Do you have concerns about cruising at this time? Onboard now?

[gottagocit]

6 hours ago, CarelessAndConfused said:

Are we very near the point that it will have spread sufficiently enough beyond control that even if a ship has a diagnosed patient, that there will be no quarantines any longer?

I don’t think we will see this happening until at least after a vaccine and effective treatment medication is available at the earliest. Even then I’m not sure cities would allow a ship full of 3000-5000 potentially exposed people to pull into the harbor and allow them to wonder throughout their city. There’s so much that isn’t known about this virus at this point. 

[Nightengale31]

On ‎2‎/‎23‎/‎2020 at 8:36 AM, gottagocit said:

With the large increase in the number of people now contracting this new virus in countries such as Italy, South a Korea and Japan and given the scenario that played out on the Diamond are you having second thoughts about cruising this spring/summer? 

 

We were on the Coral when this all began and didn’t really have any idea how it would evolve and weren’t yet concerned about it even with many passengers onboard from China, Hong King and other parts of Asia. But now it seems it may just a matter of time before every country is dealing with outbreaks and perhaps another ship having an one as well. Honestly I’m not sure I would take a cruise right now although we do have a Suez Canal and med cruise booked next year. With it scheduled that far out we are taking a ‘wait and see’ attitude for now. 
 

If you’re on a cruise now what is the vibe like onboard?  Notice any different practices with respect to crew serving food, cleaning...etc. one of the things that has always bothered me when cruising is the number of people coughing openly in public areas without regard to spreading their colds etc to others and this situation doesn’t help matters. Are those with apparent colds being allowed onboard?

 

 

This past Sunday I returned from a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise on the Sky Princess and did not notice any different vibe on this ship compared to previous cruises. What I did notice was that open space cleaning seemed to be meticulous and continuous, and in the buffet once guests finished eating their tables were cleaned off immediately. So I think the crew did a great job keeping the ship clean and sanitized as possible. What did and does concern me more than taking a cruise is mode of travel to and from a cruise. And for us unless a cruise leaves from NYC or Boston our mode of travel would be air. That being said, at this point don't think I would book a cruise that would involve a lengthy flight out of the country which would place me in very close quarters with so many others which certainly enhances the risk of contraction of any infectious respiratory disease.

[MJSailors]

         We have a cruise booked the Sky Princess this coming Nov.

Final payment is in early August. We are hoping that the Corona virus is not a concern by the time of this cruise. No one has a crystal ball to know about the length and range of this virus. So, making no decisions about that cruise at the moment.

        Unfortunately, we did cancel a trip yesterday going  to Bermuda, leaving next Wed. We planned to stay at a resort and play golf on a beautiful course there.This was a Bucket List item for me.  We were concerned about flights from/to  JFK,with so many international travelers using that airport. We were also concerned about possible quarantine in Bermuda . It is a lovely country, but an extended stay there due to illness could be stressful and costly.

         As we are in our later sixties, perhaps we are a bit more cautious about getting into situations that affect our health and well-being.

 

[rabin1]

I do have a question for anyones thoughts. I live in South Florida and most of the cruise ships will be leaving soon for their TA's for their summer cruises. I don;t think their is a possiblity they will cancel those cruises because they need to get the ships there. I think they may miss ports but would not cancel any TA cruises. Your thoughts?

 

I was on one of the TA's leaving the end of March. Thank goodness I had the Platinum insurance and had no trouble cancelling

 

Thanks

Kathy 

Edited February 27, 2020 by rabin1

[PrincessLuver]

1 hour ago, rabin1 said:

I do have a question for anyones thoughts. I live in South Florida and most of the cruise ships will be leaving soon for their TA's for their summer cruises. I don;t think their is a possiblity they will cancel those cruises because they need to get the ships there. I think they may miss ports but would not cancel any TA cruises. Your thoughts?

 

I was on one of the TA's leaving the end of March. Thank goodness I had the Platinum insurance and had no trouble cancelling

 

Thanks

Kathy 

 

We have a TA booked leaving FLL in May and are seriously considering not going.....it seems like a lot is starting to happen internationally with COVID-19 and WHO and CDC are indicating it is only the tip of the iceberg.

[villauk]

2 hours ago, rabin1 said:

I think they may miss ports but would not cancel any TA cruises.

 

 

If it continues to spread across Europe, it’s more a case of the ports not accepting any ships. Why bother sending ships across if they can’t dock? Do pax want to just sail around for 14 nights without visiting the places they have booked those cruises to see? I personally think it will be a wait and see what transpires over the next couple of weeks as to any deployment of ships over to this side of the pond.

[Sam Ting]

17 minutes ago, villauk said:

 

 

If it continues to spread across Europe, it’s more a case of the ports not accepting any ships. Why bother sending ships across if they can’t dock? Do pax want to just sail around for 14 nights without visiting the places they have booked those cruises to see? I personally think it will be a wait and see what transpires over the next couple of weeks as to any deployment of ships over to this side of the pond.

Seems like the Caribbean won’t allow some in either.  

