Will Corona Virus Stop You Cruising?

[Quo Vadis?]

Still cruising on Silhouette but we will be driving next week rather than flying to Florida.

 

I've had my flu shot but not the Corona shot... (not the beer)

For all those who think the flu is worse.. the chance of dying from the Corona virus if it happens to find you, is 10 times as great... unless the Spanish Flu makes a comeback.

 

 

[Wendylaguna]

BTW . just cruised through the Straights of Hormez in December...no problem there!!  Ship did a great job of making us feel safe.  No Asia for awhile for me but will do and Alaska and TA this year 🙂

[az_tchr]

On 2/15/2020 at 7:45 PM, xjeddax said:

No. The only thing it would stop me doing is going to China.

 

I admit my cruise is low-risk - it is in 3 weeks and it is in NZ and Australia (and the ship is in NZ now so I imagine it will stay close ahead of my sailing). There are only 15 confirmed cases in Australia (one at my work though), the numbers are not growing, and none in NZ. If they keep maintaining border control then we have nothing to worry about.

Pretty soon border control will need to be relaxed. The World economy otherwise will slowly halt. Think about what it would mean if all the products made in China went away!

[volk904]

We just returned from a week on the Summit out of San Juan.  At work everybody wants to know if we were worried about being quarantined because they all keep seeing the news on the Diamond Princess from Japan.  

With the Anthem scare being false and the new boarding measures in place we were comfortable on the cruise and had a great time. So far all the cruise issues have been in the Far East around China.  As long as it stays over there I am ok.  
That said if I was planning a cruise later this year I would be sure to have top line cruise insurance by the all due date that allowed cancellation for any reason.   

 

 

 

[lucymorgan]

On 2/13/2020 at 7:43 AM, DrKoob said:

To them, I want to point out the following:

• The ships we see in the news that are quarantined predominately sail in Asian markets and the cruises on those ships are being sold primarily to Asians.
• There are a few Westerners who take those cruises because that is when they can cruise but our news media knows that we relate better to people who look like us, so they cover those Americans and Canadians. This makes it look like there are bunch of Westerners on board when there are actually very few.

I pretty sure it isn't true that these cruises are being sold primarily to Asians.  We were on the Westerdam (one of the Coronavirus affected ships) last March cruising Japan, Taiwan, South Korea.  The vast majority of pax were Australian, American, Canadian, British, European.  There were actually far more apparent  'westerners' than apparent 'non-westerners' - not that you can judge who is westerner by their appearance anyway 🤔.    It was cherry blossom time too so there were many 'westerners' pre and post cruise staying in Tokyo/Yokohama.  

 

I returned recently from a cruise to NZ from Sydney with a flu and then later an associated bacterial infection.  My doc explained that despite having had the flu injection last April (next should be available in Australia this April), the flu changes and someone from the Northern Hemisphere on the ship probably gave me a Northern Hemisphere version not covered by the last Australian flu injection.  My lesson from that is although not foolproof, I should get the flu injection more than once per year to keep cruising (special order needed if out of normal flu season). https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/Influenza/Pages/travellers.aspx

 

(edit: and I am meticulous about cleaning and avoiding possibly infected surfaces/places)

 

We don't have any further cruises booked yet - will wait to see how this all goes

Edited February 18, 2020 by lucymorgan

[Edinburghgirl1]

I too disagree that the cruises in Asia are primarily for Asians. I have sailed on the Millenium twice from Singapore and Asians were in the minority on both those cruises. I would say Europeans, Australians and Americans made up the bulk of the passengers. 

[Beanb41]

WE were scheduled to be on the Constellation 17 March on the B2B to Rome but with the change of embarkation port and the increased costs of getting to Dubai and subsequently back to NZ we have pulled the plug. The low immunity of my wife and the risk of the virus make Singapore a no go area for us currently

[travelpeon]

4 hours ago, lucymorgan said:

I returned recently from a cruise to NZ from Sydney with a flu and then later an associated bacterial infection.  My doc explained that despite having had the flu injection last April (next should be available in Australia this April), the flu changes and someone from the Northern Hemisphere on the ship probably gave me a Northern Hemisphere version not covered by the last Australian flu injection.  My lesson from that is although not foolproof, I should get the flu injection more than once per year to keep cruising (special order needed if out of normal flu season). https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/Influenza/Pages/travellers.aspx

 

(edit: and I am meticulous about cleaning and avoiding possibly infected surfaces/places)

 

We don't have any further cruises booked yet - will wait to see how this all goes

 

The how and why of what goes into each seasonal flu vaccine is interesting https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/vaccine-selection.htm https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/faq-flu-season-2019-2020.htm

 

You can also see the flu shot effectiveness for US by flu season

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/effectiveness-studies.htm

Yes, far from foolproof.

