For Those of Us NOT Cancelling and Sailing Soon

[julig22]

4 minutes ago, krittykat said:

You mean...truck loads of toilet paper are not necessary???? Lol

I knew being a packrat would come in handy someday! I could stay home for months and hardly even notice.  The plus is that when I get back from my cruise, I'm perfectly fine staying home if necessary.  A good time to use up my older stock.

[ryanpatricksmom]

We sail on the Breakaway April 4th.

 

We're taking an extra 2 weeks of meds, alcohol wipes (purell has been off the shelves for the past week), antibacterial soap for handwashing in the cabin, disinfectant wipes for shared surfaces (like lounge chairs), both of us will bring a laptop (don't want to be fighting over the one that we usually share in a quarantine), a couple of seasons of something on dvd, and a fully loaded kindle.  I always overpack clothes, so we won't be naked regardless of what happens!  I do admit that I'm hoping really, really fervently  that my upgrade bid is accepted.  A quarantine in the Haven would be a heck of a lot nicer.  I come from a family of 7 children and the generation  who held chicken pox parties, so I tend to be pretty relaxed when it comes to germs.

 

We did decide to cancel our two shore excursions, but we weren't dying to go on them anyway.  Who knows when the powers that be will decide that a particular area is a hotspot, so I don't want to find out because I spent a couple of hours on a particular island or Mexico that I'm no longer welcome to return at the end of the cruise.

 

All of that said, we live 4 1/2 hours from the port by car, so we don't have airline travel to consider.  I'm just shy of 60 and in good health.  We're retired, and don't  have any commitments that require our timely return. If any of those three things weren't true, I'm not sure that we would still be going on this particular one since everything is so new.

 

 

[AlwaysNeedSun]

We leave on Bliss next week. I’m bringing anti-bacterial soap for the cabin because they only have a bar of soap. I have the Clorox wipes and Lysol spray, will constantly do our room.  Lots of hand sanitizer also.

 

I plan on doing everything I usually do for the most part.... but, maybe not eat in the buffet and not spend as much time in the casino?? I will have to play it by ear. 

[CaribbeanJen]

We sail the Breakaway on the 14th-- so this week.  My husband and I are flying to FL on Thursday.  I am NOT concerned.  I'm bringing a laptop.  I'm a college professor and could teach remotely if need be.  I always bring clorox wipes so that isn't new for this trip. We booked a mini suite so we have a little room if we end up staying longer than a week. 

 

I bought a spa pass but I'm wondering if I should cancel that.  Thoughts?

 

My hope is that the ship won't be crowded because so many people are freaking out about this.  

[JamieLogical]

33 minutes ago, AlwaysNeedSun said:

We leave on Bliss next week. I’m bringing anti-bacterial soap for the cabin because they only have a bar of soap. I have the Clorox wipes and Lysol spray, will constantly do our room.  Lots of hand sanitizer also.

 

I plan on doing everything I usually do for the most part.... but, maybe not eat in the buffet and not spend as much time in the casino?? I will have to play it by ear. 

 

There is no bar soap in the bathrooms on the Bliss. They have liquid soap dispensers.

[BoundForSea]

7 hours ago, DarkJedi said:

These numbers are ONLY the numbers from the US:

52,000 people died from the flu in the 2019-2020 season in the US (1 Oct 2019 to 29 Feb 2020)

620,000 people were hospitalized from the flu in the US.

23,000,000 people went to the doctor for the flu in the US.

49,000,000 people are estimated to have had the flu in the US.

 

Worldwide Coronavirus counts:

109,723 documented cases, estimates are between 5 and 8 times that number of actual cases.

3,802 deaths, estimates are approximately another 10%, or less than 400, deaths that were not identified.

Of the 44,961 cases still active, 86% are classified as mild.

Of the 64,762 cases that are considered resolved, 6% resulted in death, 94% resulted in recovery and discharge.

 

 

This is a new virus, but it isn't as bad as the media frenzy is making it out to be. The regular flu killed 13 times more people in the US alone than the new Coronavirus has killed worldwide.

 

Media Revenue+Re-election Year= Ridiculous Meter Pegged. 

[ryanpatricksmom]

52 minutes ago, AlwaysNeedSun said:

We leave on Bliss next week. I’m bringing anti-bacterial soap for the cabin because they only have a bar of soap. I have the Clorox wipes and Lysol spray, will constantly do our room.  Lots of hand sanitizer also.

 

I plan on doing everything I usually do for the most part.... but, maybe not eat in the buffet and not spend as much time in the casino?? I will have to play it by ear. 

Oh yeah,  I forgot about the casino. I'm pretty sure that will be a no go for me this trip.  I guess I can get over the

guilt since this is a Casinos at Sea comped trip, LOL!

[tutuwahineLV]

11 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Agree.  If someone is that concerned about contracting something from the buffet then they should probably skip it altogether and find another venue.  

