CURRENT Covid Protocol?

[hancogran]

My husband got Covid the first day of our Symphony of the Seas transatlantic last month from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale.   We were very well taken care of by Royal Caribbean.  When he called Medical the day after boarding complaining of a sore throat and cough,  they told him to come right down and gave him the medications he needed .. (all care and meds were no charge).  He was quarantined for 5 days and  was told we should both be wearing a mask when we were in the cabin together.  I was not quarantined but did not feel right mingling with people when I could possibly get Covid from him and pass it on.   We could order all our meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner)  from the dining room menus and as many bottles of water as we wanted. 

 

I was testing myself each day with covid test kits I brought from home but (surprisingly) never caught it until day 13 of our 14 day cruise.  We received free wifi for the five days my husband was quarantined. Thankfully, we had a balcony where we spent a lot of time.  Medical called every day to see how he was and whether he needed any more meds,etc. We also had a visit from security when we didn't hear the phone while on the balcony.   Guess medical had asked security to check on him since the phone was not answered. 

 

As I said, we were treated very well and even though we missed visiting the scheduled ports in Spain, it was still better than being home cooking and cleaning.   

Edited December 17, 2023 by hancogran

[Tatka]

    We had 4  among us from Jan 2022 to Jan 2022. First time together and then each separately. Tested after our cruise. Almost after each of 14 cruises we took since pandemic people in groups reported being positive. 
 

      I don’t think people are testing on the ship much aside from own tests… or they feel really bad.
 
 Do people quarantine with a flu? 

Edited December 17, 2023 by Tatka

[Mustang2015]

Was on Oasis two weeks ago FB group had lots of reports if covid/ flu.  Brother in law and sister in law got covid 4 days after the cruise. Mild case.      I am glad not too many Noro virus cases on ships.   That is awful.

[TRAVELBUGCRUISER]

I can’t comment on the exact protocol for Covid on the ships however what I can confirm is that on the November odyssey sailing I was on there were MANY sick people. As the cruise progressed more and more people were openly talking about Covid going around the ship and people testing positive. My husband and I unfortunately contracted a not so mild case and were left confused on what to do. We began to feel sick not knowing if it was a head cold, flu, strep throat or quick bug but quickly began to take what medication we had in our travel bag to try to nip it in the bud. We always wore a mask and sanitized copious amounts while feeling under the weather.
 

When we called for medical service they told us that the doctor was only in on specific times and it was a 2-day wait and even with that they couldn’t confirm that we would get to see the doctor. We searched high and low for cough drops and cough medicine but could only find Allegra, Benadryl and Advil. None of this helped and my throat was so sore it felt like razor blades every time I took a breath of air. We asked high and low on the ship of where we could get cough medicine and cough drops to soothe our throats and after speaking to guest services many times and the cruise director they all confirmed that ships don’t carry that unless we see the doctor. Once again the doctor was booked. We were collecting salt packets to do salt water gargles in our room still unsure at this point of what we were dealing with Covid, strep throat, tonsillitis or what, we drank lots of tea w/honey and broth.  

The air was so dry that at one point I began to dampen towels to hang in the room to create any sense of humidity. We did have a balcony but leaving the deck door open for humidity didn’t work too well as the room would just get soaked, warm and very uncomfortable. We also didn’t want to effect other staterooms near by.
 

I would also like to touch on some hygiene things I picked up on while my time on odyssey. I strongly feel that our cruises while Covid was more talked about like in 2022 were more hygienic. I feel everyone was more aware and took more precaution.  First of all there was in my opinion a lack of hand sanitizer dispensers and some of which didn’t work the entire duration of the cruise. Royal also took away toilet seat protectors in the public washrooms. No more individual milk, jams, peanut butter etc. These items are now served in pre- portioned dishes with sweaty plastic Saran Wrap over them. This is all really cheap on royals part and means more people are handling condiments and dairy products which mean higher chance of contamination. Breakfast room service brought milk in glasses with Saran Wrap over top with dairy at room temperature. Previously you would get your own mini milks in little cartons which is a lot more hygienic. 

