HEALTHY 70+ CRUISERS, ARE YOU STILL A GO?

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I just checked in for my April 25 cruise (24 nights) and ordered my luggage tags.  And I have every intention of taking my August cruises to and from Iceland/Greenland.  And, yes, I am over 70.  All this hype is ridiculous.  More people die from the flu than from this virus, but you don't hear about that 24/7.

[Cachecara]

5 hours ago, helen haywood said:

I’m 69 and my spouse is 72.  Both of us are in good health with no underlying issues.  Have a cruise scheduled for the end of this month.  Am I afraid of catching the virus on board?  No.  Am I afraid of winding up like the Grand Princess cruisers in quarantine?  Yes!  Haven’t decided whether to cancel or not yet.  Will probably be based on how the Grand saga goes...unless someone can convince me that the Grand developed from circumstances that would not occur on a Caribbean cruise out of Florida...

This is how my DH and I feel about our July 12th Bermuda.  It’s one thing to be sick and quarantined at home and an entirely different situation to be quarantined in a stateroom. 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Just now, Cachecara said:

This is how my DH and I feel about our July 12th Bermuda.  It’s one thing to be sick and quarantined at home and an entirely different situation to be quarantined in a stateroom. 

 

Well, if I'm going to be sick and quarantined, I'll take on a ship in a suite with a butler and a cabin attendant and a cook to take care of me any day.  I don't have staff at home.

[LMaxwell]

Just now, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

Well, if I'm going to be sick and quarantined, I'll take on a ship in a suite with a butler and a cabin attendant and a cook to take care of me any day.  I don't have staff at home.

 

That's not how quarantine works, but OK. 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

1 minute ago, LMaxwell said:

 

That's not how quarantine works, but OK. 

 

I believe that's exactly how it works.  You are confined to your cabin.

[wallysdtr]

6 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

I just checked in for my April 25 cruise (24 nights) and ordered my luggage tags.  And I have every intention of taking my August cruises to and from Iceland/Greenland.  And, yes, I am over 70.  All this hype is ridiculous.  More people die from the flu than from this virus, but you don't hear about that 24/7.

Exactly!  The flu issue is much worse.  We are scheduled for the March 23 cruise out of Ft Lauderdale on the Reflection.  2 other couples booked with us and they have never cruised.  One couple we believe will be cancelling.   My husband and I are not.  Even though we are 66 & 67, we are in great health.  

[helen haywood]

You are confined to your cabin.  You are delivered meals.  If you read the experiences of the Grand Princess passengers, some waited over three hours for dinner...some went to bed without.  No cruise line will be proficient in delivering three meals a day to every cabin on board.

[LMaxwell]

3 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

I believe that's exactly how it works.  You are confined to your cabin.

 

Yes, but you are not going to have room steward and butler service.  Normal cruise services cease.  Although if stuck on a ship I agree in a large suite would be better than other rooms

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

11 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

 

Yes, but you are not going to have room steward and butler service.  Normal cruise services cease.  Although if stuck on a ship I agree in a large suite would be better than other rooms

 

And you know this because?

[LMaxwell]

1 minute ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

And you know this because?

 

Current Events...

 

Under quarantine a cruise ceases to be a cruise.  It is isolation.  It is not fun or relaxing.  There is no entertainment. The butler is not coming to perform standard services. 

[missm]

To each their own, I guess. We've done many, many cruises and can say honestly that we've never had a bad one.  With that said, we are NOT willing to roll the dice with covid19.  If, heaven forbid, one of us gets sick, we want to be here at home where we have the best medical care available and not on a ship in a third-world country with "iffy" medical facilities. Cruises are entertainment, fun, and enrichment activities for us and can wait until there is a vaccine. There are no guarantees for any trip, but we prefer to hedge our bets and wait this one out.

[cscurlock]

2 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

 

Current Events...

 

Under quarantine a cruise ceases to be a cruise.  It is isolation.  It is not fun or relaxing.  There is no entertainment. The butler is not coming to perform standard services. 

There will be minimal staff interaction due to the virus and they will also be under quarantine.  You will most likely be stuck on the ship for a minimum of 14 days.  Then you will be taken to an external facility for another 14 days.  Addon cruise days to that and your looking at over a month+ away.  I would also check to see what the policy is for quarantine and if you will be responsible for maintenance fees during the time under quarantine.

[Orator]

3 hours ago, Argo. said:

We are on board silhouette right now for three cruises.  Our cruise, less than one day old has already had two interruptions . 
 With the virus confirmed on Grand Princess, the solution to getting other passengers off the ship will determine whether we take the risk of staying on board.

I turn 77 in May.  I want to be home to celebrate not confined to a ship or internment for weeks if stuff happens.

The "interruptions" were not related to Coronavirus .A passenger fell from a higher deck to deck 5 and was unfortunately killed.

Edited March 7, 2020 by Orator

[Fouremco]

11 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

And you know this because?

