Should those with Princess Cruises booked be able to Cancel due to how this Disease was handled?

[geoherb]

The OP's premise is faulty. If she wanted to be able to cancel for any reason, she could have purchased insurance with that coverage. 

[Iamcruzin]

7 hours ago, kkmiausa said:

So, would you want to go on a cruise next week to the Caribbean where last week Caribbean Princess had to turn around with Norovirus? And pay premium price as well? I doubt many of you would still want to go while the coronavirus is a worldwide threat. We don't know where the other guests are flying in from and if they could also have been exposed and we end up being quarantined.

 

They could have brought in outside company to feed the passengers with MRE's equivalent.

 You suggest that someone from the outside should risk becoming contaminated by delivering food which would have to be delivered to the rooms by the staff anyway.   Now you have the outside company, a food company at that, spreading the outbreak even further.

 

As far as Norovirus , all cruise lines are vulnerable as well as schools, restaurants, religious institutions or any other public place.

I live in NY and make several trips to Manhattan which is a target for terrorism, exploding manhole covers, plane crashes, falling cranes and a larger chance of coming in contact with foreign tourists who can be spreading Coronavirus.  Yet  I stand on a crowded bus practically cheek to cheek (all 4 of them) with the people who surround me.  I actually would feel safer on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. OK....... get ready to clinch your bowels and clutch your pearls......I even touch elevator buttons and handrails with my bare hands and haven't been sick.....😲

[gatour]

9 hours ago, kkmiausa said:

So, would you want to go on a cruise next week to the Caribbean where last week Caribbean Princess had to turn around with Norovirus? And pay premium price as well? I doubt many of you would still want to go while the coronavirus is a worldwide threat. We don't know where the other guests are flying in from and if they could also have been exposed and we end up being quarantined.

 

They could have brought in outside company to feed the passengers with MRE's equivalent.

And you would be wrong.  If I suddenly won the lotttery, I would be booking a cruise that would start in the next few weeks.  Not sure how norovirus fits into your logic as that not only occurs on cruise ships but at schools etc.

[WisCruiser2]

We were on the Crown Princess Feb 5-15. No problems with Noro (salt & pepper shakers stayed on the tables the whole time) and except for one woman who was coughing a lot in Crooners one night, didn't seem to be a lot of people with respiratory issues. The cleaning staff were constantly wiping down surfaces in the publuc areas. And, of course, we made sure to wash our hands frequently!

[Reader0108598]

I kindly suggest that the OP stay home if they are that concerned! Sickness is not a Princess thing,it happens everywhere! Don't get on a plane either....germs everywhere! Would I go near Asia right now no I would not but I would love a Caribbean cruise! It is not the fault of Princess cruises! I have COPD but not letting that stop me while I am alive plenty of time to stop when I am dead!

 

 

 

Edited February 20, 2020 by Reader0108598

[ExploringTheGlobe]

10 hours ago, kkmiausa said:

So, would you want to go on a cruise next week to the Caribbean where last week Caribbean Princess had to turn around with Norovirus? And pay premium price as well? I doubt many of you would still want to go while the coronavirus is a worldwide threat. We don't know where the other guests are flying in from and if they could also have been exposed and we end up being quarantined.

 

They could have brought in outside company to feed the passengers with MRE's equivalent.

Not only a big YES but I already have.  I was the sailing right after a big noro breakout on the Crown in Nov 2017.  I was not concerned at all.  In fact, I figured it is probably one of the cleanest ships I'll go on.  My next cruise isn't until June and I have no plans to change it.  I actually wish I had a cruise booked sooner. 

 

Also, I think Princess has handled this situation quite well! 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

I found this on the roll call for the Feb 21 Grand Princess Hawaii Cruise RT out of SF. Makes me feel even better about getting on this ship March 7. 

•  
•  #329

Posted February 13

We received an "emergency" notification from Princess regarding the Corona virus.

