Any New "Outbreaks"

[teacherman]

I saw a survey this week where 51% of respondents said that a cruise is the most likely form of travel to get Covid.  (It didn't say how many of these people had actually been on a cruise ship).  Unfortunately, there was so much news coverage of those few ships that had outbreaks when this all began in early 2020, that people still feel it is dangerous.  When cruises started back up, we were hearing reports of maybe 2 or 3 people being confined to their cabins due to Covid.  But I have seen no reports lately.  Is it not happening, or is it not being reported since they are requiring vaccinations and negative testing?

[Jim_Iain]

We were on a B2B on Equinox a couple weeks ago.   On that cruise 3 people tested positive and on the 2nd cruise 2 tested positive. 

 

We are currently on day 2 of a B2B on Millennium and so far no indication of anyone testing positive. 

[Saturngrl]

I continue to stand by my standard practices of avoiding infections on board, including Norovirus and COVID by: 

• Bringing disinfectant wipes on board to wipe down all hard surfaces in the stateroom upon arrival. 
• Consider every hard surface on ship (and everywhere else) as contaminated.  Thus, no touching of face, eyeglasses or hair until I either use hand sanitizer or thoroughly wash my hands.  

I am a health care professional and consider cruising no more dangerous (regarding infections) than flying or any other public venue.  

 

Hope this allays some fears.   

[canderson]

All it takes is one case to push a ship status.  Use the following chart, looking at "Restricted" and you will see the operating X ships in great shape.  All green at the moment = no cases.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/cruise-ship-color-status.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Ftravelers%2Fcrew-disembarkations-commercial-travel.html

 

 

Edited October 12, 2021 by canderson

[Jeremiah1212]

I haven't paid close attention to trends on the CDC chart, but there seems to be a lot more ships in Green status than there were earlier this summer. At one point it was common for only a ship or two with passengers that were Green. Granted, guest count is down given the season, vaccination requirements have increased substantially compared to June and July, in addition to the obvious test requirements that people love to hate. But it seems to be working so far. 

[kearney]

Have you ever seen reports of a covid outbreak on a specific flight? Probably not, unlike cruise ships... passengers come a go and covid status is discovered much later and usually never tracked back to a specific flight. Because you are on a cruise ship for an extended period and they test.. you find cases.... if you don't test passengers you never know.

[DCPIV]

Other than that last Carnival "outbreak" (which I put in quotes because it was all pretty small relative to everyone on board), I've only heard reports like above. 

 

With all the protocols in place, I'm much more concerned about the airports and flights than I am about the cruise that happens in between. 

[zook50]

3 hours ago, kearney said:

Have you ever seen reports of a covid outbreak on a specific flight? Probably not, unlike cruise ships... passengers come a go and covid status is discovered much later and usually never tracked back to a specific flight. Because you are on a cruise ship for an extended period and they test.. you find cases.... if you don't test passengers you never know.

Interesting.  In Canada, we have a list of specific flights (numbers, dates, points of departure and destination), both domestic and international, with confirmed Covid cases, providing potential exposure warning for fellow passengers.  It is updated daily and is very specific (lists specific rows, areas close to infected passenger(s). 

[CyberTag]

We were on the October 2nd sailing of the Edge, and no cases on board.  

[hasentreelake]

6 hours ago, teacherman said:

I saw a survey this week where 51% of respondents said that a cruise is the most likely form of travel to get Covid.  (It didn't say how many of these people had actually been on a cruise ship).  Unfortunately, there was so much news coverage of those few ships that had outbreaks when this all began in early 2020, that people still feel it is dangerous.  When cruises started back up, we were hearing reports of maybe 2 or 3 people being confined to their cabins due to Covid.  But I have seen no reports lately.  Is it not happening, or is it not being reported since they are requiring vaccinations and negative testing?

@ OP   I don't know where you saw this survey... but I've been on airplanes, at event conferences, golf outings, and on a cruise ship (Summit Sept 2021)....   The environment on the cruise was a safer situation by far than the rest.  TBT (truth be told) as much as some say ship excursions are 'not safe distancing' , the two port stops we had last month were 'safer' than going to our local grocery....  

[LGW59]

6 hours ago, teacherman said:

I saw a survey this week where 51% of respondents said that a cruise is the most likely form of travel to get Covid.  (It didn't say how many of these people had actually been on a cruise ship).  Unfortunately, there was so much news coverage of those few ships that had outbreaks when this all began in early 2020, that people still feel it is dangerous.  When cruises started back up, we were hearing reports of maybe 2 or 3 people being confined to their cabins due to Covid.  But I have seen no reports lately.  Is it not happening, or is it not being reported since they are requiring vaccinations and negative testing?

Did you even bother to read any of the posts from recent and current cruisers before posting this?

