A cruise industry nightmare that could happen

[njhorseman]

47 minutes ago, datolim said:

You cannot buy insurance as the virus is a known risk.

Not so, at least in the US, where some insurance companies are still covering it. Suggest you read this thread, where that question is answered by insurance expert Steve Dasseos of tripinsurancestore.com :

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2751612-coverage-for-covid-19/

 

Here's mention of it: 

 

"Travel Insured and the other companies that cover the Coronavirius treat it as a normal illness assuming you don't have it when you buy it. "

 

Edited June 6, 2020 by njhorseman

[joeyancho]

I don't think the ports are the scariest thing.  The ports/countries that rely on tourism will open sooner than those that don't.  IMHO, the biggest worry is that if the first few cruises come back with people that are infected, it's over. It will be all over the news and people will lose confidence in the lines ability to keep them safe.  New York is already seeing a spike in cases because of the protests and lack of social distancing.  

[ollienbertsmum]

On 6/4/2020 at 7:10 PM, zqvol said:

 

I seriously doubt this to be true. I believe that they are going to be very hesitant to open. A few cases could devastate an island's economy.

 

A few cases can overwhelm the health service of small countries too.  That has been the big concern here in Gibraltar.  So far we have been very fortunate.  We had an early and draconian shut down and thus far an empty Nightingale hospital and no deaths.  Even though we do benefit from tourism, no one is very keen about opening up borders just yet.  It is not all about money. 

[bmwman]

20 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

 

Look closer.   It's him.  

I guess it's just slow times on the NCL board.   🙂

Agreed  it is him.  Look at when the name was created no coincidence that the other person has disappeared for a few days . Probably come claiming he has been in LV and everything is "opening up"  which as we all know is total nonsense as compared to the high seas.

 

Look at the name an the what he used to do. I suspect the 11 has finally been banned for some of his awful comments and the fact he would argue with anyone. The problem was he could not answer questions and would simply argue for the sake of it. 

 

 

[MsTabbyKats]

13 hours ago, datolim said:

You watch to this one hour of video?

It is just one man opinion given it is we'll made.

You cannot buy insurance as the virus is a known risk.

Eliminating elevators, no mask are all matters that is yet to be decided by the cruise industry. Theatre turn extra charge dinner theatre is just bizarre. 

We just don't know what they will do.  Bottom line, for me anyway, is that I cruise to enjoy myself.  Sitting in a corner and reading a book just doesn't do it.

 

Even if they reduce capacity to 50%, in order to accommodate social distancing....let's say on a tender....they'd have to reduce capacity to 1/3.  Same thing with the MDR , theatre, lido, seating on the private islands, excursions etc.  So you have half the people competing for 1/3 of the room.  Not good.  And no profit unless the prices go way up.

[jakeT]

HOW ABOUT. !!!!!!

Do cruise lines want to port in a place where there guest might get infected with the virus??   Then have a ship full of sick people.  Not good for company image 

[cementhands]

12 hours ago, ollienbertsmum said:

 

A few cases can overwhelm the health service of small countries too.  That has been the big concern here in Gibraltar.  So far we have been very fortunate.  We had an early and draconian shut down and thus far an empty Nightingale hospital and no deaths.  Even though we do benefit from tourism, no one is very keen about opening up borders just yet.  It is not all about money. 

Hospital beds in The Caribbean are very limited. So it’s a big concern for a possible outbreak from cruise ship passengers and crew. Economic issues are being weighed versus cost of an outbreak. It can be a horrific experience on a ventilator. We know 3 friends who have passed away from covid19. One a healthy girl in her 30’s.

[npcl]

44 minutes ago, cementhands said:

Hospital beds in The Caribbean are very limited. So it’s a big concern for a possible outbreak from cruise ship passengers and crew. Economic issues are being weighed versus cost of an outbreak. It can be a horrific experience on a ventilator. We know 3 friends who have passed away from covid19. One a healthy girl in her 30’s.

I expect that in most Caribbean ports you will see land tourism open up before cruise ships are allowed in.

 

St. Lucia is a good example

Phase 1 of the responsible phased reopening which starts on June 4th will only apply to air travel

 

Visitors must be tested for Covid-19 up to a maximum of 48 hours before their flight to Saint Lucia. They must be certified Covid free to be able to travel. As of May 18, details are being finalized regarding at which points consumers will be required to present the COVID-19 certificate. This procedure will be finalized shortly.

 

All travellers must wear a face mask during the flight and in the airport in Saint Lucia.

 

All travelers must continue the use of face masks on arrival in Saint Lucia. 

 

All travellers will be subject to screening and temperature checks by port health authorities in Saint Lucia.

 

From arrival into Saint Lucia, at the airport, the airport transfers (ground transportation), and the stay at the hotel – throughout the visit guests are being cared for. Public health protocols including (though not limited to) physical distancing, regular temperature checks, wearing masks and enhanced hygiene measures will be observed.

