Sky Princess implements new mask wearing rule … sip and cover!

[memoak]

There are many fake Covid cards out there. A hockey player just got suspended for using one. Masks will be needed until the case rates are way way down

[PrincessLuver]

3 hours ago, rbtan said:

Like those phonies out there who buy fake "Service" dog credentials so fluffy can come along, there's been rampant fake vaccination cards out there as well. So how do you tell what's legit or not, short of a national registry. I can just see the protests over that. Want to make it simple? 2 warnings & you're put off at the next port. Now that will put fear into the slackers out there. Either follow the rules or you don't sail, period. Don't get me started on religious or medical excuses.

I agree with everything you are saying but Princess is the one who is telling passengers it is totally safe to cruise on their ships because they have so many Covid health protocols in place.  
 

However the  reality evidently is, according to a variety of reports on CC, is that Princess staff are unwilling to enforce their own protocols and people are feeling unsafe because of other passengers’ “in your face” behaviors in regards to these protocols.

[c-boy]

1 hour ago, PrincessLuver said:

I agree with everything you are saying but Princess is the one who is telling passengers it is totally safe to cruise on their ships because they have so many Covid health protocols in place.  
 

However the  reality evidently is, according to a variety of reports on CC, is that Princess staff are unwilling to enforce their own protocols and people are feeling unsafe because of other passengers’ “in your face” behaviors in regards to these protocols.

😇     🐮

 

someone has their wires crossed 

Edited October 31, 2021 by c-boy

[wrongwaywatson]

I think that the majority of people booking cruises feel that they are as safe, or even safer, on a cruise ship.  If you do not feel so, you probably should not cruise until you feel safe to do it.

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

When we booked the covid numbers in the UK were quite low and stable and with the numbers of people being vaccinated going steadily up we felt that with sensible safety protocols in place that a cruise ship would be one of the safest places to be... even safer than in shops for instance at home where masks are no longer required. How wrong I was!

 

I agree with the comment that cruising is not a good place to be right now if you want to stay covid safe... particularly on Sky Princess right now. We did recognise that things were not good and tried to cancel but Princess refused to give us any FCC so we had to choose... go on the cruise, with the risks as they are, or cancel and lose nearly £5000 ($7000). We chose to go because of the clear protocols that were published. However, those protocols are a farce.

 

People are wearing masks off their noses making their mask almost useless. There is dancing on a very crowded dance floor with no one, and I mean no one, wearing masks, People are crowding into lifts in spite of the 4 per lift recommendations. People are going on excursions where they are in a full bus for several hours at a time. It is crazy!

Then, just to rub salt into our wound, we were told this morning that the room service guy wasn't allowed into our cabin to deliver our breakfast tray!!!! He would be in the room for about 30 seconds. It seems Princess have no idea at all about what are the areas of risk.

 

18 hours ago, winterbliss said:

Put everyone at risk for what? Isn't that why you were all vaccinated? 

Vaccination does not stop you catching covid. It reduces the chances and reduces severity for most but not all. People are still dying after being fully vaccinated.
 

16 hours ago, nocl said:

Where did you sail from? Different countries have different rules and enforcement. Differences between a cruise from a US port compared to a non US port

Southampton. But I get the feeling that they are ramping up some of the protocols now in preparation for the transatlantic. There is a lot of staff being trained at the moment in the restaurants and we are the guinee pigs who they serve while they are training. Service and food quality has been pretty awful in our main dining room and we are club class! We paid extra for this. More fool us.

 

15 hours ago, TXcruiser13 said:

I mean no offense to anyone in particular, but if you have genuine strong concerns about COVID, a cruise ship simply is *not* an appropriate vacation choice for you at present. A vacation home rental, camping, etc. are far better choices if one is concerned about sharing space with large groups of people right now. 
 

I honestly can’t blame a soul for going maskness as much as possible while on an expensive cruise at sea after having been vaccinated AND tested prior to departure. 

Totally agree... we tried to cancel and Princess would not give us any FCC so it was go or lose the £5000

 

15 hours ago, auntem said:

What is the Passenger count on this Sky sailing ? Is it crowded ?

About 2300

 

4 hours ago, wrongwaywatson said:

I think that the majority of people booking cruises feel that they are as safe, or even safer, on a cruise ship.  If you do not feel so, you probably should not cruise until you feel safe to do it.

Exactly... perhaps you could have told Princess that so we could have cancelled... we asked, they said no.

Edited October 31, 2021 by Snaxmuppet

[wowzz]

44 minutes ago, Snaxmuppet said:

People are still dying after being fully vaccinated.

Very, very few are dying from Covid after being fully vaccinated.

I agree with you about the dancing, but otherwise I am perfectly happy with the onboard protocols.

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

22 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Very, very few are dying from Covid after being fully vaccinated.

I agree with you about the dancing, but otherwise I am perfectly happy with the onboard protocols.

