PRINCESS SHIPS & CORONA VIRUS

[Maya1234]

I don’t know if somebody already posted on this fast moving thread but 

interesting report from The NY TIMES: “Doctors in Washington State gave remdesivir to the First patient  with NCoV in the United States last week after his condition worsened and pneumonia developed when he’d been in the hospital for a week. His symptoms improved the next day.”

 

Remdesivir is an intravenous anti-viral. China is now doing a study to see if this anecdotal evidence can be backed up. 

Edited February 8, 2020 by Maya1234

[JimmyVWine]

6 hours ago, seapals2 said:

or crew .. no one Is factoring that in.   Crew are not in quarantine.

Do we know this to be true?  Obviously there are crew members who are out and about preparing and delivering food and maintaining the essential operations of the ship.  (I assume, (or at least hope) that these people have tested negative.)  But do we know for sure that "non-essential" crew members are not in quarantine?  Not saying you are wrong.  But I haven't heard or seen anything that addresses this so I can't cite to a source.  Seems to me that the folks who work in the gift shop who could have come in contact with an infected person either on this cruise or the one before it have just as much reason and need to be quarantined as anyone else, and since no one is visiting the gift shops, why not initiate preventive measures.  Of course, confining them to their quarters would be pretty much like putting someone in a prison cell.  But I'm not sure what the alternative is.   If I were in charge, I would test the crew members first, and get the sick ones off the ship and then allow the healthy ones to run the ship.  But until they tested negative, they'd be quarantined same as the guests.  While it is true that from a public relations standpoint, the "passengers come first."  But in reality, if you want to nip this in the bud, it is the crew that has to be proven healthy as they are the "constants" that will come in contact with wave after wave of guests from now into the foreseeable future. 

[CruiseBabys]

On 1/30/2020 at 4:29 PM, npcl said:

Not much they can do other than excluding passengers from boarding based on their previous travels.  Unfortunately people do tend to be less than honest with those kinds of questionaires.  The checks like they are doing at the airports is another possibility, but no certainty with those.

I agree some people can be dishonest on the questionnaire, but! Princess and U.S officials CAN and DO check your travel history via your passport.

Currently the Cruiselines are not allowing passengers onboard if they have a significant history of travel to/from China.

[fragilek]

16 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Do we know this to be true?  Obviously there are crew members who are out and about preparing and delivering food and maintaining the essential operations of the ship.  (I assume, (or at least hope) that these people have tested negative.)  But do we know for sure that "non-essential" crew members are not in quarantine?  Not saying you are wrong.  But I haven't heard or seen anything that addresses this so I can't cite to a source.  Seems to me that the folks who work in the gift shop who could have come in contact with an infected person either on this cruise or the one before it have just as much reason and need to be quarantined as anyone else, and since no one is visiting the gift shops, why not initiate preventive measures.  Of course, confining them to their quarters would be pretty much like putting someone in a prison cell.  But I'm not sure what the alternative is.   If I were in charge, I would test the crew members first, and get the sick ones off the ship and then allow the healthy ones to run the ship.  But until they tested negative, they'd be quarantined same as the guests.  While it is true that from a public relations standpoint, the "passengers come first."  But in reality, if you want to nip this in the bud, it is the crew that has to be proven healthy as they are the "constants" that will come in contact with wave after wave of guests from now into the foreseeable future. 

 I showed a picture earlier on the thread that showed the crew mingling outside with their masks off  (some to smoke)- not showing it again as some seemed irked that I posted it so look back on the thread.  Not sure if that photo shows not flowing quarantine or not -but it did kind of seem strange to me

[CruiseBabys]

On 1/31/2020 at 7:30 AM, NFL Traveler said:

Fearmongering?  I don't believe it is fearmongering after the many reports of Chinese Nationals taking fever-reducing meds before boarding flights to take vacations abroad.  Rumor has it that cruise lines in South FL are refunding cruise fares to Chinese passengers; as far as I know this is a rumor.  The reality is as this virus spreads in China, and it will, what will cruise lines do?  Will they ban passengers from China?  As another poster said, cruise ships are petrie dishes.  

 

The bottom line: my wife and I will continue to cruise, but we will alter our behavior by washing/sanitizing our hands, keeping our hands away from our faces, not shaking hands, bringing our own sanitizing wipes to wipe down our cabin, daily...

As retired Airline employees, I can say Planes are the worst petrie dishes! Recycled air, potable water, blankets re-packed and never washed and they never clean the lavatories! If people knew how disgusting the Lavatory is maintained on a plane you'd throw up!

I never never ever use the Lav on a plane.

[CruiseBabys]

On 1/31/2020 at 7:08 PM, CZEE said:

 

Passports only include biometric data.  they do not include travel.  Does the TSA release this info to cruise lines?  Do you have a citation.  Not everyone gets a stamp in the passport.  