 

No car hire services are not available in Phase 1. However authorized taxi services are available.

 

Travellers must wear masks in all public areas of resorts and hotels, as well as in airport and during all transfers.

 

 

As St Lucia puts it

 

Tourism contributes 65% of the island’s GDP therefore we cannot remain closed indefinitely.

 

The phased approach to reopening has been an inclusive and collaborative process; the national COVID-19 Response Task Force has held several segment meetings to receive input from a wide range of stakeholder groups.

 

The Chief Medical Officer and the COVID-19 Response Task Force have played a leading role in the development of the re-opening programme.

 

Saint Lucia at present has recorded a 100% recovery rate of all positive cases and have conducted rigid contact tracing.

 

With the reopening, the health and safety of the population and visitors remain of highest importance and will guide the protocols being observed.

 

[ollienbertsmum]

11 hours ago, npcl said:

I expect that in most Caribbean ports you will see land tourism open up before cruise ships are allowed in.

 

 

 

 I absolutely agree.  The idea of thousands visiting and leaving on a daily basis just sees to me to be a COVID nightmare waiting to happen.  

 

I have no idea of location because I have never travelled to the Caribbean but the idea of a cruise to Great Stirrup Cay and staying there overnight seems to me to be a good way to start cruising - or somewhere else that you could stop overnight and use a dedicated hotel complex that can be thoroughly cleaned when the passengers leave.  It is all about limiting the spread of this disease.  

 

Cementhands’ knows how it is.  We have to contain the transmission of this beast.  

[Newleno]

On 6/5/2020 at 7:33 AM, beerman2 said:

There have been no posts from Seaman11 recently which is abnormal. He is either banned for a week or changed name

Sometimes this happens forever, never to return with original screen name.

[vpearlkc]

4 hours ago, ollienbertsmum said:

 I absolutely agree.  The idea of thousands visiting and leaving on a daily basis just sees to me to be a COVID nightmare waiting to happen.  

 

I have no idea of location because I have never travelled to the Caribbean but the idea of a cruise to Great Stirrup Cay and staying there overnight seems to me to be a good way to start cruising - or somewhere else that you could stop overnight and use a dedicated hotel complex that can be thoroughly cleaned when the passengers leave.  It is all about limiting the spread of this disease.  

 

Cementhands’ knows how it is.  We have to contain the transmission of this beast.  

 

We have visited Great Stirrup cay only once about three and a half ago and it was just a tiny cay, little more than a sandbar really, with a beach and very little else to do. The day we went we got off the ship early because we have a friend of my sister in laws who worked on the island. I'm glad we did because soon after our tender left the ship the water got rough and they quit tendering until early afternoon. I have seen a lot of posts on this forum saying that making a stop at Great Stirrup Cay is hit or miss. There is also, I believe, the question of whether the casino could open while the ship is ported in the Bahamas. 

[ECCruise]

On 6/4/2020 at 2:25 PM, Navyskip said:

They will not sail to any country that ports are closed. They make arraingment well in advance. 

Not true.

When we set sail at the end of February, all our ports were open and confirmed.  Until they weren't.  And at 6 of the 7 remaining ports we were banned from arrival.  Including the disembarkation port.  The announcements for closing came, in some cases, less than 24 hours before arrival.

Another in a myriad of reasons that we are not sailing until this thing shakes out.

And that likely not until 2021. Have cancelled or moved 6 cruises between October and December.  Next one on the bubble is the last day of January.

[ollienbertsmum]

1 hour ago, vpearlkc said:

 

We have visited Great Stirrup cay only once about three and a half ago and it was just a tiny cay, little more than a sandbar really, with a beach and very little else to do. The day we went we got off the ship early because we have a friend of my sister in laws who worked on the island. I'm glad we did because soon after our tender left the ship the water got rough and they quit tendering until early afternoon. I have seen a lot of posts on this forum saying that making a stop at Great Stirrup Cay is hit or miss. There is also, I believe, the question of whether the casino could open while the ship is ported in the Bahamas. 

Ok so perhaps not such a bright idea.  

[mking8288]

GSC is a tender stop and it's always a 50:50 chance of whether it is a successful trip of the ship going there, and typically one mega/+ ship being there at a time, maybe 2 mid-size ships being okay (NOT if social distancing rules are in place).  Spacing on the double decker Norway 1 and 2 (typically 400+ max. capacity) will be reduced, not good either.  Over nearly 20 years, we made it about half the time only on 10 scheduled stops.

 

Ship can be denied entry into a port on a last minute by port/local public health officials, and that happened when there was Norovirus outbreak.  Hawaii and Florida, like other foreign ports yanked the welcome mats to cruise ships not too long ago and refused disembarkation, how easy some folks forget ... maybe I am confused, stand corrected.  

 

Last night, I checked the Manila Bay - there are still 20+ cruise ships anchored in the harbor, waiting to repatriate the crews onboard ... and more ships heading there, including the Norwegian Escape due to arrive in early July.  

