Will you cruise without a COVID vaccine?

[Georgia_Peaches]

5 minutes ago, yorky said:

It certainly effects different people in different ways. Both my sister and brother in law have contracted it, both in their 50s with no underlying health conditions. My brother in law is fine with pretty mild symptoms, my sister in law was taken into hospital last night, it hit her far harder. That’s why the whole doctors note was a nonsense and something far more practical and realistic will need putting in place ( whatever that turns out to be).

This is perhaps the most vexing part of the virus from a medical stand point.  Why does it leave some people nearly asymptomatic while putting others in the hospital?  The answer to this question may do way more to serve us in our decision making about travel, or anything really, than a vaccine!  I pray your sister in law makes a full recovery.

Edited May 4, 2020 by Georgia_Peaches

[ipeeinthepool]

2 minutes ago, verizon said:

Its not worth dying for WITHOUT a VACCINE or a CURE

 

It's all about risk.  There are lots of things that can kill you, but what is your risk.  You're at risk of dying from seasonal flu, but that doesn't stop most people from doing things that they enjoy or need to do.

[yorky]

15 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

This is perhaps the most vexing part of the virus from a medical stand point.  Why does it leave some people nearly asymptomatic while putting others in the hospital?  The answer to this question may do way more to serve us in our decision making about travel, or anything really, than a vaccine!  I pray your sister in law makes a full recovery.

Many thanks, it’s hard for my wife just now, her mum died just short of two weeks ago with possible Covid on the death certificate and now we have to put the funeral back because even those who can attend which is already limited to 10 people have gone down sick or self isolating. Crazy times.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

11 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

Yes.  There is no guarantee the vaccine will work.  Look at the flu vaccine.  What is needed is antibody tests.

 

And even those are no guarantee. There have been numerous people who DID test positive for COVID but their antibody tests are negative.

[excitedofharpenden]

11 hours ago, bouhunter said:

Not that worried about COVID, the death rate is actually very low.  Possible VERY VERY low once they can determine actual infection rates with antibody tests.  And we're under 60 with none of the risk categories.

 

That said, we likely won't sail for a while for 2 reasons:

 

1.  The experience may not be fun, relaxed or anything like in the past

2.  Don't want to risk being on a quarantined prison ship.  Again, not fun.

It’s unlikely I’ll fly and cruise anywhere until there is a vaccine or proven effective treatment. For the reasons you’ve stated and another. I don’t want to pass it on to someone who may be less likely to cope with it. 

 

Phil

[oneputt18]

We have been cruising since 1992 and probably won't cruise again. After seeing the way ships were treated by various countries, I don't want to be stuck at sea, especially if we happen to catch the virus.

[Tapi]

1 hour ago, verizon said:

Its not worth dying for WITHOUT a VACCINE or a CURE

Respectfully, we need to place things into perspective. With every activity we take, there’s a chance that we will die. Heck, I almost got killed riding my bicycle down a path by the lake last September. I was at the hospital for 5 months. Currently, with a mortality rate of about 216 per million in the USA, 0.02% of the population has died. In the grand scheme of things, I have an increased chance of dying from a lot of other things.

 

Yes, let’s take care of ourselves, let’s set some protocols, and let’s develop some medical advances to battle this disease, but once again, let’s keep things into perspective. 

[HxFx]

I do believe many more of us have had COVID-19 than we know which would put the mortality rate much lower. I think going on vacations in general have higher risk for illness/injury than being home so not having a (proper) vaccine would not deter me from cruising. I agree with others, however, that if the experience is seriously altered with restrictions or no plan to avoid ship-wide quarantine for 2 weeks then I am hesitant to cruise. I definitely won't take any rushed vaccine.

[yorky]

3 minutes ago, HxFx said:

I do believe many more of us have had COVID-19 than we know which would put the mortality rate much lower. I think going on vacations in general have higher risk for illness/injury than being home so not having a (proper) vaccine would not deter me from cruising. I agree with others, however, that if the experience is seriously altered with restrictions or no plan to avoid ship-wide quarantine for 2 weeks then I am hesitant to cruise. I definitely won't take any rushed vaccine.

I think this could end up being an issue with a lot of people, I mistrust of a vaccine pushed out far earlier than it would normally. 

[TeeRick]

2 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

Ask me in a couple of days.  There’s a possibility that I was infected on a cruise in February because several passengers tested positive for the virus after they returned. My DW and I had some odd symptoms with colds during the cruise and we’re wondering if we were infected during the cruise.  I took an antibody test yesterday, so it will be a few days before I get the results.  If I have the antibodies to the virus, I’ll be good to go.  I think a lot of us may have already been infected during cruises in February and March.

My wife and I are more and more convinced that we had many of the COVID-19 symptoms on our Eclipse cruise in South America in January.  We were pretty sick.  I wish we could take an antibody test in our state.  I would love to know one way or another.

[Bo1953]

Yes, for many of the same reasons the other yes's have stated.

 

My spouse, whole different story, to be sure... LOL

 

I say go for it, IF one is a cruising aficionado... and just refuse to live without it!  😎

 

Those who have no desire to sail again unless certain thresholds are met, I accept that for you and understand.

 

In health and bon voyage

[TeeRick]

Most of us will need to make a decision to cruise or not based upon a vaccine. Maybe for some it is a very simple Yes or No.

 

First there might be no vaccine ever developed.  Would you cruise again if ports are open and COVID has pretty much run its course?  Or if the healthcare system has shown that they can manage COVID cases without being overwhelmed like they do with Influenza and almost any other disease?

 

Would an effective available therapy - but no vaccine- get you over the hurdle of cruising again?

