Blogging from the Ruby Princess

[SSAtlantic]

So glad to read he has tested negative and has been released from confinement. I closely follow the Celebrity boards and have seen nothing like the outbreaks being reported on Princess which is rather baffling  unless it is mostly port related. 
I second the above poster in hoping this does not put you off cruising completely. It has been obvious from your blog how much you have enjoyed it. I too will be watching to see what will be next. 
Hope G makes it home safely soon. 

[Marjan1]

22 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

And they were likely off the ship a day or two later. As far as we can tell, there is no contact tracing being done. I very much doubt that they’ve been notified. 
 

My husband has, astonishingly, tested negative two days in a row. He is out of isolation and totally free to wander the ship, and eat and drink anywhere (so he was told, and he recorded this conversation). This differs from what he originally received in writing, which said he’d have to eat only in the cabin for an additional 4 days. He was released without written information about anything…rules to follow, reimbursements, his negative test results, nothing. He is on his way to get a drink. 
 

He’s either had a miraculous recovery or we’ve become too much of a liability with him there. Or he never actually had it to begin with. We will simply never know.  

I am so pleased G has been released from quarantine. 
 

What an ordeal this has been for both of you, but I want to thank you again for keeping people informed as to what us actually happening on board so that we can make cruising choices on a stronger knowledge basis.  
 

We really don’t want to let $9K of (bonus) credits get away, so have decided on cruises from our home town, max 7 days.  Will book one then see how it goes.   
 

Should you decide that this is the end of cruising for you, I will miss following along on your blog, but thank you for letting me enjoy your adventures.  

[PescadoAmarillo]

1 hour ago, vickie_bernie said:

Take care G, J I am sure the twins are making you smile.  

Thank you. 💕 I sure wish they were!  I am laying very low here, and no one even knows I am home. Mom continues to send “Hope you’re enjoying Hawaii!” texts. Yeah, Mom. It’s been an indescribable experience. I am still very ill. I left the house to get my PCR test this morning and did a Target drive up pick up of fresh produce and ramen noodles, the former because I thought I should and the latter because it’s all I want to eat right now. No taste or smell…can’t wait to see results later today or tomorrow. 
 

G’s medallion did not work to get in his cabin or buy a drink, but a trip to guest relations reactivated his account and he was then able to get a drink. Still nothing in writing from anyone. I’ll do an update if he receives something. 

Edited April 4, 2022 by PescadoAmarillo

[arizonaperson]

Pescado Amarillo- I really appreciate you updating us on your husband, so glad he is out of his Covid isolation room. And  good for him -getting out to have a drink.I’d say at this point several alcoholic drinks would be in order for me at least. Hope your PCR test comes out negative ,but sounds like no smell/taste  is something New for you. 

 Love all your posts, they are so informative and I want to say quite a few of us appreciate it as you can see  .

[KLM3164]

@PescadoAmarilloThank you for your continued updates even though there has been some unpleasantness by others who have responded to you. It makes me happy when I see a new post from you and I look forward to reading what you have to say. I’m happy to hear that G has tested out of quarantine and is now free to move about the ship. Sending thoughts and prayers that you don’t have “it”.

[julia]

🎶🍷🎶⬆️🎶🍷🎶⬆️

Free at last, free at last!

Here's hoping that G makes up for some serious lost time, and I TRULY hope our paths cross on a Celebrity or HAL sailing one day (drinks and dinner on us!)

Take care, lay low, and feel better soon...

[Waynetor]

Pescado Amarillo - I will add myself to the many that would miss your blogs if you do indeed pull the plug.  Thanks for all your informative post.

 

While on our recent 9 weeks on the Caribbean P,  I often observed the way the most travelled passengers regularly received special attention from senior staff.

 

As G is one of the most travelled on this cruise, I would suggest he try to get some face time with some senior staff and have a good discussion with them about his and your experience.  It's a long shot if anything would change, but their response could certainly help to cement your 125 and out feeling or give hope that in time you may feel comfortable returning to your home away from home.  

[LoriPhil]

PescadoAmarillo, when will you get the results of your PCR test?  It sounds like your symptoms are troubling - so much better to be home in your own bed with access to resources that can help.   We’ve been on the fence on whether to keep our Alaska B2B reservations but clearly Princess is not prepared to consistently provide the care needed with this bug so we’ll vacation in a VRBO house in Hawaii instead.  Take care and please continue to keep us posted.

[nycruiser2006]

Jeannie, ThANK you so much for all the information, details of your experiences and continued efforts to inform everyone of a real, up-to-the-moment account of life on board.  I have followed you for 10 years now, and feel without a doubt that we at home, can not really understand what you, G and others have and are experiencing.  Thanks again.  I hope this isn’t goodbye.  If you blog, I will follow. ❤️

[arizonaperson]

34 minutes ago, Buckeye10640 said:

Why would the quarantine be at our own expense? Why would this not be covered by Princess as part of Cruise with Confidence/Covid Protection? Or by my Travel Insurance? 