That's exactly what I thought too, we're planning on a lot more breakfast in the MDR.  Past trips breakfast and lunch were always in the buffet, but not so much this time. 

[gizfish]

8 hours ago, Granny DI said:

Thanks for this thread. Finally some sanity on CC. 

We are not cancelling our cruises. We have four booked. We will start looking for bargains soon.

 

Just read that zinc lozenges are good to fight off the flu.

 

 

 

 

Actually zinc does nothing for flu. However, if taken at the first  signs of a cold, it has been shown to possibly shorten it and or make the symptoms less severe.  Covid is not the flu.  It is a cold virus, but obviously there are no studies on what zinc does for that.

[DarkJedi]

On 3/8/2020 at 4:45 PM, julig22 said:

Think I will add straws to my list (paper or reusable, don't freak out.  I live in Oregon and I don't think we even have plastic ones!).  People do touch the rims of glasses when serving or in my case the can of soda.

If you have ever been in a warehouse where sealed cans are stored you would wash them before opening regardless. It is amazing to see the difference between the immaculate storage of made cans prior to filling and how bad warehouses of cans are waiting for distribution.

[CarolinaMamma]

First of all, I completely trust the crew to do a fantastic job keeping the ship clean. They have had many years’ experience doing this because or Noro, and they know what they are doing. It’s us dirty passengers and our unhygienic habits that I’m worried about. 
 

Scheduled to sail April 4 and haven’t decided yet whether or not to cancel, but here’s what we’re doing.

 

- Training ourselves and our kids not to touch our faces. It’s hard.

 

- training ourselves not to touch bathroom faucets or door handles after we wash our hands. In public restrooms, use paper towel to turn off the faucet and open the door on the way out.

 

- Washing our hands immediately when we come home and before eating. On the cruise, we will also do an extra squirt of hand sanitizer after touching the menus before we eat.

 

- Using a black light flashlight to see how well we are cleaning things. Viruses don’t show up, but bacteria fluoresce, so it gives you a general idea of where the dirty spots are, and it can be surprising. For example, I saw that my bathroom door handle was clean, but there were little spots around it on the actual door that lit up. If we go on the cruise, I will use the black light in the cabin and do any extra disinfecting necessary.  This will help all of us with awareness and cleaning habits anyway.
 

-We will probably not spend as much time in the buffet as usual. We’re in the Haven and I think that with less traffic, it’s safer.  In reality, though, I will not be able to keep my teens away from the buffet, so I have talked to them about, for example, using a clean tissue on the soft serve ice cream lever. 
 

- at our meet & greet, we will encourage some form of greeting other than shaking hands. 
 

- Even though we go in cruises to unplug, we will bring laptops, just in case we get stuck and have to do work or school remotely. 
 

- I might bring something to hand-wash clothes, again, in case we get stuck. 
 

- I will download a lot of reading material. 

[GlamorousGirl]

1. Carrying Lysol wipes everywhere. Wiping down cabin (tv remote, light switches, phone, etc). Wiping down dining utensils, chairs, loungers before using.

2. Also carrying 60%+ alcohol hand wipes and spray. Using both anywhere shipboard sanitizer isn’t available and I’ve touched something in public. 

3. No large gatherings, parties, or time spent in crowded areas. Also no pools or gym, or crowded elevators. Will miss the latitudes party and 80s party most!

4. No touching handrails. Hopefully ship won’t rock too much!

5. Sit all the way in the back on the stools, away from others, if I want to see a show, and leave before over so I don’t get caught in the crowd.

6. Absolutely no buffet whatsoever.

7. Try my hardest to stay 6 feet away from strangers as much as possible.

8. Promenade deck instead of Lido, after moving our loungers away from the others.
9. Try my hardest not to touch my face unless I have just washed my hands.

10. Washing my hands at every possible opportunity, for 20 seconds and in the manner recommended by the CDC.

I have every intention of not getting sick...

[ColeThornton]

Seriously LOL.  Why even bother going? 

[julig22]

4 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

Seriously LOL.  Why even bother going? 

Well, I'm going to Tahiti (I hope).  While not the ideal situation if we don't get to dock and go on our excursions, I can think of worse things than hanging out on my balcony in the Pacific for a couple of weeks.

[ColeThornton]

1 minute ago, julig22 said:

Well, I'm going to Tahiti (I hope).  While not the ideal situation if we don't get to dock and go on our excursions, I can think of worse things than hanging out on my balcony in the Pacific for a couple of weeks.

 

 

No, I'm going on a cruise also soon, I meant why even bother going if you are going to put yourself on lock down like the above poster described.

[GlamorousGirl]

Forgot one more thing. This will be the first time I took an NCL cruise and didn’t get the drink package. I heard alcohol consumption lowers your immunity. Won’t be drinking much. Will save that for celebrating that we all had a safe cruise after the fact! Sailing on the Bliss next weekend.

[seaman11]

 

i plan on turning up in this outfit, gloves and mask. 

