Cruising choices with an active Pandemic

I look on the not so pessimistic side.If a vaccine is found that works or if a trial using plaquenil to prevent Covid infection is positive then there is no reason to not cruise just because of Covid.Though those things wont be around for at least a year.
Yes I agree with your comments on a personal level, but what the cruise companies? Are they going to allow non vaccinated, or non tested passengers or crew on board?

And your comment also confirms what I think may happen, no cruising this year or until there is a vaccine.
 
I know people had prior arrangements and financial commitments, but still amazed that people flew and boarded cruises after first reports of Covid19 on cruise ships... and the people who travelled to South America and elsewhere prior to border controls when it was obvious to most people this was a evolving pandemic. We enjoy cruising but at this stage cruising in next 12 months prob as likely as flying on a 737Max...
 
We are as amazed as you Tropic. We canceled our cruise leaving 8 March with no chance of a refund because we were concerned.

Even now I’m stunned at people’s complete ignorance on the big picture of what chaos this epidemic will cause to not only cruising but everything else. Don’t they listen or read what is going on in the world? Clearly not.
 
I know people had prior arrangements and financial commitments, but still amazed that people flew and boarded cruises after first reports of Covid19 on cruise ships... and the people who travelled to South America and elsewhere prior to border controls when it was obvious to most people this was a evolving pandemic. We enjoy cruising but at this stage cruising in next 12 months prob as likely as flying on a 737Max...

Indeed. Look no further than the boatload of doctors that decided to board a cruise around 21 days after this thread started.

Putting aside tax funded holidays and all of that, they get a special flight arranged to bring them home, get a simple instruction to wait it out on arrival, but some still don't get it, or accept it.

A pretty sad bunch of people IMHO.
 
Indeed. Look no further than the boatload of doctors that decided to board a cruise around 21 days after this thread started.

Putting aside tax funded holidays and all of that, they get a special flight arranged to bring them home, get a simple instruction to wait it out on arrival, but some still don't get it, or accept it.

A pretty sad bunch of people IMHO.
Sorry Amaroo but read the fellows blog.Their trip began from Perth 3 weeks before they boarded the cruise.
The extra enforcement was meant to start 24 hours after their arrival from SYD.
Our Granddaughter arrived home to SYD 12 hours before that group arrive.She was allowed to fly home to QLD and be in isolation with her family.

Sorry but I am even more convinced that that group are the innocent victims of NSW Health incompetence in the Ruby Princess saga.
 
We are as amazed as you Tropic. We canceled our cruise leaving 8 March with no chance of a refund because we were concerned.

Even now I’m stunned at people’s complete ignorance on the big picture of what chaos this epidemic will cause to not only cruising but everything else. Don’t they listen or read what is going on in the world? Clearly not.
Well, there was an American on the Celebrity Cruise forum who was going to travel in a suite and she concluded she'd rather be quarantined on a cruise ship than on land because her butler and cabin attendant would look after her. She was convinced that would happen.
 
Sorry Amaroo but read the fellows blog.Their trip began from Perth 3 weeks before they boarded the cruise.
The extra enforcement was meant to start 24 hours after their arrival from SYD.
Our Granddaughter arrived home to SYD 12 hours before that group arrive.She was allowed to fly home to QLD and be in isolation with her family.

Sorry but I am even more convinced that that group are the innocent victims of NSW Health incompetence in the Ruby Princess saga.

Sorry drron, they decided to board that ship, that decision was last minute, not 3 weeks prior. Their departure from home is totally irrelevant.

Authorities changed their MO - they can do that. Three seperate authorities have confirmed the instruction was given and received - NSW Health, NSW police, and AFP.

Sorry, entitled people much! They deserve to be judged and receive outrageous penalties. The system is chasing them, they deserve what they get.
 
Sorry drron, they decided to board that ship, that decision was last minute, not 3 weeks prior. Their departure from home is totally irrelevant.

Authorities changed their MO - they can do that. Three seperate authorities have confirmed the instruction was given and received - NSW Health, NSW police, and AFP.

Sorry, entitled people much! They deserve to be judged and receive outrageous penalties. The system is chasing them, they deserve what they get.
One thing I left out.Our daughter was crew on a cruise ship anchored off New Orleans.
so why was she allowed to fly home to QLD and this group 12 hours later from a far less dangerous place (the Falklands ) not allowed to?
Yes they were told by the authorities but they were originally handed and told to sign the declaration that they agreed to self isolation.The police came back with the new orders and found 33 had left.
Sure you should do what you are told but we certainly have a right to question whether those orders are right.And until someone produces a document that the NSW Government had decided to bring forward the mandatory quarantine I am not convinced it was fair.
 
One thing I left out.Our daughter was crew on a cruise ship anchored off New Orleans.
so why was she allowed to fly home to QLD and this group 12 hours later from a far less dangerous place (the Falklands ) not allowed to?
Yes they were told by the authorities but they were originally handed and told to sign the declaration that they agreed to self isolation.The police came back with the new orders and found 33 had left.
Sure you should do what you are told but we certainly have a right to question whether those orders are right.And until someone produces a document that the NSW Government had decided to bring forward the mandatory quarantine I am not convinced it was fair.