 

Edit to add I saw your later post about staying  few days. We are flying home on the day we disembark. 

others have stated recently -medical on Princess ship tested them positive for Covid  and they barely arranged for a hotel  on land to fulfill the isolation/ quarantine ,but it definitely was paid out of pocket for the hotel and meals( meals only-apparently a set amount per person and no receipts necessary) being delivered to the passenger. Not sure what kind of insurance these passengers had ,but some have indicated they had insurance and it was out of their pocket and then they need to submit a claim to whatever insurance they have. I’m just posting what I’ve read and what is currently happening.  Apparently very little if any information was given verbally or in writing on what the passengers were suppose to do and not do while they were in isolation/quarantine on a Princess ship  or in a Princess arranged hotel. And apparently arranged means not paid by Princess up front. I do believe all that those  that have posted that their transportation from the ship to the hotel was paid for by someone other than the passenger ,at least with that’s what I think I remember reading .some  passengers had group transportation with the other positive Covid passengers  & their negative Covid traveling companions and some had private transportation .

very frustrating the level of communication from Princess to the involved passengers.

Edited April 5, 2022 by arizonaperson

[Host CJSKIDS]

Why don’t we start another thread discussing princess, other ships, other ships casinos and princess insurance questions etc as this is technically a live from and as @PescadoAmarillohusband is still on the Ruby and she can still give his information, the rest is  technically off topic for a live from  thread. 
 

[vickie_bernie]

4 hours ago, sfaaa said:

This is getting scary. Can you please confirm if buffet is still served by crew or now self-serve.

 

I was so looking forward to my cruise this month after suffering from cruise withdrawal since 2020. The excitement of going back cruising is now suddenly gone, replaced by initial worry and now outright concern. I will be adopting all the precautions you are taking.

 

Buffet is being served by crew, but rarely I see people washing or sanitizing their hands.  Few wear masks and social distancing is rare.  At  least this is what I have experienced on the enchanted.

 

[arizonaperson]

5 minutes ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

Why don’t we start another thread discussing princess, other ships, other ships casinos and princess insurance questions etc as this is technically a live from and as @PescadoAmarillohusband is still on the Ruby and she can still give his information, the rest is  technically off topic for a live from  thread. 
 

Sounds good.

[Thrak]

33 minutes ago, vickie_bernie said:

 

Buffet is being served by crew, but rarely I see people washing or sanitizing their hands.  Few wear masks and social distancing is rare.  At  least this is what I have experienced on the enchanted.

 

 

I find this so selfish. We always used the hand sanitizer in the past when we went to the buffet and, once they installed the hand washing stations, we always utilized them when entering the buffet to eat. The only times we didn't wash our hands when entering the buffet was on the occasions when we transited through without stopping and without touching anything. I've always found it weird that Princess makes it so one either has to go up or down a deck and take a convoluted route to get to either the aft pool and bar or to get from that area to the rest of the Lido Deck unless one traverses the buffet area.

 

It really isn't difficult to wash one's hands and it lends a sense of ease to others. Even when we have just left our cabin and washed our hands there before leaving we still wash them again to enter the buffet to eat so that others can see that it has been done. It doesn't take that much time or effort...

Edited April 5, 2022 by Thrak

[HappyInVan]

58 minutes ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

Why don’t we start another thread discussing princess, other ships, other ships casinos and princess insurance questions etc as this is technically a live from and as @PescadoAmarillohusband is still on the Ruby and she can still give his information, the rest is  technically off topic for a live from  thread. 
 

 Ok

[Buckeye10640]

1 hour ago, arizonaperson said:

others have stated recently -medical on Princess ship tested them positive for Covid  and they barely arranged for a hotel  on land to fulfill the isolation/ quarantine ,but it definitely was paid out of pocket for the hotel and meals( meals only-apparently a set amount per person and no receipts necessary) being delivered to the passenger. Not sure what kind of insurance these passengers had ,but some have indicated they had insurance and it was out of their pocket and then they need to submit a claim to whatever insurance they have. I’m just posting what I’ve read and what is currently happening.  Apparently very little if any information was given verbally or in writing on what the passengers were suppose to do and not do while they were in isolation/quarantine on a Princess ship  or in a Princess arranged hotel. And apparently arranged means not paid by Princess up front. I do believe all that those  that have posted that their transportation from the ship to the hotel was paid for by someone other than the passenger ,at least with that’s what I think I remember reading .some  passengers had group transportation with the other positive Covid passengers  & their negative Covid traveling companions and some had private transportation .

very frustrating the level of communication from Princess to the involved passengers.

Yeah I have read the posts. So I think I understand what you are saying. Yes of course we would need to pay and file for reimbursement. So far I have not seen anyone say they were refused reimbursement. 

[geocruiser]

PescadoAmarillo,

Very happy to hear that your husband tested Neg.  I hope that you feel better and test neg too.  When does he get off the ship?

[Joy_K]

I had my 2nd negative test this morning and was also released.  Today was day 10 for husband and since he tested still positive on day 5 was released today too.  Glad to hear G got out.  Like him, my medallion would not open my cabin so had to get a new one made.  I asked at front desk about and restrictions for me now and they said none, I was free to return to dining room.  I have had a call about FCC being applied to our next cruise and receipt being emailed and told we would get a letter from medical tonight about testing for the next 90 days.