[CruisinKikster]

7 hours ago, Saturngrl said:

I continue to stand by my standard practices of avoiding infections on board, including Norovirus and COVID by: 

• Bringing disinfectant wipes on board to wipe down all hard surfaces in the stateroom upon arrival. 
• Consider every hard surface on ship (and everywhere else) as contaminated.  Thus, no touching of face, eyeglasses or hair until I either use hand sanitizer or thoroughly wash my hands.  

I am a health care professional and consider cruising no more dangerous (regarding infections) than flying or any other public venue.  

 

Hope this allays some fears.   

I have that exact same regimen. Mostly for norovirus and other cooties. Haven't cruised in a covid world yet, but hoping it will continue to keep me relatively healthy!

[RollWave]

8 hours ago, Saturngrl said:

I continue to stand by my standard practices of avoiding infections on board, including Norovirus and COVID by: 

• Bringing disinfectant wipes on board to wipe down all hard surfaces in the stateroom upon arrival. 
• Consider every hard surface on ship (and everywhere else) as contaminated.  Thus, no touching of face, eyeglasses or hair until I either use hand sanitizer or thoroughly wash my hands.  

I am a health care professional and consider cruising no more dangerous (regarding infections) than flying or any other public venue.  

 

Hope this allays some fears.   

Agree with your standard practices.

In addition we have always limited our buffet dining. This is a land and cruise practice. 

Not wild about picking up a plate from a communal stack and then using shared serving utensils etc..

 

We were on Summit two weeks ago. We felt safer on the ship than we do going to our local grocery store. We did a walk through of the Oceanview Cafe while on Summit. Very happy to see that they now have handwashing stations as you enter!

[brockmom]

10 hours ago, zook50 said:

Interesting.  In Canada, we have a list of specific flights (numbers, dates, points of departure and destination), both domestic and international, with confirmed Covid cases, providing potential exposure warning for fellow passengers.  It is updated daily and is very specific (lists specific rows, areas close to infected passenger(s). 

That is interesting! Where do they list this info please? 
thanks

ps we are flying Westjet

[Honolulu Blue]

7 hours ago, RollWave said:

We were on Summit two weeks ago. We felt safer on the ship than we do going to our local grocery store. We did a walk through of the Oceanview Cafe while on Summit. Very happy to see that they now have handwashing stations as you enter!

 

I was also on the Summit two weeks ago!  Were you perhaps one of the passengers I saw there?  Anyway, with everyone but the kiddies fully vaxxed, very few ankle biters onboard, and the crew all in masks, I felt super safe.  Oh, and the hand washing stations helped a bit too.

[BigTorino]

Please keep in mind that COVID is a respiratory disease and it is exposure to the respiratory droplets carrying the virus which is spreading the disease. Avoiding crowding, socially distance and wearing the "dreaded" mask will help. I am a little apprehensive about cruising again once they start sailing at full capacity, but right now seems to be a great time to be sailing!

[TeeRick]

It is interesting to still see threads like this one about outbreaks or potential outbreaks on cruise ships.  The vast majority of the general population still considers a cruise ship a hot spot for COVID infections.  They have been thoroughly conditioned to believe so by the CDC, media and others who still think it is the same risk as Feb-March 2020 and Diamond Princess.  Before anything was known about the spread of the virus.  Before MAB therapies and before vaccines.  

 

But we have Cruise Critic to help us with facts and actual cruise ship data!

 

-On Celebrity ships, since June, no major or even minor outbreaks. 

-Only a positive test result or two here and there

-No masks required on board.  Some wear masks if it makes them feel more comfortable personally.  Others mask in ports and in travel where it is mostly required. 

-Passengers and crew are fully vaccinated (with the exception of a few kids under 16 who are tested; now under 12).  More and more ports are requiring vaccinations to disembark. 

-Cruise ship procedures and operations and engineering and medical areas have been upgraded for the COVID era. Capacity limits have been in place.  All of this is working well.

-Passengers must pass a COVID test with 2 days of boarding and get tested on board before they travel home to countries requiring it.  Crew stays on board and are continuously tested. 

-The few passengers testing positive have been isolated and treated to a trip home by Celebrity.  Contact tracing is in place.

 

So I ask any of you worried to cruise now- what are you actually worried about?  The cruise ships have gone from COVID hotspots to one of the most controlled, safest places to travel and enjoy a vacation.  Where else can you be around fully vaccinated and cautious people?  Not even in your own towns or neighborhoods.  

 

Edited October 13, 2021 by TeeRick

[kearney]

14 hours ago, zook50 said:

Interesting.  In Canada, we have a list of specific flights (numbers, dates, points of departure and destination), both domestic and international, with confirmed Covid cases, providing potential exposure warning for fellow passengers.  It is updated daily and is very specific (lists specific rows, areas close to infected passenger(s). 

Interesting.... I am not aware of this data in the US...anyone know... I have never heard a discussion of this and the CDC. I know CDC has a system for cruise ships.. never heard of one for airline travel.  

