What is being done about coronavirus.....

[SWFLAOK]

7 minutes ago, orvil said:

There is also Insuremytrip.com.  This where I get my travel medical.

 

 

Well that's definitely an advertising site for insurance.

[wcsdkqh]

So what?? Who appointed you the word police?

[alexandra cruiser]

Again,thank you all for the info.

Will try those sites.

Good idea to call,too.

My TA has an ins.person who handles it and will also give them a call.

Must make decision in 1 wk.So good to start .

 

Did hear that on radio about Northern Italy,,have lockdown on a few small cities.Did not mention Venice,per se.

Always a fear that port may be closed due to the virus,,,or that someone on ship gets the dam thing and ALL are then locked in their cabin.Trying not to be such a worry wart,but news keeps getting worse.First just Asia,now starting in Europe.

Our cruise goes to 6 or so countries in Baltic...so far that seems ok.

[kaleighsgram]

46 minutes ago, alexandra cruiser said:

 

Did hear that on radio about Northern Italy,,have lockdown on a few small cities.Did not mention Venice,per se.

Always a fear that port may be closed due to the virus,,,or that someone on ship gets the dam thing and ALL are then locked in their cabin.Trying not to be such a worry wart,but news keeps getting worse.First just Asia,now starting in Europe.

Our cruise goes to 6 or so countries in Baltic...so far that seems ok.

The news from around the world Is truly devastating. So many are affected by this terrible virus. Small islands have closed their ports to ships in order to protect their populations so not only is the cruise line impacted but all who work on the ships and all who rely on tourism and the money it brings in.  I wouldn’t want to be one of the ones responsible for making decisions right now.  .  . Where do we go and who can we bring with us. If people visiting China were released from their cruise contracts and asked not to board the ships, what will be done with the folks from Italy.  I read about the Caribbean islands trying to stay ahead of the virus. Will they be next to close their doors? I hope not. So sad.

[cruiseluv]

1 hour ago, alexandra cruiser said:

Again,thank you all for the info.

Will try those sites.

Good idea to call,too.

My TA has an ins.person who handles it and will also give them a call.

Must make decision in 1 wk.So good to start .

 

Did hear that on radio about Northern Italy,,have lockdown on a few small cities.Did not mention Venice,per se.

Always a fear that port may be closed due to the virus,,,or that someone on ship gets the dam thing and ALL are then locked in their cabin.Trying not to be such a worry wart,but news keeps getting worse.First just Asia,now starting in Europe.

Our cruise goes to 6 or so countries in Baltic...so far that seems ok.

Its not only in "small cities". Venice is included in this. Yesterday they cancelled their Carnevale celebrations, that's huge

[orvil]

We are watching and wondering.  I know from a scientific standpoint that the heat of the summer in the Mediterranean will kill off much of the virus.  That's what my head tells me.  I've got a cruise in June, Venice to Venice cruising through around the Greek Islands.

 

I'm just hoping that there isn't too much damage done to everyone who depends on travel in one way or another.   

[lesliebe]

I was calming down about our May 4 cruise but now not so sure again..hearing nothing YET from the ports on our Lisbon-SouthHampton cruise.. but it is stilll 2 months away.  Don't know if the 'heat' is enough by then to help kill it off

 

[forgap]

We are departing Venice on May 11th (Venice to Athens, 25 days).  I am trusting that Regent has learned something from the Asia mess and the anxiety of guests both in transit and waiting for an upcoming cruise. We are fortunate to have trip insurance and we are flying on points, so we don’t anticipate a huge hit financially if the worst case scenario comes to pass.  We also have 4 days of wiggle room prior to the cruise in case the port changes.  I remember the SARS outbreak and we traveled then - a bit disconcerting to be met on the tarmac in Paris with health workers in hazmat suits and thermometers!  

[greykitty]

Why  do some people say warmer weather will halt/slow Covid-19?  Just basing it on a hope that it behaves like the flu virus? Do we know enough at this point?  

 

Q: Will warm weather stop the outbreak of COVID-19?

