Masks required now, onboard Oceania

[RJB]

15 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

The reality is that no matter what, there will always be something that is  a threat.   There will never be a cruise that  anytime in the past or future  that will be 100% safe from everything.   Covid, NORO, colds, legionnaires,  food allergy,   These are just some of the many possible risks  along with driving to the port,  flying, crime, and thousands of other risks  in the world.     It is a matter of   what do you think your risk is and are you willing to accept it.     

To quote Dirty Harry "  Are you feeling lucky"    and a man has got to know his limitations"       Simple as that

Very well said.  A little better than me. 

[pinotlover]

Dan;

 

There is a thing called risk mitigation. The risk of jumping out of a plane versus jumping out with a parachute is different. Same with wearing a mask in large crowds.

[Benthayer Gonbak]

8 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

NOT being fully vaccinated and boosted is ridiculous. As is being physically problematic for cruising in general or cruising if you have underlying health conditions related to COVID. What is also "ridiculous" is confusing case numbers when the only real issues for the healthy vaccinated and boosted are hospitalization rates, serious sickness rates, and use of ventilator rates. All insignificant for the fully vaccinated and boosted who are healthy enough to fully cruise.

 

how does one partially cruise?  

[brittany12]

Just heard from a friend who was on the March 18 Riviera Atlantic crossing from Miami and got off finally in Barcelona. Little masking.  A day to two off the cruise his wife started showing Covid signs and tested positive. Now housed in separate rooms in Barcelona hotel and return to US uncertain. Oceania permitted  freelancing about masking onboard undoubtedly the cause. Russian roulette right now. When I board my next cruise its masking for me no matter what policy and what others taking risk to enjoy their freedom are doing. Right now and going into the immediate future, I feel if all were more careful about practicing masking it would protect all of us better.

[Robjame]

7 minutes ago, brittany12 said:

Just heard from a friend who was on the March 18 Riviera Atlantic crossing from Miami and got off finally in Barcelona. Little masking.  A day to two off the cruise his wife started showing Covid signs and tested positive. Now housed in separate rooms in Barcelona hotel and return to US uncertain. Oceania permitted  freelancing about masking onboard undoubtedly the cause. Russian roulette right now. When I board my next cruise its masking for me no matter what policy and what others taking risk to enjoy their freedom are doing. Right now and going into the immediate future, I feel if all were more careful about practicing masking it would protect all of us better.

COVID transmission on a fully vaccinated cruise ship is less common than on land. Using the five day rule, do we know that they “caught” Covid on the ship as opposed to in the several ports visited before Barcelona? With O’s stringent testing before embarkation, that would be my guess.

 

According to the CDC, mask wearing is effective IF it is combined with vaccination, physical distancing, frequent hand sanitizing and choice of well-fitting mask - N95 and KN95.(not the type frequently used).

[Benthayer Gonbak]

4 minutes ago, Robjame said:

COVID transmission on a fully vaccinated cruise ship is less common than on land. Using the five day rule, do we know that they “caught” Covid on the ship as opposed to in the several ports visited before Barcelona? With O’s stringent testing before embarkation, that would be my guess.

 

According to the CDC, mask wearing is effective IF it is combined with vaccination, physical distancing, frequent hand sanitizing and choice of well-fitting mask - N95 and KN95.(not the type frequently used).

i would have guessed at a port on the other side of the Atlantic, but it is possible that there were asymptomatic passengers on board that were contacts that were flying under the radar.  There may have been unboosted too, although that’s getting harder to do.  
 

 

[Robjame]

52 minutes ago, Benthayer Gonbak said:

i would have guessed at a port on the other side of the Atlantic,

I would agree. The testing before boarding in Miami would have identified any Covid carrying passengers whether asymptomatic or not (except for some testing error).

 

Following Covid cases on cruises, I am surprised at how many cases are in crew rather than passengers.

 

It is a selfish position but I wear a mask to protect me as well I hand wash, avoid confined gatherings or people with obvious symptoms, avoid touching, am vaccinated and boosted and choose vaccinated only cruises. Those things are in my control. I have invested two years in group protection and am now ready to accept the personal risks for the rest of my life. I am confident that though I may catch Covid, I will likely survive it, not be hospitalized. Enough already.

[pinotlover]

1 hour ago, Benthayer Gonbak said:

i would have guessed at a port on the other side of the Atlantic, but it is possible that there were asymptomatic passengers on board that were contacts that were flying under the radar.  There may have been unboosted too, although that’s getting harder to do.  
 

 

Since some of us are travelers that happen to cruise, it should be expected that we get off the ships in various ports. I agree this action increases the risks of Covid. Personally, we won’t take cruises to nowhere, there we wear our masks when required and take other action to lessen our risks of infection. These risks are NOT going away.

 

Parts of the world that Oceania cruise ships are scheduled to visit are poor with very low vaccination rates. Some cruisers have very compromised immune system, yet insist upon cruising. This combination will continue to present problems for the foreseeable future in the cruising world.

