Quarantine on Azamara

[Travels with Lisa]

Hi all-

I'm sure there are a lot of people who, like myself, are trying to decide to sail or cancel.  We all have been reading stories from passengers of other cruise lines about their quarantine experience both on and off the ship.  I was wondering if people would be willing to share their experiences with Azamara.

 

thanks!

 

Liz

 

[Roel94]

I Just left Quest between guests and maybe crew covid ward was full. So some guests stayed in their cabins  and got food sent up.

Not sure what happened to guests on Jan 7th..what hotel etc. but on ship treated well.  Remember I was in the Cmas cruise and very full. Other cruises one or two people who travel together. 

[Huntingdon1701]

Got the 'close contact' letter today on Journey. They've arranged complimentary testing for us tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, we can wander around the ship as usual but those of us affected had to be grouped into our own private tour to ensure social distancing on that. 

 

It's quite civilised, and more relaxed than I expected. We think this is because it's a low risk contact - the original guide for the tour yesterday went home feeling sick. Direct contact would have been no more than 30 seconds, so it's probably an abundance of caution. 

 

On the other hand, if I test positive tomorrow I can give you a first hand experience. Since they're using ocean views for quarantine, it would basically be a free upgrade for me. Silver linings... 😁

[Travels with Lisa]

I hope it goes well. Keep me posted. 

[Huntingdon1701]

The bad news is that I can't give you first hand views on quarantine. The good news is that I'm not infectious and can do my tours today. 

 

A friendly nurse showed up at my cabin around 8.15 and did two nasal swabs in under a minute. 30 minutes later I had a call from guest services saying it was negative and I could carry on as normal.

 

I attach the close contact letter in case that's of interest. What I took from this is that Azamara will take precautions to ensure you can maintain social distance from other passengers, but also try their best to let you still enjoy the cruise until the test result triggers more intense measures. 

[Marmaduke]

16 hours ago, Huntingdon1701 said:

Got the 'close contact' letter today on Journey. They've arranged complimentary testing for us tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, we can wander around the ship as usual but those of us affected had to be grouped into our own private tour to ensure social distancing on that. 

 

It's quite civilised, and more relaxed than I expected. We think this is because it's a low risk contact - the original guide for the tour yesterday went home feeling sick. Direct contact would have been no more than 30 seconds, so it's probably an abundance of caution. 

 

On the other hand, if I test positive tomorrow I can give you a first hand experience. Since they're using ocean views for quarantine, it would basically be a free upgrade for me. Silver linings... 😁

Glad to hear that you are negative and can continue enjoying your cruise.  Am I correct in assuming  that you were considered a potential covid risk because you came into contact with a local tour guide who later tested positive ?  What are the tours in the Canaries like, regarding social distancing,  coach size, maximum number of passengers on each bus etc?

Last summer I was on a Viking cruise around the UK and  the 40 seater coaches were always only half full and alternate pairs of  seats were blocked off.  Therefore there was nobody sitting in front  or behind you or directly adjacent across the aisle.

 

[Travels with Lisa]

Good news!  

[futian]

While I fully understand the need for cruise lines to quarantine Covid positive passengers and keeping them all in one area for logistical reasons, I am not impressed with Azamara's policy to apparently quarantine in Oceanview cabins.

These cabins (approx 8x18 ft), which have no access to any fresh air and low light levels due to the small window, must be the stuff of nightmares for anyone having to isolate alone for possibly up to 10 days!

I note from quarantine reports that other cruise lines are using balcony cabins and I do think Azamara should consider sectioning off some balcony cabins, which have far better light levels, access to fresh air and a place to sit outside during what could be (going on accounts I've read), a long, lonely and depressing existence in isolation.

I'd be interested to hear the views from anyone who has had to isolate in an Oceanview cabin.

[Huntingdon1701]

4 hours ago, Marmaduke said:

Glad to hear that you are negative and can continue enjoying your cruise.  Am I correct in assuming  that you were considered a potential covid risk because you came into contact with a local tour guide who later tested positive ?  What are the tours in the Canaries like, regarding social distancing,  coach size, maximum number of passengers on each bus etc?

Last summer I was on a Viking cruise around the UK and  the 40 seater coaches were always only half full and alternate pairs of  seats were blocked off.  Therefore there was nobody sitting in front  or behind you or directly adjacent across the aisle.

 

 

Thanks. The tour guide on Las Palmas went home before the tour started. The only contact was 30 seconds when she walked down the coach aisle. We're speculating that is what prompted it - crew are not confirming. 

 

Shore excursions are not as structured as Viking and I have complained because one tour was so packed that not only were there people immediately in front and behind, but someone had to sit next to me too (not in my travelling group). It was an 8 hour one too with a lot of time on the coach.

 

The shore excursion manager spoke with me afterwards but didn't grasp the issue - on paper it looked like they had 10 spare seats, but it didn't work like that in practice because the seating is not managed at all. It feels really off compared to the precautions they take on ship to ensure social distancing. 

