Merged:Outbreak on QM2 as it pulls into New York?

[Lakesregion]

No certainty on the docking times for the QM2 in Bridgetown Barbados, Roseau Dominica nor Phillipsburg St Maaten. All other listed ships show an arrival and departure time. Could it be that the ship has not been granted docking even though they are due in tomorrow to Bridgeton. Better that a Netflix mystery movie.

Edited December 28, 2021 by Lakesregion
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[gkerlin]

A couple friends of ours are on this cruise and I texted them to see how things were going. I also asked her to check up on a crew member (name omitted, changed to XXX) that we were all friends with.

 

Here is the reply:

 

The whole ship was tested yesterday and it sounds like there were maybe 16+ of the guests that tested positive out of 1,600. We were all negative so far. 🎉🎉🍾 Looks like they skipped Tortola and St. Kitts. Heading for Barbados. I think there were some crew that were positive and transferred to the Queen Victoria. The QV looks like it is being used as a support/supplies ship. I think they are using it to quarantine crew etc if needed. Our internet and news has been down due to “global positioning and lack of satellite link” however I wonder if they took it down as panic control. Looks like internet has come back up. We are having a laugh regardless and we knew it would be a risk. Really fun to be crashed out in the sun on our old doggie deck. Do miss our laughs. I did get to see xxxx for a little bit as I asked  the bartender if they could find him up by the pool but I didn’t get to see him for long sadly. They are kinda keeping people separate and xxxx isn’t working in any public spaces. Hope you guys are doing well. Let me know what you hear from the outside world. All the best! Rx

[safarigal]

1 hour ago, Lakesregion said:

No certainty on the docking times for the QM2 in Bridgetown Barbados, Roseau Dominica nor Phillipsburg St Maaten. All other listed ships show an arrival and departure time. Could it be that the ship has not been granted docking even though they are due in tomorrow to Bridgeton. Better that a Netflix mystery movie.

The stop in Dominica was cancelled a while back.

[Dermotsgirl]

10 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Out of interest, where are you seeing all the reports from those on board? There appears to be virtually nothing on these boards since New York. I would have thought that there would be a lot more posts if there was a sizeable outbreak on board or something significant to report.

The are due in Barbados today, so there may be more information later

[Host Hattie]

Thanks for the update @gkerlin, it sounds as if your friends are making the best of the situation.

[exlondoner]

1 hour ago, Host Hattie said:

Thanks for the update @gkerlin, it sounds as if your friends are making the best of the situation.

 

And, quite honestly, unless you are an unfortunate person suffering with Covid, it doesn't sound such a bad situation. And 16 out of about 1,600 seems not very many.

[Interestedcruisefan]

1 minute ago, exlondoner said:

 

And, quite honestly, unless you are an unfortunate person suffering with Covid, it doesn't sound such a bad situation. And 16 out of about 1,600 seems not very many.

Those 16 will have family with them though and plenty of close contacts on board

 

So significant numbers will have had their holidays ruined by quarantine and offloading etc 

 

Number of positive passenger cases on cruise ships doesn't tell anywhere near the real story of  number of passengers impacted by covid on board and holidays curtailed etc

[Victoria2]

4 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Those 16 will have family with them though and plenty of close contacts on board

 

So significant numbers will have had their holidays ruined by quarantine and offloading etc 

 

Number of positive passenger cases on cruise ships doesn't tell anywhere near the real story of  number of passengers impacted by covid on board and holidays curtailed etc

It certainly doesn't and I guess we won't get the true picture at the moment but it strikes me, the unaffected glass half full passengers are, as Hattie said and exlondoner supported, making the best of it and the glass half empty passengers would never make the best of it.

 

Cruise during Covid and you take a chance. Take that chance and negative experiences are for the main part, down to the individuals involved.

 

Bad experiences make headlines. It's refreshing to read those putting a positive spin on this particular situation.

[Interestedcruisefan]

6 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

It certainly doesn't and I guess we won't get the true picture at the moment but it strikes me, the unaffected glass half full passengers are, as Hattie said and exlondoner supported, making the best of it and the glass half empty passengers would never make the best of it.

 

Cruise during Covid and you take a chance. Take that chance and negative experiences are for the main part, down to the individuals involved.

 

Bad experiences make headlines. It's refreshing to read those putting a positive spin on this particular situation.

 

Very very hard to put a positive spin on being disembarked from a ship and being sent to a quarantine hotel overseas? 

 

Which is what's happening to UK passengers (and others)  on their overseas cruises 

 

I wouldn't describe anyone who that happens to as being glass half full if they find it horrible and want to warn others about it tbh

 

And not exactly sure how that negative experience is for the main part down to the individuals involved?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2021 by Interestedcruisefan

[exlondoner]

I think everyone has accepted that. And it's a risk, but not a particualarly common outcome, it appears. 

[Interestedcruisefan]

2 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I think everyone has accepted that. And it's a risk, but not a particualarly common outcome, it appears. 

But those passengers are being described as glass half full above for not putting a positive spin on it?

 

Lol

 

I guess it's ok as long as it's happening to someone else on the cruises and not you

Edited December 28, 2021 by Interestedcruisefan

[Victoria2]

4 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

Very very hard to put a positive spin on being disembarked from a ship and being sent to a quarantine hotel overseas? 

