When do you realistically expect to cruise again?

[HaveWeMetYet]

57 minutes ago, Germancruiser said:

With the numbers of infections raising daily to new highs I suppose all lines will follow- some sooner - some later!

Is AIDA still going to start cruises up in September?

[Germancruiser]

Aida starts out of Germany in August. I heard the first sailings of Mein Schiff 1 has been canceled due to a crew member testet postiv for Covid19.

The ship I will board on monday is the Mein Schiff 2 - and it is still on... let´s cross fingers... LOL!

[Mandalay1903]

1 hour ago, Germancruiser said:

Aida starts out of Germany in August. I heard the first sailings of Mein Schiff 1 has been canceled due to a crew member testet postiv for Covid19.

The ship I will board on monday is the Mein Schiff 2 - and it is still on... let´s cross fingers... LOL!

Fingers crossed for you.  But if upcoming MS1 sailings had to be canceled because of one crew member testing positive that means to me that the MS1 ship and the line isn't ready for sailing at all, much less with passengers aboard.  They clearly don't have their protocols set up yet to handle an outbreak or even one Covid-19 case and continue the cruise for everyone else as they often do with other illnesses.

Edited July 23, 2020 by Mandalay1903

[erewhon]

8 hours ago, Roz said:

 

Out of curiosity, how much does a test cost?  

 

Here in New Zealand the test for Covid-19 is free.

[ski ww]

10 hours ago, DFD1 said:

 

Depending on where you get the test, up to  $165.00.

 

There are also some rotating free testing sites, but they are almost always out of testing materials before noon. Lots of people show up, but do not get tested. I'm speaking about west central Florida.

It's free in Canada.

[MAVIP]

10 hours ago, Roz said:

 

Out of curiosity, how much does a test cost?  

So, we are "lucky"(?) ones too in The Netherlands: free (but of course in the end not for taxpayers....).

Edited July 23, 2020 by MAVIP

[ontheweb]

8 hours ago, Germancruiser said:

Aida starts out of Germany in August. I heard the first sailings of Mein Schiff 1 has been canceled due to a crew member testet postiv for Covid19.

The ship I will board on monday is the Mein Schiff 2 - and it is still on... let´s cross fingers... LOL!

If you do end up on the ship, please report back on these boards about the cruise.

[Iris5383]

As soon as a vaccination is known, DH and I will start planning. Hopefully we will both be as healthy as we are today. We want to be cruising again within a few months of a successful vaccine. We're not getting any younger. Time's a wasting!

[Iris5383]

On 7/20/2020 at 5:39 PM, kangforpres said:

Can you imagine a HAL Caribbean cruise without Half Moon Cay?

 

-P.

Yes. It's happened a few times for us when the sea was too rough to tender in. A disappointment for sure. 

[Cruising-along]

17 hours ago, Roz said:

 

Out of curiosity, how much does a test cost?  

It cost me nothing here in the US. Between Medicare and Tricare we have no medical bills.  I know we aren't in the majority, but contrary to what some think, not all US citizens pay through the nose.  

[RocketMan275]

15 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

It cost me nothing here in the US. Between Medicare and Tricare we have no medical bills.  I know we aren't in the majority, but contrary to what some think, not all US citizens pay through the nose.  

That is so correct.  Tricare and Medicare are a great combination.  When I turned sixty five, I was inundated with medigap pitches.  I finally called one just to see.  When they found out I had tricare, they said "We will sell you a policy but Tricare beats anything we can offer and it's free."  I've had several surgeries and have paid nothing.  

 

We do have to pay the Medicare premiums and for prescription drugs through express scripts.

Edited July 23, 2020 by RocketMan275

[npcl]

17 hours ago, DFD1 said:

 

Depending on where you get the test, up to  $165.00.

 

There are also some rotating free testing sites, but they are almost always out of testing materials before noon. Lots of people show up, but do not get tested. I'm speaking about west central Florida.

Here in southern Oregon easy to get a free test, though some people do go through their normal doctors office who will charge their insurance company.

[Cruising-along]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

That is so correct.  Tricare and Medicare are a great combination.  When I turned sixty five, I was inundated with medigap pitches.  I finally called one just to see.  When they found out I had tricare, they said "We will sell you a policy but Tricare beats anything we can offer and it's free."  I've had several surgeries and have paid nothing.  

 

We do have to pay the Medicare premiums and for prescription drugs through express scripts.

Same with our USAA insurance.  So many times when other insurance companies found out we have USAA they admitted they can't compete with that and stopped calling us.

 

We pick up our meds here at the Everett Naval Base -- except when they closed to retired military because of Covid. (they have since reopened to us).  But even $10/script by mail isn't bad. 

[drowelf]

We have 4 cruises booked over the next 18 months. Feb/Mar 2021 - Aug 2021 - Jan 2022. I fully expect to bail on the Feb/Mar 2021 cruises when final payment becomes due in November, if they are not cancelled before hand. While there may be a vaccine available by Spring 2021, I'm not sure we will feel comfortable making that cruise. Decision time is final payment time. We have to be comfortable then, as we only have FCDs on the line for that cruise so far. The August one is the first we reasonably expect to make. 

