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MSC Meraviglia being denied access in Jamaica

allyfrizzle

By allyfrizzle,
in MSC Cruises

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BermudaBound2014 Great Review Rare

BermudaBound2014

Posted
Posted

On this we agree.

 

But still; something just doesn’t sit right with me regarding Meravigila. Caribbean Princess was turned away from Aruba today due to noro. I believe cruise lines must report when noro reaches 3%. This is pretty common practice - cruise lines getting turned away for noro for as long as I’ve followed the industry.

 

Yet Two of the entire Meraviglia population have influenza and she is turned away from every port? What is that .02%? And now she is held up 10 hours (so far) in Cozumel waiting for results? Doesn’t make sense. I am concerned there is something more to the story.

 

 

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SunNFunCruzer

SunNFunCruzer

Posted
Posted (edited)
13 minutes ago, Beardface said:

 

I hate to say it, but all the cruise lines are going to learn from the Meraviglia issue is to just lie and downplay all cases of the common flu on a ship to the point of not reporting them at all. 

 

 

 

I disagree. IMO this type of thinking is the difference between being a boyfriend or girlfriend and a husband or wife.  The cruiselines and these ports rely on each other.  They are not casually dating, they are married and -- are committed --  in many ways, to each others success.  They have to be honest.  

 

By all reports, this crew member did not have a "cold"  -- he/she was showing symptoms consistent with a virus that is contagious, dangerous & asymptomatically spread and of which little is known.

 

I'd rather my cruise be cancelled than have a ship take a risk of infecting passengers or residents of a remote island.  I understand their caution.  

 

Fingers crossed it was just a case of the flu.

 

 

 

Edited by SunNFunCruzer
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flahagan

flahagan

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, MrMike45 said:

 

At this point, it's a free (albeit disappointing) cruise for the passengers.  MSC is eating a massive financial loss here.  Whether or not they eventually get off the ship in Mexico, wind up going to Ocean Cay, or just have a few more sea days.  So I have to think they are, at least in some regard, trying to "clear their name" for next week when the same ship is in the same ports.  But who knows, like you said, this is all a giant unknown to everyone at this point.  

I'm supposed to be on next week's cruise, sailing March 1.  And no, the ports are NOT the same - our itinerary is Costa Maya, Belize, Roatan and Ocean Cay.   Who knows if we'll even be able to embark at this point.  The virus doesn't scare me but the hysteria and overabundance of caution that the ports are claiming definitely DO scare me.  You tell me that in Cozumel, with 5 or 6 large ships in port today, that the Meraviglia is the ONLY one with one passenger with flu-like symptoms.  Ridiculous!

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brilliantseas

brilliantseas

Posted
Posted

Update to put minds at ease onboard MSC Meraviglia. From the State Secretary of Health in Quintana Roo. Translated from Spanish.

 

Update | Meraviglia case 9:30 p.m. Laboratory tests performed on two passengers on the Cozumel cruise confirmed Influenza. This is a common viral disease throughout Mexico. Health actions confirm the strength of the epidemiological surveillance system.

 

 Alejandra Aguirre @AleAguirreC_

https://twitter.com/AleAguirreC_/status/1233223029699883011

 

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capitalbarry

capitalbarry

Posted
Posted

Statement On MSC Meraviglia's West Caribbean Cruise This Week

2/28/2020

 

UPDATE: February 28, 2020 - 8:25am EST

 

Geneva, Switzerland, February 28, 2020 - MSC Cruises has said its ship MSC Meraviglia has been given ‘a clean bill of health’ by Mexican health officials following medical checks on a crew member and a young female guest who both had common seasonal flu after the vessel arrived in Cozumel, Mexico.
 
Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, MSC Cruises, said: ”The Mexican authorities followed the correct maritime protocols whereby a ship in advance provides medical records of any passenger or crew member who is or has been unwell to the next port she visits.” 
Health experts boarded the ship to check the medical condition of one crew member and one young female guest who had seasonal flu. In addition to the checks that are customarily run to give a ship a clean bill of health, out of an abundance of caution they conducted overnight additional tests on both of them.
 
