sunshine 229

Hard decisions and tough times for everyone. Is this the right time to remind everyone of the contract they sign when they book a cruise? We never expect the worst to happen when we sign that,  but it does give the cruise line the right to do pretty much anything they want any time they want. I’d say that maybe people should keep that in mind before they travel when they are in a compromised situation health or mobility wise.

I think a lot of us have become used to expecting travel to be safe but maybe we should think of it instead as an adventure and question if we are really up for it.
 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, cruiserchuck said:

If someone is fit enough to go on a four month cruise, you would think they probably are fit enough to take a long international flight.  I assume HAL will work with their passengers, especially elderly ones, but there is only so much they can do during this worldwide crisis situation.

Well there are certain things that are more of a problem with flying than with cruising, especially on a long flight like one from Sydney to the US or Canada. Deep vein thrombosis is a real threat for someone who will have difficulty getting up and walking around every few hours. I would imagine that people with joint problems or poor circulation may also find it difficult to sit in one of those increasingly small airplane seats for hours at a time.

14 minutes ago, Pedro2400 said:

Princess Cruises Announces a Voluntary and Temporary Pause of its Global Ship Operations for 60 Days

 

https://www.princess.com/news/notices_and_advisories/notices/global-ship-operations-pause.html  

The first domino to fall which will no doubt be followed by others. It’s a strange and challenging time.

34 minutes ago, bluesea321 said:

"A proposal submitted to the White House Tuesday by CLIA, the leading cruise trade organization, would deny cruise boarding to any person over 70 unless they are able to present a doctor's note verifying their fitness for travel."

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2020/03/11/proposal-white-house-cruise-industry-bar-people-70-ships/5020325002/

One of the stupidest suggestions I've heard. It just lets younger people cruise, pass around the virus, and then bring it home to all the older or immune compromised people in their home neighbourhood. Not to mention all the places they pass through on their way home. What idiots suggested this??

24 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

 I don't see anyone booking anything until this is over. Also the cruise fare would have to be dirt cheap as the $1 deposit is only a delay of the overall final payment. The fear of getting the virus isn't the reason for not booking a cruise. Look how many are still going on their cruise even though they can get a refund of some sort. It's the uncertainty of closed ports and quarantine that has everyone unnerved. This isn't going away anytime soon. It's just heating up and the fact that Florida has now been hit doesn't instill confidence that the warm weather will kill it off.  I honestly thought that Florida and the Caribbean would be the safest itinerary and would be the least effected by Corona but now itineraries are being canceled there.

I don’t think any of us know what the final fall out of this will be. If it can be handled relatively quickly then the cruise industry might make a come back and cruising might return to a similar state to what it was before but I can easily visualize a situation where a longer time frame to get things under control could result in a drastically altered cruise industry. How long can the lines go on maintaining ships that aren’t running cruises and bringing in $$$ ? I can see a scenario where a number of ships are mothballed and where, once this passes, we actually have fewer operating companies and fewer ships out there and higher prices for those who want to cruise. 

30 minutes ago, Reader0108598 said:

I agree return my money the way I gave it to you.

I sympathize with your feelings but sometimes, when something bad happens, everyone has to feel some of the pain. 

If everyone tries to get all their money back right now,  it may just drive the industry into complete collapse with the final result that no one will get their money and the future cruise credits will also be worthless for those who were willing to accept them. If everyone would have some patience, we all might do better in the end, but I have lived long enough to know that calling for patience and some sort of community spirit is probably  useless. So many people will all just be thinking about themselves and getting their money back before anyone else does.

2 hours ago, Justalone said:

Good for you!  🙂

Highly unlikely you will get infected with Covid-19 if you are healthy and not 60+, do not have underlying heath issues like HBP, diabetes, heart, kidney, lung disease, and/or have a compromised immune system.  (See CDC website for details).  And recommendations from Dr. Fauci.

Enjoy your cruise.  And for others who decide to “just do it.”  👍👍👏👏

I think this is incorrect. If you are young and healthy the chance that you will have a  life threatening case of Covid-19 infection is small,  but it is still quite possible that you will contract it and carry it home to your family and neighbours, where it might compromise their health. And of course there is the possibility that your ship or you will be held in quarantine if you or anyone else on your cruise should happen to have symptoms.

7 minutes ago, kathy49 said:

bear in mind only 45 were tested so that is really high %...same crew that are preparing the meal. Not great.

It is a high percentage of those tested but keep in mind that those 45 who were tested were selected because they had symptoms, or some factor that made them appear more likely to have the virus. It's not good, but it doesn't indicate that the whole ship population will have an infection rate near that high. 

I predict a big increase in the cost of 'cancel for any reason' insurance if this goes on for any length of time. I don't know how often they recalculate rates on this type of insurance but they have to be getting hit hard right now. 

