Cruising choices with an active Pandemic

[kpc]

If you caught it flying back, why the concern over cruising?

Travelling and cruising remain a significant risk....I avoided Covid for 3 years til I went to Europe, and almost certainly caught it on the plane back. Whilst it is a minor / asymptomatic illness for some, it is not for others. I won't be rushing back to get on a long haul flight or a cruise as much as I love to travel.

 

[Pushka]

I'm not so much worried about falling ill, as I am about some sort of overreaction by officials either onboard where everyone gets confined to their cabin, or by the ports not letting the ship dock. So I'm happy to leave cruising for a while until the hysteria has subsided.

Currently only in Australia. Northern Hemisphere have moved on completely. Even Israel.

 

[Anna]

Yes, it's mainly the southern hemisphere that might still overreact, eg NZ. Or many Pacific Islands (who would have more reason to be worried, with their usually not-first-world health systems).

 

[Pushka]

Yes, it's mainly the southern hemisphere that might still overreact, eg NZ. Or many Pacific Islands (who would have more reason to be worried, with their usually not-first-world health systems).

Many ports also require proof that your insurance covers you for covid if unwell

 

[Port Power]

I would definitely stay clear of the mass market and mega ships. Princess keeps coming up in the news! I have no problem with the smaller ships (less than 800 pax) that seem to be less crowded and easier to manage safely.

 

[woodyren]

So far this year we have spent 67 days on mass market cruise ships. The ones we have been on have been able to both look after those who fell ill and make the experience enjoyable for the rest of the passengers. We are heading off on Wed for another 21 days.

Like GrahamBRI we also will pick up status points while we enjoy ourselves on board.

We accept the risks of both illness (which could happen anywhere) and confinement.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

So it wasn't the cruise at all then but travel.

We caught covid in UK, not on a cruise. I cannot wait to get back to cruising. Can't come fast enough.

Exactly !! We caught Covid in Bangkok/Singapore - NOT on a cruise.

Did 18 day cruise around the Med - NO ONE on the ship caught Covid !

 

[Pushka]

Cunard QE 2 came to Adelaide yesterday. Didn't hear a word about until now. Lucky it didn't come here today Our weather yesterday was wonderful, today it is wet and stormy.

 

[Port Power]

So far this year we have spent 67 days on mass market cruise ships. The ones we have been on have been able to both look after those who fell ill and make the experience enjoyable for the rest of the passengers. We are heading off on Wed for another 21 days.

Like GrahamBRI we also will pick up status points while we enjoy ourselves on board.

We accept the risks of both illness (which could happen anywhere) and confinement.

I know from your trip report you had a wonderful time as well as staying healthy. Maybe it’s only around Australia where there’s a problem? Or Princess?

 

[Port Power]

Well, from what was on the news, nothing much has changed! Positive passengers were told to keep their masks on and preferably not use public transport. Sure! Of course people are still going to the airport and flying home. Most will keep masks on and try to keep separate, but I doubt everyone will.

”Now to find how COVID came on board“ says the TV announcer. Obviously in their travels and port stops, one or more people contracted the virus and spread it on the ship before they realised they were positive. Cannot really be helped these days. The reason we are vaccinated is so that we can move around freely and hopefully not become too unwell if we do pick up Covid-19.

 

[love_the_life]

Well, from what was on the news, nothing much has changed! Positive passengers were told to keep their masks on and preferably not use public transport. Sure! Of course people are still going to the airport and flying home. Most will keep masks on and try to keep separate, but I doubt everyone will.

”Now to find how COVID came on board“ says the TV announcer. Obviously in their travels and port stops, one or more people contracted the virus and spread it on the ship before they realised they were positive. Cannot really be helped these days. The reason we are vaccinated is so that we can move around freely and hopefully not become too unwell if we do pick up Covid-19.

From people I know on the Coral Princess circumnavigation cruise who contracted COVID on board, Princess did an excellent job of looking after them. Whilst there are a lot of positive PAX on Majestic P, in large part that is because once the figures triggered Tier 2, all PAX and crew had to be tested before arrival and lots of asymptomatic positives turned up, tipping the ship into Tier 3. Most were PAX from reports, so hopefully when I board next weekend, all will be good.

 

[Tiki]

I wish all the hysteria would stop! All reports are that those testing positive were either asymptomatic or very mild symptoms. What is everyone so scared of? Everyone boarding is required to be vaccinated. We are on the PNG Coral Princess and we have been self isolating at home to make sure we don't pick up Covid before we board. We are double boosted, lastly with bivalent Moderna and the one time I had Covid it was so mild, it was less than a common cold for me and I didn't pass it to my husband. But I am really stressing that we might get locked up in our cabin and ruin the whole cruise because we stood next to the wrong person in line or something.

 

[Pushka]

I wish all the hysteria would stop! All reports are that those testing positive were either asymptomatic or very mild symptoms. What is everyone so scared of? Everyone boarding is required to be vaccinated. We are on the PNG Coral Princess and we have been self isolating at home to make sure we don't pick up Covid before we board. We are double boosted, lastly with bivalent Moderna and the one time I had Covid it was so mild, it was less than a common cold for me and I didn't pass it to my husband. But I am really stressing that we might get locked up in our cabin and ruin the whole cruise because we stood next to the wrong person in line or something.