Media coverage of both the Diamond Princess and the Grand Princess, not to mention the hundreds of videos made by the passengers detailing their conditions.

[twentyknots]

I''m 74, wife 68.  Both in good shape with no health issues. The jury is still out if we're going in 5 weeks.  We really want to and have great deal on the Reflection, but I'm the worrier and I know how I will react if someone coughs around me. My instincts tell me to cancel and I've learned to trust those instincts. 

Edited March 7, 2020 by twentyknots
correction

[Sunny32825]

We are both healthy over 75's and we intend to sail from Barcelona on the Infinity on June 2nd. We will be well stocked with hand sanitizer.

[Quo Vadis?]

2 hours ago, mafig said:

 

May I ask what were the two interruptions?

Medical evacuation at dinner time,

tragic death around 11 with a fall from a balcony.

police came on board this morning while we were moored in Miami.

[tvlgoddess]

56 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

Well, if I'm going to be sick and quarantined, I'll take on a ship in a suite with a butler and a cabin attendant and a cook to take care of me any day.  I don't have staff at home.

Give your head a shake!!  You are going to be disappointed...there will next to no one taking care of you!

[Scottygirl1]

58 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

I believe that's exactly how it works.  You are confined to your cabin.

 

No, it's not how it works.  You won't have a cabin attendant or a butler.  Your meals (such as they are in disposable plastic trays) will be left outside your room.  You have to change your own bed, clean your own room and bathroom.  I don't think that sounds like fun to me especially as you are then at the added risk of becoming sick.  We have certainly cancelled our cruise.

[Scottygirl1]

45 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

And you know this because?

 

Because that is exactly what happened on the Diamond Princess.  Did you not follow that closely?  The time spent in their cabins was dreadful.  They were given a dust pan to clean the floor, towels were dumped outside the door and the ONLY contact was with a medical professional in full face mask and gown at the door to test for the virus.  

[Oceangoer2]

3 hours ago, mafig said:

If you're on the fence, don't watch CNN.

 

I just had it on and they had a banner running along the bottom of the screen saying

 

Corona Virus is the Angel of Death for older cruisers.

 

😱

Can you please give us the total context this was taken from?  Anyone could have printed this, CNN quoted them in the banner, and CNN may have been reacting to it just as you are.  We follow the news from many sources and always take all the comments in their entirety before making judgement on their accuracy or veracity.  Never know who makes statements like this these days.

Edited March 7, 2020 by oceangoer2

[TMLAalum]

It's not the cruise it's the chance of quarantine!

All it takes is one other cruiser afflicted with COVID-19 to result in a situation ala the 2 Princess ships. So for us, as healthy 70+ folks, that fear is what would cause us to cancel. I can't imagine being confined to a cabin for weeks, no matter how suite that cabin may be. In an inside cabin it would be even more challenging to endure. Hopefully, our August Europe cruise will still be a go, but who knows? 

 

I've started thinking about the logistics of managing a quarantine at sea- making sure enough medications are with you to last an extended time, having bills on auto-pay, etc. And this is speaking as retirees without work obligations and as empty-nesters whose kids are grown and on their own.

[Oceangoer2]

13 minutes ago, Scottygirl1 said:

 

Because that is exactly what happened on the Diamond Princess.  Did you not follow that closely?  The time spent in their cabins was dreadful.  They were given a dust pan to clean the floor, towels were dumped outside the door and the ONLY contact was with a medical professional in full face mask and gown at the door to test for the virus.  

I wondered how housekeeping etc was being handled during this awful but necessary  detention. 

[Oceangoer2]

1 hour ago, helen haywood said:

You are confined to your cabin.  You are delivered meals.  If you read the experiences of the Grand Princess passengers, some waited over three hours for dinner...some went to bed without.  No cruise line will be proficient in delivering three meals a day to every cabin on board.

 

In addition to a good supply of meds, sounds as if a large cache of protein bars should be in a carry on as well.

[Pushka]

5 hours ago, sippican said:

 

Can you explain why you think cruising is more reckless and a bigger risk than grocery shopping, pumping gas, eating out, etc.? Are you planning not to participate in any of those activities?

I have to say that cruising is completely different to any of these scenarios. We are in our sixties and still working so our decision to probably cancel our Med Edge cruise is based on the fact that we could be quarantined on the ship then quarantined before we can get back home. We can not afford 4 weeks holiday and 4 weeks quarantine. We aren't concerned about getting the virus. 
 

If you develop the virus from say shopping, you simply work from home. You know your local health resources. Online grocery shopping. Work from home. 
 

With a cruise, despite the health checks on embarkation, you are going to spend 10-12 days mixing with around 3000 people who come from all different cultural and societal norms, and in reality you cannot escape them if something happens. You are at the complete mercy of the Ports authority and the local Government. Away from all your support systems. 
 

It is the length of time of exposure that puts you at greatest risk and even a plane at 12 hours doesn't come close to the length of time on a cruise.