Daily testing = no sleeping in on Viking cruise vacation?

[Heidi13]

53 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

Well put, everyone has a different threshold. I'm wondering whether the daily testing will soon start being a deterrent for some. Some have been unhappy with the concept of their "Vacation" late morning routine being interrupted. Many (including me) don't find that a problem. I think that the idea of testing positive while having no symptoms is a concern of many; let alone those who unwittingly get caught by the tracing device who may have come in contact with someone with a positive test. There are several threads asking "what happens if I test positive while on my Viking cruise?" and apparently there are no proper answers. Our upcoming cruise is only 9 days and very close to home so our situation is not hat stressful with regard to Covid. We are actually cutting our cruise by a day because the ship actually stops in our home town.

 

I am similar that I find the daily test, while a minor inconvenience, certainly have some significant potential positives, as well as negatives.

 

We have personal experience on how infectious the Omicron variant was, as our entire household caught it from a single asymptomatic guest for dinner. With the exception of the 2-yr old, we were all fully vaccinated. The latest Omicron variant is reported as being even more infectious. DD, SIL and both grandsons had minor symptoms, but both DW & I were affected for a couple of weeks, requiring medications, but no hospitalisation.

 

With daily testing, yes, we run the risk of being quarantined for being positive, or a close contact. This is no different from contacting any other infectious disease. With Noro, or other GI issue, you are immediately quarantined and when we had it on Diamond Princess in 2008, I was quarantined when DW got symptoms, before developing my own. With Noro, unlike COVID, I do not believe you can be asymptomatic. Hence testing for Noro is not required.

 

The mega ships do mostly shorter cruises, so if COVID is brought aboard, most pax that were infected onboard are already disembarked, prior to showing symptoms. They also have a much younger demographic than Viking. Most Viking cruises are much longer, with most being 15+ days. If the new Omicron variant is brought aboard, without daily testing, it could easily spread throughout the ship - both pax and crew. With Viking's older demographic, this could include a number of pax with moderate symptoms. Even pre-board testing is no guarantee that it is not brought aboard, as was the situation during the Iceland cruises and the beginning of the World Cruise.

 

Personally, while the daily testing is a royal pain, I consider the potential benefits for Viking's predominant demographic outweighs the negatives. I will happily accept a phone call requesting I quarantine, if it assists in preventing the spread of this highly infectious disease.

 

Yes, COVID is here to stay for the foreseeable future, and we are learning to live with it. If daily testing ensures we can ditch masks, have unrestricted gathering sizes, no social distancing, no shore bubble, etc. I am comfortable with that.

 

 

[SJD117]

3 hours ago, longterm said:

Some folks will always find something to complain about on a cruise; given the nature of this pandemic, we were thrilled to be able to spend almost 4 weeks  on a wonderful trip. Doing a three minute saliva test once a day was a nothing burger. 

Uktog was concerned that his/her phone might ring with a positive test result. You’re entitled to a different opinion, which you stated. But then you went further. You suggested that the commenter was a “complainer,” when all he/she did was raise a legitimate concern.

 

I agree with the folks above that your comment was cavalier. Please try to be more understanding.

[longterm]

3 hours ago, SJD117 said:

Uktog was concerned that his/her phone might ring with a positive test result. You’re entitled to a different opinion, which you stated. But then you went further. You suggested that the commenter was a “complainer,” when all he/she did was raise a legitimate concern.

 

I agree with the folks above that your comment was cavalier. Please try to be more understanding.

I never said any such thing. I said that some people are complainers--and that's certainly true. I've been on numerous Viking cruises, and there are always a few (fortunately only a few) whiners--why is the bus not here, why is this, why is that...

 

I'm done with this topic. We had a great time on our recent cruise, from which we returned just 3 days ago (Rome, Adriatic, Greece); doing a 2-minute saliva test was about as intrusive as brushing our teeth.

My opinion only: if you don't want to follow Viking's rules, don't go on their ships. Personally, I'm glad they did saliva tests, because we came home Covid-free. To each his own. But if you sign up for their cruise and you step aboard one of their ships, you follow their rules.