 

That said, the other tours have all been smaller numbers in the coach and people have been able to naturally space themselves out. It was only the Remote Villages of Tenerife and Masca where I felt it wasn't safe. 

[Huntingdon1701]

12 minutes ago, futian said:

While I fully understand the need for cruise lines to quarantine Covid positive passengers and keeping them all in one area for logistical reasons, I am not impressed with Azamara's policy to apparently quarantine in Oceanview cabins.

These cabins (approx 8x18 ft), which have no access to any fresh air and low light levels due to the small window, must be the stuff of nightmares for anyone having to isolate alone for possibly up to 10 days!

I note from quarantine reports that other cruise lines are using balcony cabins and I do think Azamara should consider sectioning off some balcony cabins, which have far better light levels, access to fresh air and a place to sit outside during what could be (going on accounts I've read), a long, lonely and depressing existence in isolation.

I'd be interested to hear the views from anyone who has had to isolate in an Oceanview cabin.

 

 

I heard an alternative approach today from people who'd been on the previous cruise as well, where three people tested positive. They were apparently taken straight off the ship in Haz mat suits and onto an ambulance to the hospital ( they were asymptomatic so not an actual emergency). That may only have been possible because they were in the final port, and they may have used cabins if it had happened at another part of the cruise. 

 

I'm sure I remember balconies being reserved for quarantine on Quest last August. The ocean views are by the medical centre, so it's easier to provide care from that, I guess. 

 

I'd ask for clarification but they seem to have me marked down as a troublemaker after the shore excursion complaint and I don't want to risk more attention!

[Vineyard View]

I am grateful that you pointed out the shore excursion which, based on that experience, would not make me feel at all safe. It is exactly what we do not like about ship excursions in non-Covid times, let alone now days. That is also the main reason we question cruising at this time seems more high risk than independent travel. That is just our opinion, and   I know it works for others.
I read on one of the boards that cruise sponsored tours do not require the tour guides nor bus drivers to be vaxed. Do you know if that is the case with Azamara? 

[Huntingdon1701]

20 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

I am grateful that you pointed out the shore excursion which, based on that experience, would not make me feel at all safe. It is exactly what we do not like about ship excursions in non-Covid times, let alone now days. That is also the main reason we question cruising at this time seems more high risk than independent travel. That is just our opinion, and   I know it works for others.
I read on one of the boards that cruise sponsored tours do not require the tour guides nor bus drivers to be vaxed. Do you know if that is the case with Azamara? 

 

Sorry, that hasn't been mentioned at all. I'll see if I can ask. 

 

With Azamara, in the ports we're visiting, you are able to go ashore independently. Alternately, you could have them arrange a private tour for you, if that's within your budget. 

[futian]

2 hours ago, Huntingdon1701 said:

 

I'd ask for clarification but they seem to have me marked down as a troublemaker after the shore excursion complaint and I don't want to risk more attention!

 

Thanks....I'm sure it will come up in conversations sometime during your cruise.....have a good one👍

[Travels with Lisa]

On 1/15/2022 at 8:06 AM, Vineyard View said:

I am grateful that you pointed out the shore excursion which, based on that experience, would not make me feel at all safe. It is exactly what we do not like about ship excursions in non-Covid times, let alone now days. That is also the main reason we question cruising at this time seems more high risk than independent travel. That is just our opinion, and   I know it works for others.
I read on one of the boards that cruise sponsored tours do not require the tour guides nor bus drivers to be vaxed. Do you know if that is the case with Azamara? 

I just spoke with Azamara and they require all tour guides and drivers to be vaxed.

 

[gbphipps]

We were on the Quest for B2B cruises from December 10th through January 7th.  We had a great first cruise (Dec 7th-23rd) but after Christmas I tested positive for covid without symptoms, despite being triple vaccinated, extremely careful and only having left the ship once in both cruises.  I was isolated for 10 days in a tiny ocean view cabin and my husband as a close contact was quarantined for 10 days in our suite even though he tested negative throughout. They never retested me after they verified my first initial antigen test with a PCR.  We were promised that we would hear from Azamara within a week following disembarkation regarding an FCC for the 2/3 of our $15,000 holiday cruise that we missed but so far we only received an email sent to all guests onboard offering $300-$500 onboard credit for a new booking for the ports missed due to covid onboard.  When will we hear from Azamara?  When will their promises be fulfilled?  We have several future cruises already booked in suites and are contemplating canceling since we have not been made whole from this whole covid fiasco onboard.  Isolation and quarantine alone with food in cardboard boxes is no way to spend New Year’s Eve.  I am sure all would agree.  It was depressing to the max and I am still experiencing PTSD from that claustrophobic solitary confinement experience.  The man in the next tiny solitary cell beat the walls and the windows until they let him out.  I was compliant to all they asked, despite feeling like a leper in my small cell.  I am frankly afraid to take another cruise anytime soon as I dont know if I could survive mentally a repeat of this experience.

