First cruise is positive for covid: What will have to change?

[K32682]

18 minutes ago, wdw1972 said:

Omigod - that's ridiculously impossible.  Covid is out there - it will be part of our lives forever.  Get vaccinated & you don't have to worry about serious illness or long term effects.  The 2 passengers on Millenium are vaccinated and were asymptomatic.  The likelihood they could transmit the virus to anyone else is very low.  Let's get real and stop being hysterical over this thing!

 

Sue/WDW1972

 

How many infected people do you need to make it a failure? 

 

I understand the protection offered by the vaccine. The issue is what disruptions, cancellations and other restrictions occur when a couple of passengers test positive.  The problem with a cruise is we are all stuck on the same boat together and one person with a positive test has impacts on us all. 

 

 

Edited June 13, 2021 by K32682

[Roz]

Were there disruptions, cancellations, and other restrictions on this cruise when passengers tested positive?  Did the ship head back to port?  Were passengers debarked prematurely?

[K32682]

9 minutes ago, Roz said:

Were there disruptions, cancellations, and other restrictions on this cruise when passengers tested positive?  Did the ship head back to port?  Were passengers debarked prematurely?

 

The positive cases were only discovered during the end of cruise testing. They were quarantined and their close contacts tested and required to quarantine until negative results were confirmed. 

 

https://www.reuters.com/business/cruise-lines-say-no-change-sailing-plans-after-new-covid-19-cases-2021-06-11/

 

"Cruise industry blogger Ashley Kosciolek wrote in her live blog that she was told on Thursday evening that the infected passengers had been on her onshore excursion on Barbados two days earlier. She was asked to stay in her room for about four hours, until her results showed negative."

[mom says]

52 minutes ago, K32682 said:

The issue is what disruptions, cancellations and other restrictions occur when a couple of passengers test positive

Well in this case, 20 pax (3% of the 600) were isolated for up to 12 hours, during which time they had free movies, WiFi,  champagne, and full room service. On a sea day. The rest of the pax were completely unaffected by the 2 positive tests. Everyone (except the 2 positive cases) disembarked normally and went on their way at the end of the cruise. If this seems calamitous to you, then simply choose vacation options other than cruises for the foreseeable future.

Edited June 13, 2021 by mom says

[K32682]

2 hours ago, mom says said:

Well in this case, 20 pax (3% of the 600) were isolated for up to 12 hours, during which time they had free movies, WiFi,  champagne, and full room service. On a sea day. The rest of the pax were completely unaffected by the 2 positive tests. Everyone (except the 2 positive cases) disembarked normally and went on their way at the end of the cruise. If this seems calamitous to you, then simply choose vacation options other than cruises for the foreseeable future.

 

Being locked up in a cabin for half a day due to someone else's positive test is not calamitous but is 12 hours out of my life that I wouldn't have to waste had I chosen a travel alternative. I'm content to let others be cruise guinea pigs.   

[cbr663]

3 hours ago, Roz said:

Were there disruptions, cancellations, and other restrictions on this cruise when passengers tested positive?  Did the ship head back to port?  Were passengers debarked prematurely?

Yes there were disruptions to the cruise.

 

200 passengers had been tested and were required to quarantine to their cabins until all test results were available.  Of the 600 passengers on board, this represents over 30% of the passengers affected by the 2 cases.  We don't know how many crew were affected.

[cbr663]

7 hours ago, evandbob said:

The 2 positive cases did not spread to other passengers.  Contact tracing did inconvenience those unsuspecting others who were close to the 2 positive people since they had to be tested and were confined to their cabins for 1 night.  No ports were missed and the ship wasn't delayed.  Nor was the cruise shortened.  The Captain seemed to give passengers enough info to keep them informed and in the loop per the onboard reporters.

 

I'd call it a successful cruise.

We don't know yet if there has been spread to other passengers.  We know that of the passengers that were tested the results came back negative.  We don't know what future testing may reveal.  We also don't know whether any passengers not tested were okay.  We also don't know whether there has been any impact to crew.  And, we don't know if there has been any spread from the excursion to others in Barbados or whether the positive cases caught the virus in Barbados.

[mom says]

59 minutes ago, cbr663 said:

Yes there were disruptions to the cruise.

 

200 passengers had been tested and were required to quarantine to their cabins until all test results were available.  Of the 600 passengers on board, this represents over 30% of the passengers affected by the 2 cases.  We don't know how many crew were affected.

Please get your facts straight. 200 passengers had already been tested as part of the routine disembarkation protocol when the 2 positive cases were first seen. Only those 2 cases, plus the 20 close contacts were isolated. That's 3%, not 30. And from on board reports, only the couple's dining room servers were temporarily isolated until their test results were returned. 