[DenGNNJ]

39 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

 

So I ask any of you worried to cruise now- what are you actually worried about?  The cruise ships have gone from COVID hotspots to one of the most controlled, safest places to travel and enjoy a vacation.  Where else can you be around fully vaccinated and cautious people?  Not even in your own towns or neighborhoods.

So true.  I just attended a vaccinated-only business conference in NYC traveling NJ Transit train to/from Penn Station, NYC Subway to/from Times Square, and spent three nights in a hotel.  NYC hotels, restaurants, theaters, etc require proof of vaccination & photo ID to enter but once you’re inside, it’s mask-optional with zero capacity limits as far as I could tell.  For conference attendees, contract tracing was limited to knowing who attended what learning session, but that’s about it.  
 

One person tested positive post-event, which IMHO is astoundingly low considering what I saw.  It just goes to show; protocols, even ones not as stringent as those found on cruise ships, work pretty well.

 

Prior to this trip I was a little wary about stepping on a cruise ship … not anymore tho.  Cruise companies are light years ahead of other industries, businesses & municipalities in this regard.

Edited October 13, 2021 by DenGNNJ

[Big_G]

20 hours ago, canderson said:

All it takes is one case to push a ship status.  Use the following chart, looking at "Restricted" and you will see the operating X ships in great shape.  All green at the moment = no cases.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/cruise-ship-color-status.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Ftravelers%2Fcrew-disembarkations-commercial-travel.html

 

 

 

Thanks for the link.

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

It is interesting to still see threads like this one about outbreaks or potential outbreaks on cruise ships.  The vast majority of the general population still considers a cruise ship a hot spot for COVID infections.  They have been thoroughly conditioned to believe so by the CDC, media and others who still think it is the same risk as Feb-March 2020 and Diamond Princess.  Before anything was known about the spread of the virus.  Before MAB therapies and before vaccines.  

 

But we have Cruise Critic to help us with facts and actual cruise ship data!

 

-On Celebrity ships, since June, no major or even minor outbreaks. 

-Only a positive test result or two here and there

-No masks required on board.  Some wear masks if it makes them feel more comfortable personally.  Others mask in ports and in travel where it is mostly required. 

-Passengers and crew are fully vaccinated (with the exception of a few kids under 16 who are tested; now under 12).  More and more ports are requiring vaccinations to disembark. 

-Cruise ship procedures and operations and engineering and medical areas have been upgraded for the COVID era. Capacity limits have been in place.  All of this is working well.

-Passengers must pass a COVID test with 2 days of boarding and get tested on board before they travel home to countries requiring it.  Crew stays on board and are continuously tested. 

-The few passengers testing positive have been isolated and treated to a trip home by Celebrity.  Contact tracing is in place.

 

So I ask any of you worried to cruise now- what are you actually worried about?  The cruise ships have gone from COVID hotspots to one of the most controlled, safest places to travel and enjoy a vacation.  Where else can you be around fully vaccinated and cautious people?  Not even in your own towns or neighborhoods.  

 

Well said.  

[CanuckCFAN]

5 hours ago, brockmom said:

That is interesting! Where do they list this info please? 
thanks

ps we are flying Westjet

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/latest-travel-health-advice/exposure-flights-cruise-ships-mass-gatherings.html

[slanik]

21 hours ago, kearney said:

Have you ever seen reports of a covid outbreak on a specific flight? Probably not, unlike cruise ships... passengers come a go and covid status is discovered much later and usually never tracked back to a specific flight. Because you are on a cruise ship for an extended period and they test.. you find cases.... if you don't test passengers you never know.

I felt the most unsafe on the airlines this past summer.  We flew three times, include two times for cruises.  I never felt unsafe on the cruise ships, but airports and planes were a very different story.  People were smashed together on the planes and in line in the airports like sardines and lots of them had their masks pulled down or they were wearing their noses out.  The cruise ship was a whole different story.  Plenty of social distancing, venues not at capacity, the crew was always cleaning surfaces.  Airlines are the real issue, not cruise ships.

[brockmom]

8 hours ago, CanuckCFAN said:

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/latest-travel-health-advice/exposure-flights-cruise-ships-mass-gatherings.html

Awesome ! Thanks

[Catlover54]

36 minutes ago, brockmom said:

Awesome ! Thanks

Thank you for the link! I wish we had something similar in the US easily accessed.

Do you have any information on how many of people have gotten hospitalized and/or died in Canada ( or elsewhere) due to Covid they got on an airplane since vaccinations started, and if they were vaxed? There  are tens of thousands of flying passengers, unknown how many who tested positive ( and if they had symptoms) are vaxed.

I have been following cases on cruise ships ( a handful on misc lines, including recent forced disembarkations and quarantines of a few positive cases and negative contacts off of Seabourn and Crystal, there are threads), which much less pax.  But we are definitely tested more on cruises, unlike flyers.