[JWayne60]

10 minutes ago, gbphipps said:

We were on the Quest for B2B cruises from December 10th through January 7th.  We had a great first cruise (Dec 7th-23rd) but after Christmas I tested positive for covid without symptoms, despite being triple vaccinated, extremely careful and only having left the ship once in both cruises.  I was isolated for 10 days in a tiny ocean view cabin and my husband as a close contact was quarantined for 10 days in our suite even though he tested negative throughout. They never retested me after they verified my first initial antigen test with a PCR.  We were promised that we would hear from Azamara within a week following disembarkation regarding an FCC for the 2/3 of our $15,000 holiday cruise that we missed but so far we only received an email sent to all guests onboard offering $300-$500 onboard credit for a new booking for the ports missed due to covid onboard.  When will we hear from Azamara?  When will their promises be fulfilled?  We have several future cruises already booked in suites and are contemplating canceling since we have not been made whole from this whole covid fiasco onboard.  Isolation and quarantine alone with food in cardboard boxes is no way to spend New Year’s Eve.  I am sure all would agree.  It was depressing to the max and I am still experiencing PTSD from that claustrophobic solitary confinement experience.  The man in the next tiny solitary cell beat the walls and the windows until they let him out.  I was compliant to all they asked, despite feeling like a leper in my small cell.  I am frankly afraid to take another cruise anytime soon as I dont know if I could survive mentally a repeat of this experience.

So sorry to hear about your experience. I sure hope they provided a phone number to contact them. If not, here’s the phone numbers from their website… I hope you are able to get some feedback very quickly. 

 

U.S. & Canada:	1.888.532.5828
Outside U.S. & Canada:	1.954.628.9712

[gbphipps]

Thank you.  No we were not given anything except a letter verifying the dates of my isolation for the CDC.

[NC&KY]

1 hour ago, gbphipps said:

Thank you.  No we were not given anything except a letter verifying the dates of my isolation for the CDC.

Am I correct that you and your spouse were separated for the quarantine?

[gbphipps]

8 minutes ago, NC&KY said:

Am I correct that you and your spouse were separated for the quarantine?

Yes, that is true

[uktog]

5 hours ago, gbphipps said:

Yes, that is true

Sorry to hear what happened to you.  Being separated would absolutely terrify me. I hope soon there is a general rethink, after all they don’t separate people if it’s a noro outbreak 

[marinaro44]

Windstar separates you, too.  See RemPuck's postings in this thread: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2822353-new-charges-for-mid-cruise-testing/

 

[Vineyard View]

2 hours ago, marinaro44 said:

Windstar separates you, too.  See RemPuck's postings in this thread: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2822353-new-charges-for-mid-cruise-testing/

 

That is a very interesting thread. I had not heard before of someone being kept on the ship at length after their cruise in quarantine. 

[Travels with Lisa]

13 hours ago, gbphipps said:

We were on the Quest for B2B cruises from December 10th through January 7th.  We had a great first cruise (Dec 7th-23rd) but after Christmas I tested positive for covid without symptoms, despite being triple vaccinated, extremely careful and only having left the ship once in both cruises.  I was isolated for 10 days in a tiny ocean view cabin and my husband as a close contact was quarantined for 10 days in our suite even though he tested negative throughout. They never retested me after they verified my first initial antigen test with a PCR.  We were promised that we would hear from Azamara within a week following disembarkation regarding an FCC for the 2/3 of our $15,000 holiday cruise that we missed but so far we only received an email sent to all guests onboard offering $300-$500 onboard credit for a new booking for the ports missed due to covid onboard.  When will we hear from Azamara?  When will their promises be fulfilled?  We have several future cruises already booked in suites and are contemplating canceling since we have not been made whole from this whole covid fiasco onboard.  Isolation and quarantine alone with food in cardboard boxes is no way to spend New Year’s Eve.  I am sure all would agree.  It was depressing to the max and I am still experiencing PTSD from that claustrophobic solitary confinement experience.  The man in the next tiny solitary cell beat the walls and the windows until they let him out.  I was compliant to all they asked, despite feeling like a leper in my small cell.  I am frankly afraid to take another cruise anytime soon as I dont know if I could survive mentally a repeat of this experience.

Thank you for sharing your awful experience!  I hope they can come up with a better plan in the future and that you are recovering from your ordeal.

 

Do you work with a travel agent?  They should be able to find out why you haven't received any word of your compensation.

[gbphipps]

6 hours ago, uktog said:

Sorry to hear what happened to you.  Being separated would absolutely terrify me. I hope soon there is a general rethink, after all they don’t separate people if it’s a noro outbreak 

It did terrify me.  And having written about it yesterday I spent all last night reliving it in nightmares.  I would awaken and then go right back into then nightmare again.  I couldn’t get out.  I am serious when I say that the thought of ever having to do isolation again is terrifying.  I really feel like I have PTSD about the whole experience.

[laurieb]

I'm sure your travel agent will be able to help.

Makes perfect sense to me that you would be separated as you tested positive and your husband negative.