That's the same argument as the Bondi beach crew... didn't work that well for them. Bondi has one of the highest rates of infection.

This thing is very fluid, only need to look at the public statements, they change every day or two.

In times like this, the public are losing rights left, right and centre ..... that's exactly how it should be.

This group have set a very poor example. Selfish, ignorant, arrogant, the job lot!
 
One thing I left out. Our daughter was crew on a cruise ship anchored off New Orleans.
so why was she allowed to fly home to QLD and this group 12 hours later from a far less dangerous place (the Falklands ) not allowed to?
Yes they were told by the authorities but they were originally handed and told to sign the declaration that they agreed to self isolation.The police came back with the new orders and found 33 had left.
Sure you should do what you are told but we certainly have a right to question whether those orders are right.And until someone produces a document that the NSW Government had decided to bring forward the mandatory quarantine I am not convinced it was fair.

Well in that case your daughter should have gone into quarantine. It may be if she was not part of a group of people on a cruise ship travelling together that she slipped through the gaps. However the medical travellers were known to have been on a cruise ship.

Cruise ships have generated a large slice of our problems and I for one have no issue with the boom having been lowered. Indeed my only issued is that with what was known about cruise ships at the time that once the Government issued the ban on cruise that all returning passengers to Australia from cruise ships anywhere should have been going into quarantine and not just self-isolation.

PS: What exactly were the series of flights they took? Without knowing that how can we just assume without any CV 19 testing that either on the ship or enroute that they were CV19 free?
 
Well in that case your daughter should have gone into quarantine. It may be if she was not part of a group of people on a cruise ship travelling together that she slipped through the gaps. However the medical travellers were known to have been on a cruise ship.

Cruise ships have generated a large slice of our problems and I for one have no issue with the boom having been lowered. Indeed my only issued is that with what was known about cruise ships at the time that once the Government issued the ban on cruise that all returning passengers to Australia from cruise ships anywhere should have been going into quarantine and not just self-isolation.

PS: What exactly were the series of flights they took? Without knowing that how can we just assume without any CV 19 testing that either on the ship or enroute that they were CV19 free?
Agree with all of that. What alarmed me was when Princess relocated a whole stack of cruises to Australia after Asia went bad. Blind Freddy could see this was going to spread globally so we all did in allowing Princess ships here was import the virus all around Australia. And Ruby. Every time a NSW Govt person tells us what to do I feel like reaching through the TV and well, doing something there . There is a story there. Not the time for an investigation.

And this taken from a Cruise Critic Post.
"You can now add the Sea Princess to the list with covid19. We received an email today from Princess telling us that a passenger had been diagnosed with covid 19 but was only contagious on disembarkation day (18 March). Due to the delay in being informed it is possible that this was an overseas passenger. Also probably someone who didn't tell the ship they were unwell but just wanted to get off the ship without any hassle. We decided to self isolate when we got off the ship, although the Captain said there was no need as we had only visited Australian ports."

They disembarked in Sydney.
 
Last edited:
Read our AFF credit card guides and start earning more points now.

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

The Carnival Spirit is just floating past us in PQQ. Marine Traffic site is listing destination as Brisbane. Queen Elizabeth still awaiting orders off Gladstone
 
They had been kept on the ship for >14 days.No Covid positive cases on reaching New Orleans or since in passengers or crew.
RCI organised and paid for flights.For her MSY-LAX-SYD-BNE.
She is in self isolation and not going out for 14 days.
Had to sign the declaration but as was the policy on Friday was allowed to transit SYD and fly to BNE.
The compulsory quarantine in SYD was to come into force at 11.59 pm on 28/3.
Besides they had all agreed to 14 days self isolation in their home states which now is being enforced.

My only point in all of this is not saying anyone arriving on 27/3 should not quarantine but why this new policy for cruise ship passengers.
I am not arguing with anyone on that point but note no one has come up with the directive of the NSW Government bringing quarantine into force 24 hours earlier and only for cruise ship passengers especially ones who had been no where near any Covid 19 cases.

As I said this is the NSW Dept of Health over reacting for their stuff up over the Ruby Princess.
 
[moderator hat]
Some of the replies here are getting a bit intense. Unless any more information comes from ABF/NSW Dept of Health please refrain from commentating here on the events relating to 33 doctors late last week. - there is a thread for that.​
[/moderator hat]
 
The Carnival Spirit is just floating past us in PQQ. Marine Traffic site is listing destination as Brisbane. Queen Elizabeth still awaiting orders off Gladstone
QE2 has a cruise planned for Australia in mid April. Surely she should be just repatriating back to the UK where the other two are. Cruising in Australia is gone for months.
 

Become an AFF member!

Join Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) for free and unlock insider tips, exclusive deals, and global meetups with 65,000+ frequent flyers.

AFF members can also access our Frequent Flyer Training courses, and upgrade to Fast-track your way to expert traveller status and unlock even more exclusive discounts!

AFF forum abbreviations

Wondering about Y, J or any of the other abbreviations used on our forum?

Check out our guide to common AFF acronyms & abbreviations.
Back
Top