[longterm]

3 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Actually it is a deterrent for us.  We simply will not start every day (or end every evening) spitting in a tube for 4+ months.  Besides being disgusting there is the issue of testing positive while being totally asymptomatic.  Just not our idea of a "high end" World Cruise.  No one else puts their passengers in such a situation.  Hoping for a quick end to this.

Perhaps we were exceptions, but I will say that we have done 2 cruises in 2 months; the first was 11 days, the 2nd was 15 days. We didn't mind doing saliva tests that took about 2 minutes and really weren't disgusting at all.

 

Neither of us got a false positive from saliva tests; we met other couples on the ship as well, and none of them got false positives either. Not exactly scientific, but I do know that PCR tests create far fewer (if any) false positives than rapid antigen tests, which do have a history of false positives from time to time.

If there was any cramp to our style on the last trip, it was because Italy didn't allow cruise passengers to do independent excursions; Viking allowed them, Italy did not. However, given the terrible trouble they had with Covid in 2020, I don't blame them for being cautious.

[SJD117]

22 minutes ago, longterm said:

I never said any such thing. I said that some people are complainers--and that's certainly true. I've been on numerous Viking cruises, and there are always a few (fortunately only a few) whiners--why is the bus not here, why is this, why is that...

 

You said “some people are complainers” right after commenting directly on Uktog’s post. You even quoted his/her concern about test results. The insinuation was obvious. Your statement about complainers had nothing to do with bus travel — which he/she didn’t mention — and everything to do with one person’s concern over getting an unwanted phone call.

Edited March 26, 2022 by SJD117

[bbtondo]

On 3/25/2022 at 4:15 PM, sleepybobo said:

I hear you.  Daily test did affect our enjoyment when we cruised in December.  While I had no problem in producing enough saliva, it's a challenge for my mom.  Poor mommy struggled every morning to fill up to the first line.  Yet, she did it to her best every morning.  It's not the most relaxing way to start your day.

 

I appreciate this safety measure.  But it's a double-edge sword.  

 

I don't want to sail on Viking again until the daily testing is ended.  To us, a Viking cruise is a splurge. We want to get the most out of it.  It's hard to enjoy fully when we constantly worried about the test results.  My heart skipped a beat whenever the stateroom phone rang or when someone knocked the door.

The daily testing on Viking also affected our enjoyment when we cruised in November.  I voted with my wallet and just booked an O cruise.

[Jim Avery]

43 minutes ago, longterm said:

Perhaps we were exceptions, but I will say that we have done 2 cruises in 2 months; the first was 11 days, the 2nd was 15 days. We didn't mind doing saliva tests that took about 2 minutes and really weren't disgusting at all.

 

Neither of us got a false positive from saliva tests; we met other couples on the ship as well, and none of them got false positives either. Not exactly scientific, but I do know that PCR tests create far fewer (if any) false positives than rapid antigen tests, which do have a history of false positives from time to time.

If there was any cramp to our style on the last trip, it was because Italy didn't allow cruise passengers to do independent excursions; Viking allowed them, Italy did not. However, given the terrible trouble they had with Covid in 2020, I don't blame them for being cautious.

A major difference in 11 days and 138.

[longterm]

14 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

A major difference in 11 days and 138.

But, add to that the other passengers with whom we interacted, and you get almost 100 days of testing.

None of the passengers we had dinner with, and with whom we discussed Covid and the whole situation, ever said that saliva tests impacted their cruise. Considering that we spent time with 3 couples on the most recent cruise and 2 or 3 on the previous, that amounts another 60+ days of saliva tests.

We voted with our wallets--we've already booked a 29-day cruise to Scandinavia and the British Isles.

 

[Jim Avery]

Good for you.  Everyone gets to decide for themselves what they wish to put up with.

[Twitchly]

35 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Good for you.  Everyone gets to decide for themselves what they wish to put up with.

The big question for Viking going forward will be if enough customers choose Viking in spite of (or because of) their daily testing to offset those who go elsewhere because of it. 
 

It probably won’t be an obvious issue for a while, because so many of us have vouchers to use up. I imagine cruises for the coming year will be pretty well booked up. After that … well, hopefully it will be a non-issue by then.

