Face Masks on Australian Cruise Ships

[Matkai]

Have noticed that cruise ships in USA have relaxed protocols and do not require Face Masks on board, is this the case for ships departing Australia, as I just read on P&O Cruises they require facemask indoor onboard? Not sure if this is old or has been updated?

[OzKiwiJJ]

Currently P&O and Princess require face masks to be worn inside the ship (except in your cabin). You can remove them to eat or drink although some venues like the theatre are "Sip and Cover".

 

Both cruise lines are following the mandates set by our governments.

[SinbadThePorter]

17 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Both cruise lines are following the mandates set by our governments.

 

And occasionally some passengers.

[ekka49]

1 hour ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

And occasionally some passengers.

• Yes, your correct. I will happily wear a mask if it means I can cruise.
• I still wear a mask when at the shops and supermarket.
•  

[Sparky74]

We are sailing on the Carnival Splendor transpacific in a few weeks. We received an email a couple of days ago which said, "…During the first part of the voyage to Honolulu, all guests will be required to wear masks indoors except when eating, drinking or in their own stateroom. Masks will also be required during the embarkation and debarkation process.  We recommend masks be worn outdoors in large congregate events where physical distancing cannot be maintained..."

 

Apparently some people were so unhappy about this that they cancelled their bookings. 🤷‍♂️

[MicCanberra]

Incredible, 

[SinbadThePorter]

1 hour ago, Sparky74 said:

Apparently some people were so unhappy about this that they cancelled their bookings.

 

Were they Americans? Cruises over there are dropping restrictions, maybe they assumed a TransPacific would be the same.

[cruisermsoon]

Cancelling their cruises because of face masks? 

GOOD RIDDANCE !!!

[Matkai]

So disappointed that Australia is so slow in dropping all of the autocratic COVID rules, so we have decided to delay booking our cruise until the requirement for mask wearing is dropped or fly to the US and cruise from there.

What is the point of us all being vaccinated just to board the ship, only to be forced to wear masks... that is not what I call a relaxing holiday! 

 

[Aus Traveller]

8 minutes ago, Matkai said:

So disappointed that Australia is so slow in dropping all of the autocratic COVID rules, so we have decided to delay booking our cruise until the requirement for mask wearing is dropped or fly to the US and cruise from there.

What is the point of us all being vaccinated just to board the ship, only to be forced to wear masks... that is not what I call a relaxing holiday!

I thought I would HATE the mask wearing on the ship but I didn't find it too bad. Just had to put it on if anyone approached me in the corridor or if I got into the lift and wasn't alone. The lifts are so fast, that they never seemed to be crowded. Maybe it was because they got to their destination so quickly. Of course, we had to wear a mask when we entered the MDR until we sat at the table and again when we left. The other place where they had to be worn was the theatre. I found that probably the worst because it was for so long.

[OzKiwiJJ]

We take our own P2 masks which are very comfortable. We wear them when shopping etc at home so are happy to wear them inside the ship. I'd rather put up with the slight inconvenience of wearing a mask if it means helping to protect the wonderful crew from possible infection.

 

Plus if it comes to a choice between wearing a mask or not cruising I'll happily wear a mask. 😁

Edited August 20, 2022 by OzKiwiJJ

[2022cruisey]

If wearing masks means that the various state and country governments will let cruise ships visit, then wearing masks it is.  It doesn’t hurt anyone to do it.

[JeffroK]

Matkai,

 

I'm Double dosed, Boosted and still caught Covid.

 

If you dont like it stay off the ship, of course if you can afford to fly to the US do so, better chance of being another Covid stat over there and  I wont be on that ship.

[Matkai]

Has anyone who here actually been on a cruise and been forced to wear face masks for a majority of the time? 

I notice all comments are from people who say that are going on a cruise with mandatory face masks, or say that they would only go on a cruise with face masks, but no-one is actually commenting from their actual first hand experience.

We can all speculate or guess what we think it would be like, but have no real idea until you we have actually experienced it - I have read many posts on other forums from people who have and I am yet to find a positive comment, many complaining of headaches, being constantly uncomfortable, feelin unsocial / isolated, skin behind ears being rubbed raw, and overall lack of enjoyment the entire time-  with many saying they would not cruise again until the mask mandates are lifted.
 

[Level six]

2 minutes ago, Matkai said:

Has anyone who here actually been on a cruise and been forced to wear face masks for a majority of the time?