 

As for testing, here in the SC Upstate, its relatively easy (and free) to get a test. Pharmacies and Hospital Systems have been running drive through/curbside test sites on a fairly regular basis. I just got one about 3 weeks ago. 

[RocketMan275]

42 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

Same with our USAA insurance.  So many times when other insurance companies found out we have USAA they admitted they can't compete with that and stopped calling us.

 

We pick up our meds here at the Everett Naval Base -- except when they closed to retired military because of Covid. (they have since reopened to us).  But even $10/script by mail isn't bad. 

I've had car insurance companies tell me that they will give a quote if I insist but that they can't come close to USAA.

I could get my meds at Redstone Arsenal but the few times I've been there have had very long wait time.  We just use Express Scripts and it's normally less than 10/prescription.  

 

I haven't tried to get a CV test.  I wouldn't mind getting an antibody test but see no reason to get check to see if I have CV now.  

Edited July 23, 2020 by RocketMan275

[AlanF65]

19 hours ago, Roz said:

 

Out of curiosity, how much does a test cost?  

In CA and most of the US they are free if you either are at risk or have been in contact or the DR wants you to have one.

On our local nextdoor someone came on and said not only are they not free but they are very expensive and don't get tested w/o a quote. Well her friend came in contact with someone and was told to get tested by their employer. This person decided to go to the ER at 12:30 AM and wanted a chest x-ray, so he got a whopper of a bill, he did this so he could get results and not miss work (He had no symptoms and was negative).

 

He would have been eligible for CV-19 paid leave.

 

So in most cases tests are free, some people can figure out how to make it a pay event

 

[rkacruiser]

4 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

I haven't tried to get a CV test.  I wouldn't mind getting an antibody test but see no reason to get check to see if I have CV now.  

Edited 4 hours ago by RocketMan275

 

I am going to try to convince my PCP to order an antibody test for me in this Summer's annual physical.  I sailed on MSC Meraviglia that subsequently reported a Covid case.  Was it before, during, or after my sailing?  Never have I gotten the date for that.  Before returning home after the following cruise on the Eurodam, I became ill.  Nothing serious:  "cruise type of not feeling well".  Arriving home on January 31st, I was ill.  I stayed ill for 5 weeks.  I think I contracted Covid somewhere along the line if not on Meraviglia.  

 

I want that antibody test and I don't care if my insurance covers it or not.  

[Mandalay1903]

4 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

I am going to try to convince my PCP to order an antibody test for me in this Summer's annual physical.  I sailed on MSC Meraviglia that subsequently reported a Covid case.  Was it before, during, or after my sailing?  Never have I gotten the date for that.  Before returning home after the following cruise on the Eurodam, I became ill.  Nothing serious:  "cruise type of not feeling well".  Arriving home on January 31st, I was ill.  I stayed ill for 5 weeks.  I think I contracted Covid somewhere along the line if not on Meraviglia.  

 

I want that antibody test and I don't care if my insurance covers it or not. 

We had a very similar situation after returning from a Koningsdam cruise in Caribbean in the third week of January. No reported cases aboard, but it was early enough in the outbreak (at the time) that I wouldn't have been surprised with a lack of contact tracing by the cruise line.  Afterwards, my wife had a bad six-week case of cruise crud.  Much worse than normal--bad cough and loss of energy. At the time (February) it didn't match any of the Covid-19 symptoms. But in May or June, the Covid symptom list was expanded, and matched some of those she had been experiencing.  In June we had a chance for a free drive-up antibody blood test in our city and jumped at the chance. Fortunately (or unfortunately), we tested negative and didn't have any Covid-19 antibodies.  Not really sure whether she'd had Covid and her antibodies had dissapated after three months, or whether she had something else like bronchitis. In hindsight we're fairly confident in the latter.

 

Good luck to you. I recommend the test for the peace of mind one way or another.

[Randyk47]

8 hours ago, Mandalay1903 said:

We had a very similar situation after returning from a Koningsdam cruise in Caribbean in the third week of January. No reported cases aboard, but it was early enough in the outbreak (at the time) that I wouldn't have been surprised with a lack of contact tracing by the cruise line.  Afterwards, my wife had a bad six-week case of cruise crud.  Much worse than normal--bad cough and loss of energy. At the time (February) it didn't match any of the Covid-19 symptoms. But in May or June, the Covid symptom list was expanded, and matched some of those she had been experiencing.  In June we had a chance for a free drive-up antibody blood test in our city and jumped at the chance. Fortunately (or unfortunately), we tested negative and didn't have any Covid-19 antibodies.  Not really sure whether she'd had Covid and her antibodies had dissapated after three months, or whether she had something else like bronchitis. In hindsight we're fairly confident in the latter.

 

Good luck to you. I recommend the test for the peace of mind one way or another.

