Pearl Heading Back to Miami as Sailing Cancelled due to Crew Cases

[Moby Dick]

We are scheduled on Jan. 29th Dawn Southern Caribbean.  Just waiting, could the surge peak before then?  We just need sunny warmth and a good book.  Oh, and the bar needs to be open.  If I can't get a few beers I'm jumping ship, it's man overboard! 

[BoundForSea]

I think the NCL North American Fleet is going into a stand down, or they and the CDC are going to agree to go red for status.  NCL will make the right call for the right reasons and be the first to do it, and stop pretending like there's not a major problem out there.  The rest are playing a game of "Nothing to See Here".  Eventually it's going to run out, and I think NCL is recognizing this and taking pre-emptive action to get on the front side of this.  Although having you trip cancelled really stinks, it's better than the alternative.... Believe me I know.... Stepped off MSC on the 30th, 4 days later I've tested positive. 🤨

[GoldenGirl327]

2 hours ago, rabidstoat said:

 

I always wondered what happen if the US government required a COVID test before returning to the US, like it does with air flights. Obviously you can't leave a person on the cruise ship if they're positive but you could require them to go quarantine at a local hotel -- at their own expense.

So traveling to israel is like that (or was like that before israel disallowed foreigners to come in except with special permission) - you had to show proof of a negative PCR test at airport check in along with proof of vaccination within the last 180 days + provide a verifiable address and Israeli phone number of a place to quarantine upon arrival. Then you MUST test in the airport when you land, and go straight to your quarantine place. You’re then contacted by text of your (hopefully negative) test results and only then you can exit quarantine. And yes, they do sporadic checks. Sometimes they put you in government paid for quarantine hotels or sometimes they let you quarantine where you want. 

[Trimone]

Being cynical, has anyone failed the disembark Covid Test taken the day before you leave ship?

[Interestedcruisefan]

12 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

FAuci said it would peak at the end of January.

 

Columbia University said it will peak in 5 days :).

 

https://news.yahoo.com/scientists-predict-omicron-peak-u-150556534.html

UK Govt scientist said we should hope to be over omicron by easter

 

When it peaks is nowhere near the end of omicron

 

And we are ahead of most countries 

Edited January 5, 2022 by Interestedcruisefan

[Interestedcruisefan]

14 hours ago, aubreyc1988 said:

100% agree, I'm letting my 1/22 sailing ride.

 

I've heard that most people are put into balcony cabins for quarantine and refunded prorated. IMHO, sitting on my balcony for however long is better than my living room.

 

 

Depends on cruise line

 

Royal Caribbean using inside and sea view cabins 

 

Only using balconies when inside and sea view quarantine cabins are full 

 

And those given balcony cabins are not allowed to open the balcony doors !

[halberd7]

We are currently on the Pearl. The Captain said we should dock at Terminal C around 11am. Guests can disembark today from 1pm-4pm or they may stay onboard overnight and leave tomorrow at 8am-10:30am. Around 20 crew tested positive and are in quarantine; all are mild or asymptotic. No plans for guests to be tested.

I tried to post this last night, but it never went through. The crew has been exceptional in providing support for guests trying to rebook flights, with free phone calls and internet.

Edited January 5, 2022 by halberd7

[Karaboudjan]

2 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Course they won't test the passengers 

 

They need to keep the numbers down 

 

Let the passengers test positive once they get home 

 

Thats how the cruiselines handle all of these situations if allowed to

 

 

Unlike who?  Airlines?  No.  Amtrak?  Doubt it.  Buses?  Don't think so.

[CaribbeanJen]

15 hours ago, SoDonewithitAll said:

I am currently on the Getaway. Masking has been near 100% with the exception of bars and dining areas. I have not once seen a crew member not wearing a high-quality mask correctly, let alone not having one at all. They are all totally masked all the time when in public areas. My guess is the crew areas are different, and that is the problem. I have only once seen a guest without a mask when he was not eating/drinking. Everyone I have run into has been very good about masking when with others. I was quite surprised to be honest. 

