How could cruise lines have handled this better?

[Roberto256]

2 hours ago, jwattle said:

That looks more like military berthing , not crew, but I haven't actually seen cruise ship crew berthing to be certain...

 

Sorry, I was replying to the comment about the aircraft carrier, reply #20.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2744092-how-could-cruise-lines-have-handled-this-better/?tab=comments#comment-59759892

 

I can't imagine, how in that situation, one infected person would NOT infect everyone.

[rbrad3]

end buffets ………..mandatory health check on boarding

 

[mammajamma2013]

2 hours ago, rbrad3 said:

end buffets ………..mandatory health check on boarding

 

I would prefer buffets be an option but not self-serve.

[voljeep]

2 hours ago, mammajamma2013 said:

I would prefer buffets be an option but not self-serve.

and

 

1) shakers removed from tables in the buffet area - servers to come by - or get your salt/pepper/ketsup put on by staff in the buffet line

 

2) in the mdr - no bread , butter, salt, pepper on table - servers to disperse upon request

[megsie]

This is a chart released daily by the Health Dept of the Australian Government. Currently there is only a small number of untraceable community acquired cases. We have severe restrictions for supposedly 90 days to reduce positive cases. No sport, gyms, picnics, gatherings, weddings for only 5, funerals for only 10max, schools open for essential workers’ children, beaches closed, shopping centres have most shops closed,  state and Australian borders closed or heavily restricted, no overseas travel for Australians and for those returning they have forced, guarded isolation in city hotels. And should this have happened sooner - of course. Note the proportion of cruiseship positive cases. Deaths so far from cruiseships are at 40% of the national total.

We hope all that we are doing will help.

Stay home, stay safe and healthy and take all precautions possible, sad times for all.

Edited April 1, 2020 by megsie

[Level six]

18 hours ago, joeyancho said:

Hindsight is 20/20.  It is easy now to say they should have done this or they should have done that.  Let's face it, everyone was blindsided by this, everyone.  Everyone was left playing catch up.  Every government played catch up, changing tactics as it progressed. All we can hope for is for everyone to learn in order to be more prepared for next time.

 

But we really weren't blindsided.   I had a cruise leaving HK on FEB 1 and did not go because I could see what was happening in Asia in January.  And, we all know how easily infections travel from one place to another. 

 

I found all the information I needed online and I am just a regular citizen.  Our government and many other countries were briefed on this in January and just "let it go".(I don't know this, it is just reported)  If we had acted then, we would not be in this situation now. 

 

So, not to be argumentative, and I respect your opinion, but, we did know.  I knew and was willing and did  lose all my money for the cruise, so no one can tell me that the people in the know did not know how this would play out. 

 

But, all we can do now is hope for the best.  Stay healthy everyone  

[EscapeFromConnecticut]

1 hour ago, Level six said:

 

But we really weren't blindsided.   I had a cruise leaving HK on FEB 1 and did not go because I could see what was happening in Asia in January.  And, we all know how easily infections travel from one place to another. 

 

I found all the information I needed online and I am just a regular citizen.  Our government and many other countries were briefed on this in January and just "let it go".(I don't know this, it is just reported)  If we had acted then, we would not be in this situation now. 

 

So, not to be argumentative, and I respect your opinion, but, we did know.  I knew and was willing and did  lose all my money for the cruise, so no one can tell me that the people in the know did not know how this would play out. 

 

But, all we can do now is hope for the best.  Stay healthy everyone  

Exactly.

The Wall Street Journal, LA Times, WaPo, NPR, CBS, ABC, NBC, The NY Times, the Chicago Tribune, Reuters, the AP ... the list goes on ... were consistently warning us since late January.
 

Too  many CC members wrote it off as "just the drive-bys,"  "a phony leftist attack on Trump," and "the Fake News lamestream just pushing hype to build ratings."

 

I've yet to see even one of those people try to repent for their deliberate, systematic rejection of reality. And now all of America will pay the price.