Ahhh.... Yes passports have a unique scannable code on them, take a look page 2-3 on the bottom is a long code. Yes your travel history can be checked. 

[JimmyVWine]

32 minutes ago, fragilek said:

 I showed a picture earlier on the thread that showed the crew mingling outside with their masks off  (some to smoke)

1.  That photo showed 6 people.  There are 1,039 other crew members on board.

2.  We don't know if those 6 on deck have tested negative. 

3.  Passengers with Inside Cabins are allowed out on deck for limited periods of time each day.  I assume that the same would apply to crew members who are quarantined in their tiny quarters. 

4.  This could be a photo of quarantined crew members who are "enjoying" their fresh air allotment.  Or it could be a photo of crew members who have been released from quarantined status.  Or it could be a photo of crew members who were never subject to a quarantine protocol because no crew members were ever quarantined. 

 

Bottom line is that this photo in no way demonstrates what the situation with the crew is, one way or the other.

[Qextor]

Indeed - US Border guards can tell my Mom is a dual national, just by scanning her passport.  It is also why my Mom broke down and got a Canadian passport - US customs gave her too much static about using a British passport to enter the US (which at the time was less expensive to maintain than a Canadian one) but living in Canada.

[history_bits]

44 minutes ago, Qextor said:

Indeed - US Border guards can tell my Mom is a dual national, just by scanning her passport.  It is also why my Mom broke down and got a Canadian passport - US customs gave her too much static about using a British passport to enter the US (which at the time was less expensive to maintain than a Canadian one) but living in Canada.

 

Even further than that, the US and Canada have an agreement that they share movements of their citizens. So that's why they dont like her using the UK passport because the UK wont give them any info about her. 

My husband is from the UK and we live in Canada. Had a few chats with border guards about this. 

 

[ShipFish]

6 hours ago, rsato said:

Does anyone understand (or have heard) why Japan allowed the Diamond Princess to port with now 64 confirmed coronavirus cases but does not allow the HAL Westerdam with supposedly one patient with suspected (not confirmed) coronavirus cases to dock? Both ships were on Japanese itineraries with many Japanese nationals and had recent stops in Hong Kong.

 

One factor may be that the Diamond Princess and the Westerdam are two different types of cruises in regards to immigration - they are not the same “Japanese itineraries”.

 

Diamond Princess was on a round trip from Yokohama to elsewhere in Asia with only a small minority of passengers embarking during the cruise. 

 

Westerdam was originally on a round trip from Shanghai and had been due to only transit a few Japanese ports prior to the itinerary changes. This means the majority of guests joined the ship outside of Japan.

[auldlassie]

Clearly at least one of the 273 people tested has been a crew member, as Princess themselves said days ago that one crew member was among those who tested positive.  

https://www.princess.com/news/notices_and_advisories/notices/diamond-princess-update.html see Feb 4 report.

 

Wondering why they did not test all people on the ship on day 1? Lack of test kits or manpower? 

I believe, according to reports in our UK newspapers, especially the Daily Mail,  only those who believed they had some kind of contact with the original passenger, or were situated in a cabin near them or those who felt ill were tested. However, as it can be droplet spread and is, as far as is currently known, potentially viable in droplet on hard surfaces for up to several hours, like other flu viruses, it seems entirely possible that an infected person could sneeze into their hands and touch lift buttons, stair handrails, doors etc which another person touches minutes later and could then be at risk, without ever noticing the original carrier, who simply carried on moving into another part of the ship. Is that not possible? 

 

Anyone know if the 3 new cases are still from the original cohort of tests?  I cannot find that information.

 

[Colo Cruiser]

On 2/7/2020 at 7:25 AM, KL Smith said:

Sorry for the delay in getting back folks. We have rotating teacher strikes going on here and we have one of our grand daughters with us.

 

After checking to see if there was any possibility of canceling without a major hit, we were told NO. We asked if we could postpone the trip or receive a credit. Again NO.

 

We asked if there were any outside cabins available. Once again NO. The ship is apparently 100% booked.

 

Looking at  the stats this morning as to the location of the infected persons, it turns out that 99% are in China, The other 1% are spread around the world. So, we have decided to go on the cruise and enjoy ourselves. Should Princess make any changes such as cancelling the cruise, I would still be fine with that.

 

I sure feel for those on the Diamond. It has been reported that the number of confirmed cases on the ship tripled overnight from 20 to 61. I am not a medical professional but I really wonder if it is wise to keep the pax on the ship. Surely this can't be helping the situation. I can't imagine what they are going to have to do to ensure that ship is 100% decontaminated before the next pax get on, whenever that is.

 

Thanks for the input folks.