A: It is not yet known whether weather and temperature impact the spread of COVID-19. Some other viruses, like the common cold and flu, spread more during cold weather months but that does not mean it is impossible to become sick with these viruses during other months.  At this time, it is not known whether the spread of COVID-19 will decrease when weather becomes warmer.  There is much more to learn about the transmissibility, severity, and other features associated with COVID-19 and investigations are ongoing.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html

 

 

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by greykitty

[Kiwifromkiev]

Some of you might have already heard about closing of two regions in Italy. Celebrity has already updated their website and passengers traveling soon received letter - within 24 hours from the news been broken in the media. Why on Earth a reputable company like Regent does not update its customers? On recently closed thread here, a CC member made a very, very valid point - passengers who are not on CC (vast majority are not, by the by), have no idea of many changes as they have not been informed. This is really the time where people can, and should, only trust information coming directly from the company. I hope that someone from RSSC will take charge. Daily updates - even if a notice that there is no change to prior status, and regularly updated itineraries of the cruises which have been amended - dates, ports etc are a MUST!

[Travelcat2]

18 minutes ago, Kiwifromkiev said:

Some of you might have already heard about closing of two regions in Italy. Celebrity has already updated their website and passengers traveling soon received letter - within 24 hours from the news been broken in the media. Why on Earth a reputable company like Regent does not update its customers? On recently closed thread here, a CC member made a very, very valid point - passengers who are not on CC (vast majority are not, by the by), have no idea of many changes as they have not been informed. This is really the time where people can, and should, only trust information coming directly from the company. I hope that someone from RSSC will take charge. Daily updates - even if a notice that there is no change to prior status, and regularly updated itineraries of the cruises which have been amended - dates, ports etc are a MUST!

 

I usually agree with you but do understand the hesitancy of Regent to project too far into the future.  As of today, it is considered safe to go to "most" of Italy.  It is my understanding that Regent is communicating with passengers on affected cruises.  The fact that non-affected cruisers are not advised is, IMHO, understandable as things change on a daily basis.  And, also IMHO, since Regent cruisers that are on the cancelled cruises know that their cruises have been cancelled, and, with Regent having to rebook hundreds if not thousands of passengers, the website is the last thing that needs to be updated.If anyone that does not know what is going on tries to book a cancelled cruise, they will be unable to do so.

 

Celebrity is part of either the 1st or 2nd largest cruise line in the world.  I am not sure if Celebrity (part of Royal Caribbean) or the host of Carnival cruise lines operate independently.  As we know, Regent does operate independently for most things (they do share an Air Department and likely an Excursion Department but the same people that book air and excursions for Regent are not the same people that book them for Oceania or NCL. Regent, Oceania and NCL have their own CEO's that operate under the NCLH umbrella.   Regent likely does not have enough personnel to cancel cruises, rebook cruises, cancel and rebook excursions and cancel and rebook flights as well as updating their website.  

 

It is easy to bash Regent for everything but they are the ones losing money here and are taking amazingly wonderful care of their affected passengers.  People are now asking about cruises in April/May/June and beyond.  Unless I missed something, Regent cannot foretell the future.  I posted the latest information on the now locked site.  According to the CDC, there are two likely outcomes:  1). The virus will slow or dissipate in the Spring and move to the other hemisphere or 2). It will become a seasonal virus.  

 

I know that this is a strong post and I am not putting anyone down -- just hoping that the hysteria will calm a bit.  

 

The amount of panic (likely due to the media) is overwhelming.  If people are concerned and are able to cancel without penalty, they should do so before the penalty phase kicks in.  If you are in the penalty phase, either Regent will deem it safe to sail or you will receive a refund.  

 

Those traveling to Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., Canada, South America, India and most countries in Europe have nothing to worry about (if you take recommended precautions).  When you look at the state that has the most cases of coronavirus - it is California.  They have 39.54M people (as of 2017) and less than 25 have contracted the disease.  Yet, there are people in California that are panicking.  Perhaps these people should have thought to purchase masks and other preventive items before the price for the "approved" masks quadrupled in price.  I do wonder if the same people that are the most concerned are the ones that decided that it was not necessary to get the flu shot.