I have.  It was fine, no problem at all. 

We had a great 15 days, all good.  Sometimes I would get up from my table and forget to put it back on and someone would motion to their face(staff or passenger) and I would happily put it back on.  What is the big deal.  Our medical professionals wear one all day. 

 

This was in November 2021, everyone had to wear a mask.  They enforced it as much as possible.  Some people will never do it, but the staff honestly tried. In the theater some would remove when the lights went down, but, I think most people complied. 

[Aus Traveller]

20 minutes ago, Matkai said:

Has anyone who here actually been on a cruise and been forced to wear face masks for a majority of the time? 

I notice all comments are from people who say that are going on a cruise with mandatory face masks, or say that they would only go on a cruise with face masks, but no-one is actually commenting from their actual first hand experience.

We can all speculate or guess what we think it would be like, but have no real idea until you we have actually experienced it - I have read many posts on other forums from people who have and I am yet to find a positive comment, many complaining of headaches, being constantly uncomfortable, feelin unsocial / isolated, skin behind ears being rubbed raw, and overall lack of enjoyment the entire time-  with many saying they would not cruise again until the mask mandates are lifted.
 

I am puzzled at your comment that "no-one is actually commenting form their actual first hand experience". Several of us have. We have been on cruises wearing a mask and we have commented on it.

 

I didn't experience any of the problems mentioned in your third paragraph. I suppose one issue I found that wasn't mentioned, was on occasions, I found it difficult to hear people when they were speaking while wearing a mask, particularly when there was background noise. However, my problem is poor hearing.

 

OzKiwiJJ (Julie) also reported on her experience on cruising while wearing a mask. Several others have also commented.

Edited August 21, 2022 by Aus Traveller

[possum52]

51 minutes ago, Matkai said:

I have read many posts on other forums from people who have and I am yet to find a positive comment, many complaining of headaches, being constantly uncomfortable, feelin unsocial / isolated, skin behind ears being rubbed raw, and overall lack of enjoyment the entire time-  with many saying they would not cruise again until the mask mandates are lifted.
 

My goodness, how do you think medical staff cope with their masks on all day, every day they work? Shop assistants at our local supermarkets are still mainly wearing masks for their shifts, as are our pharmacy assistants. My grandchildren and their teachers are wearing masks while in their classroom - no complaints from them. We recently returned from Cairns - a three and half flight, all passengers were wearing masks except when eating or drinking. 

 

It seems those complaining about skin being rubbed raw behind their ears didn't have correctly fitted masks.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Also unless you're walking around the interior of the ship all day long then you aren't wearing your mask for the majority of the time. For example: 

 

Leave cabin wearing mask to go to breakfast/lunch/dinner. Once seated remove mask to eat. However in the buffet you should wear your mask when going up for more food etc. After your meal put your mask back on before leaving your table. 

 

If you go outside to the pool you can take your mask off.

If you go for a walk around the promenade deck you can take your mask off 

If you go to one of the inside bars you can take your mask of while seated.

 

Some venues are "sip and cover" like the theatre and lounges where there are shows or events like trivia or bingo. You're not there for hours on end, most of these events are 45 minutes plus a bit more if you get there early to get a good seat.

 

During a whole day, for us 8am to 11pm-ish so a 15 hour period, I estimate we wore our masks for only around 4-6 hours in total depending on whether we went to a show or not. Maybe a little more if the weather was too unpleasant to go outside.

 

 

 

Edited August 21, 2022 by OzKiwiJJ

[Cbtours]

1 hour ago, Matkai said:

Has anyone who here actually been on a cruise and been forced to wear face masks for a majority of the time? 

I notice all comments are from people who say that are going on a cruise with mandatory face masks, or say that they would only go on a cruise with face masks, but no-one is actually commenting from their actual first hand experience.

We can all speculate or guess what we think it would be like, but have no real idea until you we have actually experienced it - I have read many posts on other forums from people who have and I am yet to find a positive comment, many complaining of headaches, being constantly uncomfortable, feelin unsocial / isolated, skin behind ears being rubbed raw, and overall lack of enjoyment the entire time-  with many saying they would not cruise again until the mask mandates are lifted.
 

17 days which was made up of 4 B2B. First cruises out of Brisbane. We had no problem following the mask rules. If no one else was in elevator we didnt both but wore under our chins ready to pop them up if needed.

