Will Viking ever end daily Covid testing?

[Mich3554]

1 hour ago, AnyWayIsGood said:

One question...what's up with this contact tracing?  I read somewhere along the way (perhaps this thread) that you have to wear a device? So in the event that someone tests postive, does Viking then locate everyone that the positive person came in contact with and quarantine them? What is the purpose of the device? 

 

 

The contact tracing device tells you how long you were in contact with others.  
 

When we were on our cruise in Dec, someone got on the cruise in Buenos Aires.  He tested negative via antigen (required to get off the ship in Uruguay), but when the PCR results came in later that afternoon, he was positive.  The 30 people he was with OON his tour bus for several hours that day were considered close contacts.  The other people he pinged off of were not.  One of the women we were playing bridge with pinged off of her in WC, but she was not considered a close contact, so she just went about her normal life on the ship.  However, apparently there was some discussion between the captain and the Uruguay health officials as to whether or not she (and I’m presuming others too) would need to be quarantined too.  The 30 close contacts on the tour were quarantined in Uruguay.  This was a requirement of Uruguay officials, Viking had little say.  
 

The contact tracing device isn’t a big deal.  I wore it under my shirt and in the evening it went into my bedside drawer with my watch and rings.

[OnTheJourney]

22 minutes ago, Mich3554 said:

The contact tracing device isn’t a big deal

Well, not in terms of wearing it, but, once again, it sounds like it could lead to additional quarantining of people who aren't covid-positive, such as you mentioned. This is all just  a bit over the top. The only reason I'm going to sail with Viking next month is that the cruise and airfare are free. Otherwise wouldn't even consider it. I'll be so glad when it comes and then is over and HOPE all goes well. If we wind up being booted off the ship - either through direct testing or contact tracing, I suspect we're done with Viking. 

 

Here's the thing....NOwhere on any of these threads has someone been able to provide a clear-cut explanation of exactly what happens if someone tests positive. Are all of these people removed from the ship? Do some stay onboard? If so - how is all this decided?  And...what exactly does Viking do to help you get home? I even spoke to Viking several times and was only told that removal from the ship is done on a 'case by case' basis. Sorry...but that's just not definitive enough. Oh my...I'm nearly talking myself out of even doing this trip next month!  I wonder if Viking realizes that on other CC forums people are talking about never sailing with Viking as long as some of these policies are in place. 

Edited April 12, 2022 by AnyWayIsGood

[OnTheJourney]

24 minutes ago, Mich3554 said:

The 30 close contacts on the tour were quarantined in Uruguay.

For how long?  What happened to them following quarantine?  

[macman]

It depends on the country. Apparently, there are approximately 7 countries that require off ship quarantine if a passenger tests positive. It's up to the respective country. I have tried to identify which countries require this as of April. Recently the number reduced with the loosening of requirements. 

[OnTheJourney]

22 minutes ago, macman said:

Recently the number reduced with the loosening of requirements.

That's a good thing at least.

 

Just spoke with Viking again and asked several questions about contact tracing / positive testing / quarantine, etc. I was referred to a part of the website that indicates the following:  "Viking’s policy is that close contacts who are fully vaccinated do not have to quarantine. This policy is in line with current CDC guidelines. However, a different approach may be required when in a destination, depending on the local situation at the time."  The "devil in the details" (or more like lack of them?) is in this last statement. I asked specific questions like:  What exactly happens to people who test positive; what happens if they are quarantined off the ship; must everyone who tests positive leave the ship, etc.. All I got is that there is "no clear cut stated policy" . What happens on site is apparently not shared with the agents. I understand that since it surely depends on the country and/or port, hence the "case by case" basis that seems to be the procedure.