 

https://www.statnews.com/2019/10/14/updated-guide-changing-science-flu-shots/

 

I'm sorry to hear the NZ/AU flu season may have already started and that you caught it.  I thought April 2019 was early but it is only Feb!  Perhaps a Northern Hemisphere traveler imported it.

[lucymorgan]

12 minutes ago, travelpeon said:

 

I'm sorry to hear the NZ/AU flu season may have already started and that you caught it.  I thought April 2019 was early but it is only Feb!  Perhaps a Northern Hemisphere traveler imported it.

Thanks travelpeon - that is certainly what my doctor thinks (a northern hemisphere traveller).  I have self isolated for a couple of weeks to avoid being responsible for spread (especially as I volunteer at a seniors centre) and I am feeling better now.

it could just as easily happen in reverse - a Southern Hemisphere traveller importing the flu to the northern hemisphere depending on the time of year (as the flu seasons in each are usually around winter time and our seasons are reversed and we get different recommendations based on what has happened in the other hemisphere)

Edited February 18, 2020 by lucymorgan

[JOHN474]

I am torn. Just before China opened up about the extent of this outbreak, I booked several back to back cruises In Europe, Ireland and Iceland. The first is a repositioning cruise from Florida to Southampton. I booked mid April to Mid June 2020. Unfortunately now all the cruises have been paid and are within 90 days. If this outbreak had become public one month earlier, I would NOT have booked any of the cruises. Because of Mainland China not acting sooner, this spread widely in China before China finally acted and were semi transparent to the public. I love cruising but in the next year, until they get a vaccine, or the virus somehow dies out, there is a risk on any cruise ship, anywhere in the world, that one person could carry it onto the cruise ship and the ship could be quarantined. All things being equal, I would have delayed making travel plans outside the US if I had known in time.  My wife wants to cancel and take a hit on 5 back to back cruises. If China had not his this possible pandemic from the world for a month, I would not have booked any of these 5 cruises. I will probably wait a bit to see if any additional cruise ships, somewhere in the world, get quarantined before cancelling 5 cruises. IF ADDITIONAL SHIPS GET QUARANTINED, OUTSIDE OF ASIA, NO ONE WILL WANT TO TAKE A CRUISE. I am hoping for the best. I WILL NOT BOOK ANY ADDITIONAL CRUISES, UNTIL THIS SITUATION CLEARS UP 100% .  In a worse case scenario, if this outbreak does turn into a worldwide pandemic, it could bankrupt the cruise lines, and put all countries into a recession. I AM HOPING FOR A MIRACLE.

[sfaaa]

On 2/17/2020 at 11:18 AM, az_tchr said:

Pretty soon border control will need to be relaxed. The World economy otherwise will slowly halt. Think about what it would mean if all the products made in China went away!

Lot of empty parking space at Walmart.

Edited February 19, 2020 by sfaaa

[Kylie]

We are on the Constellation right now in the Arabian Sea.   Heard 600 canceled or had to so the ship is quiet. We have yet to wait in a line or look for a table/chair.   Crew is the friendliest ever.  
We are not worried about corona but taking precautions with hand washing and hoping to stay healthy.   

[Boatharbour]

On 2/18/2020 at 4:46 PM, Edinburghgirl1 said:

I too disagree that the cruises in Asia are primarily for Asians. I have sailed on the Millenium twice from Singapore and Asians were in the minority on both those cruises. I would say Europeans, Australians and Americans made up the bulk of the passengers. 

I agree with you. Our sailing from Tokyo to HK last November / December  was definitely not predominantly Asian. Canadian, American, European and Australian passengers far outnumbered Asian passengers. 

[paphoslady]

On 2/14/2020 at 3:26 PM, micheleata said:

We leave in 16 days are have not once thought of cancelling.   First time on the Edge!

 

We are bringing extra medications, extra Clorex wipes, some books and magazines.   We will wash our hands often, try not to touch anything and wipe down our cabin extra good.   (Along with our hotel room & airline seat/tray/armrests.)

