Covid on cruiseships!!!

[bazzaw]

3 hours ago, Auscruisefam said:

I have a cruise booked in a few weeks. It will be our last until the mandates drop or at least most of them. Honestly I’m dreading the cruise,  I booked an ocean view no balcony. If I go into isolation I don’t know how I will cope. The room is small and no fresh air. I have only ever had balcony rooms and I only booked this cabin as a bet with my husband that I can actually cruise on the cheap. Obviously I can not. 
Also it’s on Luminosa, which I’ve had a few friends do and said it was absolutely crap. 
My husband is being positive and saying it’s an “adventure” meanwhile I’m completely freaking out. But it is 100% my fault for not thinking it through and trying to prove hubby wrong. 




 

On QE, all who posted positive  were transferred to a balcony cabin - we were actually already in a balcony so we were saved that inconvenience of having to move - but even with a balcony, I still went stir crazy!! 🙂

[pully8]

Was this your first infection?

Did you get antivirals? 

Hope you feel better now. 

[bazzaw]

3 hours ago, Cruisegroover said:

As a comparison to what happens on a land based tour I was on a 15 day APT tour of Canada a few weeks ago. Those who tested positive to Covid were left at the hotels where they tested positive. First couple left behind at Whistler (Westin Whistler Resort) day 5, second couple at Vancouver (Fairmont Waterfront) day 7 and the last couple Lake Louise day 12 (they made their own way to Banff (Fairmont Banff Springs) as they had other family travelling with them).

 

Canada covid rules are the same as ours. So no strict isolation.

 

The tour director didn't give us many updates only to say the couple from Whistler on day 15 flew to Calgary where the tour finished to pick their flights home to Australia via San Francisco as they were told if they didn't fly Calgary to SFO the entire ticket would be cancelled.

 

I am not rich enough to engage in this version of Russian Roulette either 🙂

[bazzaw]

4 minutes ago, pully8 said:

Was this your first infection?

Did you get antivirals? 

Hope you feel better now. 

Yes- first infection. I am 76 and the Doctor examined whether I should have any antivirals and we both agreed that I had no need for them 

[NSWP]

5 hours ago, icat2000 said:

There was no COVID on the two cruises I did over NYE and early January on Luminosa. We cruising again on Grand Princess in March. So  I see how that goes.

You were lucky on Luminosa. Carnival Splendor and Queen Elizabeth are listed as tier 1 today by NSW Health.

Edited January 29, 2023 by NSWP

[LittleFish1976]

43 minutes ago, NSWP said:

You were lucky on Luminosa. Carnival Splendor and Queen Elizabeth are listed as tier 1 today by NSW Health.

 

Thanks for posting that. I was looking for that info on-line and couldn't find it.

[boeckli]

37 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

 

Thanks for posting that. I was looking for that info on-line and couldn't find it.

 

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/travel/cruising-rules

[arxcards]

9 hours ago, lyndarra said:

That's a very important point which I think is seriosly overlooked by anti-mask brigade. The crew are short staffed and overworked already. These non masked people would then be complaining about lack of service.

Our home for a couple of weeks here and there, but the crew don't get to go home. The protocols have never been about protecting us as individuals, but to ensure the safe operation of the ship during an outbreak. Not only service levels, but bridge, engineering, environmental & medical services. If a medical centre is understaffed and overworked, it isn't just a covid issue, but any kind of medical emergency could find a cruiser at greater risk. 

 

To let it all run freely aboard also results in ports that won't allow the ships to dock, and travel insurance companies that wont cover for medevac or any other medical expenses related to covid.

 

Lets hope the numbers ashore continue to slide and we can start to cruise the way we remember. Yes, mandatory isolation on land is no longer required, but the official message is stay home if you are unwell. Alas, your cabin is your home away from home, and that has been the requirement since 31st May. Pre-testing, vaxx requirements, masks will eventually be done away with. Anyone testing positive aboard will be required to isolate for years to come, which has long been consistent with other influenzas and gastro bugs of the day.

[jaybee1965]

I haven't cruised since 2015 and now booked for May 2024 when rules will likely have changed again but right now I'm wondering how many get denied boarding for testing positive in the 24-48 hours pre cruise? Seems no travel insurance covers that.

[Pushka]

Having had no symptoms whatsoever from a Covid infection I have given up three years of travel and am perfectly prepared to travel again as planned. I'd be fine isolating in a stateroom if positive. 

[arxcards]

3 hours ago, NSWP said:

You were lucky on Luminosa. Carnival Splendor and Queen Elizabeth are listed as tier 1 today by NSW Health.

