Poll: Would you take an Orlando Caribbean 7 Day Cruise on 2/15?

[Liljo22]

2 hours ago, dexddd said:

No idea.  Report now of RCCL ship being screened in NJ.

I saw that also.  It says that Chinese nationals were sick and they were quarantined.  Since the cruise originated from NJ, I am guessing that they live in NY/NJ and not that they live in China.  Would be surprised if it came back positive.

 

The paranoia is hurting businesses right now.  Chinatown here in Houston is a ghost town.  There were rumors that one of the business owners visited China and tested positive which were untrue.  Business owners are worried that they can't sustain a prolonged loss of business.  

[GA Dave]

1 minute ago, Liljo22 said:

I saw that also.  It says that Chinese nationals were sick and they were quarantined.  Since the cruise originated from NJ, I am guessing that they live in NY/NJ and not that they live in China.  Would be surprised if it came back positive.

 

The paranoia is hurting businesses right now.  Chinatown here in Houston is a ghost town.  There were rumors that one of the business owners visited China and tested positive which were untrue.  Business owners are worried that they can't sustain a prolonged loss of business.  

Same thing here.  We have people in our area saying they won't eat at our local Chinese restaurants!  Talk about panic!!

[ggroggey]

Definitely go! Just got off the Breakaway for a 10 day cruise to similar itinerary. It was amazing! They did start to serve you from the buffet as a precaution at the end of the trip. In other words, you could not go up and select your food and put it on your plate. A Norwegian staff was there to assist you. Port Canaveral was a great port to embark from.

[JoeTec]

58 minutes ago, GA Dave said:

Something new to add to your considerations.  Bayonne, NJ is no where near China either.

 

Bayonne Ship

 

What I don't understand is I am seeing reports they sent 4 chinese nationals to be evaluated at the hospital but screened everyone else & sent them on their way.  If there is a minimum 14 day incubation period how do they know for sure no one else is infected?

[tcrandal]

Sadly, people worry about what the press directs us to. It's amazing how many people worry about this when there are literally thousands of other things more likely to harm you. It's amazing our ancestors had to hunt and gather and risk death from doing so every single day. If you are going to be concerned about small things, stay in the comfort of your house and watch others experience life on TV. 

 

I see such a reoccurring pattern with cruise vacations, and if it isn't hurricanes, it's something else. 

[Starry Eyes]

2 hours ago, JoeTec said:

What I don't understand is I am seeing reports they sent 4 chinese nationals to be evaluated at the hospital but screened everyone else & sent them on their way.  If there is a minimum 14 day incubation period how do they know for sure no one else is infected?

Of course, the authorities are not going to disclose any details of the involved passengers living situation or illnesses; they have privacy rights.  

 

Here’s a guess you might find somewhat reassuring: The fact that the other passengers were released from the ship today might suggest coronavirus is not particularly suspected.   For example, though they are Chinese nationals, perhaps the ill passengers are considered low risk for coronavirus (maybe they have been in North America for over 14 days and in contact with same)....or perhaps their symptoms suggest a different illness.  

[mking8288]

Have you taken your annual flu shots, your immunizations up-to-date.  Your pneumonia and MMR shots current, recent chest x-rays clean and negative on PPD test, immune systems not compromised, etc.  Well, we all only live once.  

 

BTW, welcome to CC. 

 

Meanwhile, who isn't afraid of dying, right.  Okay, it's not yet "Condition Blue" at where I used to work (disaster coded, major casualty incident, full emergency preparedness preparation, etc.) - everyone stay indoors, shelter in case, refill your water, non-perishable food, 30 days of MRE's and medications, backup power & lights, etc.  A full citywide, region-wide, state-wide or possible nationwide lockdown is coming, don't even step outside b/c the air can be contaminated from a CBRN "attack" - natural or man-made.  

 

Hey, it is end of the world as we know it. No need to deal with global warming,  WW3 or mass shootings, DWI/DUI deaths, cancer-stroke-heart attack, etc. 

 

That's what cancel for any reasons insurance are for; and, feel free to transfer and donate/transfer the cruise.  

Edited February 7, 2020 by mking8288

[Seattle_Guy]

Thank you to most of you that have added such thoughtful and helpful replies, particularly @Tapi, @Funky Fusion FoodsJ, @littlelulu01, @ronbe65, @momofab, @Starry Eyes,  @mking8288and @ggroggey.

 

This is a rapidly evolving situation, and I hope that some of the others who responded with condescension still have such snark in a few weeks. Seriously, I do, it means you were right 😉 

 

A particular thanks to my fellow cruise-mates for responding, we'll see you on board, hopefully!

