Oceania Health Safety and Wellness at Sea Protocols (Phase one)

[njhorseman]

21 minutes ago, deadzone1003 said:

Don't most a/c units use some new air from the outside and reuse mostly re-circulated air?  If you use all outside air, the fuel cost would be astronomical, especially in the tropics.  If there is no shared air in the passenger cabins, there is really no need for filters in the cabins.  I suspect the filters are used for the public areas and hallways.  Are there a/c for the elevators?  That is one area where they really need the filters, maybe MERV 15.

See the explanation from chengkp75 that I copied into the previous post.

 

Note that air is recirculated with a cabin but not shared among cabins.

[Georgia_Peaches]

8 hours ago, ORV said:

Yet every forum here is full of people who think the prices are going to be bargain basement. Not sure of the logic on that one. 

I have a hold on a PH suite on the Riviera for March 2021.  The price with a drink package perk is $5300 for 10 nights.  We also have a hold on a concierge A4 for $4000, also with a drink package perk.  The fare does not include air as we don't need it.  As we have not sailed on Oceania yet, I'm curious.  Are these prices pretty good compared to prepandemic pricing?  They seem pretty bargain basement to me, but I really don't know.

 

For me the point of reference is our 2022, 11 night Panama canal cruise on Celebrity in a Royal Suite.  Total cost is 13K.  

[ORV]

19 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I have a hold on a PH suite on the Riviera for March 2021.  The price with a drink package perk is $5300 for 10 nights.  We also have a hold on a concierge A4 for $4000, also with a drink package perk.  The fare does not include air as we don't need it.  As we have not sailed on Oceania yet, I'm curious.  Are these prices pretty good compared to prepandemic pricing?  They seem pretty bargain basement to me, but I really don't know.

 

For me the point of reference is our 2022, 11 night Panama canal cruise on Celebrity in a Royal Suite.  Total cost is 13K.  

Are these per person or total prices?

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

Here's an explanation of how a ship's cabin AC system works that he posted on May 6 on the Holland America board:

Thank you NJH - that is very helpful.

I have always enjoyed chengkp75's clear & informative posts

[Georgia_Peaches]

2 hours ago, ORV said:

Are these per person or total prices?

Sorry should have said total price.  A4 is &2000 pp and PH on deck 11, can’t remember the number, 3 or 2 I think, is $2600pp. 

Edited June 7, 2020 by Georgia_Peaches

[LHT28]

13 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Sorry should have said total price.  A4 is &2000 pp and PH on deck 11, can’t remember the number, 3 or 2 I think, is $2600pp. 

sounds like  a very good rate  to me

[pinotlover]

Rates change on airfares daily. Rates often change on cruises. My recommendation is always to book a fare that you are happy with and don’t look back! If you’re not happy or content with the price, don’t book it! Risk and reward!

[CintiPam]

49 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Sorry should have said total price.  A4 is &2000 pp and PH on deck 11, can’t remember the number, 3 or 2 I think, is $2600pp. 

Excellent price.  Is that a Western Caribbean cruise with several stops in Central America?

[ORV]

Gotta agree with the others ,that's a really good price for 10 days in a PH. 

[KirkNC]

12 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Yes, the air in common spaces.

 

Here's an explanation of how a ship's cabin AC system works that he posted on May 6 on the Holland America board:

 

"Nope.  There are two AC systems.  One system takes fresh outside air, cools it, and delivers it to blocks of cabins (no mixing of air, straight from outside to cabin).  This system is balanced by the bathroom exhaust, which takes air from a bank of cabins, and delivers it outside (again, no mixing between cabins, straight from cabins to outside).  The other system recirculates air within a cabin, sending it over a separate cooler, controlled by the cabin thermostat.  

