Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

[ShaZoGus]

My friend and I have a 7-day Azamara cruise booked from Miami-Miami departing on Feb 15/22 and I’m so confused about whether or not to go.  Azamara’s Cruise With Confidence policy allows us to cancel up to 48 hours prior to sailing and our flights are refundable. We’re both vaxxed and boosted and vigilant with mask-wearing, social distancing, etc. but this highly contagious Omicron variant has me very concerned. Any input or suggestions from fellow Canadians who have cruised recently?

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Give it a month , than decide 

[CruisinFinsUp]

Personally, I think it depends on your ability to deal with getting home if you test positive at the end of the cruise.  
 

With all the testing, quarantine time, hotel stays, etc etc, for us the answer was to cancel our Jan 19 Princess cruise.  We were not able to be away for longer, have to deal with all the additional stuff if we are positive post cruise.  Would undo all the relaxation of the vacation for us.  
 

Everyone has different tolerances and situations.   For us, we considered our worst case scenario, and we decided "nope".   
 

I think you evaluate what you can deal with vs what you can't and decide how likely the "can't" is to happen. 
 

Good luck!!

[DirtyDawg]

22 minutes ago, Airbalancer said:

Give it a month , than decide 

Give it a month and 3 days to decide. No need to decide before the OP absolutely has to decide. 😉

 

OP, a week of international travel now means possibly three weeks or more of international travel! Travelers now need a Plan B,  C and maybe even D if they want to travel internationally. 

 

Can you afford to be stuck in Miami for 2 weeks following your cruise, both cost wise and time wise? Can you drive to Miami rather than fly? I don't know what Azamara's Covid quarantine policies or benefits are so I'm not sure if you would be on the hook for all of the extra costs or not. You will need to find that out. Also, can you afford the cost of hospitalization in the U.S. if it comes to that? i.e. do you have very good out-of-province health care coverage that includes coverage for Covid, many do not, especially for cruising. 

 

We just got back from a week in the Caribbean. Frankly, with all the extra planning we could have used two weeks! 

 

Edited January 9, 2022 by DirtyDawg

[Fouremco]

4 minutes ago, CruisinFinsUp said:

I think it depends on your ability to deal with getting home if you test positive at the end of the cruise.

I couldn't agree more, at the end of the day this is the most critical factor.

 

Azamara's Cruise With Confidence seems to provide good protection should you decide to cancel, but what are their end-of-cruise protocols? Will they test you aboard or at the terminal for your flight home, or will you have to fight with the hordes of Floridians and visitors trying to get PCR tests? Are you prepared to stay in a hotel while waiting for for test results? What happens if you test positive, will Azamara cover the cost of your quarantine period in a hotel? What's your Plan B if we continue to see airlines cancelling flights?

              

If you have answers for these questions that you are comfortable with, go and enjoy the cruise. Many people are doing that and are quite happy. Others, including my DW and me, decided that the risk of catching COVID and having to quarantine in Florida just wasn't worth it.

 

Good luck! We've felt like a weight was lifted from our shoulders once we made our decision, and I'm sure that you'll feel that way too, whatever you decide.

 

 

[tert333]

3 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

I couldn't agree more, at the end of the day this is the most critical factor.

 

Azamara's Cruise With Confidence seems to provide good protection should you decide to cancel, but what are their end-of-cruise protocols? Will they test you aboard or at the terminal for your flight home, or will you have to fight with the hordes of Floridians and visitors trying to get PCR tests? Are you prepared to stay in a hotel while waiting for for test results? What happens if you test positive, will Azamara cover the cost of your quarantine period in a hotel? What's your Plan B if we continue to see airlines cancelling flights?

              

If you have answers for these questions that you are comfortable with, go and enjoy the cruise. Many people are doing that and are quite happy. Others, including my DW and me, decided that the risk of catching COVID and having to quarantine in Florida just wasn't worth it.

 

Good luck! We've felt like a weight was lifted from our shoulders once we made our decision, and I'm sure that you'll feel that way too, whatever you decide.

 

 

I agree with all of the above comments.  After January 15, you will have to stay in the US for 10 days prior to flying back.   Celebrity cruise would pay for accommodations for the first 5 days, as that is all that the CDC requires now.   After that, you will be on the hook for the other 5 days.  

 

The other thing to think about is what to do if one of you test positive and the other person you are travelling with tests negative.   If both stay, there is a good chance that the second person will test positive when the two of you decide to return to Canada.  If the second person, tests positive, then they will have to start the 10 day testing cycle up getting the positive results.

