Celebrity Travel Advisory Important update

[omeinv]

By the way, anyone who's booked a Caribbean cruise has already booked with the current warning for Zika Virus on their cruise.  (It's on every confirmation for the past several years).  The possibility of falling ill while traveling is a risk that cannot be guaranteed against.

 

"Zika Virus Update

The CDC has issued a travel alert regarding the Zika virus for certain countries, which may be included in your cruise itinerary. To learn more about the Zika virus, please visit

the CDC’s website. For travel-related concerns, please visit http://www.celebritycruises.com/frequently-asked-questions or contact us or your travel agent."

 

My point is that the current nature of the Corona Virus warnings have people on edge, when there is no reason - at least none yet - for concern about Caribbean cruises.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

Edited February 25, 2020 by omeinv

[cruisehabits]

3 hours ago, sjb317 said:

There was no paperwork for us to sign during checkin on  our Equinox cruise, just verbally asked the questions pertaining to recent travel.  
 

I have seen signs of extra cleaning, the “enhanced sanitation”,  however, it has not prevented the spread of what must be some respiratory virus. We are currently on the second leg of a B2B , a few days after the embarkation for our first leg I started noticing people coughing. Each day the numbers noticed increased and by Friday, day 7, I had joined their ranks. About half the people at our meeting for B2B were coughing also. Turned out to be, for me at least, just a nasty URIL, no fever but coughing and congestion.  Today is day 4 of our  second week and I am feeling much better.  But lots of other people coughing. 
 

And yes, as a retired nurse, I am fanatic about washing hands!

 

Sherri🙂

 

Thank you for the update regarding your current cruise.  Also glad to hear you are feeling better as well....continue to enjoy and have a great trip!

[Orator]

Dear OP: The word for the day is "Insurance".

[gizmodog]

She has insurance and I understand and sympathize with her especially coming from Europe, we have a Caribbean cruise coming up March 15 and are from the USA, no long connecting flights, and I am concerned as well.

 

[Fouremco]

11 minutes ago, omeinv said:

By the way, anyone who's booked a Caribbean cruise has already booked with the current warning for Zika Virus on their cruise.  (It's on every confirmation for the past several years).  The possibility of falling ill while traveling is a risk that cannot be guaranteed against

The CDC is also warning travellers to Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean that there has been an increase in the reported number of cases of Dengue.

[omeinv]

Just now, Fouremco said:

The CDC is also warning travellers to Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean that there has been an increase in the reported number of cases of Dengue.

Precisely my point.  We've all chosen to accept the risk of diseases that are common in places we travel to.  Corona Virus is still less of a risk world wide than the flu, but it's getting the attention now. 

 

I still remember when the entire planet's population was wiped out by the SARS (Corona) virus in 2002-2003, and then we regenerated, and were again annihilated be the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (another Corona virus) in 2012-2013.  Now the planet has finally re-populated, and here comes this Corona virus. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[akcruz]

We are in the opposite position and not worried yet but keeping an eye on things.  We have a land tour of Ireland scheduled for this spring which includes multiple flights to get there.  Our tour operator has the same terms as your cruise.  We thought quite a bit before making our final payment recently.  We did take out insurance when booking the trip, long before this virus was a thing.  Will we need it, and will we be able to use it if we do, can't say for sure.  If it was a few cruises maybe a company would do something just to be nice, but with the volume of trips impacted there is no way they will unless a region is closed off like in China.  

[GastroGnome]

No line can "gaurentee" your safety in this way.  You have an equal - if not in fact greater - responsibility.  Seasonal Flu kills more than Covid-19 - and the same precuations minimise risk.  Any environment where you are in close proximity to hundreds of others carries a risk... airlines.. ferries... mass transport systems.. the bus... the supermarket.  This is not the cruise line's fault.

 

I know there are no direct flights from either dublin or belfast to miami - but you only have to transit London.  That isn't too great a risk.  It isn't like having to go via Singapore etc.

 

If your travel insurance does not cover major disease outbreaks you may still be able to get a better policy - but it is true that many insurers are closing that loophole just now so you might have to do some shopping around.  You may need to opt for annual cover - but even then there may be exclusions now.  That said - any insurance is available.  It is just the price you pay for it that changes!  If you have current health conditions which make this virus more risky then you would need specialist insurance anyway.