Always wore going into MDR where we chose to eat mostly, only once did we visit the buffet. Too many people, plastic plates, find your table etc. I must say I enjoy the luxury of being served, no crushing, no rushing etc.

[Cbtours]

51 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Also unless you're walking around the interior of the ship all day long then you aren't wearing your mask for the majority of the time. For example: 

 

Leave cabin wearing mask to go to breakfast/lunch/dinner. Once seated remove mask to eat. However in the buffet you should wear your mask when going up for more food etc. After your meal put your mask back on before leaving your table. 

 

If you go outside to the pool you can take your mask off.

If you go for a walk around the promenade deck you can take your mask off 

If you go to one of the inside bars you can take your mask of while seated.

 

Some venues are "sip and cover" like the theatre and lounges where there are shows or events like trivia or bingo. You're not there for hours on end, most of these events are 45 minutes plus a bit more if you get there early to get a good seat.

 

During a whole day, for us 8am to 11pm-ish so a 15 hour period, I estimate we wore our masks for only around 4-6 hours in total depending on whether we went to a show or not. Maybe a little more if the weather was too unpleasant to go outside.

 

 

 

totally agree Julie, however your days were a bit longer cos youre part of the younger crowd lol

 

BTW going right off topic, you did Alaska right? Did you have trip report etc. We are just starting to explore options and looking at June next year. Have stared watching videos but its a huge swathe of choices and decisions. So Im on the hunt now lol.

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 minutes ago, Cbtours said:

totally agree Julie, however your days were a bit longer cos youre part of the younger crowd lol

 

BTW going right off topic, you did Alaska right? Did you have trip report etc. We are just starting to explore options and looking at June next year. Have stared watching videos but its a huge swathe of choices and decisions. So Im on the hunt now lol.

I'm not sure about being part of the younger crowd 🤣 but we do tend to stay up lateish on cruises otherwise we don't have enough time for all the things we like to do. And we enjoy relaxed dining so we always eat in the MDR or occasionally at one of the speciality restaurants.

 

No, we haven't done Alaska yet. It's still on the bucket list.

[Cbtours]

Just now, OzKiwiJJ said:

I'm not sure about being part of the younger crowd 🤣 but we do tend to stay up lateish on cruises otherwise we don't have enough time for all the things we like to do. And we enjoy relaxed dining so we always eat in the MDR or occasionally at one of the speciality restaurants.

 

No, we haven't done Alaska yet. It's still on the bucket list.

Ok thanks.

we have our round aus cruise October 11-Nov 8 which we have already taken insurance for.

 

now, We’ve just taken annual insurance for Frank, starting for our month long South African trip nov22 getting home dec 22. We have Sydney Hawaii round trip September  20-oct25, 2023 (franks bucket list) so figured we might as well try and fit in Alaska is round June 23 and do all our major items while we have the insurance lol. After that, apart from annual quick trips home yo South Africa we will concentrate on exploring Australia whether by air or sea.

 

looking fwd to Sparky74 trip updates from Alaska etc

[Sparky74]

8 minutes ago, Cbtours said:

…looking fwd to Sparky74 trip updates from Alaska etc

We fly out on Thursday! 😱

[Aussieflyer]

19 hours ago, Matkai said:

So disappointed that Australia is so slow in dropping all of the autocratic COVID rules, so we have decided to delay booking our cruise until the requirement for mask wearing is dropped or fly to the US and cruise from there.

What is the point of us all being vaccinated just to board the ship, only to be forced to wear masks... that is not what I call a relaxing holiday! 

 

Whilst that of course is your choice, the figures for deaths from COVID indicate that the countries with the lowest number per capita are Singapore, South Korea and Japan. These are countries with a strong mask presence either like Singapore with masks indoors mandated or Japan where mask wearing is common. 

Vaccination does not provide immunity and many people (me included) with 4 vaccinations have come down with COVID. Although not seriously ill, it certainly was not a walk in the park as they say and I was in bed for a few days, with lingering cough and fatigue for several weeks. Also, there would be immunocompromised passengers on board probably (we saw several people who looked like they were just finished chemo) and mask wearing in my opinion is a responsible way to help to protect them.

I have had no issues with wearing a mask onboard (or on a plane) and I do wear one in shopping centres and other places where there are a lot of people.

[Cbtours]

10 minutes ago, Sparky74 said:

We fly out on Thursday! 😱

Live trip report please lol.