But if what I am hearing is correct, some cruise ships are now being denied docking in ports just because they have a passenger who has some symptoms that might possibly be indicative of covid-19.

If this is a cruise that you have saved for and is meant to be your cruise of a lifetime, how will you feel if you can't get into many of the ports you were looking forward too?

 

Not trying to panic anyone but just weighing in on the discussion of whether or not to cruise or to cancel at this time. Even if no one around you gets the virus, it could affect your cruise in major ways.

 

Also, I've seen comments above indicating that some people think that warm weather will stop or slow down the spread of this virus but I do not understand the reasoning here. The virus is spreading now in countries where the weather is quite warm and the warmth does not seem to be slowing it down there. 

 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, StillPooh said:

Avoiding Asia is simple. How are you going to avoid actual Asians? 🤔

And if you could, what good would that do? By now the virus is active very  in Italy too, so you're going to have to avoid Italians as well as Asians and what about that nice blue eyed blond American who just happened to be vacationing in Wuhan when the virus became active? 

This virus might have started in China but Asians are not the only ones who can be infected or can pass it on. 

14 minutes ago, JennAngel9 said:

Aside from the one poster who suggests that anybody worried about consequences of a mismanaged quarantine is "giddy" at the prospect of pandemic, I haven't seen anything that approaches nastiness.

Like many of you, I have fond memories aboard Diamond Princess and just recently got a different Princess ship last month.  When news reports talked about how the passengers all crammed into the theater to see Bravo (likely passing the disease around further) I recalled having seen the same show just days earlier.  I am deeply sympathetic to everyone on the ship, especially the crew, who I think was likely put at the most extreme risk based on Japan/Princess's failure to isolate passengers/crew and get people off the ship to a safer environment.

I know that there are some people on this thread who only hear/believe negative news and some who only hear/believe positive news and frankly, it will be at least another few weeks before we can possibly know which experts/news/posters are correct-- but I think in the meantime, it would be good if we can recognize everyone here posting wants as many lives spared from the coronavirus outbreak as possible and secondarily, as little impact to the cruise/travel industry as possible.  The reason why some of us pessimists are so frustrated with what we're hearing out of Yokohama is we feel that erring on the side of caution (preparing for worst-case scenario within the realm of scientific possibility) is the best way to keep cruisers, crew, and the industry safe.

This is how I feel too. Assuming that the worst scenario ( easiest transmission, longest active lifetime for the virus etc.) is a possibility, and acting accordingly, is actually the way to achieve the most favourable results. Declaring it's not really a problem and everything will be fine,  is the way to encourage sloppy behaviour that will likely turn this into a real disaster.  Hope for the best but expect, and plan, for the worst is my approach to this situation. 

Examining and critiquing the procedures that were put in place is needed to see where things have gone wrong,  not so much to assign blame, but to learn from this so that the knowledge can be used to help in future possible outbreaks. 

 

10 minutes ago, fragilek said:

 Yip I know all that (kind of hope I do lol I was a research pharmaceutical scientist all my working life, and some of my ex- collages are working on this virus right now)- Virus survival - how long it survives without treatment.  Not important once the ship is treated, but it will be important to the crew still on it and the passengers still to disembark.  People branding numbers about with out the support of science is not a good idea. 

And possibly also a consideration when handling items removed from the ship shortly after contact with an infected person. No one has reliable information yet on how long this virus can survive on inanimate objects outside a host. Better to err on the side of caution rather than bandying about time frames like 30 minutes.

39 minutes ago, PoohUnderstands said:

Definitely needs a very thorough cleaning, but you have to remember that this virus can only in its best environment(i.e. best humidity levels and temperature) live 30 minutes tops outside of a host (human or animal).  So really, basically, they just need to take everyone off the ship they can and the virus will die.  Then come back in and clean away!!

 

Pooh

Seems some scientists would disagree with your "30 minutes tops" estimate. 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/17/health/novel-coronavirus-surfaces-study/index.html

Given long enough, of course, they will die but I think it will take a lot longer than a few minutes to be sure that all the virus on board is non-viable. I'm all for a positive attitude but underestimating the seriousness of this doesn't, in the long run, help anybody.

5 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

Just tried to find an update on the Hopland's and her positive test may have been a false positive.  Hoping this provides relief to those worried about someone catching the virus from a suitcase. 😉  https://www.wbir.com/article/news/health/wife-of-east-tennessee-couple-tests-negative-for-coronavirus-in-tokyo-hospital/51-0682f2d4-506e-4ebc-af89-4ae98ea40313

 

I'm not so  worried about someone catching the virus from this one batch of luggage (although based on what we do and don't know, right now, about how this virus is transmitted,  I think it is not an impossibility). I am more worried about what it says about the apparent lack of a sensible and well executed plan in dealing with all this moving of so many infected, or possibly infected, people. How does a batch of possible contaminated luggage fall through the cracks? 