 

But boy, I hope they stop this nonsense well before that.

 

[uktog]

15 hours ago, longterm said:

To each his own I suppose. We never worried about the phone ringing with a positive test result; we ended our trip three days ago and are healthy and happy after 24 days on our trip.

 

They said not to drink an hour before taking the test, but it didn’t seem to matter when I accidentally had a half a cup of coffee before I remembered I had not done the saliva test yet.

 

Some folks will always find something to complain about on a cruise; given the nature of this pandemic, we were thrilled to be able to spend almost 4 weeks  on a wonderful trip. Doing a three minute saliva test once a day was a nothing burger. 

I find your references to complaining whilst quoting my post to be unfairly judgemental. Thank you to others who defended me through the night.  For many a fear of testing positive onboard is a natural anxiety and for some, who perhaps have higher levels of anxiety for whatever reason it impacts on their enjoyment.  The only complaint I’m making is here, that my words have been misquoted. 
I’ll leave it at that, in due course I intend to do a Viking vs Azamara review once all the laundry is done.  I will just say, there are positives and negatives for each.  

[takemewithyou]

8 hours ago, uktog said:

I find your references to complaining whilst quoting my post to be unfairly judgemental. Thank you to others who defended me through the night.  For many a fear of testing positive onboard is a natural anxiety and for some, who perhaps have higher levels of anxiety for whatever reason it impacts on their enjoyment.  The only complaint I’m making is here, that my words have been misquoted. 
I’ll leave it at that, in due course I intend to do a Viking vs Azamara review once all the laundry is done.  I will just say, there are positives and negatives for each.  

Having read your posts for years on the Azamara boards and having gained so much knowledge from your posts, I certainly can attest that you are not a complainer!  You are one of the most fair and honest members of CruiseCritic and I look forward to your comparison between Azamara and Viking.  I am sure if will be of value to me since I am trying Viking for the first time in 3 weeks.

 

[Jazmyn49]

We have now tested for 95 days on the World Cruise.  It is automatic, not problematic.  During the night if we get up, we spit a bit.  Viking has given us little mesh bags to hang the samples outside on the doorknob.  That can be done during the night or in the morning.  

[SJD117]

4 hours ago, Jazmyn49 said:

We have now tested for 95 days on the World Cruise.  It is automatic, not problematic.  During the night if we get up, we spit a bit.  Viking has given us little mesh bags to hang the samples outside on the doorknob.  That can be done during the night or in the morning.  

Speaking from personal experience, I would assume that any bodily function becomes automatic if done every day for 95 days.

[Eggtuary]

Our steward on Sky told us today to have our saliva samples ready by 8 every morning, and to expect him to pick up between 8 and 9. I asked if we could leave our saliva samples just inside the door so he could get them easily without coming fully into the room. He said, no, he needs to get in every morning and change some things out. 

[Heidi13]

28 minutes ago, Eggtuary said:

Our steward on Sky told us today to have our saliva samples ready by 8 every morning, and to expect him to pick up between 8 and 9. I asked if we could leave our saliva samples just inside the door so he could get them easily without coming fully into the room. He said, no, he needs to get in every morning and change some things out. 

 

That isn't the level of service we expect from Viking, as the cabin stewards will normally work around the pax schedule. Not the pax working around the cabin steward's schedule.

 

Personally, I would be having a chat with the Accommodation Manager/Executive Housekeeper, as that doesn't seem right.

Edited March 28, 2022 by Heidi13

[voyager23]

On 3/28/2022 at 9:31 AM, Eggtuary said:

Our steward on Sky told us today to have our saliva samples ready by 8 every morning, and to expect him to pick up between 8 and 9. I asked if we could leave our saliva samples just inside the door so he could get them easily without coming fully into the room. He said, no, he needs to get in every morning and change some things out. 

 

This is discouraging, and not very accommodating by Viking. There seems to be a lot of inconsistency between ships. Viking should make a more consistent policy, and realize people are on a very expensive cruise vacation, and come up with a better collection schedule. With masks optional, does it really matter what time of day its collected? By the time they get the results people have already been up for hours and walking around the ship, eating meals, and going on excursions. As stated before, seems more logical to do it at night, either leaving it outside your door or have a drop off option at the lab.