 I’m also on the Getaway. This is accurate.  
 

one thing we noted- on deck 5 there’s at least 20 cabins with a red square by the door.   This indicates quarantine.   Some had some type of hazmat bag/items wedged into the door handle.  We saw a couple people fully covered with PPE pushing carts of food to these rooms. 
 

we assumed they were moving people down to these rooms but then I saw a red square by a room on the 11th deck last night.  Saw a man with the PPE and a cart with food headed that way.  

[ECCruise]

5 minutes ago, Karaboudjan said:

Unlike who?  Airlines?  No.  Amtrak?  Doubt it.  Buses?  Don't think so.

Do any of those, let alone all, have confirmed infections?  On any of those were people together for 3 full days?

 

No.

[bucfan2]

8 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

Do any of those, let alone all, have confirmed infections?  On any of those were people together for 3 full days?

 

No.

His/her point exactly….we don’t know (nor will/should we) because people aren’t tested when departing airplanes/busses/trains….not to mention bicycles/skateboarders/autos/etc.

Edited January 5, 2022 by bucfan2

[Karaboudjan]

4 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

Do any of those, let alone all, have confirmed infections?  On any of those were people together for 3 full days?

 

No.

Please read the comment that I was responding to.  

[ECCruise]

Just now, Karaboudjan said:

Please read the comment that I was responding to.  

I did.

And that poster is absolutely correct.  They are not testing because they want to keep the numbers down.

[Interestedcruisefan]

1 minute ago, Karaboudjan said:

Please read the comment that I was responding to.  

Its very relevant because cruise ships are only allowed to operate  if numbers infected on board are below certain percentages

 

The cruise lines not only avoid any tests they don't have to implement 

 

But worse still they have the nerve to then quote their Covid stats to pretend it's safer to cruise than it is!

 

They are playing the system but gradually they are eroding any trust their passengers have in their integrity

 

I love cruising 

 

But how cruise lines are managing Covid and covering up what's happening on board ships has really shocked me tbh

 

 

 

 

[Karaboudjan]

1 minute ago, ECCruise said:

I did.

And that poster is absolutely correct.  They are not testing because they want to keep the numbers down.

Very possible.  I disagree with their implication that this is a 'cruise line thing.'  Why are air travelers not being tested when they go home?  Because they don't want it known how many infected people go through the transportation system every day!  How they got infected is beside the point.

[styxfire]

Cruise lines are not trying to hide infections by not testing.  The CDC standards are clear, that infections detected within 5-days POST-CRUISE are still counted within the total % infected, on each ship's 7-day case-count tally.   (Some infections will get missed because people don't go to the doctor, or their doctor isn't following the proper tracking protocol.  But medical centers ARE instructed to provide cruise-related infections to the CDC.)

 

Remember, the cruise industry isn't in business to provide medical services to well people.  They are in the tourism/hospitality business.  The receive no govt funding to offer medical services.  They have no obligation to test well people on board.  (The pre-boarding testing is to prevent infected people from boarding.)  Additionally, the rapid tests have been proven to not be sensitive enough to detect Omicron in it's early (transmissible) stages.  So there's no logic in testing people who are disembarking.  

 

Passengers certainly can test themselves at any time post-cruise.  They can also test themselves on-board if they brought rapid tests with them.  I assume passengers who want to know their covid status at any given time will bring tests on board.  I will be, next week. 

[Syracusefan44]

[CarolinaMamma]

11 minutes ago, styxfire said:

Cruise lines are not trying to hide infections by not testing.  The CDC standards are clear, that infections detected within 5-days POST-CRUISE are still counted within the total % infected, on each ship's 7-day case-count tally.   (Some infections will get missed because people don't go to the doctor, or their doctor isn't following the proper tracking protocol.  But medical centers ARE instructed to provide cruise-related infections to the CDC.)

