Will there be electronic onboard contact tracing on X.?

[Tapi]

2 hours ago, amevola said:

Contact tracing may be more effective, but can you imagine the reaction of some of those NOT contacted?  I am not someone who would care, but there are many nervous people out there who would be furious if they were not contacted even if there were "proof" that they had not been in contact with an infected person.

That makes me think of something that happened at my kids' school. They had a teacher who tested positive for COVID. The school decided to impose a quarantine on people who had been in contact or near this teacher, and then made an announcement that others could quarantine voluntarily if they wanted to do so. Thankfully this happened before classes began so students were not present yet, but it shows how contact tracing works. Target those were most likely affected, but still inform the public of the situation so that they can take their own precautions.

[Fouremco]

6 hours ago, hcat said:

We would not cruise with those types of wrist  bands.  Too much "big brother" .Guess MSC not for us..esp the big ships!

Ships' crews are far too busy to delve into tracking information just to see where @hcat might have been during the course of a cruise, unless they have a specific need to do so. As others have pointed out, everything from the ships' extensive video coverage to the use of your Seapass already tracks your movements throughout the ship, so the bands don't diminish your privacy. On the other hand, they do offer another tool in the fight against COVID-19, and I would be more than happy to wear one. 

[sanger727]

6 hours ago, amevola said:

Why can't MSC, or any cruiseline, simply assume that everyone has been in touch with everyone else on the ship?  Why do they need a bracelet?

 

 

What if on day 4 of the cruise someone comes down with an upper respiratory infection; they do a rapid test; and they test positive for COVID. Obviously this person and their entire traveling party are stuck in their cabins for the rest of the cruise. But for the overall experience of the other cruisers it would be much better to be able to find the 50 people they had close contacts with to quarantine for the remainder of the cruise instead of the entire ship. 

[Fouremco]

8 hours ago, amevola said:

Why can't MSC, or any cruiseline, simply assume that everyone has been in touch with everyone else on the ship?  Why do they need a bracelet?

 

The bracelet enables MSC to identify those passengers most likely to have been exposed and to focus their limited medical resources accordingly. 

[hcat]

Agree to disagree!

Willing to sacrifice some privacy and freedom overall but tis a  slippery slope.  Not worth it for a cruise.

 

Better  use of this trchnology  is to track offenders with ankle monitors ..

[Covepointcruiser]

Sounds like an excellent idea to me.   If you stay in a suite you don’t often use your cruise card so that method of tracking only works for those who purchase drinks.   It will be a while u til we return to 2019 type cruising.    Disney uses those bracelets on land when you stay in a Disney resort.   I wasn’t aware they could track our movements unless they were tracking when you used your bracelet to enter parks, enter your room, purchase food, drinks, merchandise or use for a fast pass entry to a ride.

 

Believe they are already supposed to be able to track ankle bracelets, but they don’t seem to be able so in a timely matter.    Offenders often have the skills to remove them.

[upwarduk]

20 hours ago, bama4cruisin said:

 

 

It it sounds exactly like the Princess Medallion.  We cruised Princess last year after several years away due to the itinerary.  The Crown Princess was not yet updated with medallion, but they were starting the process so I read much about it.  You can use the app on your phone or IPad to order a drink, and via the medallion, the server can bring your drink to the correct lounger by the pool or correct table in the atrium, etc.  Would seem to be easily adapted to use for contract tracing.

I believe the updated ships and Edge have something similar via their App.

I downloaded the Celebrity App, when Silhouette was upgraded in February, but apparently it can’t be activated until you have filled in ‘Manage your booking ‘ 90 days before boarding.

Sadly, this never happened, as we were due to sail on August 1st.

 

[emmas gran]

23 hours ago, amevola said:

Why can't MSC, or any cruiseline, simply assume that everyone has been in touch with everyone else on the ship?  Why do they need a bracelet?

 

We have sailed on MSC Yacht Club for a total of 10 weeks in 15 months up to the end of February 2020, the bracelets were around pre Covid and are used for elevators and accessing ship areas and  the YC area. It saves carrying a card wallet and not wearing a landyard, we had no problem with them at all.

Unlike Celebrity if you are in YC you do not have to venture to other areas unless you want the casino or a show.

Liz

[hcat]

1 hour ago, upwarduk said:

I believe the updated ships and Edge have something similar via their App.

I downloaded the Celebrity App, when Silhouette was upgraded in February, but apparently it can’t be activated until you have filled in ‘Manage your booking ‘ 90 days before boarding.

Sadly, this never happened, as we were due to sail on August 1st.

 

Sorry you did not sail...a great ship.

Yes Edge has an app... for menus, schedules etc. Heard it is not always reliable for up to date info  but a helpful tool for those who want it.. It is not mandatory but if you want it  you would have to load it and carry your  phone around.