 

Not sure if there is anyone that has gone through this scenario, but would like to see how they dealt with it.

 

PS.  We just got back from our Celebrity cruise and are so happy that we took the cruise.   However, we were very conscious to do as much social distancing as possible....

[K_e_short]

i just got back from a NYE cruise. There were a few Canadians on my cruise and two families tested positive.

 

One family took it well, flew to Washingston State, drove across the border, and got home to isoloate.

 

The second family reacted very badly, including blaming everyone. I do not think they expected what happened to have happened.

 

So as others have said - are you willing to test positive for a highly contagious variant of a virus that could give you mild symptoms or make you very sick.. and be sick in another country.

 

[Atlantic Girl]

Also just returned from a 9 night cruise on Allure of the Seas. We stayed in Florida 3 days before the cruise so 12 day vacation. The cruise itself was wonderful. Not like old times unless we were out on our balcony, unmasked and feeling the sea breeze. All the Covid protocols are excellent, if people would follow them. Once you step out your cabin door, reality hits you, and there is no doubt that it dampens the vacation spirit. We were very careful, but that meant constantly evaluating our environment and everyone close to us. Vacation is supposed to be a mental break, a recharge, a chance to put your real life on a back shelf.  I did not experience any great anxiety during my cruise but I also did not get to relax as I wanted. For example if I was on a lounger, with my eyes shut, listening to the ocean, and someone sits next to you, then I felt the compulsion to evaluate the person in regards to my chance of exposure. Having to pass a PCR test at the end of our cruise was always front and foremost. Canadians and Internationals  are such a small minority of the passengers, we are the only ones that have to worry about passing that PCR test.  Near the end of the cruise there was blatant disregard of protocol by a lot of people. That drove us to spend more time in our cabin. The other problem is with all the obstacles that have to be conquered, such as testing availability, and flights. All our flights were delayed and changed and were a mess. We had a much needed and appreciated vacation and glad we went. But that said we have made the decision to cancel two cruises in March. To face the travel ordeal knowing what the reality is , it has no appeal. So, hope our summer cruises to Europe will happen. I do not want to come across as negative, but travel is tough right now, that’s the world we live in.  

[ShaZoGus]

Thanks to everyone for sharing your recent cruise experiences and opinions.  I find myself becoming more stressed as the cruise date approaches, and realizing that, as much as I’d love to get away to the sun and sand, perhaps the timing isn’t the best with the looming  possibility of a positive test and all that entails prior to returning home.

[TeaBag]

We are even stressing about an April cruise, as FP approaches.

[DHP1]

 

Cancelled our April TA and B2B British Isles cruise yesterday, too many hoops to jump through and don't want to lock in to another FCC...Struggling to use the one we already have and PCL wont extend it  !

Fingers crossed that by fall we will be in a better place 🤞

Exact same reasons why we cancelled.  Trusting our Fall cruise to Australia/ New Zealand will be a better time to travel. 🤞

Edited January 11, 2022 by DHP1

[Magicat]

We were on the Adventure over Christmas and found it interesting the top 3 nationalities cruising were Americans, Chinese and Mexican.  I think we were the only Canadians.

[em-sk]

7 hours ago, ShaZoGus said:

Thanks to everyone for sharing your recent cruise experiences and opinions.  I find myself becoming more stressed as the cruise date approaches, and realizing that, as much as I’d love to get away to the sun and sand, perhaps the timing isn’t the best with the looming  possibility of a positive test and all that entails prior to returning home.

 

The reason people go on vacation is to relieve stress.  If you feel stressed about something that should relieve stress that is probably a good indication of what you should do.

 

Personally I have decided to pass on cruising until this all passes.  However others may be more comfortable with it all and that is great and they should go.

[ShaZoGus]

Cancelled and feeling very relieved!

[Fouremco]

29 minutes ago, ShaZoGus said:

Cancelled and feeling very relieved!

Good for you. 👍 It's been a few weeks now since we cancelled and we've had no regrets or second thoughts at all.

[GrannyGear]

We are supposed to me in Savanah GA this week on a driving vacation which we cancelled. My wife didn't want to chance having to isolate in the US and miss work for 1-2 weeks. We were then going to spend a few days at White Point Lodge in Liverpool, NS, and that is closed due to Covid outbreaks. Sometimes you can't win.

 

Have a cruise booked for March. Game time decision for us......