 

Sorry - this is a strong post but reality (as of today) is not the same as what is being portrayed on CC.  While I do not have all of the figures in front of me, the population in Italy (as of 2015) is 60.08M.  I believe that they have between 200 and 300 cases of the virus.  So, if you are afraid to go to Italy, I cannot understand why.

 

 

 

 

[cruiseluv]

Ive found it amazing that you go to the website and there's nothing there in terms of an open letter by management as to the steps they're taking or what they're dealing with, and which ships are affected, etc. Maybe its in their best interest to minimize what's going on, probably advised by their PR consultants. It strikes me as the ostrich sticking its head in the sand, or the three monkeys ,"see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". 

[Travelcat2]

4 minutes ago, cruiseluv said:

Ive found it amazing that you go to the website and there's nothing there in terms of an open letter by management as to the steps they're taking or what they're dealing with, and which ships are affected, etc. Maybe its in their best interest to minimize what's going on, probably advised by their PR consultants. It strikes me as the ostrich sticking its head in the sand, or the three monkeys ,"see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". 

 

Not sure what you expect Regent to do when they have no idea what next week will bring.  So far, there are cancelled cruises on Voyager but the rest of the fleet is on schedule with no (or minimal) changes.  As I've said too many times, when there is something to report, they will do so (to affected passengers).  

 

BTW, we have received emails from Regent (through our TA), letting us know what is going on in a general sense - even though we are not affected.  

[cruiseluv]

8 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Sorry - this is a strong post but reality (as of today) is not the same as what is being portrayed on CC.  While I do not have all of the figures in front of me, the population in Italy (as of 2015) is 60.08M.  I believe that they have between 200 and 300 cases of the virus.  So, if you are afraid to go to Italy, I cannot understand why.

 

 

 

 

 

I wouldnt call your post a "strong post". To me its a fair post, well balanced. However, regarding statistics, and how they should or not affect people's behavior, I would say that statistics are just numbers until you become part of them. I would never minimize or downplay people's reactions to a potential pandemic whose reach seems to change by the day. Case in point, I have a trip to Spain in early June and just saw in a map there're some cases there. Even though I consider myself a leveled headed person I found myself contemplating cancelling. 

[cruiseluv]

5 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Not sure what you expect Regent to do when they have no idea what next week will bring.  So far, there are cancelled cruises on Voyager but the rest of the fleet is on schedule with no (or minimal) changes.  As I've said too many times, when there is something to report, they will do so (to affected passengers).  

 

BTW, we have received emails from Regent (through our TA), letting us know what is going on in a general sense - even though we are not affected.  

 

Well, that's nice. But IMHO they should also communicate to their clientele at large what they're doing, even if its boiler plate language. 

 

When there're snow storms and the like, if you go to an airline website you'll find all over the place notifications about the issue, and description of what steps they're taking, what areas are affected. Anybody going to their website will see this, not just affected passengers. 

Edited February 25, 2020 by cruiseluv

[Travelcat2]

4 minutes ago, cruiseluv said:

 

Well, that's nice. But IMHO they should also communicate to their clientele at large what they're doing, even if its boiler plate language. 

 

On that point, I "almost" agree.  Once Regent has contacted all affected passengers, changed the itineraries, air and excursions for all cancelled excursions and updated their website, it would be nice if they did a boiler plate letter to put on their website.

 

Hope that you go ahead with your June trip to Spain. By then, it is possible that the virus will be stable.  My issue was about the over-reaction rather than being concerned.  

 

My DH is elderly and I am immune-compromised.  Neither of us have said one word about cancelling any of our upcoming cruises.  While we are not going to Asia this year (will do next year), we will be in the Middle East for a 22 night cruise later this year and, of course, will be on Splendor on the 14th of March.  It will be strange to refrain from hugging or hand-shaking but I'm sure that we'll have a great time!