 

No, we were NOT blind-sided. The question is, will those people learn?

[brisalta]

16 hours ago, jwattle said:

That looks more like military berthing , not crew, but I haven't actually seen cruise ship crew berthing to be certain...

 

He is talking about Navy ship crew berthing.

[BarbinMich]

On 4/1/2020 at 2:09 PM, mammajamma2013 said:

I would prefer buffets be an option but not self-serve.

On the pre-Royal ships, buffets were partially self-serve (salad bar, desserts) with the hot food being put on a plate for you.  I was amazed to see the "openness" of the buffet on the Royal.  Not only is it wide open to germs, but the food is lukewarm at best.  

[GeeDunk]

This was my berthing on a Carrier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rhblake]

Most of the cruise line executives have their offices here in the USA and until the middle of March our government was calling this virus a hoax and nothing to worry about, it will be over by April. With the flawed information they were receiving there is no way the cruise industry could make informed judgements as to operate or not.

[mayleeman]

2 hours ago, rhblake said:

Most of the cruise line executives have their offices here in the USA and until the middle of March our government was calling this virus a hoax and nothing to worry about, it will be over by April. With the flawed information they were receiving there is no way the cruise industry could make informed judgements as to operate or not.

 

They had correct information, as did all the individual people who began cancelling cruises as far back as January despite losing deposits. The industry chose to ignore it in favor of the official fairy tales.

Edited April 3, 2020 by mayleeman

[Level six]

47 minutes ago, mayleeman said:

 

They had correct information, as did all the individual people who began cancelling cruises as far back as January despite losing deposits. The industry chose to ignore it in favor of the official fairy tales.

 

I am one of those who lost more than a deposit.  On January 30th I canceled my FEB 1 cruise and lost ALL my money.  My insurance didn't cover pandemics. 

 

So, there was no surprise element to this situation.  Anyone who keeps up with the news knew this back in January.  Keeping your head in the sand and hoping for a miracle doesn't work as we can now see. 

[Doug R.]

They should have hired Karnack the Magnificent as a strategic adviser. 

[neverbeenhere]

3 hours ago, Doug R. said:

They should have hired Karnack the Magnificent as a strategic adviser. 

 
 

do you mean the famous seer, sage and soothsayer? 

[Doug R.]

14 hours ago, neverbeenhere said:

 
 

do you mean the famous seer, sage and soothsayer? 

Yup!

[Nymich]

On 4/1/2020 at 6:27 PM, megsie said:

This is a chart released daily by the Health Dept of the Australian Government. Currently there is only a small number of untraceable community acquired cases. We have severe restrictions for supposedly 90 days to reduce positive cases. No sport, gyms, picnics, gatherings, weddings for only 5, funerals for only 10max, schools open for essential workers’ children, beaches closed, shopping centres have most shops closed,  state and Australian borders closed or heavily restricted, no overseas travel for Australians and for those returning they have forced, guarded isolation in city hotels. And should this have happened sooner - of course. Note the proportion of cruiseship positive cases. Deaths so far from cruiseships are at 40% of the national total.

We hope all that we are doing will help.

Stay home, stay safe and healthy and take all precautions possible, sad times for all.

Staggering chart and very damaging stats for all the lines.

[rhblake]

On 4/3/2020 at 11:54 AM, mayleeman said:

 

They had correct information, as did all the individual people who began cancelling cruises as far back as January despite losing deposits. The industry chose to ignore it in favor of the official fairy tales.

I apologize if I get this thread closed. But, here is a calendar of what I as a US citizen was hearing and seeing from January to mid March. How can anyone know how serious things where?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJuIT0ojx_k

 

 

[MISTER 67]

On 4/1/2020 at 6:07 AM, Roberto256 said:

 

Typical crew berthing.

 

If cruise ships are petri dishes, I don't even know what one would call this.

