Coming home with Covid

[lynncarol]

Both Spain and Portugal required vaccinations or negative tests when we originally booked.  Apparently that has now been lifted. 

9teetosea...Your comments about alcohol warding off germs brought back a fond memory.  Years ago my husband and I were independently touring Albania for a week with a guide.  He had introduced us to Albania's favorite alcoholic drink, some sort of home-made version with quite a kick.  When I developed a chest cold, he told me that his concoction would also work wonders for my cold if I rubbed it on my chest every night.  Actually, it did help, maybe because after drinking it, I no longer cared if I had cold symptoms.

[Silver Sweethearts]

Ou question is how do people cope if they end up in isolation on a ship?  We fear claustrophobia would do us in.

[BklynBoy8]

1 minute ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

Ou question is how do people cope if they end up in isolation on a ship?  We fear claustrophobia would do us in.

 

We never got to talk to those on last years sailing with us that were quarantined but we read many experiences and accounts that were posted before our trip in 2022.

 

Many were very detailed in their accounts of the cabins they were placed in and how they were served.

 

No one we read ever did state being claustrophobic but the feeling of being displaced from their original cabin. We did see most were placed in cabins with balconies most likely for the free air.  

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

Ou question is how do people cope if they end up in isolation on a ship?  We fear claustrophobia would do us in.

 

That is the sixty-four-dollar question.   Something that I really hope to never find out.  

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

Ou question is how do people cope if they end up in isolation on a ship?  We fear claustrophobia would do us in.

If I were to be quarantined one way or another, being in a cruise ship balcony might not be that bad — yes, home is nice, but being stuck there with no change in scenery would be tough also.

[BklynBoy8]

7 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

If I were to be quarantined one way or another, being in a cruise ship balcony might not be that bad — yes, home is nice, but being stuck there with no change in scenery would be tough also.

 

nbt,

Image they spoke about the cabins being bare of items and not that much on the shelves or desk top. You had to bring what was to occupy yourself for that period of time. At least there was TV.....

 

Then if it was ended you were escorted off the ship with the Empires Storm Troopers behind you with Spray Bottles..... 

 

Ditto.....Home Sweet Home....

[K32682]

12 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

Ou question is how do people cope if they end up in isolation on a ship?  We fear claustrophobia would do us in.

 

The concern is less about being incarcerated in a cabin but what happens at disembarkation. Is the cruise company obligated to inform immigration officials that you have COVID? If so then what? This uncertainty is why I would not seek onboard medical attention if mildly symptomatic.    

 

 

[2wheelin]

53 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

The concern is less about being incarcerated in a cabin but what happens at disembarkation. Is the cruise company obligated to inform immigration officials that you have COVID? If so then what? This uncertainty is why I would not seek onboard medical attention if mildly symptomatic.    

 

 

Why would immigration concern you? There are currently no restrictions, as it should be.

[Kristelle]

I would be less worried about claustrophobia and more worried about divorce.

 

Well,not quite - but often  about a week or so into a holiday we have some silly argument about the TV remote or the toothpaste or something equally trivial or pathetic, a symptom of spending too much time together compared to our usual lives of separate jobs etc.

[Markanddonna]

1 hour ago, K32682 said:

 

The concern is less about being incarcerated in a cabin but what happens at disembarkation. Is the cruise company obligated to inform immigration officials that you have COVID? If so then what? This uncertainty is why I would not seek onboard medical attention if mildly symptomatic.    

 

 

I agree. We are beyond getting hysterical about COVID now. We were able to secure an antiviral in Europe. If you aren't coughing and have no fever, I see no reason why you should go to the ship's doctor. There are SO many people onboard ships who are likely carrying active COVID and could care less. All those people with persistent dry coughs...they say they have seasonal allergies, but hey, we are in the middle of the OCEAN. 

[K32682]

33 minutes ago, 2wheelin said:

Why would immigration concern you? There are currently no restrictions, as it should be.

 

Does that apply to all countries? Does it apply to situations where a cruise line informs officials in your final destination that you are COVID positive? And even if it doesn't a positive tests puts you in lockdown for the remainder of the cruise. Unless seriously ill I won't be seeking onboard medical attention even if showing symptoms that might be COVID.  

[sanger727]

I was on a river cruise last December with a pretty major covid scare. There were 38 people total on the river cruise - and probably 24ish that were on the land tour plus river cruise. Everyone was required to be vaccinated and boosted. On the first day of the land tour one of the guests had some sinus issues, then someone had a cough - by midway through the cruise, everyone had been exposed and probably 10-15 total were sick. Our cruise director decided that everyone who was sick should take a rapid covid test. Now, we were in Vietnam at the time, so the tests were certainly not in English or of any brand that anyone had heard of. A total of 4 people tested positive; interestingly enough my roommate and I were both sick. I tested positive and she tested negative - go figure. So she was allowed to switch to a different room and remain on the tour was I was quarantined until we docked. We only had 2 days left of the cruise and then another land tour section in Vietnam. 