 

Remember, the cruise industry isn't in business to provide medical services to well people.  They are in the tourism/hospitality business.  The receive no govt funding to offer medical services.  They have no obligation to test well people on board.  (The pre-boarding testing is to prevent infected people from boarding.)  Additionally, the rapid tests have been proven to not be sensitive enough to detect Omicron in it's early (transmissible) stages.  So there's no logic in testing people who are disembarking.  

 

Passengers certainly can test themselves at any time post-cruise.  They can also test themselves on-board if they brought rapid tests with them.  I assume passengers who want to know their covid status at any given time will bring tests on board.  I will be, next week. 

I highly doubt that most post-cruise cases are reported. In my state, only PCR tests are reported to the health department, and it’s hard to even get a PCR test right now. People who test positive with an at-home antigen test don’t have a way to report it. (I know someone who tried, and was told there’s no way to do so. Her doctor said don’t bother with the PCR test because with symptoms and positive at-home tests, you’re positive, so that’s three people in her family who won’t be in the case counts.) I think we have undercounts EVERYWHERE, not just cruise ships. What we should be focusing on now is severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths, but unfortunately it’s going to take the CDC awhile to make that shift.  
 

Kids are now allowed to go back to school 5 days after testing positive if “symptoms are improving.”  I get that school is essential and cruising is optional, but the different guidelines for different places are interesting, 

Edited January 5, 2022 by CarolinaMamma

[Interestedcruisefan]

Dp

Edited January 5, 2022 by Interestedcruisefan

[Interestedcruisefan]

10 minutes ago, Syracusefan44 said:

Wow!

[Swalsh80]

On the Pearl right now as we can see Miami through the fog. When we booked and sailed on this cruise we knew this could happen, we are fine with it. I am getting a full cash refund plus FCC equal to what I paid for this trip. We had 4 days at sea, on a cruise to nowhere and have had a ball. In fact, a beautiful rainbow just appeared. As far as limiting capacity...there are 846 passengers and 1040 crew aboard

[styxfire]

1 minute ago, Swalsh80 said:

As far as limiting capacity...there are 846 passengers and 1040 crew aboard

Goodness!  Did you feel smothered with service?  I've been wondering what it will be like if the crew outnumbered the passengers.  I am almost getting worried my cruise will feel a little deserted.

[Interestedcruisefan]

22 minutes ago, styxfire said:

More than 6% of TSA employees (3,037 as of this morning out of 50k) have active Covid-19 infections.  This is reported by TSA.gov daily.

 

The % of infected cruise crewmembers is infintessimally smaller than 6% !   Although I'm sure Covid-19 infections are under-reported everywhere,...  when talking about cruisers who flew to/from their cruise, had no symptoms on-board but got diagnosed after the cruise, the ODDS are extremely higher that they caught the infection from their airport/flight rather than on the ship.  The numbers support that.

 

Accusing the cruiselines of covering up certain #s is an interesting topic, but people who write that should definitely have some specific proof before slinging that around. Covering up cases would be actionable.  I personally don't feel there's a cover-up.  The cruise lines have been much more transparent re: covid illnesses than most any other industry in America.

Covering up is not the wording I guess as by not testing they have nothing to cover up !

 

But you know as well as I do that the less cases they confirm on board a cruise the better for them

 

And so their policies do everything to avoid testing they are allowed to do

 

I guarantee if they didn't have to test crew weekly they wouldn't test them

 

According to a passenger on RCL whose daughter tested positive last week 

 

Even she as a close contact sharing her daughter's cabin had to request a test

 

She was then warned if she tested negative she would then have to pay 175 dollars whilst on board for a medical visit to confirm she was negative

 

Which she coukd claim back after the cruise

 

It's no wonder nobody is volunteering to test on board

 

You either win quarantine for yourself or pay 175 dollars out!

 

I just find it all too calculated and sneaky by the cruise lines 

 

 

Edited January 5, 2022 by Interestedcruisefan

[Swalsh80]

Some people are getting off the ship today. We are going to stay on till tomorrow morning for the 6.5 hour drive home

[Swalsh80]

Everything was great. As long as you can relax and roll with it, we had a good time.  Our cabin steward even left us a towel dog when he made up the room this morning