The results were tested at a Mexican Ministry of Public Health laboratory in the city of Chetumal and determined that the condition of both the crew member and guest was in no way whatsoever associated with the COVID-19 coronavirus. The ship was given a clean bill of health.


MSC Meraviglia previously had been unable to make scheduled calls to both Ocho Rios, Jamaica and George Town, Grand Cayman. Guests couldn’t disembark at either island because local authorities had decided to ignore the same established health protocols that today saw the ship receive a clean bill of health.
 
Mr Vago added, ”We would like to thank the Mexican authorities for their preventative health professionalism, which is the only way to demonstrate certainty to populations ashore, as well as to guests and crew on board.  
 
”The disappointing decisions by Jamaica and Grand Cayman to bar our ship to allow our passengers to disembark and enjoy their islands was born out of fear, not best medical practice. This led to unnecessary and unjustifiable anxiety, not only for our passengers and crew on board, but right across the Caribbean’s tourism sector, and possibly even further beyond.”
 
Guests on board MSC Meraviglia will be able to spend a full day today (Friday, February 28) ashore in Cozumel. The ship will depart later tonight to return to her homeport of Miami, Florida on Sunday,  March 1.  
 
MSC Cruises has told all of its 4,580 guests on board that they will receive a 100% refund of their cruise fare due to the disruptive nature of their vacation.   
 

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heatherb1958

heatherb1958

Posted
Posted (edited)
48 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

No refunds should be given to any passengers all of them should be banned from cruising with MSC for life.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8059197/Cruise-ship-crew-pepper-spray-brawling-passengers-feared-mutiny.html


I was just about to post that link. Wish the press would get their facts right, that video was shot in the Atrium and the fights were in front of Guests services not in the ‘ dining hall’ 

The one thing I don’t like about Meraviglia class is how Guest services is set up with a central desk area with a rope barrier set up for the line a few feet across right in front where people are sat enjoying a drink or the music. The older ships have two Guest services desks one each side of the atrium with seating forming a natural barrier.

The stocky  guy in the yellow tshirt and white shorts knocks the barrier pole over and someone is trying to hold him back , yellow tshirt guy then slams his hand down on piano. Looks like he was just told something he didn’t like and taking it out on his surroundings . Frustrations can overtake sensibility and the world is a crazy place at the moment . 

Feel so sorry for crew members throughout the world.

 

Edited by heatherb1958
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resistk

resistk

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Posted (edited)

I'd think twice about cruising on MSC until Italy is off the virus epidemic list.  Those small islands have rudimentary medical facilities and just can't risk Italian officers, crew or passengers or people they came into contact with spreading the COVID 19.  And there does not seem to be any agreement on how and how long the virus hangs around or is spread.

Edited by resistk
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cruiser man 60

cruiser man 60

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, resistk said:

I'd think twice about cruising on MSC until Italy is off the virus epidemic list.  Those small islands have rudimentary medical facilities and just can't risk Italian officers, crew or passengers or people they came into contact with spreading the COVID 19.  And there does not seem to be any agreement on how and how long the virus hangs around or is spread.

There are Italian passengers and crew on all lines albeit more on MSC and Costa so difficult mules they ban all Italian passengers like the Chinese 

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CruisinCrow Great Review Rare

CruisinCrow

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, ace2542 said:

For what is worth the ship was nearly 1000 people below capacity on that sailing. I think the entire industry may file chapter 11 before this is over. Some will, some are close now though they deny it.

 

Where do you find out how much a ship is filled?  All the ships I've been on recently have been sold out.  Not trying to disagree with you; I'm just curious.

 

There's also the difference between double-occupancy and max capacity.  I think out cruise on Divina was full or mostly full but I doubt it was near max capacity because there weren't that many children.  During school holidays, occupancy will be closer to max.

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resistk

resistk

Posted
Posted

It seems to be getting out of hand, for example all travellers from any part of Italy, sick or not, face a mandatory 14 day quarrantine in St. Vincent:

 

https://searchlight.vc/searchlight/press-release/2020/02/28/svg-adds-travellers-from-italy-to-covid-19-quarantine-list/

 

The problem is circumstances are changing so fast, that what was true when you embark, may change a few days later.  Caribbean islands especially have quirky governments that may act without full information based on panic.

 

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