 

 

 

 

[bEwAbG]

OP, all of the cruise lines are in the same predicament.  Peruse the other boards and you'll see plenty of threads expressing your same concerns.  The cruise lines are going to keep things scheduled as long as they can.  If there are outbreaks that affect your cruise, then they'll take action at that time.

[Silkroad]

1 minute ago, omeinv said:

Precisely my point.  We've all chosen to accept the risk of diseases that are common in places we travel to.  Corona Virus is still less of a risk world wide than the flu, but it's getting the attention now. 

 

I still remember when the entire planet's population was wiped out by the SARS (Corona) virus in 2002-2003, and then we regenerated, and were again annihilated be the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (another Corona virus) in 2012-2013.  Now the planet has finally re-populated, and here comes this Corona virus. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

Thanks! Both your common sense and  humor are very welcome after days of gloom and doom threads. 
 

It is ludicrous to expect that anyone can protect us from all illnesses while traveling or at home. Remember 9/11? When we were being warned to stock supplies to encase ourselves within a plastic tarp & duct tape shroud in an interior room? DH and I looked at one another in astonishment and said, yeah if it comes to that, we’re gonna die. The hyperbole and hysteria about Covid-19 is beginning to remind me of that bizarre period. The virus is on the move, and many of us will have it without even knowing it’s Covid-19 instead of a common cold or allergies. I refuse to huddle in my home waiting for someone to come up with a vaccine. 

 

 

[Jacob Cavalier]

I’m also from Ireland and also going on a Caribbean cruise in a few weeks. I understand your concern. A Carnival ship has already been declined entry to two Caribbean ports due to people on board having respiratory infections( most likely colds which are common on all cruises) 

I also cannot cancel at this point without huge financial loss.

My concerns are..

At the rate the virus is spreading it may very well be in the Caribbean while I am there.

I do not relish the idea of a prolonged quarantine especially as I have an elderly relative depending on me returning in time and have pets in boarding.

My husband although generally healthy is prone to chest infections and I would be worried about him catching it.

A cruise ship puts large numbers of people from all over the world in a confined space...look at the Diamond a Princess disaster.

In the event of a quarantine situation crew may be actually at greatest risk...they don’t have single cabins and have close contact with multiple passengers belongings and they then may transmit the virus as may have happened in the Diamond Princess.
I do not want to miss multiple ports. I will have travelled far at great expense to see these places.

Unless the foreign office advises against travel to these areas we will lose a lot financially  if we cancel.

 

[PhillyTravelBug]

I’m hoping this all clears up in Italy by June,🙁

[Pushka]

1 minute ago, Joeghartman said:

I’m hoping this all clears up in Italy by June,🙁

Id say it has to clear up by April before the TAs start. Fat chance. 

[Kangakid]

Ellie Daisy, I am just off an Ovation Cruise from Sydney and am booked on Celebrity transpacific in April.   The cruise lines are now under taking a double screening process for any passengers who have been anywhere near Asia in the last 14 days prior to sailing.  They all must pass screening by a visit to the doctor at the dock as well,  prior to boarding.   I have no concerns with sailing in April from either NZ or Oz.

 

hope this alleviates your husbands concerns somewhat.

 

Cheers Vicki

[Pushka]

I think the concern is not catching the virus, but rather that someone else is suspected of it (which may later turn out to be positive or negative) and of the fallout (quarantine) that will occur ‘just in case’. Westerdam Cruise comes to mind. And obviously Diamond. And let’s face it, has anyone not been on a cruise where someone doesn’t have some kind of respiratory bug? Now automatically it’s assumed to be corona until proven otherwise. 

[tomcruiser1234]

58 minutes ago, GastroGnome said:

No line can "gaurentee" your safety in this way.  You have an equal - if not in fact greater - responsibility.  Seasonal Flu kills more than Covid-19 - and the same precuations minimise risk.  Any environment where you are in close proximity to hundreds of others carries a risk... airlines.. ferries... mass transport systems.. the bus... the supermarket.  This is not the cruise line's fault.

 

I know there are no direct flights from either dublin or belfast to miami - but you only have to transit London.  That isn't too great a risk.  It isn't like having to go via Singapore etc.