 

Which is what's happening to UK passengers on their overseas cruises 

 

I wouldn't describe anyone who that happens to as being glass half full if they find it horrible and want to warn others about it tbh

 

 

 

 

 

I don't think I mentioned anything abut warning others. I was commenting on 'making the best of it'.

 

One can still let others know 'how it is', whilst making the best of a situation, that's my idea of a  glass half full approach.

[Interestedcruisefan]

6 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I don't think I mentioned anything abut warning others. I was commenting on 'making the best of it'.

 

One can still let others know 'how it is', whilst making the best of a situation, that's my idea of a  glass half full approach.

Well if the cruise lines took more care of the passengers they disembarked and ensured they were looked after better then they might be more likely to be glass half full and "make the best of it"

 

And it's very much not those passengers fault they were disembarked either 

 

But then again theres not too many of them so what does it matter?

 

Edited December 28, 2021 by Interestedcruisefan

[Victoria2]

1 minute ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

But those passengers are being described as glass half full above for not putting a positive spin on it?

 

Lol

 

I guess it's ok as long as it's happening to someone else on the cruises and not you

I said a few comments back, selfishly, it IS OK as long as it's not happening to you and I think quite a few people would understand that reaction.

 

I didn't say anything about glass half full and lack of positivity. That;'s your 'spin'.

 

Take a Covid era cruise and take your chances but don't expect it to be all hunky dory. If it is, great, if it isn't well buyer beware.

[exlondoner]

It matters if you are trying to assess risks. Those numbers would not put me off, while, say,  50% undoubtedly would. Nobody would dispute it is miserable for those involved, just as many other holiday mishaps are, but that is a slightly different issue.

[Interestedcruisefan]

7 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I said a few comments back, selfishly, it IS OK as long as it's not happening to you and I think quite a few people would understand that reaction.

 

I didn't say anything about glass half full and lack of positivity. That;'s your 'spin'.

 

Take a Covid era cruise and take your chances but don't expect it to be all hunky dory. If it is, great, if it isn't well buyer beware.

Well I'm just sticking up for anybody who is unlucky and not able to put a positive spin on things as a result 

 

They aren't bad guys

 

Could happen to any of us

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2021 by Interestedcruisefan

[Victoria2]

4 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Well if the cruise lines took more care of the passengers they disembarked and ensured they were looked after better then they might be more likely to be glass half full and "make the best of it"

 

And it's very much not those passengers fault they were disembarked either 

 

But then again theres not too many of them so what does it matter?

 

I agree with you as far as looking after disembarked passengers are concerned but it's not always down to the cruise line.

 

I would LOVE a run down on ports which demand disembarkation and which follow their own protocols ere hotels and Covid management but I am thinking it's all a moveable feast.

 

Devil's Advocate here

As ship's medical centres aren't equipped to deal with severe Covid reactions, do they wait to disembark or do they disembark on a just in case scenario.

 

Definitely a crystal ball situation.

 

 

[mcloaked]

How long will it be before all passengers have to isolate for some period of days before embarkation, and still have the vaccine requirements and testing on the day, so that there will be really low risk for 'all' passengers and crew on the voyage that follows. It is currently the case that a small percentage of embarking passengers are putting others they meet on board at risk of ruining their holiday. It should be the case that every passenger should be able to look forward to full enjoyment of their cruise, even if everyone still has to take precautions on board, such as masks in public areas.

[Victoria2]

7 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Well I'm just sticking up for anybody who is unlucky and not able to put a positive spin on things as a result 

 

They aren't bad guys

 

 

Nobody apart from you is talking good or bad 'guys'.

 

There are those who look at the positive things in life's situations, and there are those who don't. That's all.

[Victoria2]

4 minutes ago, mcloaked said:

How long will it be before all passengers have to isolate for some period of days before embarkation, and still have the vaccine requirements and testing on the day, so that there will be really low risk for 'all' passengers and crew on the voyage that follows. It is currently the case that a small percentage of embarking passengers are putting others they meet on board at risk of ruining their holiday. It should be the case that every passenger should be able to look forward to full enjoyment of their cruise, even if everyone still has to take precautions on board, such as masks in public areas.

Funnily enough, we were talking about that very subject yesterday and as retirees, we will probably follow that path.

[exlondoner]

A sensible thing to do, depending on one's circs.,  but very hard to enforce.

[Host Hattie]

Cunard already ask people to take precautions

 

[Bedruthen]

There is an interesting take on the Covid outbreaks on RCI, posted on a well known legal site. It states that if more than 1% of the passengers and crew tests positive for Covid then the ships are not allowed to dock in the Caribbean. It doesn’t state whether all islands have this rule but it appears to be the case. This could explain why there appears to have been a transfer of people from QM2 to QV two days ago. To reduce the active cases to under 1%, which would work for Cunard, if QV has a low/zero rate of infection. 

[Host Hattie]

QV isn't sailing with passengers, she is in the Caribbean as a Support ship for other Carnival vessels.

[ew101]

The next few weeks are going to be bad for cruising, despite every effort by the lines.  I have to commend Cunard- it sounds like they are doing their very best.  I would say it is time for Cunard to suspend an important industry practice.  I am not talking about formal nights or Edwardian Internet service- but the whole 120 day locked-in booking payment system.  If it is a bad idea to board a ship for the next three (?) weeks- cancel at will is a good idea.   If you announce the experience will be degraded - they may decide to stay home.  In a month or so, it should be back to the new normal.  

 

This is a version of what is done for NORO outbreaks- if it is bad- there is a bit of a pause then carefully resume.