 

One additional issue, relative to my situation, is that my cruise is uninsurable since it has no dollar value attached to it, and so the following would not seem to apply (again, from Viking's website):  "our Travel Protection Plan helps protect you from many unforeseen circumstances that may arise before or during your trip, which could include necessary medical, quarantine or repatriation expenses related to COVID-19."  Since there is no way I can be under Viking's insurance, what do I do? I'm planning on insuring the additional monies that I spent  for things like air upgrade, extensions and excursions - and would get a voucher for those amounts if I cancel, but it appears I have no protection offered most passengers who purchase Viking insurance in the event of some covid issue. 

 

I just wish someone could provide definitive answers to much of this, but it doesn't appear I'll get any. 

 

Edited April 13, 2022 by AnyWayIsGood

[OnTheJourney]

23 minutes ago, macman said:

It's up to the respective country. I have tried to identify which countries require this as of April.

This would be worth exploring, although it can change from day to day. 

[jtwind]

This contact tracing will make me want to wear a mask on Viking excursions later this month, whether required or not.  First, I'm used to it.  Second, I'm unattractive.  Third, if I get pinged, hopefully Viking will not consider me a close contact.  (CDC wouldn't.)

[Mich3554]

2 hours ago, AnyWayIsGood said:

For how long?  What happened to them following quarantine?  

Viking paid for quarantine at the Raddison in Montevideo, then they were flown home.  They received a voucher for the full price of their cruise.  
 

My Viking guy dealt with one of the women who got snagged from the excursion.  She was not unhappy with how she was treated, and she quickly rescheduled.

[rizello]

2 hours ago, AnyWayIsGood said:

Well, not in terms of wearing it, but, once again, it sounds like it could lead to additional quarantining of people who aren't covid-positive, such as you mentioned. This is all just  a bit over the top. The only reason I'm going to sail with Viking next month is that the cruise and airfare are free. Otherwise wouldn't even consider it. I'll be so glad when it comes and then is over and HOPE all goes well. If we wind up being booted off the ship - either through direct testing or contact tracing, I suspect we're done with Viking. 

 

Here's the thing....NOwhere on any of these threads has someone been able to provide a clear-cut explanation of exactly what happens if someone tests positive. Are all of these people removed from the ship? Do some stay onboard? If so - how is all this decided?  And...what exactly does Viking do to help you get home? I even spoke to Viking several times and was only told that removal from the ship is done on a 'case by case' basis. Sorry...but that's just not definitive enough. Oh my...I'm nearly talking myself out of even doing this trip next month!  I wonder if Viking realizes that on other CC forums people are talking about never sailing with Viking as long as some of these policies are in place. 

As far as what happens when someone tests positive, there are lots and lots of stories from real people about what happened to them posted on a variety of sites.  

[Mich3554]

1 hour ago, AnyWayIsGood said:

This would be worth exploring, although it can change from day to day. 

So much this.  What you research today may or may not be relevant a few weeks from now. Both the US and Argentina changed their rules mid cruise for us.

[Twitchly]

12 minutes ago, jtwind said:

This contact tracing will make me want to wear a mask on Viking excursions later this month, whether required or not.  First, I'm used to it.  Second, I'm unattractive.  Third, if I get pinged, hopefully Viking will not consider me a close contact.  (CDC wouldn't.)

Viking is far more cautious than the CDC. That brings comfort to some and the opposite to others. 

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, Twitchly said:

Viking is far more cautious than the CDC. That brings comfort to some and the opposite to others. 

 

An excellent comparison, which begs a comparison of their respective results.

 

Viking have managed the pandemic effectively, with all ships sailing now for almost a year. A couple of cruises have been prevented from docking when they had a handful of positive cases, but no ship has stopped cruising due to infections and in some ports, Viking ships are the only ones operating. The Viking Star is 4 months into a Grand Voyage and has identified positive cases a couple of times and eliminated them. I have no doubt that without Viking's gold standard, this voyage would have been stopped a couple of months ago.