 

What if the vaccine is say 85% effective?  Or 65% effective?  And you are elderly in a risk group?  No vaccine is 100% effective for all people.

 

Would you wait perhaps several years for an effective vaccine to be available and affordable to the cruising population?  Assuming that even millions of vaccine doses will initially go to those at risk, first responders, and health care workers?

[PTC DAWG]

Yes, but that changes to a know if they require a mask..

[Ride-The-Waves]

A true vaccine is years away.  One source says it could be 2034 for a truly tested vaccine is available to everyone.  Additionally, as a virus it mutates yearly.  The seasonal flu is a different strain north and south fo the equator (found this out year ago).  Then there are the anti-vaxers who will not accept a vaccine, and will not self identify, who could be on the ship.

 

The problem remains the required "social distancing" to mitigate transmission.  That does not work on a ship.  No way around it.

 

Then you have the need to certify to ports that the ship is "clean."  Countries/ports are going to be very leery of letting thousands of people ashore without some form of guarantee that all passengers and crew are COVID-free and not asymptotic carriers.  On the flip side are you going to want to get off if a country has not had all its citizens vaccinated for the current strain?  

 

Lastly, crews will need to return.  The way they have been treated by some of the lines will make them think more than twice about signing on for another contract.

[Charles4515]

If the CDC releases cruise lines to freely sail, will you sail BEFORE you have had a COVID vaccine?

Will you wait to get the COVID vaccine before you will sail again?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I won’t cruise until the virus is not a threat. That means it either disappears or almost disappears, there are treatments to recover. Making it treatable is important as a vaccine might not be 100%. Also have to see what steps cruise lines take. Been on 60 cruises and doubt cruising is going to be the same as before. I won’t be one of the first to sail after cruises return. I will let the fanatics and those who don’t mind risking premature death go first. I will read the reviews. I will monitor the death rate. I am not addicted to cruises, they are not a necessity so I will let those who can’t seem to live without them be the lab rats.


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[Charles4515]

I'd encourage any of us that wonder if we have already contracted the virus to get tested for the antibodies.  I think the tests are readily available in the US, you can even order the tests on-line through Quest Diagnostics.  Some tests are more accurate than others, Quest is offering tests from Abbott Labs, which is one of the better tests.  

If it is proved that having had it gives some protection I would test for the antibodies. I have no reason to believe I had it.


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[marieps]

3 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

Ask me in a couple of days.  There’s a possibility that I was infected on a cruise in February because several passengers tested positive for the virus after they returned. My DW and I had some odd symptoms with colds during the cruise and we’re wondering if we were infected during the cruise.  I took an antibody test yesterday, so it will be a few days before I get the results.  If I have the antibodies to the virus, I’ll be good to go.  I think a lot of us may have already been infected during cruises in February and March.

Good Luck to you both!

[marieps]

To answer the question: YES.  We are just 60/61 and believe frequent handwashing and no face touching are still the best weapons.  We hope to cruise in November after having two cruises cancelled (1 by X, 1 at our choosing).  The latter will likely be cancelled anyway, as it falls within the CDC 100 days.  

[ipeeinthepool]

35 minutes ago, marieps said:

Good Luck to you both!

 

Thanks.  We also hope to cruise in November.  We have a trip planned on the Grandeur out of Baltimore and we'll likely drive to the port.

[DaveSJ711]

2 hours ago, Tapi said:

Respectfully, we need to place things into perspective. With every activity we take, there’s a chance that we will die. Heck, I almost got killed riding my bicycle down a path by the lake last September. I was at the hospital for 5 months. Currently, with a mortality rate of about 216 per million in the USA, 0.02% of the population has died. In the grand scheme of things, I have an increased chance of dying from a lot of other things.

 

Yes, let’s take care of ourselves, let’s set some protocols, and let’s develop some medical advances to battle this disease, but once again, let’s keep things into perspective. 

 

Here's another perspective you didn't mention:  Almost 70,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the US alone.  And those deaths have occurred in just over two months!

 

People are quite right to take this outbreak very, very seriously.

[sanger727]

My answer to the question asked is Yes. I am not waiting or holding out for a vaccine at this point to resume cruising. However, I have absolutely not interest in being a guinea pig for when cruising resume. I will wait until it resumes, see what types of restrictions/policies they put in place, and see that it is effective and ports are allowing the ships to dock and there's no issues with ships getting quarantined. Once they have a few months of a track record I would be willing to consider booking again.

[marieps]

7 minutes ago, DaveSJ711 said:

 

Here's another perspective you didn't mention:  Almost 70,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the US alone.  And those deaths have occurred in just over two months!

 

People are quite right to take this outbreak very, very seriously.

There are lots of ways to crunch numbers.  Nearly half of those deaths are in only 3 states.  Something like 20% are in nursing homes.  Certainly there are outliers.  No one said this wasn't serious.  I choose, with proper cautions however, to live my life. 

[Charles4515]

There are lots of ways to crunch numbers.  Nearly half of those deaths are in only 3 states.  Something like 20% are in nursing homes.  Certainly there are outliers.  No one said this wasn't serious.  I choose, with proper cautions however, to live my life. 

 

My issue with those statistics is that eight people that I have known have died from the virus. There could be more and that I have not heard about. None were in nursing homes.

 

 

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[marieps]

I'm truly sorry for your losses.  No one could blame you if you choose never to cruise again.  

[Roger88]

I would say that I would probably still cruise. As long as medical recommendations are followed and everyone is wearing masks and washes their hands I dont see a reason to avoid cruising. Moreover, you can always catch another from of a flue virus which may also be fatal. In my opinion, all this COVID situation is nothing more than another flue break out