[seaman11]

22 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

Seriously LOL.  Why even bother going? 

i fi see someone coughing or sneezing , i plan to spray them with lysol as i walk by. 

 

[gizfish]

5 hours ago, GlamorousGirl said:

1. Carrying Lysol wipes everywhere. Wiping down cabin (tv remote, light switches, phone, etc). Wiping down dining utensils, chairs, loungers before using.

2. Also carrying 60%+ alcohol hand wipes and spray. Using both anywhere shipboard sanitizer isn’t available and I’ve touched something in public. 

3. No large gatherings, parties, or time spent in crowded areas. Also no pools or gym, or crowded elevators. Will miss the latitudes party and 80s party most!

4. No touching handrails. Hopefully ship won’t rock too much!

5. Sit all the way in the back on the stools, away from others, if I want to see a show, and leave before over so I don’t get caught in the crowd.

6. Absolutely no buffet whatsoever.

7. Try my hardest to stay 6 feet away from strangers as much as possible.

8. Promenade deck instead of Lido, after moving our loungers away from the others.
9. Try my hardest not to touch my face unless I have just washed my hands.

10. Washing my hands at every possible opportunity, for 20 seconds and in the manner recommended by the CDC.

I have every intention of not getting sick...

Wiping your dining utensils with lysol wipes will make you sick.  Both popular brands of wipes are very clear that they not be used like that and that any surface they are used on that contacts food has to be washed down.

[proll267]

I have Encore 4/22 out of NYC. Good thing is that the trip before us is a crew only reposition from Miami to NYC. Ship will be clean.... just hope passengers don’t bring anything with them.


Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[scootersdad]

On 3/8/2020 at 12:32 PM, Georgia_Peaches said:

We carried on as usual, however, I did wash my hands way more than I've ever done in the past and for longer periods of time.  On previous sailings I relied heavily on the hand sanitizers outside all the venues.  And because we always take the stairs, I traveled with a paper napkin in my purse that I used to hold on to the hand rails and would throw away when finished.  That's about it...no mask, no rubber gloves, etc.  

Like the napkin idea !!

As I watch the staff  " Disinfecting "  the handrails, I notice they only wipe the top of the rails while our hands wrap around to the underside.   Need to do better. 

Hope the dishwasher temperature is maxed out, hot tubs have extra chlorine, and cabin stewards are spending a little more time in the rooms(especially on embarkation day).  

 

 

 

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

12 hours ago, GlamorousGirl said:

1. Carrying Lysol wipes everywhere. Wiping down cabin (tv remote, light switches, phone, etc). Wiping down dining utensils, chairs, loungers before using.

2. Also carrying 60%+ alcohol hand wipes and spray. Using both anywhere shipboard sanitizer isn’t available and I’ve touched something in public. 

3. No large gatherings, parties, or time spent in crowded areas. Also no pools or gym, or crowded elevators. Will miss the latitudes party and 80s party most!

4. No touching handrails. Hopefully ship won’t rock too much!

5. Sit all the way in the back on the stools, away from others, if I want to see a show, and leave before over so I don’t get caught in the crowd.

6. Absolutely no buffet whatsoever.

7. Try my hardest to stay 6 feet away from strangers as much as possible.

8. Promenade deck instead of Lido, after moving our loungers away from the others.
9. Try my hardest not to touch my face unless I have just washed my hands.

10. Washing my hands at every possible opportunity, for 20 seconds and in the manner recommended by the CDC.

I have every intention of not getting sick...

Hard to tell if this post is tongue and cheek but IMO this is way over the top.  If you feel that you need to take all of these precautions, then I suggest you stay home and wait this out.  No way you will have fun operating under this check list.

[luv2kroooz]

12 hours ago, julig22 said:

Well, I'm going to Tahiti (I hope).  While not the ideal situation if we don't get to dock and go on our excursions, I can think of worse things than hanging out on my balcony in the Pacific for a couple of weeks.

Wasn't sure if you knew but many ports closing up, more likely to follow....safe travels and have fun.

 

New Caledonia: Three New Caledonian ports -- Lifou, Mare and Isle of Pines -- remain closed after tribal chiefs made an unprecedented decision to bar cruise traffic. Cruise lines are in communication with the local chiefs to attempt to find a solution to the disruptions.

Samoa: All cruise ships will not be granted entry into Samoa until further notice.

[Cruise4life44]

On 3/8/2020 at 10:33 AM, cb at sea said:

The only problem I see with cruising right now is possibly being quarantined beyond the end of the cruise.  You are no more likely to contract this virus than any other, just because you're on a ship.

I read that guests are responsible for paying their own expenses while being quarantined on board.

[GA Dave]

18 hours ago, seaman11 said:

 

i plan on turning up in this outfit, gloves and mask. 

I would never wear that flimsy thing on Dress Up Or Not Night.  Here is my formal wear.  🤣

Edited March 10, 2020 by GA Dave