Corona virus RCI policy

[lr657]

17 minutes ago, brillohead said:

All the more reason that you shouldn't be saying that wearing a mask is useless.... coronavirus is still believed to be droplet, therefore a mask IS useful, and a respirator is NOT necessary.  
 

 

 

 

A respirator mask is definitely NOT necessary, as the coronavirus is currently not classified as being airborne.  No problem with people wearing a mask if they feel safer wearing one, but readjusting them can cause you to touch your face more than you would if you were not wearing one. In addition, the outside of the mask is exposed to the droplets. Since you seem to have a lot of knowledge on this topic, have you seen any information on the length of time that the infectious agent in the droplets remain active? 

 

 

Edited February 3, 2020 by lr657

[nadinenurse1]

So not meaning to change the thread,but, after the cruise, we go to Walt Disney World , lol talk about another location....lots and lots of foreign visitors...I guess we stay away from the China Pavillin  in EPCOT, just kidding, we cruise in 10 days  on the Indy to W Carribean, and yes also a RN had to be fit tested for years for myN95 mask,  always had to be weighted , nightmare, lol,just a little humor ....I will be bringing  no masks, my family already knows hand washing techniques, poor things to have aMom a  RN,  and I am 60, never have gotten ill not once from all,of the lovely stuff Inhave have been around,  I am blessed and very lucky....but I do really wash my hands all the time don’t touch my face... and I ate at very single salad bar and buffet I can find... just luck I guess, no colds,  no stomach virus  no seasonal flu, same for my kids who are now in their late 20’s..so either we are immune, just kidding, lucky or the hand washing works

[lr657]

Prevention information from CDC:

 

Edited February 3, 2020 by lr657

[LeeaAndPaul]

10 hours ago, Heymarco said:

That’s really too bad. At this point your husband has a higher risk of getting hit by a car that week than death by cruise virus.

What I been reading.. people whom didn't cancel their cruises are not really having a good time. Flights and ports are getting cancelled.... I would cancel and go latter. I like stress free vacations lol!

[brillohead]

2 hours ago, marci22 said:

You keep saying this. How do you know people do not care about influenza? How do you know these people did not get a flu shot? Being concerned about an unknown virus is reasonable. People are looking for information. 

How many new threads and posts do you see here about influenza?  None.  

If people cared about influenza as much as they do coronavirus, we'd have people talking about it, worrying about it, etc.  

 

CDC estimates* that, from October 1, 2019, through January 25, 2020, there have been:

19,000,000 – 26,000,000
flu illnesses

8,600,000 – 12,000,000
flu medical visits

180,000 – 310,000
flu hospitalizations

10,000 – 25,000
flu deaths

 

[littlehorse]

"

A person who was a passenger on a Japanese-operated cruise ship has tested positive for a new virus after leaving the ship in Hong Kong on Jan. 25.

The ship returned to Yokohama carrying 3,000 passengers and crew members after making port calls in Vietnam, Taiwan and Okinawa. A team of quarantine officials and medical staff boarded the ship on Monday night and began medical checks of everyone on board, a health ministry official said on condition of anonymity, citing department rules.

He said some people on the ship have developed coughs, fevers and other symptoms, though they were not yet linked to the virus. The passengers and crew members may be quarantined on the ship if the captain agrees to do so, the official said."

[ARandomTraveler]

3 hours ago, marci22 said:

I looked at Chase Sapphire cc travel insurance. 

 

"Your disinclination to travel due to an epidemic or pandemic" is excluded. However, "Quarantine of You or Your Traveling Companion imposed by a Physician or by a competent governmental authority having jurisdiction, due to health reasons" is covered. I wonder if traveling through a prohibited area (such as HK) and being denied boarding is considered a government quarantine. I'd certainly look into it if I used Chase to purchase and was denied boarding.

That is pretty standard with regular travel insurance, whether it comes with your credit card or you buy it independently. Bad weather and natural disasters aren’t covered either, unless the place you’re going is deemed uninhabitable, which can end up being broken down to semantics. A hurricane damaged a whole bunch of islands in 2017 and cruises didn’t cancel sailings and regular trip insurance wouldn’t pay out. Just cancel for any reason, which most people don’t buy. 