 

It turned into a whole mess. The tour company advised the hotel that we had the positive rapid tests. They required all 4 of us to take PCR tests before we were allowed to check in. And there was a heavy implication that if any of us tested positive, the whole group would either have to test or be refused. Luckily, we all tested negative on the PCR tests.

 

No one got seriously ill. All around it was essentially cold symptoms. Do you what feel is right; but keep in mind that a positive test can still cause serious implications - especially outside of the US. 

[mrgabriel]

I have gotten sick on many vacations (cruises, land vacations, flights). The worst was a 10-night cruise in 2008 when I caught an awful cold and had to rely on whatever OTC cold medications I could get from the ship's store and in shops on islands. Since then, we've carried an arsenal of cold medications 'just in case'.

 

Interestingly, I've been to the UK twice, US six or seven times, and on 3 cruises in the past 18 months  and have not gotten sick. Not even a sniffle. 

 

Quite honestly, I'm more surprised by the number of norovirus cases that are showing up on ships and in schools. Seems like people pretty quickly forgot how to wash their hands. 

[2wheelin]

2 hours ago, sanger727 said:

I was on a river cruise last December with a pretty major covid scare. There were 38 people total on the river cruise - and probably 24ish that were on the land tour plus river cruise. Everyone was required to be vaccinated and boosted. On the first day of the land tour one of the guests had some sinus issues, then someone had a cough - by midway through the cruise, everyone had been exposed and probably 10-15 total were sick. Our cruise director decided that everyone who was sick should take a rapid covid test. Now, we were in Vietnam at the time, so the tests were certainly not in English or of any brand that anyone had heard of. A total of 4 people tested positive; interestingly enough my roommate and I were both sick. I tested positive and she tested negative - go figure. So she was allowed to switch to a different room and remain on the tour was I was quarantined until we docked. We only had 2 days left of the cruise and then another land tour section in Vietnam. 

 

It turned into a whole mess. The tour company advised the hotel that we had the positive rapid tests. They required all 4 of us to take PCR tests before we were allowed to check in. And there was a heavy implication that if any of us tested positive, the whole group would either have to test or be refused. Luckily, we all tested negative on the PCR tests.

 

No one got seriously ill. All around it was essentially cold symptoms. Do you what feel is right; but keep in mind that a positive test can still cause serious implications - especially outside of the US. 

Always research where you are going. Lots can change in 6 months

 

[sanger727]

28 minutes ago, 2wheelin said:

Always research where you are going. Lots can change in 6 months

 

thanks, that’s really helpful. Neither the cruise line nor Vietnam have a published policies related to positive covid tests. And frankly, in Vietnam, there are no formal rules. We ended up calling the US embassy for guidance and that’s where we got with it. They can’t help, it’s communist still. Businesses are free to refuse people, the government is free to quarantine people. 

Edited May 26, 2023 by sanger727

[Markanddonna]

40 minutes ago, mrgabriel said:

 

 

Quite honestly, I'm more surprised by the number of norovirus cases that are showing up on ships and in schools. Seems like people pretty quickly forgot how to wash their hands. 

My husband got very ill from bad scallops onboard an MSC ship. Not all are norovirus. But, I'm sure you know that. We tend to eat in restaurants where we don't have to touch serving tools.

Edited May 26, 2023 by Markanddonna

[mjkacmom]

37 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

My husband got very ill from bad scallops onboard an MSC ship. Not all are norovirus. But, I'm sure you know that. We tend to eat in restaurants where we don't have to touch serving tools.

But how do you know it was the scallops, were they tested? I was talking to someone involved in investigating food poisoning at restaurants, she said 99% of the time it turns out to be viral.

[mrgabriel]

18 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

My husband got very ill from bad scallops onboard an MSC ship. Not all are norovirus. But, I'm sure you know that. We tend to eat in restaurants where we don't have to touch serving tools.

I understand this! I have a sensitivity to certain food bacteria. A couple of allergists have told me I should be a food tester because I will get sick when there is a hint of bacteria. Could be your husband reacted to bacteria, as I do. 
 

However, norovirus cases are rising. And on our last cruise I again witnessed more than a handful of women using the toilet then stopping only to check their hair in the mirror before walking out of the washroom. 

[Markanddonna]

2 hours ago, mrgabriel said:

I understand this! I have a sensitivity to certain food bacteria. A couple of allergists have told me I should be a food tester because I will get sick when there is a hint of bacteria. Could be your husband reacted to bacteria, as I do. 
 

However, norovirus cases are rising. And on our last cruise I again witnessed more than a handful of women using the toilet then stopping only to check their hair in the mirror before walking out of the washroom. 

Mark does get sick very easily because he has Barrett's disease and COPD.  Poor guy. 

[fruitmachine]

Just remember that the biggest risk factor of severity & death is age.  It, by far, outweighs co-morbidities such as COPD, diabetes, obesity, etc.

 

You can do nothing about it, and every day that passes increases your risk.

Carpe Diem!