We also had a similar experience.  We were on an 11-day Caribbean cruise that ended in Ft Lauderdale 3 February.   We heard about the virus outbreak in China during the cruise but didn’t give it much thought as it was China thing at the time.   We traveled with another couple and about a week after the end of the cruise the wife came down with what they thought was the flu.  She did go to the doctor but no thought of COVID-19 at the time and was treated for typical flu.  A day or two later my wife came down with what seemed to be a minor case of the flu and in fact she just treated herself with over the counter medication.   I had some body aches and fatigue about the same time but it passed in a few days.   The husband of the other couple escaped with no illness.   
 

Fast forward to four months later and the wife of the other couple goes to the doctor for her annual checkup.   They did run a test for antibodies but it came back negative.   However, her doctor did express a lack of confidence in the test as he had patients who had tested positive for the virus months ago and some were getting negative antibody test results.   Our subsequent research plus hearing reports on television tells us COVID-19 antibody test are not reliable plus this particular virus apparently doesn’t necessarily create long lasting antibodies.   Not good news.   

[Mandalay1903]

2 minutes ago, Randyk47 said:

Fast forward to four months later and the wife of the other couple goes to the doctor for her annual checkup.   They did run a test for antibodies but it came back negative.   However, her doctor did express a lack of confidence in the test as he had patients who had tested positive for the virus months ago and some were getting negative antibody test results.   Our subsequent research plus hearing reports on television tells us COVID-19 antibody test are not reliable plus this particular virus apparently doesn’t necessarily create long lasting antibodies.   Not good news.

I'm not anything close to being in the medical business, but in the past I'd learned that the presence of antibodies tend to fade over time (i.e. months).  But your body "remembers" the attacking virus and can much more easily replicate the defending antibodies. If so, that could explain part of what's going on with the test results. If not, and our bodies can't easily defend against this particular coronavirus a second time, then it seems to me that a vaccine might not do much good.

[DFD1]

The unreliability of tests has been a major factor in people just not getting tested here in Florida. Many take the position of "What's the use. It takes 10 days to get the results and half the time they're wrong"....and they don't get tested.

 

The result has been a more than significant number of newer cases in Florida.

 

Difficult situation at best...

[Randyk47]

23 minutes ago, Mandalay1903 said:

I'm not anything close to being in the medical business, but in the past I'd learned that the presence of antibodies tend to fade over time (i.e. months).  But your body "remembers" the attacking virus and can much more easily replicate the defending antibodies. If so, that could explain part of what's going on with the test results. If not, and our bodies can't easily defend against this particular coronavirus a second time, then it seems to me that a vaccine might not do much good.

The good news is vaccines work at a different and deeper level than naturally acquired immunity.  The bad news is, as many here know and may have experienced with annual flu shots, not all vaccines provide 100% immunity.   

[RocketMan275]

15 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I am going to try to convince my PCP to order an antibody test for me in this Summer's annual physical.  I sailed on MSC Meraviglia that subsequently reported a Covid case.  Was it before, during, or after my sailing?  Never have I gotten the date for that.  Before returning home after the following cruise on the Eurodam, I became ill.  Nothing serious:  "cruise type of not feeling well".  Arriving home on January 31st, I was ill.  I stayed ill for 5 weeks.  I think I contracted Covid somewhere along the line if not on Meraviglia.  

 

I want that antibody test and I don't care if my insurance covers it or not.  

I don't blame you.  I had something similar when we cruised out of Vancouver to Alaska in September.   If you believe WHO and China that was too early for CV.  However, both my wife and I experienced CV  type symptoms four days after landing in Vancouver that lasted two weeks.  I would like to do a antibody test but I'd have to visit my physician to get an order.   I cancelled a physical last week because of the hoops I would have to jump through.  I would have spend about six hours to get the physical,  most of that sitting in his parking lot.  Just not worth it.

[Randyk47]

10 minutes ago, DFD1 said:

The unreliability of tests has been a major factor in people just not getting tested here in Florida. Many take the position of "What's the use. It takes 10 days to get the results and half the time they're wrong"....and they don't get tested.

 

The result has been a more than significant number of newer cases in Florida.

 

Difficult situation at best...

The news is not much different or better here in Texas.   Locally the officials initially made a fairly big deal out of only getting tested if you had symptoms and in fact early on you had to have a doctor’s referral.   They eventually backed off the medical referral requirement and the testing stations were overwhelmed.  Doesn’t help that they discovered some people are going back and back again getting tested as often as every three days to once a week.   

[npcl]

3 hours ago, DFD1 said:

The unreliability of tests has been a major factor in people just not getting tested here in Florida. Many take the position of "What's the use. It takes 10 days to get the results and half the time they're wrong"....and they don't get tested.

 

The result has been a more than significant number of newer cases in Florida.

 

Difficult situation at best...

Its fine if they don't get tested, if they have any reason to think that they have it or were exposed. as long as they isolate and quarantine according to protocols, as if they tested positive,

 

The problem is with people that have reason to think that they have been exposed or have symptoms, do not test, and take the view that as long as they haven't tested positive they can just go out and not isolate.