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Masks Still Handed Out on the Ships?

SilvertoGold

By SilvertoGold,
in Holland America Line

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, Alphen said:

I like your profile picture by the way 👌

 

Aww thanks.  It’s Jose (my dearly departed DH) - some of his ashes are in a heart on the bear.  He will go with me on my cruise.

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Ottawa traveller

Ottawa traveller

Posted
Posted

I got off the Zuiderdam on August 10th. On the 11th at home I came down with covid.  I wore a KN95 mask at all times except while eating. I ate most of my meals in the dining room. However, my last breakfast was in the Lido and it was very crowded at the time. I think that is where I got it. I travelled around BC by train and bus for almost 3 weeks before the cruise and felt quite safe and obviously was. I did not have to eat in crowded places.  I am booked on a SA Antarctica in January and I intend to cancel it. I intend to continue travelling but I personally don't think cruising is truly safe yet.

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AFNavigator

AFNavigator

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, Ottawa traveller said:

I got off the Zuiderdam on August 10th. On the 11th at home I came down with covid.  I wore a KN95 mask at all times except while eating. I ate most of my meals in the dining room. However, my last breakfast was in the Lido and it was very crowded at the time. I think that is where I got it. I travelled around BC by train and bus for almost 3 weeks before the cruise and felt quite safe and obviously was. I did not have to eat in crowded places.  I am booked on a SA Antarctica in January and I intend to cancel it. I intend to continue travelling but I personally don't think cruising is truly safe yet.

Just because a person travels around on different conveyances and doesn't catch COVID, that doesn't mean it wasn't present there.  The COVID virus is so common now its just about everywhere you go.  All it takes is for that magic COVID virus particle to take hold, wherever you are, and you have it.

 

Just trying to say, unless a person is immunocompromised, can't get vaccinated, or has elevated COVID risk factors, they shouldn't let fear of COVID stop them from cruising any more than other travel options.  A person is probably just as likely--or more--to be exposed to COVID at a restaurant, supermarket, store, church, airport, theme park, etc., as they would be on a cruise ship.

 

What you are probably less likely to catch on a cruise ship now, post-restart, are viruses like norovirus and rhinovirus that are often spread on touch surfaces.  Most cruise ships are sanitized far more frequently than those other venues.  For most of those venues, COVID sanitation has already become a distant memory.

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iceman93

iceman93

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Ottawa traveller said:

I got off the Zuiderdam on August 10th. On the 11th at home I came down with covid. ... However, my last breakfast was in the Lido and it was very crowded at the time. I think that is where I got it.

Doesn't it take longer than that from exposure to infection to symptoms?

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willoL

willoL

Posted
Posted

Just off Nieuw Statendam this morning.

 

Our captain made masks mandatory for anyone not eating or drinking on our entire 24 day voyage. While there were some bare faces--most who seemed to have temporarily forgotten, and a few that appeared to be actively rebelling--the majority wore masks in hallways and such. Sitting in dining venues and bars, uncovered faces were MUCH more common. (Not at all surprisingly.)

 

I believe we had two masks per person in each of our two staterooms upon arrival. It was also announced that additional masks could be had by asking at customer service, but I never asked, so not sure if all were the same. I noticed that the crew wore a variety of styles, but all better fitted than a surgical type.

 

HAL/Nieuw Statendam provided white BYD KN95 masks. Each is stamped BG2626-2006 KN95 and they are packaged two to a single cellophane pack. My family carried aboard our own preferred mask styles, so I packed the BYD masks from my cabin to bring home.

BYD KN95 mask from HAL.jpg

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Ottawa traveller

Ottawa traveller

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, iceman93 said:

Doesn't it take longer than that from exposure to infection to symptoms?

I had a very mild sore throat Thursday evening and my symptoms worsened over the next three days.  I tested positive later on the Friday. I was similar to threebluestars.  By Monday I was almost better.  I still don't want it again. I wear a KN95 mask everywhere.  I go out when I know that places will not be crowded.   

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DrTee

DrTee

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Aww thanks.  It’s Jose (my dearly departed DH) - some of his ashes are in a heart on the bear.  He will go with me on my cruise.

Kazu,  I just read this and was so sorry to learn about Jose.  

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DrTee

DrTee

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, rodndonna said:

 

Was that an Alaskan cruise in April?  

 

We did Alaska in June and our ship was pretty compliant with masks (as were we). Off the ship, not so much. We got Covid  and although we will never know where we got it, we really think we picked it up off the ship as there was no shortage of coughing and hacking going on. (the White Pass rail with a woman behind us who coughed heavily on us for the entire 4 hours comes to mind - lol)

Boy, she would have gotten a piece of my mind. I would have gone full Karen.

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rodndonna

rodndonna

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, DrTee said:

Boy, she would have gotten a piece of my mind. I would have gone full Karen.

 

Worst part was, she came on board with what appeared to be her husband (at least her travel companion), and he took the bench opposite aisle to her (so they were one each bench) and then he leaned against his left window the whole trip, and they never spoke or acknowledged each other again until leaving the train. Cleary, they knew or suspected she was ill, and he was having none of it. 

 

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sprockie

sprockie

Posted
Posted
21 hours ago, Ottawa traveller said:

I got off the Zuiderdam on August 10th. On the 11th at home I came down with covid.  I wore a KN95 mask at all times except while eating. I ate most of my meals in the dining room. However, my last breakfast was in the Lido and it was very crowded at the time. I think that is where I got it. I travelled around BC by train and bus for almost 3 weeks before the cruise and felt quite safe and obviously was. I did not have to eat in crowded places.  I am booked on a SA Antarctica in January and I intend to cancel it. I intend to continue travelling but I personally don't think cruising is truly safe yet.

I agree with you about not feeling that cruising is safe just yet - at least not a risk I am willing to take.  Our family has been sick by the end of our cruises about 80% of the time with other nasty viruses, so I personally cannot imagine being quarantined and having Covid on board.  Although I am itching to get travelling again, I am not booking anything in the way of cruises until I see what happens with the latest protocols starting in September.☹️  I had hoped that cruising would be a safe and well controlled travel option, but it looks like it's heading the opposite way.  

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Florida_gal_50

Florida_gal_50

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, DrTee said:

Boy, she would have gotten a piece of my mind. I would have gone full Karen.

I really wish people would stop using this “Karen” terminology.  It’s super annoying and unnecessary.  Why don’t people choose some male name and start using that 🙄.  That would be unacceptable.  

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iceman93

iceman93

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Boarded Rotterdam today and a total of 7 masks on the desk!

2 HAL  cloth masks and 5 FFP2/KN95 masks.

 

DSCN2739.thumb.JPG.bdd6a110ff960cf81a105c789a748afa.JPG  

 

It looks like HAL is having a clearance sale!  Maybe they know something about the impending elimination of all mask requirements...

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Btimmer "Live from...." Rare

Btimmer

Posted
Posted

We were on board the Nieuw Statendam with @willoL and I concur with her observations about masking.  I heard lots of grumbling about the policy, but on balance there was very good compliance indoor except in the LIDO pool area.  Captain Eric and C&TD, BettyAnn made frequent appeals for mask compliance.

 

We were provided with 4 KN95 masks at embarkation and requested a couple more from our stateroom attendant during the cruise.  I also brought a supply of my own black KN95 masks along.

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