Luminosa is lucky that nobody knows when they are at tier 1 while ever they are not visiting NSW. The ship isn't required to communicate covid numbers to passengers. Some do, some don't, but it is only when a ship reaches tier 2 that they are required to alert passengers of an elevated covid risk.

 

We have done 4 cruises since the restart, all with low levels of covid aboard. No mention whatsoever on the ship, yet all 4 showed as tier 1 prior to arriving in Sydney.

 

[arxcards]

6 minutes ago, jaybee1965 said:

I haven't cruised since 2015 and now booked for May 2024 when rules will likely have changed again but right now I'm wondering how many get denied boarding for testing positive in the 24-48 hours pre cruise? Seems no travel insurance covers that.

Hard to know how many, but it does happen. For now, all of the cruise lines are crediting your fare if you test positive on your pre-boarding covid test. That offsets any need for insurance to cover it.

[lissie]

13 hours ago, bazzaw said:

At least I now know something of what it must feel like to be in gaol - I am going to have to rethink my existing life of crime to make sure that I dont ever experience  the real thing. 🙂 This was enough to send me almost insane 🙂 Wife and i have enjoyed our World cruising - lost count at 400 nights - but NEVER AGAIN for us until this mandatory isolation requirement ceases. BTW I will be perfectly happy to voluntarily isolate at home in my large house and land if we should ever catch it again. - and like almost everybody else that we encountered along the way including on the flights , we will not be wearing masks ever again. 

Surely there has always been isolation for infectious diseases on ships? Don't they isolate noroviruse and flu patients?  

[lyndarra]

6 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Luminosa is lucky that nobody knows when they are at tier 1 while ever they are not visiting NSW. The ship isn't required to communicate covid numbers to passengers. Some do, some don't, but it is only when a ship reaches tier 2 that they are required to alert passengers of an elevated covid risk.

 

We have done 4 cruises since the restart, all with low levels of covid aboard. No mention whatsoever on the ship, yet all 4 showed as tier 1 prior to arriving in Sydney.

 

On recent Westerdam cruise, the captain gave daily COVID stats at the end of his midday talk. Number of new cases, total in isolation for both crew and passengers. IIRC crew were usually less than ten and passengers hovered between twenty and forty (forty reached on last day of 16 day cruise).

[lyndarra]

Just now, lissie said:

Surely there has always been isolation for infectious diseases on ships? Don't they isolate noroviruse and flu patients?  

Correct.

[Elorac123]

13 hours ago, bazzaw said:

Well this is EXACTLY what the rest of the World is now doing! There is nothing exceptional about the cruising World. 

 

I was worried about what to do after we were ejected from the ship  - we had to fly home from Sydney that afternoon and we were both positive. So I rang the National Covid Helpline for their advice - their advice to me was that they had no advice - they had generalised recommendations only and they told me directly that we could do whatever we needed (or wanted) to do . I NEEDED and wanted to fly home, in a positive state.  When you are outside your home, COVID is now everywhere! - and there is a strong possibility that you are sitting next to somebody with positive Covid . Time to get over the idea that cruising is some special particular circumstance. 

Just does not make sense does it Bazzaw

Cheers Carole

[resordanis]

30 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Our home for a couple of weeks here and there, but the crew don't get to go home. The protocols have never been about protecting us as individuals, but to ensure the safe operation of the ship during an outbreak. Not only service levels, but bridge, engineering, environmental & medical services. If a medical centre is understaffed and overworked, it isn't just a covid issue, but any kind of medical emergency could find a cruiser at greater risk. 

 

To let it all run freely aboard also results in ports that won't allow the ships to dock, and travel insurance companies that wont cover for medevac or any other medical expenses related to covid.

 

Lets hope the numbers ashore continue to slide and we can start to cruise the way we remember. Yes, mandatory isolation on land is no longer required, but the official message is stay home if you are unwell. Alas, your cabin is your home away from home, and that has been the requirement since 31st May. Pre-testing, vaxx requirements, masks will eventually be done away with. Anyone testing positive aboard will be required to isolate for years to come, which has long been consistent with other influenzas and gastro bugs of the day.

Well said Geoff.

. Having got Covid on Majestic and being very, very sick and then missing another Majestic cruise. We were both super cautious on our 27 days on Ovation. We wore masks EVERYWHERE, and were not happy.  It hasn’t stopped us from doing 2 more before cruise season finishes. In saying that we are still wearing masks when we go shopping. Everyone does things differently. 
PS I had a friend on our Majestic cruise, that didn’t wear a mask and ended up in intensive care. It also hasn’t stopped her from doing a circumnavigation shortly. Because of ages we have to do it!