Edited February 3, 2020 by ARandomTraveler

[marci22]

1 hour ago, brillohead said:

How many new threads and posts do you see here about influenza?  None.  

If people cared about influenza as much as they do coronavirus, we'd have people talking about it, worrying about it, etc.  

 

CDC estimates* that, from October 1, 2019, through January 25, 2020, there have been:

19,000,000 – 26,000,000
flu illnesses

8,600,000 – 12,000,000
flu medical visits

180,000 – 310,000
flu hospitalizations

10,000 – 25,000
flu deaths

 

So what's your point? You don't want people talking about 2019-nCoV? They shouldn't discuss it?

[marci22]

3 hours ago, brillohead said:

All the more reason that you shouldn't be saying that wearing a mask is useless.... coronavirus is still believed to be droplet, therefore a mask IS useful, and a respirator is NOT necessary.  

CDC what not to do:

 

• Do not travel to China.
• Do not use facemasks. CDC does not recommend the use of facemasks for the general public to prevent the spread of 2019-nCoV.
• Do not show prejudice to people of Asian descent, because of fear of this new virus. Do not assume that someone of Asian descent is more likely to have 2019-nCoV.

[lr657]

9 minutes ago, marci22 said:

CDC what not to do:

 

• Do not travel to China.
• Do not use facemasks. CDC does not recommend the use of facemasks for the general public to prevent the spread of 2019-nCoV.
• Do not show prejudice to people of Asian descent, because of fear of this new virus. Do not assume that someone of Asian descent is more likely to have 2019-nCoV.

 

I'm glad you are seeing this also. I've been trying to share this information, but got tired of defending myself. This info has been supported by all the physicians I ask. At this point, everyone should do what they feel best doing even if it's not the best thing to do.

[MalteseMama2]

DH & i just received texts from RCI about our upcoming Caribbean cruise. It states what has already been on here: if anyone has traveled from, through or to China less than 15 days before embarkation, they will not be allowed to board. This includes crew. 

[Jam0610]

19 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

This email is going out to ALL cruises.

Wife and I were just e mailed same message for our Liberty of the Seas cruise in March.

[pineapple666]

Just receive the same email for sailings in March. Wondering if anyone fall into this 14 days restriction got their full refund or not.

[TNcruising02]

I received an email and a text from Royal about it.  I cruise on March 8th.

[lazydayz]

We cruise on February 28th and received the same e-mail.  I hope Royal is working with those who cannot cruise due to these restrictions. 

[ecslady]

Received the text too - cruising March 8.

[ARandomTraveler]

3 hours ago, ecslady said:

Received the text too - cruising March 8.

It doesn’t sound like any of these messages are letting people know what their refund options are, if any. 

[Ourusualbeach]

13 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

It doesn’t sound like any of these messages are letting people know what their refund options are, if any. 

Unless you have been in or travelled through China or Hong Kong within 14 days prior to sailing there aren’t any refund options. 

[pineapple666]

Just now, Ourusualbeach said:

Unless you have been in or travelled through China or Hong Kong within 14 days prior to sailing there aren’t any refund options. 

Has anyone successfully got full refund for the upcoming cruise due to the 14 days restriction? We are actually affected by this. I got the same email from RCI today, but they refused to give refund now since it is not yet close to sailing (in March). I wonder if I should wait until the last 14 days or call back again soon later.

[Ourusualbeach]

6 minutes ago, pineapple666 said:

Has anyone successfully got full refund for the upcoming cruise due to the 14 days restriction? We are actually affected by this. I got the same email from RCI today, but they refused to give refund now since it is not yet close to sailing (in March). I wonder if I should wait until the last 14 days or call back again soon later.

It is only if you are within the 14 days.  As of right now you aren’t so they won’t refund you anything. 

 

Restrictions could be eased by then or be even more restrictive. 

Edited February 4, 2020 by Ourusualbeach

[Maplemoose]

And I am wondering how this is affecting embarkation, especially on the Harmony in PC. Anyone board on Sunday and are following forum? 