Maybe we should test all people shopping and then they'd find so many more covid cases than the percentage on a cruise line. And now, given people don't need to isolate if well, then, I don't get the issue. But people see cruises and faint.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Maybe we should test all people shopping and then they'd find so many more covid cases than the percentage on a cruise line. And now, given people don't need to isolate if well, then, I don't get the issue. But people see cruises and faint.

I checked the official guidelines yesterday and the Cth govt requires all cruise passengers to do a RAT or PCR before boarding. There’s also a raft of measures cruise ships have to do in order to be allowed to sail.

The rules against isolation don’t seem to apply to travelling on a cruise unfortunately If you have covid you can’t board.

The Cth’s reasoning behind the rules seems logical when you read them… 3000 pax compared to 300 on a plane, lots of activity and talking, lots of sustained close contact with others (days rather than hours on a plane).

I’m sure there will be some who fake the test, but ultimately it’s a Cth, not cruise matter. And I guess there are penalties for a false declaration.

 

[tgh]

The risk of being locked up remains a clear and continuing danger to the cruising community.
To sail or not to sail is a personal decision

 

[MEL_Traveller]

The risk of being locked up remains a clear and continuing danger to the cruising community.

Yeah… bit of a difference between an inside, balcony and suite. The middle might be bearable. The latter quite ok. But an inside quad?

 

[Pushka]

I checked the official guidelines yesterday and the Cth govt requires all cruise passengers to do a RAT or PCR before boarding. There’s also a raft of measures cruise ships have to do in order to be allowed to sail.

The rules against isolation don’t seem to apply to travelling on a cruise unfortunately If you have covid you can’t board.

The Cth’s reasoning behind the rules seems logical when you read them… 3000 pax compared to 300 on a plane, lots of activity and talking, lots of sustained close contact with others (days rather than hours on a plane).

I’m sure there will be some who fake the test, but ultimately it’s a Cth, not cruise matter. And I guess there are penalties for a false declaration.

Yes understand it's a commonwealth thing not a cruiseline thing but most countries have dropped it. Ruby has a lot to answer for.

 

[JohnK]

Reduced vaccination rates, reduced uptake of boosters, reduced mask wearing, no social distancing, no isolation.

I disagree that we're ready to move on. The people on this cruise ship came into contact with others at port when going on shore. Whether they knew they were positive or negative is irrelevant. Not everyone is going to beat this virus easily. And we won't know who will have serious issues and who won't.

Were still in the middle of a pandemic. Why are we rushing? Vaccination is the only way out. It's a huge mistake letting individuals make crucial decisions that can affect the health of others.

Why would anyone willingly go onto a floating germ factory by Jeff Jarvis pretty much sums it up for me.

 

[drron]

Reduced vaccination rates, reduced uptake of boosters, reduced mask wearing, no social distancing, no isolation.

I disagree that we're ready to move on. The people on this cruise ship came into contact with others at port when going on shore. Whether they knew they were positive or negative is irrelevant. Not everyone is going to beat this virus easily. And we won't know who will have serious issues and who won't.

Were still in the middle of a pandemic. Why are we rushing? Vaccination is the only way out. It's a huge mistake letting individuals make crucial decisions that can affect the health of others.

Why would anyone willingly go onto a floating germ factory by Jeff Jarvis pretty much sums it up for me.

The epidemiologists don't agree with you John.

Deakin University epidemiology chair Professor Catherine Bennett said it was likely only a fraction of the 800 cases would have been detected had they been onshore, dismissing any notion the outbreak will have an impact on the state’s case numbers.

“We are probably only counting 10 per cent of cases at the moment,” Bennett said. “Not only that, but the ones we are really unlikely to be testing are those asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic cases.
“These cases [on the ship] have been detected through mandatory testing, and now they are being masked up and told to be careful. This is a known, small risk in a sea of the largely unknown.”
Associate Professor James Trauer, the head of epidemiological modelling of Monash University’s School of Public Health and Preventative medicine, agreed.
“I don’t think it’s anything to panic about for the rest of Sydney ... it will be a drop in the ocean, really,” he said.

Cruise ship cases a ‘drop in the ocean’ given NSW numbers: experts

The Majestic Princess dropped off 800 COVID-positive passengers in what is believed to be the largest outbreak on a passenger ship docking in Australia since the industry resumed.

www.smh.com.au

 

[Pushka]

Reduced vaccination rates, reduced uptake of boosters, reduced mask wearing, no social distancing, no isolation.

I disagree that we're ready to move on. The people on this cruise ship came into contact with others at port when going on shore. Whether they knew they were positive or negative is irrelevant. Not everyone is going to beat this virus easily. And we won't know who will have serious issues and who won't.

Were still in the middle of a pandemic. Why are we rushing? Vaccination is the only way out. It's a huge mistake letting individuals make crucial decisions that can affect the health of others.

Why would anyone willingly go onto a floating germ factory by Jeff Jarvis pretty much sums it up for me.

I think you've mentioned pre Covid you're never likely to cruise?