[gottagocit]

4 hours ago, rabin1 said:

I do have a question for anyones thoughts. I live in South Florida and most of the cruise ships will be leaving soon for their TA's for their summer cruises. I don;t think their is a possiblity they will cancel those cruises because they need to get the ships there. I think they may miss ports but would not cancel any TA cruises. Your thoughts?

 

I was on one of the TA's leaving the end of March. Thank goodness I had the Platinum insurance and had no trouble cancelling

 

Thanks

Kathy 

Hi Kathy,

I’m not so sure they will send the ships to Europe this summer season as is typically done. Just looking at the increased number of virus cases, particularly in Italy where so many itineraries include stops, I can imagine Princess may decide not to send ships into the area. That said if outbreaks continue to pop up around the globe I’m not sure where they might chose to send them. 

 

I’m pretty sure they will do whatever can be done to avoid another situation like the one the Diamond went through.
 

Could they even dry dock many of the ships scheduled to have them in the coming year or two and do planned upgrades or maintenance early?  That could make good use of some of this time frame if bookings collapse and they could then be prepared for extended sailing periods once this has passed? Not sure that would be possible but I bet they’re considering it. 

Edited February 27, 2020 by gottagocit

[Coral]

I had to make final payment in January for a European trip - before this happened. I wish I had known. I would have cancelled the trip.

[rabin1]

17 minutes ago, gottagocit said:

Hi Kathy,

I’m not so sure they will send the ships to Europe this summer season as is typically done. Just looking at the increased number of virus cases, particularly in Italy where so many itineraries include stops, I can imagine Princess may decide not to send ships into the area. That said if outbreaks continue to pop up around the globe I’m not sure where they might chose to send them. 

 

I’m pretty sure they will do whatever can be done to avoid another situation like the one the Diamond went through.
 

Could they even dry dock many of the ships scheduled to have them in the coming year or two and do planned upgrades or maintenance early?  That could make good use of some of this time frame if bookings collapse and they could then be prepared for extended sailing periods once this has passed? Not sure that would be possible but I bet they’re considering it. 

The dry dock idea is genius. I never thought of that............lol

 

They could also keep them here in FTL and Miami which I would not be happy about but we get tons of tourists any way plus spring break is on the horizon..............YUCK!!

 

Kathy

[rabin1]

7 minutes ago, Coral said:

I had to make final payment in January for a European trip - before this happened. I wish I had known. I would have cancelled the trip.

If you have insurance you can cancel it............I did

Kathy

[Coral]

Just now, rabin1 said:

If you have insurance you can cancel it............I did

Kathy

I can get a cruise credit...... Not sure if that is what I want. I will have to see where I am in the penalty phase. Or maybe taking a smaller cruise credit is what I should do. 

 

Confusing! I don't want to be on a 26 day ship to nowhere.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Personally. Every time we cruise and we do a lot. We are cautious. We have four cruises left for this year and four for next year and will not even consider cancelling any them. We are not people that run scared. The virus is what it is and panic is what cause all the problems. No different than any other cruise. There are always some people on all cruises that are sick. As always. Be aware of those around you, watch for those that might look sick and report them, wash, wash, wash your hands and keep them away from you face. No sanitizer will kill any virus. It kills germs. A good precaution as we do that. We always wipe down the slot play panel with one before playing. We wipe down our table before eating with one. 

[Coral]

7 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

Personally. Every time we cruise and we do a lot. We are cautious. We have four cruises left for this year and four for next year and will not even consider cancelling any them. We are not people that run scared. The virus is what it is and panic is what cause all the problems. No different than any other cruise. There are always some people on all cruises that are sick. As always. Be aware of those around you, watch for those that might look sick and report them, wash, wash, wash your hands and keep them away from you face. No sanitizer will kill any virus. It kills germs. A good precaution as we do that. We always wipe down the slot play panel with one before playing. We wipe down our table before eating with one. 

I am usually this way. This is an expensive cruise for me and marking a landmark. I have to say that I can't depend on Princess to do the right thing based on the Diamond Princess. I am not overly concerned about getting sick but having a long cruise where the ports don't let the ship dock does concern me. Or as some European cities are "closing up". Wandering around Paris with things closed doesn't appeal to me either. I wouldn't be concerned if this was a 7 night Alaska/Caribbean/Mexico cruise.

[Maui Girl]

Hi Coral.   I’m curious about your statement—

I am usually this way. This is an expensive cruise for me and marking a landmark. I have to say that I can't depend on Princess to do the right thing based on the Diamond Princess. ”.  
Why do you think that Princess didn’t do the right thing?   They were doing exactly what the Japanese Health Ministry told them to do as far as I have read.   It sounds like the Japanese were caught flat footed, although this still an evolving complicated issue.  