 

Miami-Dade, Broward & Palm Beach continue to be hotspots for the COVID-19 pandemic, lagging behind the rest of Florida in moving toward phase 2 of reopening.   Latest data/source is (click) here.

 

NOAA forecast warned of an active 2020 hurricane season with above average # of storms for the Americas ... no way to become storm chasers at sea running from the southern ports this year. 

[Waquoit]

I wonder how many people will be willing to spend the money for a cruise under these new conditions. It doesn't sound like much fun.

[Newleno]

2 minutes ago, Waquoit said:

I wonder how many people will be willing to spend the money for a cruise under these new conditions. It doesn't sound like much fun.

i would, i want to cruise

[Waquoit]

Just now, Newleno said:

i would, i want to cruise

OK, there's one. Another 3,999 or so and we can fill one boat.

[ollienbertsmum]

I have just seen a promotional video that has made me even more concerned just about how travel will restart.  

 

Ryanair sent me a video to reassure me that they are keeping planes safe.  One of the points was thermal imaging as you enter the airport.  That is fine as a precaution, but I am wondering what would happen if you have a high temperature for a number of reasons?  If I fail the scan when I walk into work, that is fine, I go home until I can get tested.  What if I fail the scan at the airport on the way home from my cruise???  I might be denied boarding the plane for ‘just’ a throat infection or having been in the sun too much on the last day at sea. ....    or do we all dose up with paracetamol before we head out the the airport which is irresponsible and defeats the object of temperature scans.  

 

I am not going to book a trip, cruise or otherwise, if there is a chance that I am going to miss my flight and not get back to work the next day.    Am I overthinking this nightmare?

Edited June 7, 2020 by ollienbertsmum
Got an and muddled with a but

[Noworkforme23]

2 hours ago, Newleno said:

i would, i want to cruise

Add me in. 

[podgeandrodge]

2 hours ago, Noworkforme23 said:

Add me in. 

 

Yep me and the wife too!

Edited June 7, 2020 by podgeandrodge

[podgeandrodge]

On 6/6/2020 at 5:40 AM, joeyancho said:

 New York is already seeing a spike in cases because of the protests and lack of social distancing.  

This true?

[Charles4515]

This true?

That is not what I have read.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[mking8288]

1 hour ago, podgeandrodge said:

This true?

 

Perhaps true in other parts of the United States and fear of such later on this month/early summer in NY and other cities with major unrest and arrest.  There is, currently, no specific data that suggest a spike in cases attributed 10 days of protests in the NY area, not from officially NYC and/or NYS DOHM sources compiled, not yet (at least.)  

 

Multi live stream video feeds that we'v seen in the past week, indicated that most in these public gathering worn some sort of masks or facial covering, although social distancing wasn't well maintained, maybe 1 meter at best, not 2 meters as recommended.  For those that're arrested and held in holding cells after the citywide curfew, the risks and exposure to asymtomatic virus carriers are definitely higher.  Source/link is here - CBSNY.

 

Free Covid-19 testing is now offered and widely available in the NY area and those that participated in these protests have been urged to get tested.  There is a lag time between exposure to becoming symptomatic, and not all do, getting tested and results being available/posted of anywhere from 1 to as much as 3 to 4 weeks - but mainly too soon to tell.  

 

Number of NY residents testing positive, new hospital & ICU admissions, and death associated with Covid-19 for the past 7 days and 30 days has been trending downward and going lower.  NY's contact tracers have been recruited, trained and will be doing their work to track and figure out the source of new infections, whether it is community based and with links to being in the civil protest gatherings.   NYC finally join the rest of the state tomorrow and move into phase 1 of 4 in the Pause reopening and that in itself raised concerns about folks using the mass transit.   Fingers crossed.

 

Long answer but I would be curious as to poster's source.  It is certainly possible but my opinion, that is speculative at best, at this moment.  I have not seen any advisory and/or alert bulletins pushed out to the HAN subscribers from NYS/C DOH.  

[npcl]

5 hours ago, ollienbertsmum said:

I have just seen a promotional video that has made me even more concerned just about how travel will restart.  

 

Ryanair sent me a video to reassure me that they are keeping planes safe.  One of the points was thermal imaging as you enter the airport.  That is fine as a precaution, but I am wondering what would happen if you have a high temperature for a number of reasons?  If I fail the scan when I walk into work, that is fine, I go home until I can get tested.  What if I fail the scan at the airport on the way home from my cruise???  I might be denied boarding the plane for ‘just’ a throat infection or having been in the sun too much on the last day at sea. ....    or do we all dose up with paracetamol before we head out the the airport which is irresponsible and defeats the object of temperature scans.  

 

I am not going to book a trip, cruise or otherwise, if there is a chance that I am going to miss my flight and not get back to work the next day.    Am I overthinking this nightmare?

Will be interesting in the fall when normal cold/flu season starts up.  Temperature checks might keep more non-COVID infected  people from traveling than actually catching COVID infected people when we get to that time of the year.