[JamieLogical]

I cannot fathom canceling my vacation over something that is having such a minimal impact. Something like 50,000 people die of the flu every year, yet millions of people still vacation during flu season.  Yes, there is now one cruise ship that has been nowhere near Asia that is having screenings but that is ONE ship out of the many dozens that sail every week. When making any decision, you have to weigh the risk versus reward. Right now the risk is INCREDIBLY low. Probably not statistically higher than the risk of ANY cruise any time of year. But the reward of taking and enjoying a vacation is very high...

[tcrandal]

43 minutes ago, Seattle_Guy said:

Thank you to most of you that have added such thoughtful and helpful replies, particularly @Tapi, @Funky Fusion FoodsJ, @littlelulu01, @ronbe65, @momofab, @Starry Eyes,  @mking8288and @ggroggey.

 

This is a rapidly evolving situation, and I hope that some of the others who responded with condescension still have such snark in a few weeks. Seriously, I do, it means you were right 😉 

 

A particular thanks to my fellow cruise-mates for responding, we'll see you on board, hopefully!

Don't forget about Ebola, SARs, Flesh eating bacteria in oceans....  

[roger001]

If you stay in the US, look what that is going to subject you to!   

 

The most recent statistics, collected through the week ending January 25, 2020, report that there have been 19 million cases of influenza during US 2019-20 flu season. This is an increase of 4 million cases since the last report.

Additionally, the CDC has recorded 180,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths from the flu thus far. Based on these figures, severity is not considered high at this point in the flu season.

[TonyLing]

We are booked on a cruise departing from Miami Feb 15. 

 

We are Canadian citizens born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada in the 60's.  The last time we were in Asia was a couple of years ago.  We are more worried about being on the receiving end of paranoia than actually getting infected.  

 

The chances of me infecting you is the same as the chances of you infecting me.  However, we still expect to encounter some racial profiling 😐

 

We are still going because we don't meet RC's criteria for a full refund.  In addition, we have already booked and paid for everything pre and post cruise.  Not going our long anticipated vacation would cost us around 10K !

 

 

[timf2001]

I wouldn't take a 7 day cruise out of Florida during President's Week because there would probably be a lot of kids on board.  However, Corona Virus would never factor into the equation.

[snl2000]

Full disclosure: I did not read all responses. 
 

1. The vast majority of people infected have no major complications. Unless you’re high-risk, you should have no trouble. 
2. Doing something else in Orlando (Eg. Disney World) would probably expose you to more potentially infected people. 
3. You can be fairly confident that the cruise lines are exercising additional measures to avoid the spread of germs. 
 

I would stop worrying and try your best to enjoy your cruise vacation.

I’m currently counting down the days (T minis 9) to our Caribbean cruise. 
The best thing you can do to protect yourself on every cruise: Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

35 minutes ago, TonyLing said:

However, we still expect to encounter some racial profiling 😐

Sadly, I expect you are right about that.  Glad you're not letting that stand in the way of your cruise.  

[Beardface]

Keep in mind, the Anthem set sail before the heightened Homeland Security procedures for US entry of persons from China went into effect.  Those restrictions went into effect this past Sunday, and likely would have prevented the 12 individuals in question from entering the US for the cruise.

 

The vast (all but maybe 5-10 cases) majority of global infections have occurred in individuals who have either recently traveled to China or have closely interacted with someone who had just come back from that region.  We're not seeing the secondary person to person spread like many predicted early on.  With our borders being closed, you really shouldn't have any worry about going on a US-based cruise going forward.

 

I would seriously reconsider any Asian itinerary, on the other hand.

[tcrandal]

1 hour ago, TonyLing said:

We are booked on a cruise departing from Miami Feb 15. 

 

We are Canadian citizens born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada in the 60's.  The last time we were in Asia was a couple of years ago.  We are more worried about being on the receiving end of paranoia than actually getting infected.  

 

The chances of me infecting you is the same as the chances of you infecting me.  However, we still expect to encounter some racial profiling 😐

 

We are still going because we don't meet RC's criteria for a full refund.  In addition, we have already booked and paid for everything pre and post cruise.  Not going our long anticipated vacation would cost us around 10K !

 

 

I sympathize, as the ignorance that surrounds things like this leads to things like unwarranted profiling. Fear mongering by the press, if they turned the same attention to the Flu and highlighted the cases and death, the pure amount of hysteria would be beyond comprehension. 

[luv2kroooz]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

I cannot fathom canceling my vacation over something that is having such a minimal impact. Something like 50,000 people die of the flu every year, yet millions of people still vacation during flu season

I see, just curious, how many people have to die from Coronavirus before the impact is no longer minimal?