[CI66774]

On 2/24/2020 at 1:09 PM, Shoalwater said:

The ships are safe, but the passengers are another question.  I would not be cavalier in dismissing COVID-19 and its transmissability.  The appearance and spread of this in Italy and Iran is surprising, and points out how  barriers of entry or travel may not be all that effective.  People are spreading it, and when it lands, it seems to take hold.  This could be the pandemic long predicted by infectious disease folks.  It wasn't H1N1, HPAI, MERS or SARS, but some virologists I know are jittery about this one.   This seems to be a very contagious virus, with an overall case fatality rate some 10-20 times that of influenza.  We're scheduled on a cruise in April, Sydney to LAX and will go, but we'll be keeping an eye out for risks.

I read the mortality rate was double - not 10-20 times.

[Comi.uy]

26 minutes ago, CI66774 said:

I read the mortality rate was double - not 10-20 times.

Flu mortality is 0.002%

corona is 2% - 4% (it has not been set 100% yet)

 

If you are over 70, its much worse.

you do the math.

[npcl]

33 minutes ago, CI66774 said:

I read the mortality rate was double - not 10-20 times.

Influenza normally around .1 percent , Covid-19 around 2 percent so it is in the 10-20 times rate.  

[chickadee1]

Our final day to cancel and not lose money is Sunday for a cruise to Alaska. Seeing as we have to fly to LAX from JFK and then be cruising for 14 days and then return to JFK from LAX, we are most likely going to pull the plug on this trip. Tho we are retired, we do not want to spend that much time away from home if one or both of us gets ill. And more importantly, we do not want to be sick on the West Coast when family is on East Coast. We have insurance but still not willing to take the chance. I am feeling very low about this but feel our health and well-being is more important. We have private insurance and cannot cancel for "any reason".  My only hope is that this situation will be resolved and we can plan another wonderful cruise!

[Jemnibabe]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

I am usually this way. This is an expensive cruise for me and marking a landmark. I have to say that I can't depend on Princess to do the right thing based on the Diamond Princess. I am not overly concerned about getting sick but having a long cruise where the ports don't let the ship dock does concern me. Or as some European cities are "closing up". Wandering around Paris with things closed doesn't appeal to me either. I wouldn't be concerned if this was a 7 night Alaska/Caribbean/Mexico cruise.

I am not so concerned about getting sick but what has crossed my mind several times is what might happen IF it gets much worse abroad and when we are ready to fly back home, they don't want us to come in since we are flying from a possibly bad a hot spot.

 

Judy in SW Florida

[chickadee1]

There are so many unknowns, of course, life is full of them! But, sometimes we have to avoid some of these known unknowns!

[kiwichick62]

18 minutes ago, Jemnibabe said:

I am not so concerned about getting sick but what has crossed my mind several times is what might happen IF it gets much worse abroad and when we are ready to fly back home, they don't want us to come in since we are flying from a possibly bad a hot spot.

 

Judy in SW Florida

Exactly, the situation can change daily so any area can become a hot spot during your trip.

 

The other concern is if one person on the ship develops symptoms, the rest of the ship is confined to cabins until the results come in.  If positive, you are confined for 14 plus days and are sitting ducks for illness.   There is also the issue that any country could deny a ship docking in its port.

 

We have a Baltic cruise April 25th, just getting the departure port could be risky for us with such long haul flights involved.  I also don't want to be the first person who brings the virus in to (so far virus free) New Zealand!

 

I keep wavering between going and wanting to cancel, keeping an eye on developments for now.

[jean95404]

Being on a cruise within the next month or two would be cause for reconsideration to me.  But more of concern would be flying anywhere right now.  I can't imagine being in tight quarters for long haul flights with people from far ranging points of origin.

 

[Abovethesod]

I come at this from a different angle.

We live in Belfast Northern Ireland and to celebrate my early retirement we have already enjoyed some sunshine  last  month in Fuerteventura, looking forward to our trip to Lanzarote mid March, already a quarantined hotel in neighbouring Tenerife, short trip to Copenhagen in April, family 2 weeks in Portugal in  June into July.  This leads up to our trip in October to Vegas, L A, Royal Princess to Mexico and finishing off in S Francisco .So a lot of aeroplane air cons to inhale.

Tonight the first case of the virus was reported in Northern Ireland  with the carrier being an Italian man who flew into Dublin and travelled to Belfast.

My rhetorical question is, do I cancel some, all of my holidays?

We are a fairly healthy couple and the only advice currently being given locally is if "you" believe you have the virus, self isolate. Under no circumstances attend your GP or local hospital for fear of spreading the virus and only if health worsens.

Could I be in as much danger locally as travelling?

While not belittling the seriousness of this virus, more people have died of flu in the same timeframe, would all travel be cancelled if the flu virus worsened?

We will take each holiday as it comes but unless this "pandemic" worsens  I hope to be enjoying some good holidays this year

 

 

[chickadee1]

My fear is not being sick but being sick far away from home. Again, I am not afraid of dying of this disease as much as being stuck on the West Coast while I or DH are ill from the virus and cannot get back home. We would take all precautions, like cleaning hands and hard surfaces, but can't control air quality on quarantined ship, etc. I am only hoping that everyone on our scheduled cruise has a safe and fun trip and no one gets ill - but I don't think I will be there to share.