 

Now, the fresh air supply system delivers slightly more air to the cabin than the bathroom exhaust takes away, keeping the cabin under a slight positive pressure, with regards to outside and the passageway, in order to keep smoke from migrating into cabins during a fire.  When you prop open the balcony door, creating a large opening, the pressure in that cabin drops to outside pressure, and the fresh air delivery system all flows to that cabin (since every other cabin is at a higher pressure, the air flows in the path of least resistance, to the one place where the pressure is lowest, the cabin with the open balcony door).  This means that all the remaining cabins receive less cool fresh air, and they start to warm up.  That is the interrelationship between cabins, but again, there is no ducting that takes air from multiple cabins and recirculates it back to multiple cabins."

 

Best HVC explanation I have ever seen.

[Georgia_Peaches]

9 hours ago, CintiPam said:

Excellent price.  Is that a Western Caribbean cruise with several stops in Central America?

Yes, Roatan, Belliz, Santo Thomas, Mexico, Key West and Harvest Caye. Plus 2 sea days.  March 10-20, 2021.

 

I felt like the prices were good based on frequent OLife brochures that we have received over the years.  We will still have some out of pocket though with a drink package upgrade, gratuities, and any enrichment activities we may do.  Even with that factored in, this particular cruise is still less than our 2022 cruise on Celebrity.

 

I know this thread was about new safety protocols but someone mentioned bargain pricing so we veered off.  Sorry for getting us off topic.

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Yes, Roatan, Belliz, Santo Thomas, Mexico, Key West and Harvest Caye. Plus 2 sea days.  March 10-20, 2021.

 

I felt like the prices were good based on frequent OLife brochures that we have received over the years.  We will still have some out of pocket though with a drink package upgrade, gratuities, and any enrichment activities we may do.  Even with that factored in, this particular cruise is still less than our 2022 cruise on Celebrity.

 

 

Too bad you did not shop around  some TAs will give  pre paid  gratuities

 

Not sure if Bingo is an enrichment activity but I think that is the only thing & the casino  you pay extra for  😉

 Enjoy

 

 

[Moby Jones]

12 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Sorry should have said total price.  A4 is &2000 pp and PH on deck 11, can’t remember the number, 3 or 2 I think, is $2600pp. 

Did you by any chance book that trip off the back of a post made elsewhere on this forum? :)

[Georgia_Peaches]

28 minutes ago, Moby Jones said:

Did you by any chance book that trip off the back of a post made elsewhere on this forum? 🙂

Actually, yes, I did!  Saw a reference to it on an NCL board and decided to check it out.  So far, I am liking what I have seen and researched.  We only have a hold at this point but we are going to move forward.  Just another example of how CC is so great with money saving tips and information!

 

Think I will dig a little deeper to see if I can find a TA who will kick in gratuities as @LHT28 has suggested.

 

[pinotlover]

A very special Thanks to NJhorseman on his excellent explanation on how the cabin cooling system(s). 🍷

 

Well done and very informative. 🍷🍷

[njhorseman]

51 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

A very special Thanks to NJhorseman on his excellent explanation on how the cabin cooling system(s). 🍷

 

Well done and very informative. 🍷🍷

Thank you, but all the credit goes to Cruise Critic's resident chief engineer, chengkp75. I just cut and pasted his explanation. 

[donaldsc]

I am not impressed.  As long as they make no effort to keep people with Covid off the ship, everything else basically worthless.  They say that they are doing temperature checks before boarding and while on board.  Numerous studies have shown that this test has a very high percentage of false negatives so the thermal tests  are basically theater.  

 

With regard to the HEPA filters that may or may not be HEPA filters, it is very difficult to retrofit a ship w HEPA filters as the ship can never be a closed system.  They may keep the COVID filters out of your cabin but once you leave the cabin all bets are off.

 

In my opinion, the only thing that might help and even this would have flaws would be to require that everyone have a swab COVID test a very short time before boarding and perhaps whenever you come back to the ship and what are the odds of this happening.  The problems with this draconian requirement are also obvious.  Some people will not test positive if they have just contracted the disease.  Unless you require that passengers be quarantined and prove that they have been quarantined in the time between when they got the test sample taken and when they board, there is still a chance that they could pick up the disease just before boarding.

 

Bottom line is that until we get a vaccine and also require that anyone without any exceptions at all can prove that they have received the vaccine, cruising and also unfortunately life will be a crap shoot.

