Live from the Explorer, from new Regent Cruisers…

[InsGuy3]

8 minutes ago, gcorgain said:

We used that argument as well, and there was no response. 

 

There certainly would be no response because as Pcardad said correctly ‘their logic makes no sense’

[Aloha 1]

Logic is nowhere present in the Health Director's  argument . Might be a waste of time but I would ask the GM to check with Miami on his statements. And as others have said, document everything, especially the PHD's refusal to follow CDC guidelines.

[flossie009]

2 hours ago, gcorgain said:

We had counted ten days from the time we had started being in quarantine. That would have made Saturday the 10th day and we would be free on Sunday. I went to confirm this and he says the first day is counted as Day 0. Who knew math was this hard!

 

Thanks for your continuing reports and your fortitude enduring a cruiser's worst nightmare.

 

It does seem that one side effect of this virus is to stretch the boundaries of simple arithmetic. Here in the UK our new "5-day rule" seems more like 7 days when I add it up using my fingers & toes 🙄

 

 

 

[gcorgain]

LOL, it isn't just Regent. 

[Sunprince]

Gcorgain, thanks for your posts!  What is the testing protocol that Regent is using with you? Will they do a test on day 10/11 to be “released” from quarantine? Have you had an additional  test while in quarantine?  How does Regent know when when you become negative?  Technically, ,could they release you from quarantine on day 11 without a test and you still be positive? Or conversely, if you were negative on say day 7 of quarantine then why would they not release you earlier?  Really trying to understand Regent’s protocol here.  Any insight would be very helpful.

Thanks

[Pudgesmom]

Thanks so much for posting all of your experiences.  I've vicariously enjoyed the good and the bad of your sailing.

Edited January 13, 2022 by Pudgesmom

[CruisetheCs]

Gclorgain, sorry to hear of your situation.  I would have a lot of difficulty dealing with it if I were in a similar situation.

I'm curious what the onboard Public Health Officer is in terms of background.  A physician? or other medical training? 

 

I'm not sure why they would strictly follow a rigid 10 day isolation protocol when CDC doesn't require such a protocol.  From what I have read on these CC threads about other Regent cruises, the mask protocol is not strictly enforced and not followed by a few guests.  So sounds like inconsistent adherence to reasonable guidelines.

 

Link to January 9, 2022 CDC guidelines https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html

[gcorgain]

Let me see if i can answer this batch of questions:

 

1. Testing protocol: we have not been tested since the first day, and I don’t believe we will be tested again. I believe the reasoning for this is that you can test positive for a few weeks after you are no longer contagious due to the antibodies in your blood. This is why the CDC didn’t require a negative test at the end of the isolation period.

2. Standard for release: This is just the number of days plus being asymptomatic.

 

3. Public Health Officer training: I’m not sure the level of training to be the ship’s public health officer. He is definitely a different person from the medical team.  Honestly, I believe he is following policy from Miami, but I am not sure the degree of latitude that he is given.

 

4. CDC orders: This part took me a bit to understand, and I certainly don’t agree with it, but let me try to explain Regent’s position. The only CDC rules and regulations that apply to cruising are the Conditional Sailing Order. None of the revisions matter (including the shortened quarantine rule) because the CDC didn’t revise the Sailing rules. Now they expire on the 15th and become voluntary. Will Regent and other cruise lines eventually modify them? Who knows. I’m betting not in the immediate future though. 
 

This last piece is what is most frustrating. It is no longer about protecting anyone, and just about s9me outdated rules that were updated in some places but not others. We’ve all seen the discrepancies between Regent’s own health rules published in different places. Imagine that multiplied by thousands for the government.

 

But I still have seen nowhere in writing why a 10 day quarantine requires 11 days. Except Flossie’s UK example.

 

 

[Trunkabella]

from the CDC’s website.  Day of positive result is day 0 for isolation purposes.

Edited January 13, 2022 by Trunkabella

[gcorgain]

Ok then. There is it is. Assuming that is the same language in the conditional sailing order, I guess they are right. 

[mj_holiday]

Thank you again for posting your experiences.  For those of us who will be cruising in the future, knowing what may happen if we get sick is a lot better than having no idea and reading reports from mass market cruise lines.

Hopefully your experience will not cause people who get sick to avoid self reporting to avoid quarantine, this helps no one.

[WandafromWLA]

Greg,

We very much appreciate you sharing this experience, and applaud your positive attitude.

We were scheduled to join Explorer's return trip to Miami,  this coming Wednesday, but cancelled, and will

put future cruising on hold until Covid is history.

Best  of everything in 2022 and happy future cruising for all of us,

Wanda

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Hang in there, this too shall pass!  You must be suffering terrible cabin fever by now.  I'd be going stir-crazy.  At least you still have your balcony (right?)

[gcorgain]

Yes, thank goodness for our balcony. Two more positive cases yesterday in the crew. No new guests.
 

Today I thought I would focus on Room Service. I feel like we are now the experts in Regent Room Service. Room service as a whole has been good, prompt, and accommodating of requests that don't exactly follow the menu. So if the menu has a ham omelette and a cheese omelette, you can get a Ham and cheese omelette. This applies for all meals.

 

The one main rule I would suggest is make sure you specify everything you want. So when ordering dinner from the compass rose menu, you must specify if you want bread and butter. Make sure you specify the butter or you will probably just get the bread with no butter. There have been several similar examples (e.g. we have ordered a bottle of Merlot and no wine glasses came, a New York steak had no steak knife). They are happy to send stuff up, but your food might get cold. So we make a list and check it before ordering.

 

Breakfast: We usually remember to put the door hanger out. As most of you know it has most of the normal items on it. You can also add most normal breakfast items with no issue (e.g. Eggs Benedict). If you forget to put the hanger out you can still order via the phone and our service has been fairly quick.