 

IMPORTANT NOTICES

CORONAVIRUS TRAVEL ADVISORY

We're monitoring the situation with the coronavirus that originated in mainland China, and our medical experts are working with global health authorities. As a precaution, anyone who has traveled from or through mainland China, Macau or Hong Kong (including airport transits), or has had contact with a suspected or confirmed case of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) within 14 days of the start of this cruise will not be allowed to board the ship. If this applies to you or your client, please contact us with proof of this travel for a full refund of the amount paid to Princess Cruises. All guests will also be subject to pre- boarding health reporting and enhanced screening at check-in. Due to changing circumstances, it is possible that authorities in the countries on your cruise may change their entry requirements on short notice. Please check all entry requirements prior to your arrival to the ship to ensure you are not impacted. Guest passports will be scanned to verify compliance. False responses on forms will result in immediate debark at the next opportunity, and you may face legal consequences. We may change requirements to safeguard guests and crew.

[chengkp75]

10 hours ago, kkmiausa said:

They could have brought in outside company to feed the passengers with MRE's equivalent.

See, here is the fallacy of most people's understanding of a quarantine.  A quarantine is designed to prevent the spread of an illness from a contaminated environment to a non-contaminated environment.  The way you do this is to define a controlled environment (a ship, which is an enclosed environment), where you know at least some are infected, and separate it from the general population, which you assume is not infected.  You will notice that my second sentence does not make any mention of treating those in the contaminated environment.  That is because it is not always possible to do so.  Those who are caught in the quarantine, and that are not infected, always know (or should know from history) that there is a significant chance that they will become infected, depending on how much treatment is available.  What you don't do in a quarantine situation is break quarantine to remove uninfected people until you are certain they are not infected (testing) and are disinfected upon leaving the quarantine environment.  You also do not break quarantine by having personnel enter and exit the quarantine environment several times daily to deliver meals.  Any single person of these "third party meal service" personnel could have broken protocol and become infected, and then spread the virus beyond the quarantine boundary.  Or, are you suggesting that 50 people enter the ship to deliver meals for a day (assuming that you deliver 3 meals at a time), and then place those 50 people into quarantine until you test them, and then get another 50 to do this every day, so that at the end of the 14 day quarantine, you have added another 700 people into quarantine?  And how do you feed those 700?  See how this spirals?  Do you quarantine the crew in their cabins full time?  How does the machinery run that keeps the lights on, the air conditioning (or even just ventilation) running, the toilets flushing?  If some crew did not move about the ship and perform their duties, then the situation would have gotten worse as sanitary conditions degraded.  Look at the Carnival Triumph.  Creating a more hospitable environment for both the coronovirus and other disease, which could have led to reduced immune systems and greater chance of corona infection to happen.  Quarantines, by their definition are designed to protect those outside the quarantine, not those inside.

[JF - retired RRT]

3 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

 You suggest that someone from the outside should risk becoming contaminated by delivering food which would have to be delivered to the rooms by the staff anyway.   Now you have the outside company, a food company at that, spreading the outbreak even further.

 

There was a report this AM that 2 gov't. people who were on the ship to "monitor" have tested positive.

[chengkp75]

8 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

There was a report this AM that 2 gov't. people who were on the ship to "monitor" have tested positive.

Yes, and these were supposedly people who would know the protocols backwards and forwards, and have them ingrained in their unconscious, yet who obviously did something wrong.

[Potstech]

Would like to see what the OP thought of MRE's after eating them for every meal for over two weeks.  Also there would be a lot more trash from all the cruisers eating them as they all come as individual packages with items individually package inside the main enclosure.  I bet OP would be complaining after he was forced to eat them for just a few days.  And MRE's are not set up for some dietary restrictions.

[chengkp75]

2 minutes ago, Potstech said:

Would like to see what the OP thought of MRE's after eating them for every meal for over two weeks.  Also there would be a lot more trash from all the cruisers eating them as they all come as individual packages with items individually package inside the main enclosure.  I bet OP would be complaining after he was forced to eat them for just a few days.  And MRE's are not set up for some dietary restrictions.