[Floridiana]

https://www.nzz.ch/international/mailand-coronavirus-epidemie-begann-in-spital-ld.1542330

 

This article in the reputable Swiss newspaper Neue Zuericher Zeitung has a map of the region around Lodi that is under quarantine. It covers several towns south of Milan. As a precaution, the entire province of Lombardy has universities and schools closed, sports events canceled and asks people to avoid too much contact and to stay at home with colds until tested. Another small town in the nearby Veneto province has Covid-19 cases after one person visited a cafe bar in the first cluster and returned home. So far it is unknown who infected Italian patient 1.

 

No known connection to China or to the two Chinese tourists who are in a Rome hospital with the virus. Rome is not affected, at least no cases are known. The day the tourists were diagnosed, Italy stopped all air traffic to and from China.

 

According to the paper, Italy now has over 200 patients, all of them in these localized places which have been totally cut off. Police watch entry roads, trains don't stop. Only food and medical services are delivered by people who need passes. Residents are asked to stay indoors as much as possible.

[cruiseluv]

5 minutes ago, Floridiana said:

https://www.nzz.ch/international/mailand-coronavirus-epidemie-begann-in-spital-ld.1542330

 

This article in the reputable Swiss newspaper Neue Zuericher Zeitung has a map of the region around Lodi that is under quarantine. It covers several towns south of Milan. As a precaution, the entire province of Lombardy has universities and schools closed, sports events canceled and asks people to avoid too much contact and to stay at home with colds until tested. Another small town in the nearby Veneto province has Covid-19 cases after one person visited a cafe bar in the first cluster and returned home. So far it is unknown who infected Italian patient 1.

 

No known connection to China or to the two Chinese tourists who are in a Rome hospital with the virus. Rome is not affected, at least no cases are known. The day the tourists were diagnosed, Italy stopped all air traffic to and from China.

 

According to the paper, Italy now has over 200 patients, all of them in these localized places which have been totally cut off. Police watch entry roads, trains don't stop. Only food and medical services are delivered by people who need passes. Residents are asked to stay indoors as much as possible.

Not that my opinions is of any importance, but we know that people without symptoms can be contagious, so there could have been Chinese tourists in that area of Italy with the disease(with no symptoms yet)  that flew back home before their disease became known. 

[ArtsyCraftsy]

1 hour ago, cruiseluv said:

Ive found it amazing that you go to the website and there's nothing there in terms of an open letter by management as to the steps they're taking or what they're dealing with, and which ships are affected, etc. Maybe its in their best interest to minimize what's going on, probably advised by their PR consultants. It strikes me as the ostrich sticking its head in the sand, or the three monkeys ,"see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". 

 

There's been an information page on the RSSC website since at least Feb 11, and I know for sure it has been updated twice.  The link is at the bottom of the home page, the first item under "Resources."

 

https://www.rssc.com/coronavirus-statement

 

 

[cruiseluv]

Thank you. Talk about hidden in plain sight! Glad I was wrong as from a business point of view it didnt seem right

[Kiwifromkiev]

1 hour ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

 And, also IMHO, since Regent cruisers that are on the cancelled cruises know that their cruises have been cancelled, and, with Regent having to rebook hundreds if not thousands of passengers, the website is the last thing that needs to be updated.

 

It is easy to bash Regent for everything but they are the ones losing money here and are taking amazingly wonderful care of their affected passengers.  People are now asking about cruises in April/May/June and beyond.  Unless I missed something, Regent cannot foretell the future.  I posted the latest information on the now locked site.  According to the CDC, there are two likely outcomes:  1). The virus will slow or dissipate in the Spring and move to the other hemisphere or 2). It will become a seasonal virus.  

 

I know that this is a strong post and I am not putting anyone down -- just hoping that the hysteria will calm a bit.  

 

The amount of panic (likely due to the media) is overwhelming.  If people are concerned and are able to cancel without penalty, they should do so before the penalty phase kicks in.  If you are in the penalty phase, either Regent will deem it safe to sail or you will receive a refund. 

 

Sorry - this is a strong post but reality (as of today) is not the same as what is being portrayed on CC.  While I do not have all of the figures in front of me, the population in Italy (as of 2015) is 60.08M.  I believe that they have between 200 and 300 cases of the virus.  So, if you are afraid to go to Italy, I cannot understand why.

