COVID concern 30 days away

[pthjudy]

10 hours ago, CruiseMrB said:

I'm a NOVID (No known COVID to date) and will be sailing in January. We will get the latest booster and wear N95 mask in all interior locations outside of our cabin, except to eat. That's the drill these days for us until further notice. Plus lots of hand washing and sanitizer, if the dispensers even work.

 

We live in Florida, so the idea that we are ever going to get accurate timely information on anything is out of the question. So we act accordingly.

We could have written this ourselves. We are booked on October 8 on Oasis. After 4 years I not only want this cruise but need this cruise. We are 40 minutes from the port, will not join other diners like in past cruises, and actually have the new shot booked on Monday. I’ll pack test kits, extra masks, and be as careful as I’ve been since Covid reared it’s ugly head. 

[Mum2Mercury]

11 hours ago, RJ257 said:

A new booster is or will be available very soon.

Yes!  My husband just signed up for a flu shot + a Covid booster.  I'm going through an odd medical condition and am not allowed to have my vaxxes right now, but, as soon as the doctor clears me, I'll follow his lead.  

They're saying Covid is like the flu -- it's a virus, which mutates over time.  Fortunately, it's becoming weaker, but the new vaxx is for the new strain.  

11 hours ago, cruisegus said:

Who bothers to test anymore?

We do. 

- My daughter and I both caught a nasty cold about a month ago -- she was the one who said, "We have all those tests in the closet." 

- On our first cruise after the pandemic, my husband came down with a case of sniffles.  He tested in the privacy of our room (negative), and he could then go about the cruise confidently, knowing he was not endangering his fellow passengers.  

28 minutes ago, hollon said:

Make sure you take hand sanitizer to your table after you get your food from the windjammer, etc. then use it when you get back to your cabin, use it thru out.  We used it all the time in a dec cruise and didn't get it, then we went on a cruise afterwards and thought, oh we won't get it and did not use our hand sanitizer and got it

Yes, common sense goes a long way.  Use your own cabin rest room as much as possible.  Wash your hands before you eat /use hand sanitizer if that's not possible.  Simple actions with big results.  

[smokeybandit]

45 minutes ago, hollon said:

Make sure you take hand sanitizer to your table after you get your food from the windjammer, etc. then use it when you get back to your cabin, use it thru out.  We used it all the time in a dec cruise and didn't get it, then we went on a cruise afterwards and thought, oh we won't get it and did not use our hand sanitizer and got it

You don't get covid from touching things. 

[AandBmom]

Cruises are a floating petri dish for covid, flu, Norwalk, etc.  If you're high risk for complications,  then it might be best to avoid during peak sickness times.  Otherwise,  practice risk reduction (hand washing, don't make out with strangers, masks if you wish), and accept that you may come home sick.

[BND]

12 hours ago, RJ257 said:

A new booster is or will be available very soon.

Which does not prevent you from catching it.  At most, it makes the symptoms less but if it's like the previous ones, that only lasts a few months at most.   You're just as likely to catch something else, such as the flu or Noro.  Everyone should always wash their hands regularly and the panic over Covid needs to stop.  As for pre-existing conditions, the flu can be just as bad for someone with them.

[trippen texan]

You need to mask up on elevator and stay a way from windjammer it is bad. People will walk around with food on there plate and eat with there hand  then lick or suck there fingers and then grab more food. The best time to go there is the 30 or 45 min. before they close there will be alot of officers eating then not many passaangers. 

[Keksie]

If you are the type of person who is still.paying attention to COVID numbers then maybe travelling is not for you. 

[pthjudy]

17 minutes ago, Keksie said:

If you are the type of person who is still.paying attention to COVID numbers then maybe travelling is not for you. 

I am cognizant of speed limits and bad drivers but it doesn’t mean I don’t drive.  Paying attention to possible health or safety hazards is never a bad thing.

[Keksie]

6 minutes ago, pthjudy said:

I am cognizant of speed limits and bad drivers but it doesn’t mean I don’t drive.  Paying attention to possible health or safety hazards is never a bad thing.

As long as there have been contagious diseases getting together in groups has been a a hazard.  

[not-enough-cruising]

1 hour ago, Mum2Mercury said:

 

Yes, common sense goes a long way.  Use your own cabin rest room as much as possible.  Wash your hands before you eat /use hand sanitizer if that's not possible.  Simple actions with big results.  

What does public VS private toilet facilities have to do with spread of an airborne virus?

[pthjudy]

1 minute ago, Keksie said:

As long as there have been contagious diseases getting together in groups has been a a hazard.  