 

For our 2 EDGE  cruises we never activated it or needed it.  We keep our phones in the safe and use the tablet for reading and e mails.  Never had any issues opening the cabin door, using in cabin technology, ordering drinks, making res or checking schedules.  

Edited September 12, 2020 by hcat

[Shadow9612]

On 9/11/2020 at 7:16 PM, hcat said:

Agree to disagree!

Willing to sacrifice some privacy and freedom overall but tis a  slippery slope.  Not worth it for a cruise.

 

Better  use of this trchnology  is to track offenders with ankle monitors ..

But what "freedom" are you sacrificing?

[jelayne]

On 9/11/2020 at 6:16 PM, hcat said:

Agree to disagree!

Willing to sacrifice some privacy and freedom overall but tis a  slippery slope.  Not worth it for a cruise.

 

Better  use of this trchnology  is to track offenders with ankle monitors ..

You may be happier to stay off a ship until there is a reliable vaccine that most people have had.  Personally  between my phone, cameras on the ship and everything I look at on- line being tracked  there is very little privacy.  A bracelet to track who we have been in close proximity to is a non-issue to us. 

I’m not naive enough to think that Covid will not appear on ships, like it has in schools, I just will feel more comfortable if they can identify those who may have been exposed  vs quarantining a entire ship.   

[NMTraveller]

This whole idea sounds more like a feel good idea than anything that would actually work.  For this to work 100% of people would need to wear the bracelet.  When you look at mask compliance I would venture a guess that only about 75% are wearing them and wearing them effectively.  The bracelet is too easy to take off and there is a potential penalty for leaving it on (quarantine).

 

We do have contract tracing on our Iphones.  Is it being used?  Nope and nope...

 

I won't even go into the privacy issues.

 

 

Edited September 13, 2020 by NMTraveller

[debshomespun]

Princess has a similar program called the medallion.  We had it last year on our British Isles Cruise. I did not feel it was an invasion of my privacy. It was nice to not have to get out your sea pass card to open your cabin door. I don't have a problem with the cruise lines using these. 

[phoenix_dream]

I really fail to see the value of contact tracing on a cruise ship.  Unless you stay in your cabin and order room service for each meal, in the course of your cruise you will likely come in close contact with hundreds, if not a thousand or more people over the course of a few days.  Granted, it might be able to tell you those you spent more time near, but even that may be in the hundreds.  And there may be people you spend a very short time with, or even just walk by, but for whatever reason they cough, sneeze, or talk loudly near you (or vice versa).  So what happens then if you or one of those people test positive?  Do you then try to quarantine hundreds of people but leave the rest free to roam?  I admit I am no disease expert, but it seems to me that this is more of a "feel good" process than an actually effective way to help control the virus.  In fact, my cynical mind thinks that perhaps this is a way to monitor those who are supposed to be quarantining, to make sure they are.  Now that usage makes sense to me, but not for identifying who you might infect/be infected by.

 

And last and not least, Celebrity doesn't even have the technical acumen to effectively maintain their website - do we really trust their "expertise" to do this accurately??  I would hate to be stuck in my cabin, or my anxiety spiked because they said I was exposed, only to discover days later that it was some kind of technical glitch!

[villauk]

On 9/11/2020 at 2:51 PM, gerelmx said:

is this similar to Princess Medallion ?

 

 

Yes.

[Essiesmom]

First of all, you do not have to wear the bracelet.  You can carry it in your pocket or bag.  I chose to use the bracelet on MSC Seaside.  On the newer MSC ships, you have to put your cruise card in a slot inside the cabin door to activate the lights.  On that particular ship, no other card would do.  Believe me, I tried.  I even took along my older MSC cards.  The problem was that I was usually ahead when we returned to the cabin in the evening, so my card opened the door, and went in the slot.  But I was also the first person up (by hours) and out of the cabin.  If I took my card, I would have to hunt down my sister's, or leave her in the dark.  Okay, not totally dark, as we had a balcony, the she wouldn't be able to turn on the bathroom lights...  So I got the bracelet and only needed my card to get on and off the ship.  EM

[jelayne]

Ultimately things like bracelets, masks, social distancing, Covid tests, temperature checks, ship tours only, scheduled boarding are optional not mandatory.  We will each have the option to  cruise or select a different form of travel.

[NMTraveller]

10 hours ago, jelayne said:

Ultimately things like bracelets, masks, social distancing, Covid tests, temperature checks, ship tours only, scheduled boarding are optional not mandatory.  We will each have the option to  cruise or select a different form of travel.

 

I will wear my mask.  You will wears yours. 