 

Another reason to purchase CFAR cruise insurance

[40yearcruiser]

On 2/7/2020 at 3:04 PM, Felix331 said:

For everyone talking about the south pacific changes, this is due to the measles outbreak going on there. Samoa wants proof of cruise passengers having the MMR vaccine or they won't take the ship. Hence why it was cancelled and why Fiji had been cancelled on previous cruises as well. 

I have also been monitoring the various port closings and am quite concerned what it will mean for our upcoming cruises out of Sydney:  March 21- 14 day Fiji cruise and April 8 - Trans-Pacific cruise from Sydney to LA with multiple stops in New Zealand and the South Pacific, including Samoa. At the moment I have no intention of cancelling either cruise and trust that Princess will change the itineraries if necessary to avoid port closings. We will be disappointed if the itinerary has to be changed but not nearly so disappointed as if the cruises were cancelled as these were planned over a year ago. The worst-case scenario, of course, would be to be quarantined, and I think Princess would avoid this happening again at all costs. The situation on the Diamond has got to be as much of a nightmare for the crew and cruise line as it is for the passengers. It's a very stressful situation for all involved.

 

As for the US to Hawaii cruise, I wouldn't be concerned at all. There may be some additional screening required to board, but the chances of being exposed to the coronavirus are very small.

[ed01106]

On 2/6/2020 at 4:45 PM, riffatsea said:

 

There has not been a cruise affected in the USA.

Last time I looked Hawaii was part of the USA!!

I am sure the Anthem passengers stranded in NJ will be glad to know that not a single cruise in the USA has been affected.  

[elliair]

On 2/6/2020 at 8:38 AM, KL Smith said:

After 50 cruises on many lines I find myself for the very first time actually hoping they cancel our cruise due to the potential quarantine issue. 

Even though we are probably in the most likely age group (65) to be infected, I have no worries about getting sick. I do however have a great fear of someone else getting sick and the ship being quarantined with us locked in our INSIDE cabin for 2 weeks. 

 

Our cruise leaves Los Angeles for Hawaii in 6 days and I have no cancelation insurance, so it would be a 100% loss for us.

 

Has anyone else canceled on this cruise or considering it?

 

Has anyone heard of any potential no-charge cancelling policies from Princess for upcoming cruises other than the ones in Asia already announced?  

If Princess doesn't cancel, I would go.  We were on this same cruise for Thanksgiving.  Some people on board had what I call "the cruise cough."  If you have no worries about getting sick by all means go.  I never plan on getting sick either, but 2 days before getting back into port, I started getting the dreaded cough.  The woman in the cabin next to us from the day she boarded the ship until she debarked, she hacked, coughed, and barfed the whole 14 days.  Did our cabin steward bring her creeping crud over to our cabin?  Despite washing my hands constantly, it wasn't enough.  I was laid up for a month after we got home.  Worse creeping crud I ever had and got it on the ship.

 

We already planned an upcoming Alaskan cruise in May, like you, we would like to cancel.  We have trip insurance and cancel for any reason.  DH and I decided that this will probably be our last cruise on any ship.  We no longer find it relaxing and fun like we did in the past.  50 cruises for us is enough, we're done.

[OzKiwiJJ]

They stated before the three new cases were diagnosed that all the first batch of tests had been completed. It took them about three days to complete the tests on the first 273 passengers suspected of coming in contact with the virus. It's not a quick process so that is probably what they are only doing further tests ok passengers that show symptoms such as increased temperatures.

 

The whole point of the quarantine is to discover who else has been in contact with the virus, as tgey will presumably start to develop symptoms during the 14 days in quarantine, while hopefully keeping all other passengers and crew from also coming in contact with it.

 

 

Edited February 8, 2020 by OzKiwiJJ

[CarolineAtSea]

9 hours ago, ehogan said:

I have to say that I have no confidence that the new health declaration forms will be filled out honestly by all passengers.  
 

Having been on over 40 cruises I know just how quickly illnesses can spread on board in spite of taking all precautions.  Got a horrible respiratory infection on our September 2019 cruise which was filled with sick passengers from the previous leg of the back to back.   We had decided after that cruise to take a break from cruising in 2020 (thank you to the angel sitting on my shoulder!) and with recent developments we are cancelling our Diamond Princess cruise to Asia next year.
 

I think the cruise industry is well aware of the hugely negative impact this will have on the industry, hence some of the extreme measures they are taking (e.g.RCCL and NCL banning some passport holders).

 

We love to cruise and will continue to do so but we will pick and choose our itineraries carefully and always will continue to get the “cancel for any reason insurance)

 

 

How do you get "cancel for any reason" insurance? I wish I had that now, cruise leaving in 31 days. 