Not to mention the possibility of fire from untrained personnel not handling or disposing of the ration heaters properly.

[Ombud]

12 hours ago, kkmiausa said:

That's good to hear. I have received no such notifications, maybe because I cancelled last week.   Good luck to you and I hope you enjoy your cruise!  We were looking forward to the Crown Princess.  If you are not already in a suite, maybe you can score an upgrade to our Vista if you are on that cruise 🙂

 

The compensation package applies to cruises affected by coronavirus not all cruises. If you purchased CFAR insurance you'll be fine. If you self insured 😔☹

Edited February 20, 2020 by Ombud

[kkmiausa]

I appreciate all of the well thought out comments and civility of most of them. I am still happy that I canceled the cruise as my husband has leukemia and I cannot risk him getting any kind of infection and it is more important to me that he stays well. I did buy the insurance through Princess and did that because I expected that if he were to be sick we would be able to cancel the cruise with a complete refund  And in any other circumstance I would not have needed to buy the more expensive insurance Just to cancel for any reason did not make sense to me but that was before the coronavirus!When he was still working we did buy that level of  insurance in case a business reason caused us to cancel.   I would like to think that everyone would follow the rules and admit if they have traveled to Asia in the last few weeks but I don’t trust people that well so in my mind it’s better to lose the money then possibly risk losing a life. I wish you all well and happy cruising and I will cruise again but just on a smaller ships. 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 20, 2020 by kkmiausa
Spelling and repeat

[Iamcruzin]

1 hour ago, JF - retired RRT said:

There was a report this AM that 2 gov't. people who were on the ship to "monitor" have tested positive.

And there you have it!  I can't even believe someone would suggest outside help when there is a quarantine. 

[kkmiausa]

I never suggested that the people who supply the food come on the ship but that the food be dropped off at the ship and distributed so it would not be prepared by personnel that had not been quarantined

[Mich3554]

6 minutes ago, kkmiausa said:

I never suggested that the people who supply the food come on the ship but that the food be dropped off at the ship and distributed so it would not be prepared by personnel that had not been quarantined

So who would distribute it?  The same crew already preparing and distributing meals?  

[chengkp75]

6 minutes ago, kkmiausa said:

I never suggested that the people who supply the food come on the ship but that the food be dropped off at the ship and distributed so it would not be prepared by personnel that had not been quarantined

Not following this.  By "personnel that had not been quarantined", do you mean the crew?  Because the crew were quarantined.  The quarantine boundary is the ship, not each cabin.  Once the closed environment of the ship (just like an isolated island) is declared a quarantine zone, everyone in it is "in quarantine".

 

As for food prep, what difference does it make if the food is cooked/prepared off the ship and then delivered by persons "in the quarantine"?  If that person breaks protocol and handles something without a mask or gloves, then the outcome would be the same whether the food was prepared onboard or on shore.  Cooking food destroys viruses, so whether the food is cooked onboard or on shore, and is maintained at proper temperature after cooking (and this is far easier to maintain on the ship than on land (who hasn't gotten a cold pizza?)), then the food is safe.  Ready to eat foods are handled differently on ships than on land,  because on ships, all "ready to eat" foods like fruits and produce are sanitized in a chlorine solution before being served, and I don't know of any local health code that requires this.

[tanzer22pilot]

Now we know who complains about the TSA when their flight is delayed due to bad weather.

[kkmiausa]

Tanzer I don't get your meaning tying it to flight delays due to weather?  Certainly you don't put the two in the same category? I just choose not to put my family in the position of possible quarantine for weeks on a cruise. Now with the coronavirus any suspected flu or virus of any type on a ship will be a red flag and and reason for further testing. I prefer not to be in that position.  I am paying the price of losing at least $1500 to do so. I just felt in this time frame of the few weeks due to the coronavirus unusual circumstances that instead of making us rebook with Princess in the next year that this time we could just have gotten back 75 per cent of our cruise fare without having to rebook.  Obviously that will not happen but I think the goodwill that would have provided would have been valuable to Princess.  It appears all of you would still go, so perhaps I may be the only one they would have had to make the exception for.