50 minutes ago, cbr663 said:

We don't know yet if there has been spread to other passengers.  We know that of the passengers that were tested the results came back negative.  We don't know what future testing may reveal.  We also don't know whether any passengers not tested were okay.  We also don't know whether there has been any impact to crew.  And, we don't know if there has been any spread from the excursion to others in Barbados or whether the positive cases caught the virus in Barbados.

All of the passengers were tested, as per the disembarkation protocols. The close contacts among the crew were also tested. And given the average incubation period of COVID, it is extremely unlikely that the couple caught it in Barbados.

[c-boy]

11 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

Being locked up in a cabin for half a day due to someone else's positive test is not calamitous but is 12 hours out of my life that I wouldn't have to waste had I chosen a travel alternative. I'm content to let others be cruise guinea pigs.   

okay we get it. This isn't your kinda gig, the risk percentages are to high and another form of vacationing is/should be your choice.  

 

  "  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was not possible for cruising to be a zero-risk activity as it will always pose some risk of transmission, adding that it was committed to ensure that cruise ship operations were conducted in a safe manner.." 

 

[Joebucks]

On 6/13/2021 at 11:46 AM, K32682 said:

 

Two positive cases is proof it didn't work. The definition of success is no cases at all. 

 

I had a hard time finding that definition anywhere.

[LocoLoco1]

It doesn’t really matter WHY a coupla people tested Positive; the fact is.. they tested Positive. Nothing’s over til it’s over. 

[cruisemom42]

And now Royal Caribbean International is postponing the inaugural sailings of its newest cruise ship, which was originally going to do Israel-based cruises, then once that was torpedoed (pun intended) was headed to Florida for (supposedly) unvaccinated cruises. Reason for latest postponement:  eight crew members received positive COVID-19 test results during routine testing.

 

hmmmm....

[Honolulu Blue]

7 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

And now Royal Caribbean International is postponing the inaugural sailings of its newest cruise ship, which was originally going to do Israel-based cruises, then once that was torpedoed (pun intended) was headed to Florida for (supposedly) unvaccinated cruises. Reason for latest postponement:  eight crew members received positive COVID-19 test results during routine testing.

 

hmmmm....

 

Yep.  I don't THINK the two sets of cases are linked, but it's just another twist in the adventure of trying to cruise during a pandemic.  There will be more to come, I'm sure.

[SelectSys]

13 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 eight crew members received positive COVID-19 test results during routine testing.

More reason for the lines to reconstitute crews in the US where they can be readily vaccinated.  Israel was unwilling to vaccinate the RCCL crew from their stockpile.

[cruisemom42]

21 minutes ago, SelectSys said:

More reason for the lines to reconstitute crews in the US where they can be readily vaccinated.  Israel was unwilling to vaccinate the RCCL crew from their stockpile.

 

Is that confirmed somewhere or are you just supposing?  If so, I'd love to have a link. I searched but only found something on RCCL's blog about the "inability to get crew vaccinated" in Israel -- which is wide open to a number of interpretations....

 

[SelectSys]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Is that confirmed somewhere or are you just supposing?  If so, I'd love to have a link. I searched but only found something on RCCL's blog about the "inability to get crew vaccinated" in Israel -- which is wide open to a number of interpretations....

 

 

In terms of Israel, I only have this link from Haaertz back in May when it was discussed:

 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-covid-and-israel-country-wants-to-sell-vaccines-to-a-luxury-cruise-line-1.9790995

According to Health Ministry sources, the last time the ship docked in Haifa, none of those aboard were vaccinated, because no approval had yet been given for that. But it turns out that the determination to fight the ban against selling the vaccines to a commercial entity has dissipated, and such a possibility is now being examined favorably, accompanied by an attempt to find a legal solution for such a process. Last Friday there was even a meeting of representatives from several government ministries on the subject.

 

My assumption is that we would have heard something if a deal was reached.  Of course, the point is now mute as all cruises in Israel are off for the foreseeable future regardless of the pandemic. 

 

We also know that the Odyssey is now off the coast of FL and the crew was finally vaccinated on June 4th with J&J in the US.  This really confirms that no deal was reached in Israel between the government and RCCL.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2021/06/16/royal-caribbean-odyssey-crew-covid/

All 1,400 crew members on Odyssey of the Seas got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on June 4, according to the cruise line. Because the vaccine only requires one dose, they would have been considered fully vaccinated after two weeks had passed. But the crew members in question tested positive on June 10. Two have mild symptoms, and the rest are asymptomatic.

 

BTW - My assumption is that the lines with major US operations will continue to leverage the US for vaccines to provide to crews.  It seems like a simple business decision to make. 