[elliair]

Coronavirus Deaths Hit 806, Surpassing Total From 2003 SARS Outbreak

 

Summary:

• Officials reported an additional 81 deaths in Hubei on Saturday, bringing the death toll to 806: more than the total from the entire 2002-2003 SARS outbreak

• WHO reported 31,481 confirmed global cases on Friday, up by 3,000+ cases from Thursday; SCMP says total cases closer to 35k

• First American citizen has died

• First Japanese citizen suspected of succumbing to virus

• France elevates travel advisory to orange after 5 Britons fall ill in ski resort

• Roundup of suspected infected in Wuhan continues

• Beijing appoints Xi protege to help lead virus response

• Vigil for Dr. Li held in Hong Kong

• China blocks Foxconn plan to reopen factories

* * *

Update (1745ET): The coronavirus outbreak has just reached another grim milestone: The death toll has eclipsed that of the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak.

 

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/first-american-citizen-dies-coronavirus-wuhan-5-britons-diagnosed-french-ski-town

Edited February 9, 2020 by elliair

[MMDown Under]

3 minutes ago, CarolineAtSea said:

How do you get "cancel for any reason" insurance? I wish I had that now, cruise leaving in 31 days. 

I am not aware that we can buy "cancel for any reason" insurance in Australia.  

I know travel insurance doesn't usually cover you for any event once it is publicly known.  

Which cruise are you cruising on?  Any chance it may be cancelled by the cruise line?

[cruiserchuck]

4 minutes ago, CarolineAtSea said:

How do you get "cancel for any reason" insurance? I wish I had that now, cruise leaving in 31 days. 

 

Many travel insurance policies offer it as an extra cost option.  However, I have read somewhere on these boards that it might not cover the Coronavirus outbreak.  This might be because most policies exclude losses caused by epidemics or pandemics. 

[elliair]

10 minutes ago, CarolineAtSea said:

How do you get "cancel for any reason" insurance? I wish I had that now, cruise leaving in 31 days. 

We have Travel Guard which we always get and pay bucks for it.  We got the Gold plan.

 

P.S.  I would hold tight on cancelling.  We don't know if travel restrictions out of the US and into the US is going to happen.  If WHO declares it then your cruise will be cancelled regardless.  I don't even know if they have declared it a pandemic yet.  It only took 29 days to get to this point for the virus to spread.  It took SARs much longer.  They cannot stop it, they might slow it down by quarantine, but too little too late.  JMHO.

Edited February 9, 2020 by elliair

[lhall85917]

We are on the Feb 13 Sapphire sailing from Singapore and received this update this afternoon.
 

EMBARKATION UPDATE: PASSPORT INSPECTION

As you may be aware, we are closely monitoring the situation with the new coronavirus that originated in mainland China and our medical experts are coordinating closely with global health authorities. Please be advised that as a safety precaution, we will be conducting individual passport inspection that will take place at check in for your Sapphire Princess cruise departing Thursday, February 13, 2020. This will require a check of every page in your passport book, and we apologize for the unavoidable delays this will cause. We appreciate your patience and understanding as this is done for the safety and health of all of our guests. As a reminder, all guests will also be subject to pre-boarding health reporting and enhanced screening at check-in, plus other precautions. Due to rapidly-changing circumstances, it is possible that local authorities in the countries on your cruise may change their entry requirements on short notice. We may also change requirements to safeguard the health and safety of guests and crew. Thank you for your attention to this notification and we look forward to welcoming you aboard Sapphire Princess.

It looks like they are not planning on cancelling our sailing (for now). Our flight leaves at 7am Monday, so we have until tomorrow evening to officially cancel. We are not going, as of now have been offered 50% future cruise credit which is actually quite a bit a less than half of what we paid due to “free” airfare credits along with additional we paid for flights from our home town. 
When making the decision a couple of days ago we didn’t expect to get anything back other than prepaid items so will be happy with that. Should the cruise get cancelled, we will see if there can be any additional credits. We were in China in November, too bad that doesn’t qualify for cancellation! 😉

[Debate]

18 minutes ago, CarolineAtSea said:

How do you get "cancel for any reason" insurance? I wish I had that now, cruise leaving in 31 days. 

Don’t feel too bad - our “cancel fir any reason” has a “epidemic” exclusion so we can’t cancel due to the virus!  

[Aus Traveller]

22 minutes ago, cruiserchuck said:

 

Many travel insurance policies offer it as an extra cost option.  However, I have read somewhere on these boards that it might not cover the Coronavirus outbreak.  This might be because most policies exclude losses caused by epidemics or pandemics. 

I have not seen 'cancel for any reason' travel insurance available to people in Australia. CarolineAtSea lists her residence as 'Victoria', likely to be Victoria in Australia.

[dog]

25 minutes ago, Debate said:

Don’t feel too bad - our “cancel fir any reason” has a “epidemic” exclusion so we can’t cancel due to the virus!  

If you have Princess Platinum insurance--i it cancel for any reason?

 

You do not have to give a reason to get back a FCC, do you?