Also the servers bringing drinks shouldn’t also be cleaning up and making the drinks without sanitizing. There should be separate people picking up the dirty cups and glasses to help limit the spread of germs. For example I saw our server clean up the dirty glasses from people sitting a few chairs down from me (they were coughing all afternoon and blowing their noses and putting the Kleenex in the used glasses for collection by the server) the server would then collect the dirty glasses take our order grab our set sail card go behind the bar make our drinks and bring them to us all without sanitizing. It was truly disgusting some of the hygiene practices that I witnessed and it’s no wonder there were so many people that were getting sick. Many of the hygiene practices were the direct result of Royal being cheap. Whether they were under staffed not being proactive refilling sanitizing stations or getting rid of things like individual jams and milks at the buffet like most roadside hotels have. I fully understand that Covid out there but I feel like Royal has dropped the ball trying to limit the spread of Covid or norowalk for that matter. The multiple times we inquired at guest services about cough drops or suppressants not once were we offered a Covid test they just told us to wait to see the doctor but they also couldn’t guarantee we’d get in.

 

Nearing the end of the cruise we saw people crushing Benadryl in the cafe and mixing in with their tea. When I commented on it they mentioned they learned it from many others on the ship that we’re feeling sick.  
 

As soon as we got off the ship we went to our hotel and had Covid tests deliver and sure enough we were both very covid positive.  We took measures to ensure we were protecting ourselves and keeping our distance from people as best we could. I truly feel that many small things could go a long way on the ships with helping to prevent the spread. It’s out there and not JUST on cruise ships but I feel there are once again small measures and protocols that would go a long way.

 

Another thing to add, my husband and I are in our late thirties and in excellent health, runners 4x/week, good diets and no other medical issues or bad habits and Covid literally kicked our butts. It’s truly different for everyone. 
 

 

[TeeRick]

The Covid booster vaccine (and Flu vaccine too) is still a good strategy.  Many people are ignoring the vaccine booster.  But get it a few weeks before the cruise IMO.  It might help you get only a mild case of Covid if exposed on a cruise.

[ReRe71]

Just returned from Anthem sailing on Sunday, took test when I returned home and was positive for covid. My symptoms started late Friday and I stayed in our cabin until we disembarked. Husband doesn't have it (lucky him lol). I literally told my husband on day one of the cruise that all these folks coughing and not covering their mouths that I will probably get sick 😩. Still had a great cruise. We had rough weather so it seems more folks were inside. 

 

So glad I downloaded some Netflix on my tablet to keep me entertained (we had the internet package as well).

[2wheelin]

On 12/16/2023 at 4:52 PM, Gardener5b said:

Sorry, but as a health care professional, I couldn't even consider doing this in good conscience.   We brought our own tests and tested shortly after we felt first symptoms.  No need to spread the misery.

So if you tested negative with symptoms, you would have done something differently than if you tested positive? The misery/contagion is the same covid or a cold. Also test isn’t always accurate if done to soon.

[Gardener5b]

2 hours ago, 2wheelin said:

So if you tested negative with symptoms, you would have done something differently than if you tested positive? The misery/contagion is the same covid or a cold. Also test isn’t always accurate if done to soon.

Don't disagree with you at all.   Similar precautions would need to be taken for a cold, and a second covid test would be in order a few days later if the first was negative.

[cruiselvr04]

We’ve gotten sick on or after half of our cruises this year. I’m also just getting over something I picked up when not cruising.  It’s all everywhere.  
 

Take your own OTC meds as Royal won’t sell you any unless you see the doctor.

 

People don’t want to quarantine unless deathly ill so everyone will keep passing things around. Avoid coughing people when you can, wash your hands, keep your hands away from your face.  Take immunity builders.  I do all that and still catch stuff and it isn’t all covid.  Stay home or accept that you may get sick when you go outside your house.  Those coming Christmas services will be a nice germ filled place to go too but it won’t stop us from going.  

[pcur]

The protocol is whatever you think is necessary for you.  I got off the Freedom on 9/30 and tested positive for COVID 1-2 days later.  I was sick and quarantining for 10 days total.