 

Ships operating at US CDC standards have experienced a number of cancelled cruises - recent examples are the Princess ship & a number of ships in Brazil, which actually forced the closure of all Brazilian ports to cruise ships. No ships operating at the low US CDC standard are sailing on Grand Voyages.

 

 

[OnTheJourney]

8 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

has identified positive cases a couple of times and eliminated them

meaning...what, exactly?  Disembarked and quarantined?  Thrown over the side? (lol)...

 

11 hours ago, rizello said:

lots and lots of stories from real people about what happened to them posted on a variety of sites.  

I've seen a few, but it would be nice if Viking had a definitive and stated policy as to protocol for this. I realize that probably much decision-making is governed by the port or country in question, but it's not comforting to not know if one will remain on the ship or not. An interesting research item would be what other lines do. I can only speak for my recent experience with RCL, where certain rooms are apprently kept empty for use in quarantining. 

11 hours ago, jtwind said:

This contact tracing will make me want to wear a mask on Viking excursions later this month, whether required or not.

 

[Heidi13]

7 minutes ago, AnyWayIsGood said:

meaning...what, exactly?  Disembarked and quarantined?  Thrown over the side? (lol)...

 

I've seen a few, but it would be nice if Viking had a definitive and stated policy as to protocol for this. I realize that probably much decision-making is governed by the port or country in question, but it's not comforting to not know if one will remain on the ship or not. An interesting research item would be what other lines do. I can only speak for my recent experience with RCL, where certain rooms are apprently kept empty for use in quarantining. 

 

 

One of our fellow pax from a previous WC, who is also sailing on Viking Star, tested positive and was quarantined onboard. Based on the travel blogs from the ship, this is consistent with all positive cases after departure. Other medical cases were disembarked, but I have not read of COVID +ve cases being sent ashore.

 

Viking does have a clearly stated policy, but as you indicated, the Master is constrained by the requirements of the local authorities.

[OnTheJourney]

jt....agree. I don't anticipate being without a mask at all next month except for when in our room or eating. 

11 hours ago, Mich3554 said:

Viking paid for quarantine at the Raddison in Montevideo, then they were flown home.  They received a voucher for the full price of their cruise.  
 

Mich....thank you so much for this reassuring news. Much appreciated.

 

In doing some further research on the FAQs, I believe this is as much info as is available, and in all fairness Viking is bound by local regulations:  

 

"Guests with a positive COVID-19 test may be isolated on board or ashore—depending on local guidelines and symptoms, if any. Should the destination where the ship is located require those who test positive be disembarked—or should guest choose to isolate ashore—Viking will arrange for the guest to recover ashore before returning home once their recovery is complete. Upon their return home, Viking Customer Relations will contact the guest and their travel advisor directly regarding any necessary refunding or rescheduling."

 

So the above would seem to indicate that passengers should be allowed to remain onboard if the situation is such that regulations permit it. Not sure why a port would prefer to take positive covid pax ashore rather than having them stay on the ship. What remains uncertain, I suppose, is....given the situation where either (staying on or disembarking) is allowed, what is Viking's preference and usual procedure? If a ship if sailing at full or near-full capacity, it could well be that no additional rooms are open for quarantine. 

 

RCL's policy is:  "In the interest of public health onboard, we continue to follow U.S. CDC guidance. This includes requiring isolation and/or quarantine to prevent exposure to people who have or may have COVID-19. A guest that tests positive for COVID-19 will need to isolate onboard for a period of time — either until they can be safely disembarked at a port of call with private transport home, or when the sailing concludes back at the homeport where it started. Those guests who meet the threshold to be deemed a close contact will need to meet necessary quarantine and/or testing requirements based on their vaccination status.

Guests who must isolate due to a positive COVID-19 test result will be moved to a stateroom near the medical center where medical staff and Guest Services will check on them regularly. Complimentary amenities including room service and WiFi will be provided.