Edited January 29, 2023 by resordanis

[OzKiwiJJ]

We've done six cruises since the restart, ranging from 7 nights to 28 nights. We were both fine on the shorter cruises but I caught Covid on the 28 night cruise in October. I developed symptoms on day 14 and I'm 99% certain I caught it onboard, probably from someone standing too close to me while I was sitting enjoying a drink in one of the bars.

 

At that stage there were no mandatory tests onboard once the cruise started. I believe that regular mandatory testing on cruises should be a must. On our Westerdam cruise, where we had mandatory testing, the Captain announced the Covid numbers each day and after both mandatory test days the numbers jumped by a significant amount.

 

It doesn't bother me to wear a mask while roaming the ship. It doesn't bother me to do mandatory tests. I am aware that a ship is a closed environment, and am even more aware that there are going to be many selfish people who won't wear masks properly, and/or who won't report having symptoms, who will be sharing that closed environment with me. 

 

So be it. We mostly enjoyed 74 of the 80 days we have cruised since the restart, and even the six days in isolation weren't too arduous - we both love to read and I also enjoy games and puzzles on my phone. Roll on March for our next cruise!

[lissie]

27 minutes ago, arxcards said:

 

Lets hope the numbers ashore continue to slide and we can start to cruise the way we remember. Yes, mandatory isolation on land is no longer required, but the official message is stay home if you are unwell. Alas, your cabin is your home away from home, and that has been the requirement since 31st May. Pre-testing, vaxx requirements, masks will eventually be done away with. Anyone testing positive aboard will be required to isolate for years to come, which has long been consistent with other influenzas and gastro bugs of the day.

Depends on where you live - if you test positive in NZ its still mandatory isolation - that includes visitors - so the cruise lines won't be dropping that requirement anytime soon if they want to cruise here Preparing to self-isolate | Unite against COVID-19 (covid19.govt.nz) Given that Japan has only just reduced mask wearing to inside only (not outside) they won't be dropping it anytime soon 

[pully8]

In NZ do people get PCR tests and if positive self report to authorities?

Are they checked or is it up to people to act responsibly? 

There is some doubt in Australia that some people are testing at all.

Probably to avoid having to isolate. 

Albeit it is necessary to get antivirals, to have a positive result.  

 

[bazzaw]

4 hours ago, pully8 said:

I

There is some doubt in Australia that some people are testing at all.

Probably to avoid having to isolate. 

 

In Australia , nobody HAS to isolate after testing positive. Welcome to the new World of "living with Covid" - the Worlds of "Covid exceptionalisn" and "zero Covid" are now gone.  But the paranoia engendered in those Worlds remain amongst many. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by bazzaw

[onlyslightlymad]

1 hour ago, bazzaw said:

In Australia , nobody HAS to isolate after testing positive. Welcome to the new World of "living with Covid" - the Worlds of "Covid exceptionalisn" and "zero Covid" are now gone.  But the paranoia engendered in those Worlds remain amongst many. 

I don't think it's paranoia when there is an actual disease causing real people to die.  You may disagree with the protocols but calling it paranoia s a bit inflammatory.

[arxcards]

Yes, there was a lot of government control for two years that fueled paranoia. No mandated isolation is true, but for those of us that work or have kids in school, the reality is that for anyone infected they don't want you or your kids anywhere near their workplace/schools. 

 

Covid exceptionalism has been peeled back but is far from gone, especially for those of us that can't bulk bill. Covid testing and vaccination is essentially free, which is not the case for other illnesses. Two orange lines on a RAT means I stay home till I test negative, which isn't the case for any other ailment. In my world, it applies to a large manufacturing site, not an office block.

 

Having no pre-existing health issues, I was never paranoid about catching it, but it still took an infected cruise passenger to give it to me even though it was all around me in the community. If anything, I was only ever paranoid about testing positive on a pre-cruise RAT that would have prevented boarding.

 

We are still booking cruises and prepared to accept the T&C's and doing short cruises to take away the risk of cabin isolation.

[bazzaw]

10 hours ago, lissie said:

Surely there has always been isolation for infectious diseases on ships? Don't they isolate noroviruse and flu patients?  

Yes - but not for up to 10 days ! 

[bazzaw]

2 hours ago, onlyslightlymad said:

I don't think it's paranoia when there is an actual disease causing real people to die.  You may disagree with the protocols but calling it paranoia s a bit inflammatory.

People (especially older people like me) die everyday of all kinds of causes. Many of these causes are avoidable ( smoking, obesity, car crashes,etc)  and as a Society we generally dont get too worried about the odd death here and there. So it is a form of paranoia to continue to treat Covid as an exceptional case (especially now that we know much more about it and we are all vaccinated)  and attempt to maintain zero Covid deaths.