 

So, when I got back on the Liberty, Anthem, and Navigator from mid-November to mid-December, I decided to go back to wearing masks everywhere, ESPECIALLY in elevators.  I have different colored masks I wear to match my clothes, and I downsize an N-95 mask to fit inside my regular masks.  (Actually, this was my cruise companion's "request", since she thought I was an idiot for wearing a non N-95 mask if I was concerned.  She was right. I then combined my more attractive masks and the N-95.)

 

Do what you gotta do.  I did notice on all of these cruises that people were definitely hacking the last few days.  I happens when thousands of people are confined to one place for days on end.  Just part and parcel of crowds.  'Tis the season.................................

Edited December 21, 2023 by pcur

[Tatka]

I returned from this cruise with RSV. I think that was it as several other people reported it and symptoms matched. I would not say it was better than any of Covids I had..

[jean87510]

On 12/16/2023 at 9:51 PM, Tatka said:

    We had 4  among us from Jan 2022 to Jan 2022. First time together and then each separately. Tested after our cruise. Almost after each of 14 cruises we took since pandemic people in groups reported being positive. 
 

      I don’t think people are testing on the ship much aside from own tests… or they feel really bad.
 
 Do people quarantine with a flu? 

Yes.  I was quarantined on my 2018 Transatlantic for 4 sea days after being diagnosed with the flu.  I wouldn't have left the cabin anyway as I could barely get out of bed.

[jean87510]

18 hours ago, ReRe71 said:

Just returned from Anthem sailing on Sunday, took test when I returned home and was positive for covid. My symptoms started late Friday and I stayed in our cabin until we disembarked. Husband doesn't have it (lucky him lol). I literally told my husband on day one of the cruise that all these folks coughing and not covering their mouths that I will probably get sick 😩. Still had a great cruise. We had rough weather so it seems more folks were inside. 

 

So glad I downloaded some Netflix on my tablet to keep me entertained (we had the internet package as well).

I got the flu on a 2018 sailing and after my Allure 2022 sailing from I suspect the people coughing constantly in elevators without covering mouths.  2018, did not get flu vaccine yet.  2022 had flu vaccine 1 month prior.  

[time4u2go]

On 12/18/2023 at 5:27 PM, TRAVELBUGCRUISER said:

I can’t comment on the exact protocol for Covid on the ships however what I can confirm is that on the November odyssey sailing I was on there were MANY sick people. As the cruise progressed more and more people were openly talking about Covid going around the ship and people testing positive. My husband and I unfortunately contracted a not so mild case and were left confused on what to do. We began to feel sick not knowing if it was a head cold, flu, strep throat or quick bug but quickly began to take what medication we had in our travel bag to try to nip it in the bud. We always wore a mask and sanitized copious amounts while feeling under the weather.
 

When we called for medical service they told us that the doctor was only in on specific times and it was a 2-day wait and even with that they couldn’t confirm that we would get to see the doctor. We searched high and low for cough drops and cough medicine but could only find Allegra, Benadryl and Advil. None of this helped and my throat was so sore it felt like razor blades every time I took a breath of air. We asked high and low on the ship of where we could get cough medicine and cough drops to soothe our throats and after speaking to guest services many times and the cruise director they all confirmed that ships don’t carry that unless we see the doctor. Once again the doctor was booked. We were collecting salt packets to do salt water gargles in our room still unsure at this point of what we were dealing with Covid, strep throat, tonsillitis or what, we drank lots of tea w/honey and broth.  

The air was so dry that at one point I began to dampen towels to hang in the room to create any sense of humidity. We did have a balcony but leaving the deck door open for humidity didn’t work too well as the room would just get soaked, warm and very uncomfortable. We also didn’t want to effect other staterooms near by.
 

I would also like to touch on some hygiene things I picked up on while my time on odyssey. I strongly feel that our cruises while Covid was more talked about like in 2022 were more hygienic. I feel everyone was more aware and took more precaution.  First of all there was in my opinion a lack of hand sanitizer dispensers and some of which didn’t work the entire duration of the cruise. Royal also took away toilet seat protectors in the public washrooms. No more individual milk, jams, peanut butter etc. These items are now served in pre- portioned dishes with sweaty plastic Saran Wrap over them. This is all really cheap on royals part and means more people are handling condiments and dairy products which mean higher chance of contamination. Breakfast room service brought milk in glasses with Saran Wrap over top with dairy at room temperature. Previously you would get your own mini milks in little cartons which is a lot more hygienic. 