Once ashore you should follow all local, state and federal guidelines for isolation. For example, guests who have tested positive for COVID-19 onboard and are disembarking at a U.S. port should follow the latest isolation guidance provided by the U.S. CDC."

 

This sounds like everyone stays onboard, although I suppose some level of uncertainty could be construed by the highlighted area. Lots of gray areas I'd think. 

Edited April 13, 2022 by AnyWayIsGood

[OnTheJourney]

3 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

Viking does have a clearly stated policy,

Andy...meaning...the one I quoted from the FAQs on the website? Off topic for a second (well, sorta)...relatives who are on the same RCL ship I just was mentioned that just the other day the Windjammer went back to self-serve. Probably not a great idea.  Goodbye covid (maybe) but...hello noro. 

Edited April 13, 2022 by AnyWayIsGood

[Heidi13]

3 minutes ago, AnyWayIsGood said:

Andy...meaning...the one I quoted from the FAQs on the website? 

 

Affirmative.

 

The additional consideration of symptoms is consistent with any illness/injury. Cruise ship medical centres are not crewed for extended stays in a hospital setting. Viking can handle 1 or 2 hospitalised pax/crew for a few days, but longer periods severely tax the onboard staff, who must then provide 24/7 care.

 

This has been the procedure on cruise ships ever since I went to sea in the 1970's. Many pax are landed ashore for medical reasons, even severe cases of Noro.

[longterm]

16 hours ago, AnyWayIsGood said:

What exactly is the "problem" you refer to? 

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough; here is what I was trying to say: 

Even with the daily saliva test requirement, Viking doesn't appear to have any trouble finding passengers for their cruises. I don't think they're at capacity (and doubt any other cruise lines are either, other than the budget cruises, perhaps), but they seem to have enough guests to at least make their cruises profitable for them. 
 

We all know that cruise ships have had disease outbreaks from time to time--thankfully, not that often--but I applaud Viking for doing what they can to stay functional, while still being cautious while the pandemic  is still stubbornly lingering. 

Again, my opinion; we had 1 cruise postponed twice and finally went in December, albeit with a bit of trepidation; we decided to go because we knew that a) Viking had a strict mask policy while on-board and while on excursion buses, and b) we knew that everyone on board was vaccinated, and c) we knew that if someone did test positive, Viking would take steps to deal with it.

I just looked at an article by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on this topic; you can read the article here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2788067

As this article states, "The overall rate of false-positive results among the total rapid antigen test screens for SARS-CoV-2 was very low, consistent with other, smaller studies."

Here's the thing: when I go on an expensive trip, I can decide to worry about falling and breaking a leg, or having a flight canceled on me, or getting sick, or any number of possible calamities. I can choose to perseverate about whether I might get a false-positive Covid reading; or, I can go on the trip and have a wonderful time, which is what my wife and I did. We were tested 31 times--12 on the 1st trip, 19 on the 2nd--and came home happy and healthy.

 

[longterm]

16 hours ago, AnyWayIsGood said:

This is a good point....I vacillate between this and the other end of the spectrum...that of perhaps over-testing. I wouldn't have as much issue with any of this IF Viking wasn't removing people from ships but rather allowing them to at least stay on board. 

I've heard 2 different stories on this; I've heard that Viking quarantines passengers on-board, and then I've also heard that they have them disembark. Because they aren't forthcoming with these incidents, we had no way to know what they would do in this situation... so we decided to have a wonderful time and not worry about it! 🙂

[Mich3554]

2 hours ago, longterm said:

I've heard 2 different stories on this; I've heard that Viking quarantines passengers on-board, and then I've also heard that they have them disembark. Because they aren't forthcoming with these incidents, we had no way to know what they would do in this situation... so we decided to have a wonderful time and not worry about it! 🙂

