,  very port intensive cruises in the Med this past fall. I really didn't care about the ships- they were my floating hotel. Almost every port was very important to me, and if I missed them, I would have been hugely disappointed and felt like I wasted my money.

 

I think the steps the cruise lines have recently taken and our government not allowing people who have recently been to China in our country may really help keep the numbers down. I also hope that the cruise lines really enforce prohibiting some of the disgusting habits observed by some passengers, ban self serving at buffets, etc.

 

MSC is not allowing new crew members from the affected areas onboard. They are also allowing their Chinese staff to extend their contracts. 

 

It might be that the ships in the Caribbean are actually healthier than ever because of increased sanitation efforts. Personally, I would not want to be on a cruise ship in Asia or Europe at this time.

 

I also can see many passengers reprimanding others for their unsanitary behaviors.  I hope there are no fist fights!

Edited February 4, 2020 by Markanddonna

[sfaaa]

6 hours ago, KnowTheScore said:

Not really

 

I just want to have a cruise and be reasonably confident that I will be able to get off at the ports we visit instead of being refused entry.

There is never any guarantee in life. If it happens, it happens. Buffet/MDR, casino, bars, pool and other ship amenities are still open. Lots to do and enjoy. Why sweat it?

[KnowTheScore]

53 minutes ago, sfaaa said:

There is never any guarantee in life. If it happens, it happens. Buffet/MDR, casino, bars, pool and other ship amenities are still open. Lots to do and enjoy. Why sweat it?

 

I'm not sweating it.  It's a simple choice that people have to make.

 

Q:   Would you happily pay your £000s for your cruise ticket if it was highly likely that you will miss a number of ports?

 

If the answer is Yes then cruise

 

If the answer is No then don't cruise

 

The problem I currently perceive is that many cruisers don't perceive the reality of that situation and are more focussed on whether or not they will actually catch the virus themselves or whether someone else will resulting in the entire ship quarantined and locked down.   Certainly my cruise line isn't telling me anything about the likelihood of being denied permission to disembark at ports, it's just putting out the standard spiel about health and safety and checks during embarkation.

 

So there are 2 separate risks that people have to weigh up here.

 

First the risk of Coronavirus actually being on-board

 

Second the risk that new protocols due to Coronavirus will see your cruise itinerary compromised.

 

You have to assess both and determine if its still worth shelling out £000s

 

Simple as.

 

 

 

[K32682]

The answer to all the fussing and fretting is quite simple.  If you are afraid of getting the coronavirus on a cruise don't take one. If you are panic struck that someone else shows coronavirus symptoms and your expensive holiday cruise will become a voyage of the damned, floating interminably off-shore on a quarantined ship then stay at home.

[Christine13020]

Risk depends on how many are sick and if they overwhelm the ships medical facilities. The only thing they can do to treat you is give supportive care and if there’s no bed, you will not get it, no matter how high your temp or difficulty with breathing. I know if I come down with it, I want to be in US with plenty of hospital beds. I’ve had the flu before and felt like I was going to die, it’s horrible.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Christine13020

[KnowTheScore]

55 minutes ago, K32682 said:

The answer to all the fussing and fretting is quite simple.  If you are afraid of getting the coronavirus on a cruise don't take one. If you are panic struck that someone else shows coronavirus symptoms and your expensive holiday cruise will become a voyage of the damned, floating interminably off-shore on a quarantined ship then stay at home.

 

 

You've missed the point TBH.  Both those scenarios are small chances, certainly a risk but small.

 

The third and bigger risk is that someone shows symptoms which are not Coronavirus but which result in people not being abe to disembark at ports in which case your holiday just becomes a long cruise at sea.

[K32682]

28 minutes ago, KnowTheScore said:

You've missed the point TBH.  Both those scenarios are small chances, certainly a risk but small.

 

The third and bigger risk is that someone shows symptoms which are not Coronavirus but which result in people not being abe to disembark at ports in which case your holiday just becomes a long cruise at sea.

 

The answer is the same.  If you are overwrought with hysteria at the thought of someone showing symptoms that may require they be tested for coronavirus and your ship being quarantined in the meantime stay at home.   

 

The risk would not appear that great.  So far there have been two ships quarantined.  In the first a passenger had symptoms but tested negative and the quarantine was brief.  In the second a passenger tested positive and the other passengers are being tested. This compares to the hundreds of cruise ships sailing around the world at any given time.      

 

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by K32682

[milolii]

 Princess announced:  Diamond Princess has 10 passengers tested positive for the virus,  taken off ship to hospitals.  Ship still under quarantine for 14 days now. . Passengers reporting on social media now confined to cabins.  https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2020/02/04/coronavirus-diamond-princess-cruise-quarantined-passenger-diagnosed/4625907002/

 

Wishing passengers  and crew well.  

[2wheelin]

1 hour ago, KnowTheScore said:

 

 

You've missed the point TBH.  Both those scenarios are small chances, certainly a risk but small.

 

The third and bigger risk is that someone shows symptoms which are not Coronavirus but which result in people not being abe to disembark at ports in which case your holiday just becomes a long cruise at sea.

Seems your “third and bigger risk” is the same as the quoted posters second risk which you deemed small.

[Harry Peterson]

What's happening on Diamond Princess puts this issue into a new phase.  10 passengers testing positive confirms the high infectivity which has always been the concern, but at least these passengers are being treated in Japan - God knows the ship's facilities couldn't cope with this.

 

No great surprise to some of us, sadly, but inevitable.

 

 

[Aplmac]

Who'da thunk that this could happen??

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5057/?source=131280&fbclid=IwAR3GmpwAdWLIHM6tMSmp6pSdw_ydmkoTt8B3onoxpd471VcCAKxKA_cPUHc

[Zombatar]

4 minutes ago, Aplmac said:

Who'da thunk that this could happen??

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5057/?source=131280&fbclid=IwAR3GmpwAdWLIHM6tMSmp6pSdw_ydmkoTt8B3onoxpd471VcCAKxKA_cPUHc

Oops.....well that puts the cat firmly among the pigeons I think. Or next cruise is Feb 21 so I suspect things will have resolved by then but it looks like there will a lot of panic going on in the Port Authorities so I would expect more cases of cruise ships not being allowed in over the next few weeks and possibly months. I am glad we are not travelling at the moment so unless the virus is reported in Bristol I shall not start to panic just yet!!

 

Peter

[Harry Peterson]

I’m guessing there are going to be a lot of cancellations pretty soon. Good time to pick up a bargain cruise - but not one I’d go for. Far too much downside.