 

 

Edited April 8, 2022 by voyager23

[Eggtuary]

12 hours ago, voyager23 said:

 

This is discouraging, and not very accommodating by Viking. There seems to be a lot of inconsistency between ships. Viking should make a more consistent policy, and realize people are on a very expensive cruise vacation, and come up with a better collection schedule. With masks optional, does it really matter what time of day its collected? By the time they get the results people have already been up for hours and walking around the ship, eating meals, and going on excursions. As stated before, seems more logical to do it at night, either leaving it outside your door or have a drop off option at the lab.

 

 

I said basically this in my end of cruise survey. 

[eylarson]

Since 9 May we've thrown ours outside the door on Octantis anytime after midnight with no problem.  No cabin attendant should ever tell you they have to come in the room at their schedule.  

[philw1776]

Disappointing about the cabin steward. We have had nothing but excellent NON OBTRUSIVE top service from our stewards. In contrast, Silversea's vaunted butlers constantly annoyed us by knocks on the door asking what they could do for us. Good move calling this out on your survey. They get read.

[Cadodge]

On the Orion now. Almost everyone on our deck leaves the tubes outside their cabin. Pro tip. Put them in their sealed baggies in the stationary holder.

Edited April 8, 2022 by Cadodge

[Eggtuary]

I ended up making pretty liberal use of our Do Not Disturb sign.  They consistently honored it (except of course when they called the room to say that we were past due on submitting our vials that one day we overslept).

[shipboy]

19 hours ago, Eggtuary said:

I ended up making pretty liberal use of our Do Not Disturb sign.  They consistently honored it (except of course when they called the room to say that we were past due on submitting our vials that one day we overslept).

We are just back from cruising the Southern Atlantic on Jupiter and they actually phoned us one day, to remind us to hand in our samples. Coincidence or not, but that was the only day we left our samples outside the door.  All other times, if we were still in the room, they were picked up around 08:15. We spoke to other couples, who did their samples in the evening and left them out (obviously way later than turn down time)

[jonthomas]

On 3/26/2022 at 7:05 PM, bbtondo said:

The daily testing on Viking also affected our enjoyment when we cruised in November.  I voted with my wallet and just booked an O cruise.

 

We came home on April 4th cruise on O, MIA to BAR, 17 days. 

 

Tested when got on ship. All good. By the time we got to Lisbon and people went on tours, 10 days later, many had covid. Out of 8 of us on a trivia team, two ended up in ships hosp, one in hosp in Marseille. 

 

I have corresponded with many since coming home, most have been sick, some severely, many tested pos upon returning home.

 

We are the few that are ok. Did NO tours. Walked for miles in ports on our own. I credit that to staying well. 

 

We are on a Viking cruise in March, I am happy to see the precautions V is taking as O was very lax. 

[bbtondo]

18 hours ago, jonthomas said:

 

We came home on April 4th cruise on O, MIA to BAR, 17 days. 

 

Tested when got on ship. All good. By the time we got to Lisbon and people went on tours, 10 days later, many had covid. Out of 8 of us on a trivia team, two ended up in ships hosp, one in hosp in Marseille. 

 

I have corresponded with many since coming home, most have been sick, some severely, many tested pos upon returning home.

 

We are the few that are ok. Did NO tours. Walked for miles in ports on our own. I credit that to staying well. 

 

We are on a Viking cruise in March, I am happy to see the precautions V is taking as O was very lax. 

I appreciate this information. Sorry to hear about the covid cases on your O ship.  "we are the few that are OK". That gives me the impression that there were a lot of covid cases.  Do you know how many people were on your ship, how many got Covid and were actually sick?  Anyone on any cruise line or at home going to stores, etc. whether tested or not can get covid.  Unfortunately Covid is everywhere.

 

At this point I am OK with O's safety choices. Viking's mandatory testing every day, contact tracing and quarantining was not for me.    It is a personal choice for sure.