 

[Magicat]

Savanah would have been awesome this time of year.  Sorry to hear you cancelled. 

[luv2cruise0611]

On 1/9/2022 at 6:50 PM, K_e_short said:

i just got back from a NYE cruise. There were a few Canadians on my cruise and two families tested positive.

 

One family took it well, flew to Washingston State, drove across the border, and got home to isoloate.

 

The second family reacted very badly, including blaming everyone. I do not think they expected what happened to have happened.

 

So as others have said - are you willing to test positive for a highly contagious variant of a virus that could give you mild symptoms or make you very sick.. and be sick in another country.

 

That’s the problem right there and it’s happening all across the US.  People who test Positive and take flights.  That’s why the spread will never end.  This Canadian family may have taken the news well that they got Covid but flying and exposing everyone at the airport and on the flight … you think that’s good?  If they would have driven straight home to quarantine, that would be good …. but going on a plane when your Positive … that’s selfish.   
 

The difference is …. Canadian airlines will not let you board a flight without a Negative PCR test … American airlines don’t require any testing.  Hence, Americans are able to fly anywhere domestic, even if they’re Positive … albeit, many are unaware …. but many are aware and fly anyway. 

[waiting2retire]

1 hour ago, luv2cruise0611 said:

That’s the problem right there and it’s happening all across the US.  People who test Positive and take flights.  That’s why the spread will never end.  This Canadian family may have taken the news well that they got Covid but flying and exposing everyone at the airport and on the flight … you think that’s good?  If they would have driven straight home to quarantine, that would be good …. but going on a plane when your Positive … that’s selfish.   
 

The difference is …. Canadian airlines will not let you board a flight without a Negative PCR test … American airlines don’t require any testing.  Hence, Americans are able to fly anywhere domestic, even if they’re Positive … albeit, many are unaware …. but many are aware and fly anyway. 

This is not true. There is no requirement for Covid testing for a fully vaccinated person to fly within Canada. 
 

I do agree that it is incredibly irresponsible to travel through any airport and board a flight while knowingly positive for Covid. 
 

[broberts]

1 hour ago, waiting2retire said:

This is not true. There is no requirement for Covid testing for a fully vaccinated person to fly within Canada. 
 

I do agree that it is incredibly irresponsible to travel through any airport and board a flight while knowingly positive for Covid. 
 

 

With a few exceptions, one must be fully vaccinated to fly commercial or take the train in Canada. 

[K_e_short]

Being fully vaccinated to travel by plane (and train) in Canada is a good first step as we know those that are vaccinated are less likely to get Covid and pass it on to others.

 

But yes Canada and the U.S. have the same rules. You can fly domestically with a positive Covid test.

[DHP1]

2 hours ago, K_e_short said:

Being fully vaccinated to travel by plane (and train) in Canada is a good first step as we know those that are vaccinated are less likely to get Covid and pass it on to others.

 

But yes Canada and the U.S. have the same rules. You can fly domestically with a positive Covid test.

“You can fly domestically with a positive Covid test”. I don’t think so. Why would anyone travel if there tested positive. No wonder the numbers are high. 

[waiting2retire]

The fact that you can fly within Canada with a positive test certainly doesn’t mean you should. The point is that you don’t need to be tested to fly domestically. Personally, if I have any Covid-like symptoms, I self-isolate for the minimum 5 days required in Ontario. 

[Dr. Pam]

On 1/13/2022 at 11:03 AM, waiting2retire said:

The fact that you can fly within Canada with a positive test certainly doesn’t mean you should. The point is that you don’t need to be tested to fly domestically. Personally, if I have any Covid-like symptoms, I self-isolate for the minimum 5 days required in Ontario. 

I only hope that everyone would do the right thing!  Unfortunately, I do believe that COVID fatigue and the folks ("that I am going to get it anyway") may lead to the increasing numbers of the coming wave. 

[K_e_short]

28 minutes ago, Dr. Pam said:

I only hope that everyone would do the right thing!  Unfortunately, I do believe that COVID fatigue and the folks ("that I am going to get it anyway") may lead to the increasing numbers of the coming wave. 

 

I think for the most part people are doing the right thing and travellers specifically are doing the right thing. We all have to be vaccinated to fly within Canada, fly to the U.S., and to cruise. I'd like to think the crazies who don't want to get vaccinated are more likely to do whats good for them, and not for society in general.

 

 Covid is not spreading because of travel. The statistics show that. An article posted here showed the very low number of positive arrival tests.