 

If your travel insurance does not cover major disease outbreaks you may still be able to get a better policy - but it is true that many insurers are closing that loophole just now so you might have to do some shopping around.  You may need to opt for annual cover - but even then there may be exclusions now.  That said - any insurance is available.  It is just the price you pay for it that changes!  If you have current health conditions which make this virus more risky then you would need specialist insurance anyway.

not correct.  The flu does not kill 2 to 3 percent of those that come down with flu. In fact the flu kills less than .1 percent . This is a very dangerous virus due to the high mortality rate 

58 minutes ago, GastroGnome said:

 

 

 

 

 

[mpk]

9 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

I am wondering if when they swipe your passport, it can show where you have traveled during the life of that passport.  And then the cruise lines could all go to requiring passports.  EM

 

I think this is unlikely.  This would require each country to cooperate and share passport data.  In my circle, we can't even agree on where to have dinner, and we like each other.  The likelihood of countries agreeing (with all the politics, agendas, distrust, dislikes)  is less than zero  😀

[Pushka]

6 minutes ago, tomcruiser1234 said:

not correct.  The flu does not kill 2 to 3 percent of those that come down with flu. In fact the flu kills less than .1 percent . This is a very dangerous virus due to the high mortality rate 

 

We don’t know the true mortality rate because we do not know the true occurrence rate. I believe it’s much more widespread in China than official figures state. Not everyone will get tested for it. Many just have minor symptoms and not consult the Dr and shrug it off as the flu. 
 

The real issue is this virus getting into communities that have poor medical services like Africa. 

[zitsky]

Maybe there will be a vaccine soon.

[ed01106]

8 hours ago, az_tchr said:

 

Impossible to know what happens next. South Korea, Iran, Italy we know so little. 

Impossible to know what area will be the next to be infected.  Pretty easy to predict with a high level of confidence that it will spread and additional areas and countries will be affected. 

[Wine-O]

We're doing a TP from Sydney in April, and I'm not too concerned.  🍷

[mpk]

8 hours ago, helen haywood said:

The bar code at the bottom of your passport contains all your travel information.

 

But I agree this new screening cannot possibly be effective.

The barcode, like the rfid chip, is only for identification.  Other than the traditional rubber stamp or stickers, the passport doesn't have any record of where the traveler has been.  A particular country might use  passport identity to index into a database that the country maintains, but that country keeps that data on its computers.

 

7 hours ago, cruisehabits said:

Only US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP/US Immigration) would have the ability to swipe your passport to divulge travel history.  This information would not be accessible to non-law enforcement/CBP personnel.

And that history is only for US ports of entry.  Plus maybe Canada and UK, since we're close and cooperate on a lot of stuff.  But nothing about travels to the many countries of the world.

 

So I guess no easy solution for tracking where a pax has been, unfortunately.

Edited February 25, 2020 by mpk

[Lady Chew]

We are sailing from Sydney in October into November, and are not too concerned at this point. The Aussie govt seems to be taking very serious & good precautions to keep the virus from spreading into their country.  We intend to keep watching what happens over the next few months before final payment.  Will wait until then to make flight arrangements.  Hotel reservations can be cancelled anytime without penalty.

[Muffinz]

As at today there are no confirmed cases of Corona virus in New Zealand and only 22 cases in Australia (those 22 are in isolation I believe)

 

I understand that Celebrity are taking longer to 'clean' the ship than usual and some people who boarded in Sydney recently complained it took a couple of hours longer that usual and they weren't happy

 

I'm happy that Celebrity will be doing all they can to prevent an outbreak of Corona virus on Solstice and their other ships.

 

We are on Solstice 1st April from Auckland to Bay of Islands, Fiji, Samoa, US Samoa, Tonga to Auckland and at the moment Samoa (Apia) is not letting cruise ships dock, but that may change as it is over 5 weeks until we are due to dock in Apia.....

 

I'd have no hesitation in booking and doing a NZ / Australia cruise right now.....I'd be very hesitant doing a cruise around the Asia region, but in the South Pacific - no worries!

Edited February 25, 2020 by Muffinz

[CruiserMickey]

19 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Maybe there will be a vaccine soon.

 

A news report  I just saw said that it would take about a year and a half to develop a vaccine...even though they are ahead of schedule.