[JamieLogical]

9 minutes ago, blcruising said:

I see, just curious, how many people have to die from Coronavirus before the impact is no longer minimal?

 

Maybe "impact" was the wrong word to use there.  My point was, the chances of someone doing a US embarked closed-circuit cruise to the Caribbean has a very near zero chance of contracting and dying from Coronavirus. There are significantly greater risks that cruisers already face on every single cruise, yet we all still go on cruises. Flu being one of them. But there is also risk of contracting other communicable disease, getting into some sort of accident on board, getting into some sort of accident in port, dying in a plane or car crash on the way to port.... Right now, all of those risks are statistically higher than contracting and dying from Coronavirus on a cruise embarking and disembarking from the US.

Edited February 7, 2020 by JamieLogical

[tcrandal]

17 minutes ago, blcruising said:

I see, just curious, how many people have to die from Coronavirus before the impact is no longer minimal?

Nobody said the impact was minimal, the risks are minimal of contracting on a cruise now. Just 1 life lost is a high impact for those that know the person. Fortunately, the viruses and bacteria don't follow the latest news cycles. Walking out of the house is high risk behavior. 20,000 cases of flesh eating bacteria infections in the US, do we avoid water?

 

I'll be honest, I did avoid going in the ocean after I cut my leg on a recent trip. The best we can all hope for is a fulfilling life of experiences, and worrying about things you cannot control is not at the root of that. If you believe you are risking infection, don't go. I hope that many sailing in the Haven in 9 days on my cruise feel that way so my upgrades can go through!

Edited February 7, 2020 by tcrandal

[Funky Fusion FoodsJ]

2 hours ago, TonyLing said:

We are booked on a cruise departing from Miami Feb 15. 

 

We are Canadian citizens born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada in the 60's.  The last time we were in Asia was a couple of years ago.  We are more worried about being on the receiving end of paranoia than actually getting infected.  

 

The chances of me infecting you is the same as the chances of you infecting me.  However, we still expect to encounter some racial profiling 😐

 

We are still going because we don't meet RC's criteria for a full refund.  In addition, we have already booked and paid for everything pre and post cruise.  Not going our long anticipated vacation would cost us around 10K !

 

 

I'm sailing the 15th as well out of Port C, if I was going out of Miami I'd love to hang out with you guys!  

[Travelling2Some]

6 hours ago, TonyLing said:

We are booked on a cruise departing from Miami Feb 15. 

 

We are Canadian citizens born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada in the 60's.  The last time we were in Asia was a couple of years ago.  We are more worried about being on the receiving end of paranoia than actually getting infected.  

 

The chances of me infecting you is the same as the chances of you infecting me.  However, we still expect to encounter some racial profiling 😐

 

We are still going because we don't meet RC's criteria for a full refund.  In addition, we have already booked and paid for everything pre and post cruise.  Not going our long anticipated vacation would cost us around 10K !

 

 

Ignorance can be very exasperating.   Our American born son-in-law was telling me just this morning about a clerk in a store who was treating him very strangely.  Obviously trying to avoid contact or even conversation.  Since he is Asian, he was wondering if some misguided fear of corona virus was the cause. 

[davencl]

On 2/6/2020 at 5:04 PM, Tapi said:

We are sailing the same week as you. I’m actually looking forward to going on a cruise so that I can get away from all the cases of the flu and sick people in our school district.

 

In my humble opinion, obsessing over all the “what if’s” will only drive you insane. And I do consider your fears to be a bit irrational at the present time. The epidemic and quarantined ship are literally 8,000 miles away. Can the corona virus make it over here? Well, yes. But so can a litany of infectious diseases that are much more likely found in the Caribbean. Remember good ol’ Zika virus and Dengue fever? They may not be making headline news anymore, but they are still a threat in the tropics. Neither has been fully eradicated. But that’s not going to stop me from cruising. I’ll just take precautions as I always do.

 

 

 

 

My view also.  We are "escaping" the problems, not running into them.  The world can come to an end around us and we'd never know because we were on a cruise in the middle of the ocean. 🙂 🙂

[Buckeye10640]

Ummm we actually are taking a Carribean Cruise in a few weeks. So....yes....

[ngrund]

I'll be on that same cruise-I wouldn't worry too  much.

The ship in Bayonne had issues because a large group of passengers had recently been in China and the cruise started before counter measures began.

 

Since then- NCL and other lines will not allow anyone who has been to China to board and will be doing screenings before boarding.