[pineapple666]

16 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

It is only if you are within the 14 days.  As of right now you aren’t so they won’t refund you anything. 

 

Restrictions could be eased by then or be even more restrictive. 

Thanks, I will keep an eye on it.

 

Has anyone got full refund that cruising within 14days of sailing and affected by this new policy? How easy is it?

Edited February 4, 2020 by pineapple666

[shofer]

We are sailing on Symphony out of Miami this Saturday.  Today received this email:

 

Dear Guest,

We’re looking forward to welcoming you aboard! Before you embark on our adventure, we have some important information to share with you.

After consultation with medical experts and public health authorities, we’ve decided that regardless of nationality, any guest or crewmember traveling from, to, or through mainland China or Hong Kong less than 15 days prior to their sailing will be unable to board any of our ships. We regret to have to do this, but due to the recent increase of coronavirus cases around the world, this precaution will help avoid the spread of this virus. We take this very seriously and have a responsibility to maintain a safe and healthy environment onboard our ships, as well as in the ports we visit.

Additionally, we’ve tightened our secondary health screening requirements and the following guests will need to undergo extra screenings to ensure safety at the cruise terminal:

• Guests or crewmembers that have been in contact with individuals that have traveled from, to, or through mainland China or Hong Kong in the last 15 days.
• Anyone that holds a Chinese or Hong Kong passport - regardless of when they were there last.
• Anyone that feels unwell or demonstrates flu-like symptoms.

While these measures are conservative, our responsibility is to reduce the spread of coronavirus, in an effort to keep our ships safe and to ensure you are able to enjoy your time with us.

If you or someone in your stateroom has traveled from, to, or through mainland China or Hong Kong, please contact your Travel Advisor immediately, or contact us at 1-800-256-6649 or visit www.RoyalCaribbean.com/contactusfor your local Royal Caribbean International office phone number. 

Your vacation and your health are very important to us, so in an abundance of caution, we’ve taken numerous proactive steps to maintain high health standards onboard our ships. This includes:

• Thoroughly sanitizing the cruise ship terminal before and after every sailing,
• Special sanitizing of high traffic areas onboard multiple times a day,
• Adding extra medical staff on each sailing, 
• Providing complimentary consultations with medical experts for all guests & crew, 
• Plus, the Captain will make two daily announcements during your cruise reminding everyone of how to stay healthy onboard.

And, you can do your part too! To ensure we all have an enjoyable cruise, here are some important tips to help keep you healthy and prevent colds, flus, and stomach viruses – both onboard and on land. 

• After using the bathroom and before any meal or snack (it’s a cruise; we know there’s lots of that), make sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
• If you happen to sneeze, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue (or with your upper sleeve). Avoid sneezing or coughing into your hands or without covering your nose and mouth.
• Use hand sanitizer as often as possible. Rub the gel thoroughly, and in-between your fingers, until your hands are dry.

And remember, if you don’t feel well while you’re onboard, it’s imperative that you immediately visit our medical facility on Deck 2 for a complimentary checkup. Our onboard doctors and nurses are always ready to assist. Your safety and wellbeing are always our top priorities, but we also want you to have an amazing time. Stay clean, stay healthy, stay happy!

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

 

[xxHadleyxx]

We were booked on back to back cruises, sailing round-trip out of Shanghai, first one leaving 13 March.

We'd not heard ANYthing from RCI (not even the letter everyone else is getting, but then how could you sail from Shanghai without being in China?!).

 

DH called today and was able to cancel with refund of port fees and taxes and the rest given as a future cruise credit.

 

We're good with that solution.

[pineapple666]

2 minutes ago, xxHadleyxx said:

We were booked on back to back cruises, sailing round-trip out of Shanghai, first one leaving 13 March.

We'd not heard ANYthing from RCI (not even the letter everyone else is getting, but then how could you sail from Shanghai without being in China?!).

 

DH called today and was able to cancel with refund of port fees and taxes and the rest given as a future cruise credit.

 

We're good with that solution.

Thanks for sharing. Is the future cruise credit good for one year or even longer?