[cal56girl]

8 minutes ago, Joy_K said:

I had my 2nd negative test this morning and was also released.  Today was day 10 for husband and since he tested still positive on day 5 was released today too.  Glad to hear G got out.  Like him, my medallion would not open my cabin so had to get a new one made.  I asked at front desk about and restrictions for me now and they said none, I was free to return to dining room.  I have had a call about FCC being applied to our next cruise and receipt being emailed and told we would get a letter from medical tonight about testing for the next 90 days.

Hope you can enjoy the rest of your trip. And thank you for sharing your story. 

[coopco]

Thank you so much, PescadoAmarillo, for your candor and for informing us from the inside. I am glad you are home and your husband is out of quarantine. Your information has been invaluable so we can make informed decisions as it's clear, we are not getting the full story without the truthful revelations from passengers with first hand experience. You have given us a lot to ponder regarding future cruising and for those who chose to cruise, what precautions are warranted. As your husband's experience has seemed to indicate, it is not enough to be cautious and wear a mask. I remember at the beginning of the pandemic always hearing mask don't protect the wearer. Masks protect others from catching COVID from the wearer. So there is something to be said about keeping mask mandates for everyone in high risk situations if the goal is to keep everyone safe. I do hope you reconsider filling out an after cruise survey as it's important for corporate to hear from their long time customers. If they chose not to listen, then it's on them when they lose them. Thank you, again, for sharing your experience and I wish you and your husband the best.

[MissP22]

7 hours ago, vickie_bernie said:

 

Buffet is being served by crew, but rarely I see people washing or sanitizing their hands.  Few wear masks and social distancing is rare.  At  least this is what I have experienced on the enchanted.

 

True.

On this trip there does seem to be somewhat of an increase in mask wearing, although no one will say anything if you don't comply. 

At last nights main early show, seating was at capacity,  and maybe 4 or 5 per people per row at the most were wearing masks.

[ocean sounds]

7 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

DH just texted me that his steward has COVID. Also, CC host was late in  replacing her predecessor due to to COVID. It’s widespread on the ship. We are quite incredulous that G tested negative as did most others in quarantine.  Considering that 40% of covid positive patients test positive for 90 days, and doctor said most are in quarantine for 10 days, that was quite a successful quarantine in achieving COVID recovery. My feeling  is that either they realize it’s not effectively administered or they were running out of rooms and/or they are, in fact, going to test the rest of the passengers and needed to make room. And then there’s not needing to follow the “10 days eating in the cabin” rule. My spidey sense tells me they are effectively giving up but if I see shipwide testing in the next couple of days,  I’ll correct that statement. 

Possibly they need the cabins to isolate the sick crew, if the numbers are growing there?  Might be a priority to protect other crew in order to keep ship hospitality and operations going.

 

Best wishes that you start to feel better.  Call you Dr.,s. Office if you test positive, as they may want you to start on medication since you mentioned you have a history of asthma.   🙏🏻   
 

 

 

 

Edited April 5, 2022 by ocean sounds

[syesmar]

8 hours ago, Joy_K said:

I had my 2nd negative test this morning and was also released.  Today was day 10 for husband and since he tested still positive on day 5 was released today too….

Glad you tested negative @Joy_K! Are these tests at this stage the rapid antigen tests rather than PCR? Wishing you and your husband the best!

[KevintheIrishDJ]

16 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

And they were likely off the ship a day or two later. As far as we can tell, there is no contact tracing being done. I very much doubt that they’ve been notified. 
 

My husband has, astonishingly, tested negative two days in a row. He is out of isolation and totally free to wander the ship, and eat and drink anywhere (so he was told, and he recorded this conversation). This differs from what he originally received in writing, which said he’d have to eat only in the cabin for an additional 4 days. He was released without written information about anything…rules to follow, reimbursements, his negative test results, nothing. He is on his way to get a drink. 
 

He’s either had a miraculous recovery or we’ve become too much of a liability with him there. Or he never actually had it to begin with. We will simply never know.  

Did you get any info on the status of the crew?

[bmc alabama]

17 hours ago, SSAtlantic said:

So glad to read he has tested negative and has been released from confinement. I closely follow the Celebrity boards and have seen nothing like the outbreaks being reported on Princess which is rather baffling  unless it is mostly port related. 
I second the above poster in hoping this does not put you off cruising completely. It has been obvious from your blog how much you have enjoyed it. I too will be watching to see what will be next. 
Hope G makes it home safely soon. 

I think that one thing everyone needs to keep in mind is that Princess over the past couple of weeks has had a good number of their ships on 10+ day itineraries.  The PC cruises, the transatlantics, etc.  It seems as these are where you are seeing these reports.  I think that it is definitely happening on other ships, but people aren't getting symptoms until they get off the ship, especially on 3-5 night cruises.

 

There were definitely people on our March Mardi Gras cruise that were fine on the ship, but reported coming down with COVID a few days after the trip.  On a sidetone, it seems as though a number of people came down with Influenza A, so don't forget about that either...

Edited April 5, 2022 by bmc alabama