Also the servers bringing drinks shouldn’t also be cleaning up and making the drinks without sanitizing. There should be separate people picking up the dirty cups and glasses to help limit the spread of germs. For example I saw our server clean up the dirty glasses from people sitting a few chairs down from me (they were coughing all afternoon and blowing their noses and putting the Kleenex in the used glasses for collection by the server) the server would then collect the dirty glasses take our order grab our set sail card go behind the bar make our drinks and bring them to us all without sanitizing. It was truly disgusting some of the hygiene practices that I witnessed and it’s no wonder there were so many people that were getting sick. Many of the hygiene practices were the direct result of Royal being cheap. Whether they were under staffed not being proactive refilling sanitizing stations or getting rid of things like individual jams and milks at the buffet like most roadside hotels have. I fully understand that Covid out there but I feel like Royal has dropped the ball trying to limit the spread of Covid or norowalk for that matter. The multiple times we inquired at guest services about cough drops or suppressants not once were we offered a Covid test they just told us to wait to see the doctor but they also couldn’t guarantee we’d get in.

 

Nearing the end of the cruise we saw people crushing Benadryl in the cafe and mixing in with their tea. When I commented on it they mentioned they learned it from many others on the ship that we’re feeling sick.  
 

As soon as we got off the ship we went to our hotel and had Covid tests deliver and sure enough we were both very covid positive.  We took measures to ensure we were protecting ourselves and keeping our distance from people as best we could. I truly feel that many small things could go a long way on the ships with helping to prevent the spread. It’s out there and not JUST on cruise ships but I feel there are once again small measures and protocols that would go a long way.

 

Another thing to add, my husband and I are in our late thirties and in excellent health, runners 4x/week, good diets and no other medical issues or bad habits and Covid literally kicked our butts. It’s truly different for everyone. 
 

 

Thank you for your detailed post. 

 

I'm not sure you know the answer, but what's the point of crushing benadryl and mixing it with tea as opposed to just taking it in pill form? 

[BND]

2 hours ago, jean87510 said:

I got the flu on a 2018 sailing and after my Allure 2022 sailing from I suspect the people coughing constantly in elevators without covering mouths.  2018, did not get flu vaccine yet.  2022 had flu vaccine 1 month prior.  

I had a sinus infection over a year ago on EN.  A lot of people were coughing.  On our Oct/Nov Jewel b2b, I had a cold for a few days.  On one trip on EN in 2022, we were part of a large group (anniversary of friends) and one person out of 25 came back with Covid.  All our other trips, post Covid, neither us or our traveling companions have caught it.  DH and I have never had it as far as we know.  We also don't test so unless it was really mild or symptomless we haven't.  As for flu, I don't know anyone who has had it this year.  

[Keksie]

39 minutes ago, BND said:

I had a sinus infection over a year ago on EN.  A lot of people were coughing.  On our Oct/Nov Jewel b2b, I had a cold for a few days.  On one trip on EN in 2022, we were part of a large group (anniversary of friends) and one person out of 25 came back with Covid.  All our other trips, post Covid, neither us or our traveling companions have caught it.  DH and I have never had it as far as we know.  We also don't test so unless it was really mild or symptomless we haven't.  As for flu, I don't know anyone who has had it this year.  

We have never tested positive for covid either despite being out and about since May of 2020.  There was something going around my knit group lately (that I never got) that was not the flu, rsv, or covid.  

[lovesthebeach2]

1 hour ago, BND said:

I had a sinus infection over a year ago on EN.  A lot of people were coughing.  On our Oct/Nov Jewel b2b, I had a cold for a few days.  On one trip on EN in 2022, we were part of a large group (anniversary of friends) and one person out of 25 came back with Covid.  All our other trips, post Covid, neither us or our traveling companions have caught it.  DH and I have never had it as far as we know.  We also don't test so unless it was really mild or symptomless we haven't.  As for flu, I don't know anyone who has had it this year.  