[ExploringTheGlobe]

1 hour ago, kkmiausa said:

I appreciate all of the well thought out comments and civility of most of them. I am still happy that I canceled the cruise as my husband has leukemia and I cannot risk him getting any kind of infection and it is more important to me that he stays well. I did buy the insurance through Princess and did that because I expected that if he were to be sick we would be able to cancel the cruise with a complete refund  And in any other circumstance I would not have needed to buy the more expensive insurance Just to cancel for any reason did not make sense to me but that was before the coronavirus!When he was still working we did buy that level of  insurance in case a business reason caused us to cancel.   I would like to think that everyone would follow the rules and admit if they have traveled to Asia in the last few weeks but I don’t trust people that well so in my mind it’s better to lose the money then possibly risk losing a life. I wish you all well and happy cruising and I will cruise again but just on a smaller ships. 

 

 

 

 

A quick look at their passport will be apparent if they had been to Asia.  Every time I've been, I've gotten a stamp or a visa. 

[Ombud]

14 hours ago, kkmiausa said:

So, would you want to go on a cruise next week to the Caribbean where last week Caribbean Princess had to turn around with Norovirus? And pay premium price as well? I doubt many of you would still want to go while the coronavirus is a worldwide threat. We don't know where the other guests are flying in from and if they could also have been exposed and we end up being quarantined.

 

They could have brought in outside company to feed the passengers with MRE's equivalent.

I am doing a B2B with 2 kids in a month. Just booked a TA in September on the new Sky, already have a TA on the soon-to-be Enchanted next April, and wished I had a few FCD banked as I've gotten a glimpse of those terrific prices on the soon-to-be-released new itineraries on the Sapphire in Australia.  Hope the prices are the same when I get 3 FCDs next month. 

 

Otherwise I'm just booking a 9 night to Kyushu on the Diamond in December. Will try to find something to round it out to 14 nights

[Iamcruzin]

39 minutes ago, kkmiausa said:

Tanzer I don't get your meaning tying it to flight delays due to weather?  Certainly you don't put the two in the same category? I just choose not to put my family in the position of possible quarantine for weeks on a cruise. Now with the coronavirus any suspected flu or virus of any type on a ship will be a red flag and and reason for further testing. I prefer not to be in that position.  I am paying the price of losing at least $1500 to do so. I just felt in this time frame of the few weeks due to the coronavirus unusual circumstances that instead of making us rebook with Princess in the next year that this time we could just have gotten back 75 per cent of our cruise fare without having to rebook.  Obviously that will not happen but I think the goodwill that would have provided would have been valuable to Princess.  It appears all of you would still go, so perhaps I may be the only one they would have had to make the exception for.

I wouldn’t go if my health was compromised like your husbands. However I’m not understanding why you think these same issues can’t happen on another cruise line and why would Princess extend good will if you have no intention of sailing with them again. They are in business to profit and protect the share holders. 

Edited February 20, 2020 by Iamcruzin

[kkmiausa]

We frequently cruise on Seabourn which has limited number of guests around 450. It is owned by Carnival.  I would be happy if we could apply the cruise credit to another Carnival owned cruise line that had fewer passengers per ship. That would be goodwill.

[tanzer22pilot]

My point is that wrongly placed “blame” only confuses an inexperienced traveler.  Princess got handed a very bad situation and is forced to deal with it under the rules of the waters that they are in.   
 

Be glad that this is happening today and not a few hundred years ago.   Because if a “plague-ship” pulled up to another country’s shore it would have been handled much differently.  Just saying.