9 minutes ago, Pushka said:

The virus won’t last long on inanimate objects. The luggage will be fine. 

9 days seems like a reasonably long length of time to me in a case like this. 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/17/health/novel-coronavirus-surfaces-study/index.html

 

 

23 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

 

The ones who got on the plane who were positive did not yet have their results at the point they disembarked the ship.  Unfortunately one other couple got bad news just as they were getting ready to disembark when the wife learned that she was positive.  The husband was the one who reportedly had been lobbying a local congressman to have the US send a plane for them.  Both husband and wife are still in Japan, and their luggage was found abandoned in a parking lot in San Antonio.  https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/elizabethton-couple-quarantined-separated-in-japan-hopeful-to-return-in-next-few-days/

SO let me get this straight... this luggage, and contents,  that has been in a cabin with a corona virus infected passenger for several weeks is now just floating around a US parking lot somewhere? Am I being overly paranoid or does anyone else see a problem with this? 

52 minutes ago, badcowboy said:

so let me guess - you don't believe in any vaccinations? measles? When a 37 year old doctor dies because of this, it is serious. Better to practice precautions instead of pointing at something else - "hey look , it is the flu, it kills people even though they take precautions"?

I don't see where simplybecause said they don't believe in vaccinations. All they did was give basic, accurate, information: flu shots are not 100% effective. They make them every year by selecting the flu strains that they think will be most active in the upcoming season. If they guess wrong the flu shot can be much less effective. Even if they guess right these types of viruses mutate frequently and, by the time they get around to you, could have mutated enough that the vaccine is less effective at controlling it. It is still worthwhile getting the shot because even if you do get the flu it is likely to be a more mild case (because the vaccine will be at least partly effective in helping your body fight it).

 

Yes it makes sense to take precautions against spreading any virus this new coronavirus or the more common flu virus. 

I will be arriving in Lisbon about mid-day on a Tuesday and I have a full day Lisbon tour booked for the next day but would like to do something for that first afternoon. I'm interested in seeing the Jerónimos Monastery but wondering the best way to get there from the St Apolonia de Jusante cruise port and if this is doable in an afternoon or if someone has another suggestion for a few hours that first half day.

I will be going on a fairly long cruise but I am not starting in the normal embarkation port but meeting the ship later on. Should I just talk to the wine steward once I am on board to obtain the package or is it better to order in advance? Unfortunately I'll miss any early set up or wine tasting event.

Just did a quick faux rate check on Fedex from Civi (Rome port) to my home. For "international economy" (the cheapest), it ran about $150.

 

Did that include insurance for the full value of the item? I ask because a couple of years ago I was looking at sending a Zeiss lens (worth about $900) back to the Zeiss office in the US for adjustment. Shipping at FedEx basic rate did not include insurance for anything like the full value and additional insurance for full value added greatly to the cost of the shipping.

Call me paranoid, if you want, but one of the main reasons I like to travel is for photography. I have a fairly expensive camera which, till now, I've always brought in my carry-on luggage to avoid the possible damage and theft that checked baggage is susceptible to. I'm planning a trip to Europe this fall and will be away for over a month and was planning to also bring a laptop with me so that I can store pictures and do some photo-editing while away, rather than waiting till I get home to do processing of all those pictures.

 

I understand the need for security, but it will be more than a small inconvenience to me if I have to leave these at home or to risk the loss of thousands of dollars of equipment by putting these items in check luggage. To the poster who wrote

Too much paranoia in this thread. Wait until or if some ban is put in place and then worry about it. As of now no one knows what may or may not happen or if a ban occurs what it will look like.

For someone who is planning a trip based largely around photography, that is not a very helpful attitude. If the ban goes into effect the week before my scheduled trip, or even worse, after I have left on my trip with all my equipment,and am needing to fly back to the US with it, it will be a little too late for me to start worrying about it then.

Thanks, Maryogreen, that helps.

I am looking at possibly taking a cruise in the Mediterranean this fall. A friend is already booked on a trans-Atlantic Holland cruise and is encouraging me to join them but this cruse is longer than I can be away for so, if I did this I'd be joining them part way into the cruise. Flying, probably to Lisbon, and catching up with the ship there. I'd be on my own since this isn't a scheduled departure port for this cruise. I'm wondering if anyone can tell me how involved it is to get from the airport to the cruise terminal in Lisbon and about how long I should expect it to take.

Hi, I've cruised on a few other lines (most recently Princess) and am now booked on a HAL cruise on the Oosterdam this November. May seem like a strange thing to worry about but does Hal have anywhere that you can catch many of the NFL games?

On Princess they often had them on the big MUTS screen and, while I don't need that, I would like to be able to keep up with what's happening in the NFL somewhere on the ship. 3 weeks away from football, in the middle of the season, may just play havoc with my fantasy team. LOL