 

DON

[LHT28]

7 hours ago, donaldsc said:

As long as they make no effort to keep people with Covid off the ship, everything else basically worthless. 

That is  impossible 

Even if they are tested on boarding one could pick it up  along the way

Testing everyone daily   would be ridiculous 

 

[pinotlover]

I just believe it is best for Don to stay safely at home, completely hunkered down. Life to too full of risks for him to even considering venturing out. 
 

Meanwhile, others of us are less risk adverse. Each to his own. 
 

After a while all this starts to sound like Teatotallers raving daily about the evils of alcohol. I recognize the dangers, don’t drink if you prefer not to, still going to enjoy my wine, save the sermons!  🍷

[ORV]

10 hours ago, donaldsc said:

cruising and also unfortunately life will be a crap shoot.

I believe it is already, and always has been.

 

While I believe in common sense precautions some of the things people have suggested are a bit overboard. I truly believe that in the long run cruising will go back pretty much to what we've always experienced, or they will go out of business. 

[Ride-The-Waves]

NCL (which includes Oceania) has provided an initial list of changes applicable to all NCL cruise lines designed to mitigate COVID-19:  https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5375/

 

Some items appear to be window dressing, such as the "enhanced" filters and temperature checks at just about every opportunity (temperature checks have not proven effective in detecting COVID-19 infections).  Reducing passenger compliments and adding additional crew, especially medical staff, will add expenses.  "Flexible" itineraries (ports not permitting cruise ship visits) just another way of saying "we don't know."  

 

It all points to increased pricing, maybe significantly increased pricing.  Loses incurred during the stand down need to be recovered in addition to the added costs for these new procedures.  Additionally, expect port costs to radically increase as ports increase procedures themselves to mitigate transmission of the virus and as insurance costs skyrocket.

 

In all, it will make for better cruising for those who can afford it.

[clo]

On 6/9/2020 at 9:54 PM, donaldsc said:

Bottom line is that until we get a vaccine and also require that anyone without any exceptions at all can prove that they have received the vaccine, cruising and also unfortunately life will be a crap shoot.

 

I think you're right...and I don't think it will ever happen.

[rallydave]

On 6/4/2020 at 8:29 AM, pinotlover said:

Interesting enough, but yesterday I was reading one of the industry’s reports. Consensus was that European and Asian ports would open up before American ones.
 

The US CDC had yet to give any details to cruise lines of any requirements they may have in order to sail again. The cruise lines can’t meet CDC directives if the CDC hasn’t announced!

The requirements are in the no-sail order

[pinotlover]

24 minutes ago, rallydave said:

The requirements are in the no-sail order

Actually, they weren’t. In one of the regular CC articles doing an interview with , I believe it was Carnival’s CEO, he stated that part of the issue is that the CDC keeps changing its guidelines, instructions, and recommendations as time progresses. This could be explained that they do so as they gain more insight and information, however at some point the cruise lines have to know exactly what they must do to restart. It can’t be instructions that changes every couple of weeks.

Edited June 15, 2020 by pinotlover

[rallydave]

8 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Actually, they weren’t. In one of the regular CC articles doing an interview with , I believe it was Carnival’s CEO, he stated that part of the issue is that the CDC keeps changing its guidelines, instructions, and recommendations as time progresses. This could be explained that they do so as they gain more insight and information, however at some point the cruise lines ha have to know exactly what they must do to restart. It can’t be instructions that changes every couple of weeks.

You are partially correct pinotlover.  The original requirements were in the no sail order.  Sure those were the requirements as the CDC understood them at that time.  with a disease like we have only the disease has control and those requirements can and will change as the disease evolves even after agreement is reached with the cruise lines.

 

Yes, it is a vicious circle with future changes  as cruise lines are trying to restart sailings but, highly doubtful the requirements will ever be cast in stone and expect changes to the requirements and protocols even after the ships return to sailings.  Unfortunate  but, a fact of life that the requirements and the cruise lines protocols and procedures will be a continually evolving process.