 

 

This has to be quarters on a naval ship, probably an aircraft carrier.

Edited April 4, 2020 by MISTER 67

[suekay]

3 hours ago, rhblake said:

I apologize if I get this thread closed. But, here is a calendar of what I as a US citizen was hearing and seeing from January to mid March. How can anyone know how serious things where?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJuIT0ojx_k

 

 

Thanks for the link. I'd read about this video but not seen it. 

[Cindy]

I think there’s no question there are many lessons to be learned by all travel providers as their policies pertain to health and safety, especially in a crisis. What those changes will look like is yet to be known, but I’ve felt for a long time that rigid cancellation policies turn a blind eye to those who become ill at the last minute and hide their illness so as not to lose their entire fare. Is it time to mandate a cancellation policy so those who shouldn’t board don’t try to? Would knowing they can get a 100% FCC be enough to make people decide to stay home? I don’t have an answer, but I think it’s something that needs to be considered.
 

I love cruising and my husband and I plan to continue. However, I’m not blind to the flaws of the industry. The cruise lines have to shoulder some of the responsibility for the situation. Right up to the day the cruise lines came out with a relaxed cancellation policy there were people boarding ships against their better judgment, because if they didn’t they would lose their entire fare. Many insurance policies that were purchased in good faith had an out for epidemics and pandemics, and those that didn’t stated concern about the virus wasn’t a valid reason to cancel. Cruise lines were slow to react to the situation, despite seeing what happened on the Diamond Princess.

 

I think the response from the cruise lines once the severity and path became obvious has been outstanding. I think they needed to be more proactive, but who among us, cruise executives included, could have envisioned the severity of the situation we find ourselves in?

[IDB37]

Respectfully, the posts that seek to draw comparisons with planes, shopping malls, cinema's etc., are fundamentally missing the point. Planes have surgical grade filtering systems, which ships do not and it's pretty easy to exit a shopping mall & a cinema ! Less so a Cruise ship when it may be many days from land.

 

I posted on the Grand Princess Covid Discussion Thread on March 5th acknowledging my post would be unpopular, but suggesting that the time had then come for Princess and all cruise lines to do the right thing & cease cruising for a period of three months. 

 

I further said that it would be better to do the right, but difficult, thing then and hopefully thereby engender some public goodwill, rather than insist on sailing until the last possible moment and risk a PR disaster, as well as the likely severe medical implications.

 

The post I refer to above appears to have disappeared. 

 

 

[AF-1]

 I can see and envision the future; to quote Bob Dylan; " A Change is gonna Come".  Have a nice day and today begins Holy Week.  All the best 

[Grego]

On 3/30/2020 at 10:41 PM, jwattle said:

Not getting it yet? No one's taking your bait this time....

We're not going to play Monday morning quarter back sanctimonious with you.

I agree.  We all know that there are people in Santa Clarita that have much more knowledge regarding cruise line operations that are working around the clock to handle the current issues and also crafting a playbook that would be used in the future based upon both past and current issues.

While that is going on we should be concentrating on handling our personal situations and plans on what we can do in the future.

[jwattle]

13 hours ago, IDB37 said:

Respectfully, the posts that seek to draw comparisons with planes, shopping malls, cinema's etc., are fundamentally missing the point. Planes have surgical grade filtering systems, which ships do not and it's pretty easy to exit a shopping mall & a cinema ! Less so a Cruise ship when it may be many days from land.

 

I posted on the Grand Princess Covid Discussion Thread on March 5th acknowledging my post would be unpopular, but suggesting that the time had then come for Princess and all cruise lines to do the right thing & cease cruising for a period of three months. 

 

I further said that it would be better to do the right, but difficult, thing then and hopefully thereby engender some public goodwill, rather than insist on sailing until the last possible moment and risk a PR disaster, as well as the likely severe medical implications.

 

The post I refer to above appears to have disappeared. 

 

 

Respectfully, Princess had already made the choice...