My daughter’s whole family (except her) had the flu about a month ago. She had to take the kids to the dr and they did a test and saw it was Flu.

[Saturngrl]

Oh, take me back to the days when our worst cruise-related disease was Norovirus.  Seriously,  I have had a LONG-standing habit of utilizing hand sanitizer all over the ship,  wiping down my cabin when I first enter with antibiotic wipes and not touching my face after touching a hard surface.  I am a healthcare professional and find mask-wearing to be mostly ineffective, as masks get wet after a few minutes' wear and most people don't know how to don and remove masks.   

[jean87510]

13 minutes ago, Saturngrl said:

Oh, take me back to the days when our worst cruise-related disease was Norovirus.  Seriously,  I have had a LONG-standing habit of utilizing hand sanitizer all over the ship,  wiping down my cabin when I first enter with antibiotic wipes and not touching my face after touching a hard surface.  I am a healthcare professional and find mask-wearing to be mostly ineffective, as masks get wet after a few minutes' wear and most people don't know how to don and remove masks.   

Washing hands with soap and water works 1000x better than hand sanitizer.  Also a health professional.

[JetSetTravel]

You are much more likely to get sick on the plane if you’re flying into port. Wear a mask on the plane.l there were so many people hacking, coughing and sneezing in our flights to and from Hawaii. 

[xpcdoojk]

On 12/16/2023 at 8:51 PM, Tatka said:

    We had 4  among us from Jan 2022 to Jan 2022. First time together and then each separately. Tested after our cruise. Almost after each of 14 cruises we took since pandemic people in groups reported being positive. 
 

      I don’t think people are testing on the ship much aside from own tests… or they feel really bad.
 
 Do people quarantine with a flu? 

Or anything else, that is equally transmissible?  Most people do not take self-tests with them.  If they get sick, how do you know you have covid and not a cold or flu if you don’t have strong symptoms?  

 

So many assumptions and judgements being made, when we all go out to the grocery, the beauty shop, the gym, church, work, almost nobody is testing any more.  Reality is we all have to live with it.

 

Now if I feel sick I try to stay away from people in general, but almost nobody knows when they have covid here at the end of 2023.  Do you all realize it has been going on for over 3 years now.  I still want to laugh out loud when I see people wearing masks below their noses when I am out.  

 

JC

[Tatka]

34 minutes ago, xpcdoojk said:

Or anything else, that is equally transmissible?  Most people do not take self-tests with them.  If they get sick, how do you know you have covid and not a cold or flu if you don’t have strong symptoms?  

 

So many assumptions and judgements being made, when we all go out to the grocery, the beauty shop, the gym, church, work, almost nobody is testing any more.  Reality is we all have to live with it.

 

Now if I feel sick I try to stay away from people in general, but almost nobody knows when they have covid here at the end of 2023.  Do you all realize it has been going on for over 3 years now.  I still want to laugh out loud when I see people wearing masks below their noses when I am out.  

 

JC

 

100%

 

And as I wrote above Noro in March was WAY worse. I was in and out of consciousness for a long period of time.

[sdear]

On 12/20/2023 at 9:03 AM, TeeRick said:

The Covid booster vaccine (and Flu vaccine too) is still a good strategy.  Many people are ignoring the vaccine booster.  But get it a few weeks before the cruise IMO.  It might help you get only a mild case of Covid if exposed on a cruise.

My husband and i just returned from Radiance.   Both tested positive  two days post cruise. (we were fine when we boarded )  I was boosted with the vaccine 3 weeks before the cruise.  Our cases are mild.  I truly believe the vaccine helped keep it this way.  

Edited December 24, 2023 by sdear

[Tatka]

17 hours ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

Nobody ever got sick on a plane! They ventilation prevents any spread of respiratory illnesses! Many studies proof that!

You can say that ventilation makes it less possible, but no guarantees. 
There is no 100% proof you won’t get COVID.

 

We should not stress about it, yes. Stress makes our system weaker.