[MEFIowa]

12 hours ago, Benthayer Gonbak said:

how does one partially cruise?  

Study the passengers who are barely there, needing constant assistance or who are physically removed during the voyage because of their medical or psychological condition. On Riviera 12/13-23/21 we had a passenger my wife and I joked about as our "ghost". She'd shuffle up to deck 12 and across to the outside smoking area seemingly on the hour every hour during the day. Then she'd constantly just ask, "What time is it?" One day she asked my wife to assist her at bedtime. My wife, an angel, did. But it was creepy. My wife escorted her back down to her room & helped her get ready for bed. My wife saw no sign of anyone else. "P" should not have been on that cruise. She wasn't all there.

[Debbers]

2 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

 "P" should not have been on that cruise. She wasn't all there.

Your wife is indeed very kind.  We saw a pair of similar passengers on the Queen Victoria a few years ago.  The wife was completely out of it; the husband good enough to get her to the dining room--but often the wrong one, wrong time, etc.  It was scary.  People who think cruising is a safe vacation for people with memory loss are wrong.

 

[Vertygo]

17 minutes ago, Debbers said:

Your wife is indeed very kind.  We saw a pair of similar passengers on the Queen Victoria a few years ago.  The wife was completely out of it; the husband good enough to get her to the dining room--but often the wrong one, wrong time, etc.  It was scary.  People who think cruising is a safe vacation for people with memory loss are wrong.

 

My husband has Alzheimer’s which has recently become more unstable. We were scheduled to do the 4/6/22 Regatta Papeete/LA reposition that I had scheduled back in 2020 when he was very capable of traveling. As much as I hated to do it, I cancelled because of his instability. Not possible for him or fair to other passengers. Make sure when you book travel to get trip insurance covering pre-existing conditions. You never know what might happen.

[Benthayer Gonbak]

I watched a good friend deteriorate.  Most of the time she was functional such that no one would have question whether she should be cruising.  Her hospitalization seemed sudden but the time she was in the functional realm had dropped dramatically.  Had she ever gone with us on a cruise we’d decided to put a child muster station bracelet on her that would alert crew if she were to suddenly not be around one of us.  Her husband was an absolute doll with the patience of Job for sure.  I think with the right itinerary they would have been fine because she loved just to sit in the sun and wasn’t, in general, a wanderer.  Nevertheless, we knew she only had a small window before she might be a danger to others.  She however, was still compliant! 
 

i had a friend in assisted living where there was one woman that would lose her way back to her room.  I think I walked her back twice and I wasn’t in the facility that often.  i can’t imagine what would happen on a ship! 

Based on comments here I may not know when I’m partially cruising!  🤭
 

As for COVId cases it can be too early for a test to catch rather than a bad test so I like to consider the first few days as vulnerable even for myself.  On the last cruise I would have had to have been infected while traveling to the port!  My next trip it could be the plane or the precruise stay which will be in a foreign country.  i do know my antibodies are quite high, so I’m hoping that and masking keeps me safe.  

 

 

[Hawaiidan]

On 4/8/2022 at 1:10 PM, pinotlover said:

Dan;

 

There is a thing called risk mitigation. The risk of jumping out of a plane versus jumping out with a parachute is different. Same with wearing a mask in large crowds.

 

On 4/8/2022 at 1:10 PM, pinotlover said:

Well mitigation is derived for knowing what your adversary is capable of and what are your capabilities.     Most authorities now deem masks token and worthless  unless you change several times a day.       caution over than past years  has turned into obsession.   It borders today on, I feel is the absurd.    For me....I accept the risk....  and my underlying strength are mitigation enough....     Your call for you.  amigo        The risk is, I thin,k akin to Mark Twains reaction to a story he died, " as  rather over stated"

Edited April 10, 2022 by Hawaiidan

[kitty9]

Remember when Noro was a cruiser’s main concern?  I wonder if Noro has been a problem during this cruising season, or has Covid taken over everything?  To those who have been or are currently in Europe, how are the locals handling masking?  Are masks still required everywhere? If not, why on board the ship?

 

As an aside, more than 200 people are fighting a Noro outbreak after attending either a football banquet or a wedding in the past week, in the same local hotel.  Our Covid cases are dropping on a daily basis in our area. 

[jonthomas]

We were on the March 18 sailing. Out of the 8 trivia team mates, only the two of us are ok. One in Marseille hospital, one spent most of the cruise in the ships hosp. All tested positive. No one was isolated.

 

All tested negative when got on board. The first 10 days there were no ports. Right after the first port, Lisbon, people began to get sick. Especially those on tours. By the end of the cruise, many were sick. Those that wore masks and those that didnt. It made no difference. The mask is a very limited protection. Better than nothing I suppose. But dont be fooled into thinking that by wearing a mask you are fully protected.

 

The only difference between our 6 trivia  team mates and us is that we did NO tours. We walked for miles in all the ports. 

 

I would guess that by the end of the cruise many left the ship having covid and brought  it home to others. 

 

O did very little to control the spread. 

[jonthomas]

yes I agree.....