 

 

 

 

TC2, my post is far from bashing Regent! I do understand that as a business they are in a hardly enviable position.

 

However, I do disagree with your comment on website - this is not a major job, to put an update (from a technical perspective) and RSSC are in business where website is their "face". Neither I am panicking or implying that RSSC (or anybody else by that matter) can predict events. My post is predominantly about communication, or rather lack of it. It is hard for people with April /May bookings not to think - "where does this leave us?" Yes, I understand that those immediately affected are (probably) notified - if they have access to their e-mails. But there are many others who are not immediately  affected, but may still be affected, one way or another. It is NOT about me, we have already decided - we are going, if the cruise is going ahead. However, - by way of example only, I was very pleased to learn - here, on CC - that Voyager's cruises in Asia have been cancelled prior to Abu Dhabi, for this means that there would be significant amount of time for the ship to be "cleaned" and for the crew to be "tested" (even if not formally). I am almost feeling guilty for being pleased for these cancellations affected so many people!

So once again, this is about communication. I think you have experience in the HR (apologies if I am mistaken). I have worked with people all my life too (not in HR). How many good initiatives in businesses are met with hostility by those who work for the business simply because there is lack of communication! Here is the same - a little update could go a long way. If nothing else, it indicates that the customers are thought/cared about (i am not saying this is not the case, but we are talking communication and appearance) and would give customers some comfort that should their (April/May/Spetmeber) cruise be affected, they will be kept informed. That's all. ❤️

[forgap]

I agree that a less hidden message on the website would be advisable as well as amending impacted cruise itineraries rather than keeping them on the website as if they are going forward as originally planned.   
 

Regent seems to have enough manpower to conduct unsolicited phone calls if you visit the website ( I got my first call last night), they should deploy the manpower to send a status email to booked passengers.   A decision timeline would also be helpful as we have booked our own air and pre-cruise lodging in Venice for early May.   If we embark from a different port, we need to make arrangements.  

Edited February 25, 2020 by forgap

[flossie009]

9 hours ago, cruiseluv said:

Thank you. Talk about hidden in plain sight! Glad I was wrong as from a business point of view it didnt seem right

You were not wrong for some of us outside North America.

As you can see from the screenshot below, the Regent UK website has no link to Regent's occasional Coronavirus statements. (the screenshot was taken just now)

 

As our friends said yesterday "We have spent ages on the Regent website trying to get current info. They seem to be keeping very quiet about it"

 

It is very unfortunate that Regent customers, and prospective customers, have to rely on social media, rather than the company's website, for up-to-date information .

Edited February 25, 2020 by flossie009

[kjbacon]

There is now a hotel in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, under quarantine for documented Coronavirus. It’s currently 78 degrees there.

 

Now, after avoiding this thread, I’m going to chime in. I respect everyone’s opinion but I think it’s important to distinguish between documented fact and opinion. Many previous posts state opinion as fact, not a good thing just now.

 

We are in a global epidemic that could become a global pandemic. Many theories are proving untrue. It is my opinion that it is unwise to suggest that someone is hysterical to consider cancellation. We have just cancelled a May cruise that we were going to take my lung compromised 90 year old mother in law on. Also have a pregnant daughter and a one year old grandson. Call me hysterical, couldn’t care less, but opinions are worth very little at a time like this.
 

Many of us are opinionated, myself included, but now is not the time to double down and make being right the priority.

 

 

[Hambagahle]

There was something else in that NZZ article - link in one of the posts above - which was not mentioned in the post:

 

Italy has perhaps the largest Chinese population in Europe.  Permanent population that is, not tourists.   And the NZZ (or the person from the Insel Spital in Bern which is a very important hospital in Switzerland) commented that many of these Italian residents went back to China for the New Year's celebrations.    Any of them could have brought the virus back and from what I have read you can carry the virus without being ill yourself.

 

The NZZ article also doesn't mention the couple of cases in Torino...  It is well worth reading nonetheless but you do need to be able to read German.  (Happily not Swiss German!!)