We leave in 8 days for a 14 day cruise, are we concerned yes a little. Did we think of cancelling, no way! I've stocked up on hand gel and wipes! We watched a very interesting UK news item about the new coronavirus apart from China it's not out there in the general population. Yes there have been isolated cases in other countries often linked to people who have travelled to the Far East. Outside of China the majority of people are getting mild symptoms. I'd be more concerned about the flu, I get vaccinated every year as does my partner.

[lasvegaswinner1]

5 hours ago, paphoslady said:

We leave in 8 days for a 14 day cruise, are we concerned yes a little. Did we think of cancelling, no way! I've stocked up on hand gel and wipes! We watched a very interesting UK news item about the new coronavirus apart from China it's not out there in the general population. Yes there have been isolated cases in other countries often linked to people who have travelled to the Far East. Outside of China the majority of people are getting mild symptoms. I'd be more concerned about the flu, I get vaccinated every year as does my partner.

 

[lasvegaswinner1]

1 minute ago, lasvegaswinner1 said:

Curad Disposable Medical Latex Gloves,  I'm not touching anybody or anything on plane or cruise without wearing gloves

 

[Maid Marion 2]

No won't stop us.  😷

[girljerk]

My husband and I have been on several Asia sailings. As some other posters have related, the Asia trips tend to be mostly Australians, Americans and UK citizens in our experience. Yes, we will continue to sail. I have caught the extremely contagious norovirus  and a respiratory illness while sailing from China once. Many on the ship had it. I always carry a medical kit when we travel now. The ship board doctor has the basic meds I have, but, I feel it is much easier to come prepared with a basic kit including bandaids, ibuprofen, musinex, tums, etc. in addition to any prescription medications. 
 

Sherri

[farawayatsea]

When this question was posed last week most cruisers said they are not worried and the outbreak will have little or no impact on their cruising plans.

 

I'm wondering if now with the spread to Korea and Italy and Iran if everyone still feels the same way??

[BigAl94]

On 2/19/2020 at 4:22 PM, lasvegaswinner1 said:

 

Wont help prevent an airborne virus!

[Pushka]

32 minutes ago, farawayatsea said:

When this question was posed last week most cruisers said they are not worried and the outbreak will have little or no impact on their cruising plans.

 

I'm wondering if now with the spread to Korea and Italy and Iran if everyone still feels the same way??

I suspect we won’t have any choice and that things will be taken out of our hands. 

[tomcruiser1234]

Yes. Temporarily but not sure when or where

No, not forever

[CTBob]

1 hour ago, farawayatsea said:

When this question was posed last week most cruisers said they are not worried and the outbreak will have little or no impact on their cruising plans.

 

I'm wondering if now with the spread to Korea and Italy and Iran if everyone still feels the same way??

We are scheduled for the Edge transatlantic ending in Rome and I am getting more concerned every day.  If we hadn't already made final payment I probably would have canceled.  CTBob

[Virgo61]

We just returned from a 1 week sailing on the Edge followed by a 1 week sailing on the Princess Regal. They were both in the Caribbean. We were not too worried about getting sick except for the common cold which we frequently get after a cruise. After a week at home we are both fine. One of our travel companions, who spent several days at our home before and after the cruise, ran a fever for 2 nights but is now recovered. I have 5 future cruises booked. The one I am concerned about is the next one at the end of June, which leaves from Civitavecchia. We are spending 2 nights pre cruise in Rome. Italy is having a significant outbreak of Corona. We've already paid for 6 airline tickets and final payment on 3 Sky Suites is 1 month away. 

[Cruise a holic]

Just now, Virgo61 said:

We just returned from a 1 week sailing on the Edge followed by a 1 week sailing on the Princess Regal. They were both in the Caribbean. We were not too worried about getting sick except for the common cold which we frequently get after a cruise. After a week at home we are both fine. One of our travel companions, who spent several days at our home before and after the cruise, ran a fever for 2 nights but is now recovered. I have 5 future cruises booked. The one I am concerned about is the next one at the end of June, which leaves from Civitavecchia. We are spending 2 nights pre cruise in Rome. Italy is having a significant outbreak of Corona. We've already paid for 6 airline tickets and final payment on 3 Sky Suites is 1 month away. 

If the cruise is cancelled, will Celebrity give you 100% refund?  Any compensation for airfare-or will the airline give you a no penalty change of flights?