 

Edited June 16, 2021 by SelectSys

[LocoLoco1]

RCL now scraps an Upcoming Summer 2021 cruise account handful of crew members test positive. I’m sitting out cruising for another year. 

[crazyank]

On 6/14/2021 at 12:53 AM, mom says said:

Well in this case, 20 pax (3% of the 600) were isolated for up to 12 hours,

 

On 6/14/2021 at 4:04 AM, cbr663 said:

Yes there were disruptions to the cruise.

 

200 passengers had been tested and were required to quarantine to their cabins until all test results were available.  Of the 600 passengers on board, this represents over 30% of the passengers affected by the 2 cases.  We don't know how many crew were affected.

big difference in these two posts. which one is true??

[crazyank]

On 6/14/2021 at 5:12 AM, mom says said:

Please get your facts straight. 200 passengers had already been tested as part of the routine disembarkation protocol when the 2 positive cases were first seen. Only those 2 cases, plus the 20 close contacts were isolated. That's 3%, not 30. And from on board reports, only the couple's dining room servers were temporarily isolated until their test results were returned. 

Thanks for posting this.

[c-boy]

On 6/16/2021 at 4:30 PM, LocoLoco1 said:

RCL now scraps an Upcoming Summer 2021 cruise account handful of crew members test positive. I’m sitting out cruising for another year. 

your take is off the beaten track. 

 

 

"All crew have been quarantined for 14 days and the line continues with its routine testing. 

 

The 4,180-passenger ship was due to resume cruising from July 3 from Fort Lauderdale, but this will now be put back to July 31. The simulation cruise, originally scheduled for late June, will also be rescheduled. Passengers have been notified.

 

It is the second time Odyssey of the Seas' launch has been delayed -- the ship was due to set sail from Israel on June 2, but that was canceled due to unrest in the region.

 

A spokesperson for the line said:

 

"Out of an abundance of caution, we are postponing Odyssey of the Seas' first sailings from July 3 until July 31, 2021. "

[Catnip]

On 6/12/2021 at 8:13 AM, vintagegarage said:

The only way to not find covid on cruise ships is to stop testing.  Vaccinated or not, there will be cases found when testing is done no matter where. 

 

  If you aren't scared, but aren't vaccinated, then just go about your business.  It is your decision to make, not the government's.  The vaccinations are effective, but also is acquired immunity.  Those who are vaccinated and still panicked, .. get over it.. your chance of getting a bad case is tiny.

 

Time to move on from covid panic, and start talking about your next cruise.

 

Hear, hear!!!!!!!!!!!!    Very well said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   💯 👍

[sanger727]

I think it was a success that the whole cruise wasn’t quarantined.

 

but I think 2 fully vaccinated passengers in the same cabin testing positive is a fail. If the vaccine is 95% effective, I find it very hard to believe that two people in the same cabin just happen to both be in the 5%…

 

I think that finding out one or both were actually not vaccinated would be a bigger win. They can fix how they check vaccine status. They can’t fix vaccinated passengers testing positive for Covid.

[pris993]

On 6/13/2021 at 8:46 AM, K32682 said:

 

Two positive cases is proof it didn't work. The definition of success is no cases at all. 

Your definition of failure might suggest cruising or traveling is not for you.  Life is full of risks. 

[K32682]

10 hours ago, pris993 said:

Your definition of failure might suggest cruising or traveling is not for you.  Life is full of risks. 

 

I've travelled extensively and cruised moderately. There are risks that are manageable and those that aren't. On a cruise the risks presented by someone else's conduct are higher than land-based travelling. During a pandemic my chances of having a vacation disrupted are far less at a hotel or resort than being crammed onto a boat with thousands of other people.   

[pris993]

9 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

I've travelled extensively and cruised moderately. There are risks that are manageable and those that aren't. On a cruise the risks presented by someone else's conduct are higher than land-based travelling. During a pandemic my chances of having a vacation disrupted are far less at a hotel or resort than being crammed onto a boat with thousands of other people.   

You are entitled to our opinion, just as I am.  I have travel both by ship and independently for past 40 years, visited most European cities and the middle east by ship and land.  I was on one of the last Princess cruises to Mexico in 2020, 2 guests came down with the virus and died after leaving the ship in San Francisco.  As far as I know no one else was impacted.  We were notified by Princess 2 weeks after getting off the ship.   Given the amount of effort put in by cruise lines to make cruising safe, I am very confident the risk are no greater.  I am vaccinated and so his my DH, we are 74/89 in reasonably good health for our age.  Like say, life is full of risks if we let fear stand in our way, then we would not leave home.  Happy travels to you, I will not waste any energy worrying about what others do.