 

Lunch: Lunch is the normal room service menu. It should be plenty in most cases, but we asked and received some extras (e.g.milkshakes) one day. Standouts have been the Regent Club, Hamburger, and the Cobb Salad.

 

Dinner: Dinner you get the entire Compass Rose menu in addition to the regular Room Service menu. This has been great for variety. Last night I had amazing Tandoori Chicken (which was tasty-tasty!). The Lamb Chops are also among the best I have had. Fish has been a little more hit and miss, with some of it great, and other pieces dry and overcooked. One other nice thing is they are happy to bring you a bottle of wine or any other beverage with dinner.

 

And speaking of beverages, we have ordered bottles of booze, wine, and water outside of the meals. This morning we decided to have Bellini's on the balcony before it got really hot. They delivered just the Bellini's, which Aaron promptly spilt, and they brought us two more!

 

We are very stir crazy and would love to get out of this room. That being said, when I compare the food and treatment we have had, to the media accounts from other lines (yes, that is you Celebrity), the experience just cannot compare. 

[RSJM]

That's great that you have had delicious meals and plenty to drink. Does housekeeping clean your room?

 

[gcorgain]

Our room has been cleaned once upon request. It took a few hours to arrange. We went onto our balcony with our masks on. Two people in hazmat suits came in and cleaned and we reentered adter they left. It was not our regular team. We had actually just asked for bed linens to change ourselves, but they pushed to do it. We get towels and dishes changed out more frequently. 

[RachelG]

sounds like your treatment is better than what another poster over on the silversea board has been reporting.  He is someone I consider fair and reliable, so kudos to Regent for doing a better job in a difficult situation. 

[OceanPatter]

Gcorgain, not sure if this has already been mentioned … but there’s a similar running thread on the Holland American board titled ‘Zuiderdam Quarantine.’ The OP is NMCruiser123 and he is a bit further along than you (on #days in quarantine). His thread has garnered tremendous interest (and sympathy). People have viewed his situation as a cause célèbre.

[gcorgain]

Thank you RachelG and OceanPatter. I will check both of these threads out!

[Stickman1990]

10 minutes ago, gcorgain said:

Thank you RachelG and OceanPatter. I will check both of these threads out!

Here’s the Silversea one - you’ll be glad you’re on Regent! - 

 

[2012_Alaska_bound]

2 hours ago, gcorgain said:

Two people in hazmat suits came in and cleaned and we reentered adter they left. It was not our regular team.

 

Did you take a picture?!

[gcorgain]

7 minutes ago, 2012_Alaska_bound said:

 

Did you take a picture?!

Now I wish I had. The nurses that come twice a day also wear sorta hazmat suits. I’ll try to grab a picture. We are now trying to figure out what happens on Monday. We have been told by the Concierge that we will need to wait in our room on Monday until someone comes to let us out. Our nurse told us we can just leave Monday and no one will come by. I asked if we would get any kind of letter or documentation and no one seems to know. 
 

One suggestion I would have to Regent would be a letter up front laying out the process. They could also make suggestions for things that could be requested to make the time pass. This would help the people in quarantine and make it less stressful. 
 

Another idea would be to put some of the entertainment on a TV channel. I would love to watch the duo, the theater show, or the pianist. Really anything!  Princess did that a bunch of years ago, and they do it for the lectures, so I would think it would be feasible. 
 

These aren’t major complaints. For the most part Regent has been good to us. 
 

Greg
 

[SireDoime]

On 1/13/2022 at 4:02 PM, flossie009 said:

 

Thanks for your continuing reports and your fortitude enduring a cruiser's worst nightmare.

 

It does seem that one side effect of this virus is to stretch the boundaries of simple arithmetic. Here in the UK our new "5-day rule" seems more like 7 days when I add it up using my fingers & toes 🙄

 

 

 

 

On 1/13/2022 at 5:44 PM, Trunkabella said:

from the CDC’s website.  Day of positive result is day 0 for isolation purposes.

 

 

As I see it: both of the protocols for isolation are very logical, and makes perfect sense.

The goal is keeping you and other passengers safe. 

Of course, your comfort and satisfaction are also important.

I believe the cruise lines (that enforce vaccinations, and personal safety), and the CDC are doing a great job.

 

When I hear people complain about the CDC, it's mostly about inconveniences they suffered.

 

That said, I'll be grateful, when this all comes to a close.

 

Peace.

Edited January 15, 2022 by SireDoime
out of room and no cheese

[machotspur]

16 hours ago, RachelG said:

sounds like your treatment is better than what another poster over on the silversea board has been reporting.  He is someone I consider fair and reliable, so kudos to Regent for doing a better job in a difficult situation. 

 

Yes - I have also been reading the post on the Silversea board with utter disbelief. As we are Silversea and Regent cruisers his experience has certainly put some concerns in our mind regarding SS. 

[wishIweretravelling]

Re the hazmat suits, that’s not new to the covid environment. A friend and I were on a grand voyage on Navigator in 2008 when I developed a bad stomach condition. I suspected an errant piece of lettuce in Egypt, resulting in “mummy tummy,” but Regent appropriately took no chances and put both my friend/cabin mate and me in quarantine in our cabin. She had been out and about on the ship when I went to the doctor, and was startled to learn when she returned that she’d be in quarantine with me for at least 3 days.

 

Anyway, during that time our room was cleaned daily by 2 people (not our regular stewardess) in hazmat suits. My friend never developed symptoms, so was released after the 3 days. And because she never got sick, it was concluded that mine was indeed food-bourn so not contagious, so I was released when I felt well enough—about 5 days.

 

Which is my long-winded way of saying that they are applying some of the protocols they’ve long used for norovirus.