This is country dependent…..NOT Viking dependent.  BTW, when the passengers on the cruise I was on was taken off in Uruguay, the captain was very open as to what happened.  We were supposed to leave around 4, and the captain came on the loud speaker around 8pm saying what happened.  It was very apparent, as we were dockside, and the area of the dock we were on was cordoned off, with armed guards preventing access to the ship.  I guess passengers exited the ship around 11 or so and we took off a little while later.  
The difference in time was that the captain was negotiating with the Uruguay officials in that they wanted EVERYONE who had pinged off the positive case to be quarantined, not just close contacts.  We found this out as a member at bridge had pinged off the positive case (she said she had passed him in WC, it was that little a contact), and the captain negotiated to keep those out of quarantine and on the ship.  It had gotten to the point where she had repacked and was ready to leave.  
So many don’t realize that there is a lot that is out of Viking’s control. 

[OnTheJourney]

30 minutes ago, Mich3554 said:

they wanted EVERYONE who had pinged off the positive case to be quarantined, not just close contacts.  

Thanks for additional info. Most unnerving, though understandable, of course, that much of it is not under Viking's control. Still, I know I'll feel relieved when it's over. Then, we'll make a decision as to what we want to do with future bookings. Next isn't till January - so pretty far off yet. With all the extra precautions V. is taking - the daily testing, etc. - it should feel MORE comforting and reassuring, but somehow doesn't compared to the cruise we were just on where no testing was done. I think it's just that - with testing every day - it's a constant reminder of all things covid-related. 

 

3 hours ago, longterm said:

I've heard that Viking quarantines passengers on-board, and then I've also heard that they have them disembark. Because they aren't forthcoming with these incidents, we had no way to know what they would do in this situation...

Yeah...this is how I've heard it also - from CC and also from V.  Once again, not comforting. 

 

3 hours ago, longterm said:

so we decided to have a wonderful time and not worry about it! 🙂

This IS the best approach for sure!! Will try to happily spit in the tube and go forth with joy...

[OnTheJourney]

4 hours ago, longterm said:

we decided to go because we knew that a) Viking had a strict mask policy while on-board

This is no longer the case though.

 

I think part of my anxiety is undoubtedly due to this trip being directly linked to the Sky incident - which is the first and only Viking trip we've ever done. So the idea of the "invitational" cruise (2nd attempt at scheduling one) has been hanging over us for the past 3 years, all the while being discussed at length here on CC.  

 

I'm ready to do this and then hopefully put the 3/19 event behind me. Also, not to appear ungrateful in any way - quite the contrary - but the manner in which this trip was offered - given only two weeks to decide on it - was in and of itself a bit unexpected and stressful since it necessitated canceling / rebooking already scheduled trips...something we've all gotten really good at anyway!! 

Edited April 13, 2022 by AnyWayIsGood

[odie1024]

My neighbors were on a B2B river cruise in France for the past week and a half. I believe this past Tuesday was when the second one started, yesterday I received a message that her husband tested positive. Today the message was they will be quarantined in a hotel room in Paris for 8 days and the earliest they will be able to fly home will be next Saturday. They would have been flying home next Tuesday.

[NanciEA]

I was wondering if someone who is much more technologically adept than myself could post a poll (new thread) with just one question? "Should Viking stop daily Covid testing and contract tracing?" The only answers possible would be "yes" or "no". It would, of course, be non-scientific, but I think many posters on this forum would be interested in the results. Reading various threads on the subject, I can't always get a sense which is the more predominate opinion. Maybe it's 50/50!

[Frenchberet]

2 hours ago, NanciEA said:

I was wondering if someone who is much more technologically adept than myself could post a poll (new thread) with just one question? "Should Viking stop daily Covid testing and contract tracing?" The only answers possible would be "yes" or "no". It would, of course, be non-scientific, but I think many posters on this forum would be interested in the results. Reading various threads on the subject, I can't always get a sense which is the more predominate opinion. Maybe it's 50/50!

 

Honestly, what would be the purpose of a poll?  Viking has its policy.  You choose to either sail with them or not.