[zula]

Here in the north of Belgium masks have to be worn in hospitals, public transport,  some homes for the elderly,  for the rest you wear it if you like.  No PLF anymore.

But for the rest of Europe, you have to check each country as they all have different rules.  The countries in the EU still decide.  

In Flandres in the north of Belgium the rate of vaccinations is very high (+90 % in rural areas, but in some parts of Europe it is quite another story especially in some of the big cities.

I have a cruise on the 5 th of May from Rome with Nautica and will be checking the rules for every country on the route of the cruise because of possible changes after 30 th april in some countries. 

 

Try to stay safe

 

 

[susiesan]

Moral of the stories: if you are concerned about getting covid while traveling and getting sick, quarantined, or stranded overseas don't travel or cruise now. Wait a few years for when there is no more covid. Of course, you could be waiting forever.

[mauibabes]

Jonthomas,

Sorry to see you are cancelling your South America trip but everyone must make their own decisions and you are correct, it is quite port intensive. I was saddened to hear many others were sick on board Riviera but let’s hope everyone comes home well. We had some friends on your TA and they got off in Lisbon and they are still in Spain and Portugal doing a pilgrimage tour. They are due to fly back to California later next week. Sure hope they are well as we had not communicated with them after they left the Bahamas on an alternate route to Europe to miss storms in the Atlantic. 

I saw some posts from people in the UK and we have another friend who is  on a Collette tour there and they had 8 tourists test positive as they were preparing to head home. Our friend was asymptomatic and tested positive and her sister tested negative. It looks like she will get an extended stay in the UK until she can test negative. 
 

From all this, it appears travel will remain a crap shoot.  Good luck to everyone with your decisions and you have shared more to think about in the coming months. 
Mauibabes

[jonthomas]

We will continue to cruise. But differently. In the past it was all about adventure, tours to as many places as we could get to. 

 

Now it is mainly a ship experience and a ton of walking on our own in ports. Seemed to work for us this time and still wonderful to be away. 

[Hawaiidan]

4 hours ago, jonthomas said:

. Those that wore masks and those that didnt. It made no difference. The mask is a very limited protection. Better than nothing I suppose. But dont be fooled into thinking that by wearing a mask you are fully protected.

My sentiment.... Common sense goes'  a lot further  to protect .   Situational awareness  far better than any mask unless ,your in a surgical ward in a hospital treating a mass of infections of anything.  Interesting fact,  discovered in  the emergency service field...    Using a cloth or fabric  face cover to prevent inhalation of un wanted stuff... actually acts as a magnet for them  by virtue of the cloth being  moistened by the wearers own breath...  Microbes to Carbon Monoxide  all stick  to  the moist cloth... 90% of all the people I see are wearing  cloth masks thinking they are doing something positive..... Sad and funny .  Sounds like any protection is really a placebo reaction.

Edited April 10, 2022 by Hawaiidan

[arkansastraveler]

I had posted earlier that 3 of our group of 12 had tested positive shortly after disembarking from the Riviera in Barcelona. That number is now 8 of the 12. Our entire trivia team. We have people stranded in Barcelona and London, having flown to London because they had a negative test leaving the ship. Maybe those wooden pencils did allow the virus to spread. We did not do excursions. One took a cooking class. One took an art class. I do not believe the Covid protocol on the ship was adequate.  I love Oceania but I am miserable right now, suffering from Covid even though I am vaccinated and boostered. By the way, I never had to prove I was vaccinated or that I had tested negative in boarding the ship although I was both vaccinated and negative. 

[Sunlightlover]

31 minutes ago, arkansastraveler said:

I had posted earlier that 3 of our group of 12 had tested positive shortly after disembarking from the Riviera in Barcelona. That number is now 8 of the 12. Our entire trivia team. We have people stranded in Barcelona and London, having flown to London because they had a negative test leaving the ship. Maybe those wooden pencils did allow the virus to spread. We did not do excursions. One took a cooking class. One took an art class. I do not believe the Covid protocol on the ship was adequate.  I love Oceania but I am miserable right now, suffering from Covid even though I am vaccinated and boostered. By the way, I never had to prove I was vaccinated or that I had tested negative in boarding the ship although I was both vaccinated and negative. 

Apparently, something happened between December 2021 when we had a Caribbean cruise on Riviera and today. We had a stringent embarking protocol when we needed to show a prove of vaccination in addition to recommended testing 72 hours before the cruise and a mandatory testing before embarkation. We had 900 passengers on the ship, very few had masks on, festive atmosphere like pre-Covid era and no Covid onboard. At least, have not heard of anyone testing positive. Probably, change of protocol to become less restrictive brought O and other cruise lines to an increased number of cases, both onboard and post-cruise. 

[Sunlightlover]

I have to correct myself, we had almost full cruise in Riviera back in December, 1100 passengers (not 900 as I stated before).

[kitty9]

Are ships from other lines experiencing these same problems?  I haven’t read that much which seems weird if they aren’t seeing an uptick in cases on board.