 

 I think that the biggest issue is what happens when someone does not?  You can say it is optional but I guarantee you someone will be on board who just does not want to wear a mask.  I have been out travelling on the road.  The ugliest encounters are when someone does not wear a mask and they are confronted.  People start talking politics and it just goes downhill from there.

 

Therefore the biggest question I have is how will Celebrity handle mask enforcement?  I would like to avoid the ugly mask enforcement encounters if possible.

[Essiesmom]

4 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

 

I will wear my mask.  You will wears yours. 

 

 I think that the biggest issue is what happens when someone does not?  You can say it is optional but I guarantee you someone will be on board who just does not want to wear a mask.  I have been out travelling on the road.  The ugliest encounters are when someone does not wear a mask and they are confronted.  People start talking politics and it just goes downhill from there.

 

Therefore the biggest question I have is how will Celebrity handle mask enforcement?  I would like to avoid the ugly mask enforcement encounters if possible.

I believe what jelayne meant was that cruising with those requirements is optional, not mandatory.  Noone is making the cruise mandatory.  EM

[NMTraveller]

Just now, Essiesmom said:

I believe what jelayne meant was that cruising with those requirements is optional, not mandatory.  Noone is making the cruise mandatory.  EM

And  my point was, that people will be on board who read the rules but do not feel that they apply to them.  That has been my experience while travelling lately.

 

No if you are saying that wearing a mask is optional then I misunderstood.

 

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

And  my point was, that people will be on board who read the rules but do not feel that they apply to them.  That has been my experience while travelling lately.

 

No if you are saying that wearing a mask is optional then I misunderstood.

 

I wasn’t t saying  wearing a mask, social distancing or the other requirements are optional I was saying that cruising is optional,  no one is forced to cruise.  I’m hoping that the cruise lines follow MSCs lead and when the passengers didn’t follow the requirements to stay with the ships tour they were put off the ship.

 

After months with no revenue and what I believe is a lot of effort & expense to get ships ready to cruise again, any ship would be crazy not to enforce the protocols that they put in place to keep passengers as safe as possible.

[NMTraveller]

1 minute ago, jelayne said:

I wasn’t t saying  wearing a mask, social distancing or the other requirements are optional I was saying that cruising is optional,  no one is forced to cruise.  I’m hoping that the cruise lines follow MSCs lead and when the passengers didn’t follow the requirements to stay with the ships tour they were put off the ship.

 

After months with no revenue and what I believe is a lot of effort & expense to get ships ready to cruise again, any ship would be crazy not to enforce the protocols that they put in place to keep passengers as safe as possible.

 

Now if Celebrity does better on mask enforcement than all of the states in the USA then I would be impressed.  Restaurants are optional in USA but are still problematic due to mask enforcement.  

 

Now if Celebrity is going to boot people off for noncompliance then let's hear it.

 

MSC is based in a different country.

[Shadow9612]

13 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

And last and not least, Celebrity doesn't even have the technical acumen to effectively maintain their website - do we really trust their "expertise" to do this accurately??  I would hate to be stuck in my cabin, or my anxiety spiked because they said I was exposed, only to discover days later that it was some kind of technical glitch!

Very valid point!

[sanger727]

22 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

I really fail to see the value of contact tracing on a cruise ship.  Unless you stay in your cabin and order room service for each meal, in the course of your cruise you will likely come in close contact with hundreds, if not a thousand or more people over the course of a few days.  Granted, it might be able to tell you those you spent more time near, but even that may be in the hundreds.  And there may be people you spend a very short time with, or even just walk by, but for whatever reason they cough, sneeze, or talk loudly near you (or vice versa).  So what happens then if you or one of those people test positive?  Do you then try to quarantine hundreds of people but leave the rest free to roam?  I admit I am no disease expert, but it seems to me that this is more of a "feel good" process than an actually effective way to help control the virus.  In fact, my cynical mind thinks that perhaps this is a way to monitor those who are supposed to be quarantining, to make sure they are.  Now that usage makes sense to me, but not for identifying who you might infect/be infected by.

 

And last and not least, Celebrity doesn't even have the technical acumen to effectively maintain their website - do we really trust their "expertise" to do this accurately??  I would hate to be stuck in my cabin, or my anxiety spiked because they said I was exposed, only to discover days later that it was some kind of technical glitch!

 

I tend to agree with this. Not sure it would do much good, especially if people are wearing the masks the way they should. That being said, of all the suggestions for a covid era cruise, this is the one that bothers me the least. I really don't see any issue with security on the ship being able to see that I was on deck near the pool at 1 pm or at the martini bar at 5 pm. Wouldn't bother me at all if this was required. Now, the mandatory shore excursions, covid testing, and masks are deal breakers.