And that is why you take precautions and accept the fact that it may not be enough.  There is no way you can avoid all groups. One thing I discovered through these Covid years, is that each of us does what we feel best doing based on our needs and wants. I haven’t cruised since 2019. I want and need to cruise at this time. So I got my flu shot, I’m scheduled for the new Covid shot, I’m packing tests and extra masks and I’ll hope for the best. 

[BND]

9 minutes ago, pthjudy said:

And that is why you take precautions and accept the fact that it may not be enough.  There is no way you can avoid all groups. One thing I discovered through these Covid years, is that each of us does what we feel best doing based on our needs and wants. I haven’t cruised since 2019. I want and need to cruise at this time. So I got my flu shot, I’m scheduled for the new Covid shot, I’m packing tests and extra masks and I’ll hope for the best. 

And we've been on 8 since restart and haven't had Covid at all (or Noro ever).  We do the same precautions we always have.  We wash our hands.   I do get a flu shot but I am not getting another Covid shot.  

Edited September 14, 2023 by BND

[OCSC Mike]

Can this just be locked already? We know it's headed there eventually.

[smokeybandit]

3 minutes ago, BND said:

And we've been on 8 since restart and haven't had Covid at all (or Noro ever).  We do the same precautions we always have.  We wash our hands.   I do get a flu shot but I am not getting another Covid shot.  

Pretty much the same for me. 7 post-restart cruises, none of which ever required masks, no issues with the only precaution being hand washing (which everyone should do primarily to prevent noro). My wife did get covid, presumably from a shore excursion in July 2022, but it was pretty mild (and she's immune compromised).

People most certainly can do what they feel compelled to do to avoid getting sick on a ship, but it's the fear aspect of it that's still concerning. If you weren't concerned about getting sick/uncomfortable with the fact you might get sick on a ship before covid, then you shouldn't be now. That's what the state of covid is these days.

[smokeybandit]

3 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Can this just be locked already? We know it's headed there eventually.

I still think there should be a covid discussion subforum. Move all these posts there.

[Nessa1dc]

My BIL just returned from the Wonder of the Seas...COVID Positive.  We did not go on that cruise with him.  We have been on 2 cruises since everything opened up.  We wore our masks indoors and tried desperately to be cautious.  We were good.  We have a cruise planned in November on the Anthem.  I plan to get a booster if released before then and I plan to mask up, but I plan to go.  Be careful everyone.  COVID is real.  It shouldn't control your life, but to treat it lightly isn't a good look either.

 

[GimmeOcean]

Had COVID in February and it wasn't fun but more like a really bad cold with no sense of smell for two weeks.

 

My only concern with COVID & cruising is getting it on our TA cruise where we have a week in Italy & Spain afterwards. I'd hate for it to muck that part of the trip up. That's not til April so hopefully it won't be spiking then.

 

 

 

 

[2wheelin]

2 hours ago, hollon said:

Make sure you take hand sanitizer to your table after you get your food from the windjammer, etc. then use it when you get back to your cabin, use it thru out.  We used it all the time in a dec cruise and didn't get it, then we went on a cruise afterwards and thought, oh we won't get it and did not use our hand sanitizer and got it

Soap and water is way better than sanitizer so would be silly to use sanitizer when returning to cabin when better option is right there.

[bucfan2]

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

Can this just be locked already? We know it's headed there eventually.

There are those that love to create panic. 

[OCSC Mike]

1 minute ago, bucfan2 said:

There are those that love to create panic. 

 

Panic, calm, valid points, different views... I don't even care at this point.

 

People are just beating the corpse of a long-dead horse with the stuff posted in threads like this.

[njkruzer]

11 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Sorry,,, but they sure did asked about testing positive and close contacts on our cruise on the Encore last week. And had us sign the electronic affirmation to that fact. 

Testing positive?  What time frame?  We sail on the 29th and tested positive.   Stuffy, runny nose.  Barely any fever yesterday,  none today.  Assuming negative nexr week, more than a week before sailing, what is their time period?

[bucfan2]

1 minute ago, njkruzer said:

Testing positive?  What time frame?  We sail on the 29th and tested positive.   Stuffy, runny nose.  Barely any fever yesterday,  none today.  Assuming negative nexr week, more than a week before sailing, what is their time period?

5 years to some 🤨

[njkruzer]

Just now, bucfan2 said:

5 years to some 🤨

Haha!

[BND]

26 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Panic, calm, valid points, different views... I don't even care at this point.

 

People are just beating the corpse of a long-dead horse with the stuff posted in threads like this.

If it bothers you, don't read it. Simple fix.

[Keksie]

We cruise exactly as we did in 2019 with one exception.  We bring a lot of OTC meds to cover anything that might come up.