There is some truth in what you say but as always... but if you look in more detail then it looks less good regarding cruising.

 

If we were all under 50, with no underlying health issues and all just had our 2nd dose or booster 14 days prior then I would agree that the risk is likely to be extremely small (but not zero).

 

However, the reality on cruise ships is quite different. The age mix is skewed very heavily towards older people... the vast majority of those dying from covid are over 70. As a result of the skewed age there are likely a lot of people on board with other health issues. 

 

But the main reason I would suggest that the risk is not as low as you suggest is that many older persons had their 2nd jab quite a while back... their resistance will be waning now and they may not yet have had their booster. If everyone had had their boosters then risks would be hugely lower. We are on board... yes, fully vaccinated, but 6 months ago... we couldn't get out booster until our return (we tried!). So the protection from our vaccination is now waning. I don't think this should just be ignored. A lot of people seem to think that just being double jabbed gives good protection... well it does but it then declines over time and like me it is quite possible that a lot of people on board had their jabs 6 months or so ago so they are nowhere near as protected.

 

You can't just say "double jabbed so I am protected"... it isn't as simple as that.

[leck57]

32 minutes ago, Snaxmuppet said:

There is some truth in what you say but as always... but if you look in more detail then it looks less good regarding cruising.

 

If we were all under 50, with no underlying health issues and all just had our 2nd dose or booster 14 days prior then I would agree that the risk is likely to be extremely small (but not zero).

 

However, the reality on cruise ships is quite different. The age mix is skewed very heavily towards older people... the vast majority of those dying from covid are over 70. As a result of the skewed age there are likely a lot of people on board with other health issues. 

 

But the main reason I would suggest that the risk is not as low as you suggest is that many older persons had their 2nd jab quite a while back... their resistance will be waning now and they may not yet have had their booster. If everyone had had their boosters then risks would be hugely lower. We are on board... yes, fully vaccinated, but 6 months ago... we couldn't get out booster until our return (we tried!). So the protection from our vaccination is now waning. I don't think this should just be ignored. A lot of people seem to think that just being double jabbed gives good protection... well it does but it then declines over time and like me it is quite possible that a lot of people on board had their jabs 6 months or so ago so they are nowhere near as protected.

 

You can't just say "double jabbed so I am protected"... it isn't as simple as that.

 

I respect your views on this but I really wonder why you booked a cruise when the risks were obviously going to be with us for a while yet.

Frankly I don't have a problem with the protocols that Princess have in place, as you have described in your recent posts. If you are vaccinated and get Covid you will likely have the equivalent of a cold and this is the way it will be, most likely for a long while yet. I'm happy now to get back to a normal life and just have the virus among us and live with it.

[wrongwaywatson]

1 hour ago, Snaxmuppet said:

There is some truth in what you say but as always... but if you look in more detail then it looks less good regarding cruising.

 

If we were all under 50, with no underlying health issues and all just had our 2nd dose or booster 14 days prior then I would agree that the risk is likely to be extremely small (but not zero).

 

However, the reality on cruise ships is quite different. The age mix is skewed very heavily towards older people... the vast majority of those dying from covid are over 70. As a result of the skewed age there are likely a lot of people on board with other health issues. 

 

But the main reason I would suggest that the risk is not as low as you suggest is that many older persons had their 2nd jab quite a while back... their resistance will be waning now and they may not yet have had their booster. If everyone had had their boosters then risks would be hugely lower. We are on board... yes, fully vaccinated, but 6 months ago... we couldn't get out booster until our return (we tried!). So the protection from our vaccination is now waning. I don't think this should just be ignored. A lot of people seem to think that just being double jabbed gives good protection... well it does but it then declines over time and like me it is quite possible that a lot of people on board had their jabs 6 months or so ago so they are nowhere near as protected.

 

You can't just say "double jabbed so I am protected"... it isn't as simple as that.

I'm sorry you are feeling unsafe, I wouldn't want to feel like that.  Did you not have a "cancel for any reason" insurance policy for the trip?  That would have allowed you to cancel without losing your money.  

I'm in my 50s, but I'm a double cancer survivor.  I am happy with the protocols put into place and I would happily cruise without a mask with these protocols in place (vaccinated/negative tests).   

Edited October 31, 2021 by wrongwaywatson

[wowzz]

33 minutes ago, PrincessLuver said:

Plus I am not so sure it is that safe if Princess is setting back so many cabins for isolation and I would not leave it to them to report accurate cases because of bad publicity again

Every cruise line is setting cabins aside for possible quarantine purposes. Surely you cannot criticise them for that ?

[K.T.B.]

44 minutes ago, wowzz said:

But sip and cover is not being enforced, so my cruise enjoyment has not been ruined.

 

In all honesty, I think "sip & cover" is kind of ridiculous.  But it is what it is.

[wowzz]

1 minute ago, K.T.B. said:

 

In all honesty, I think "sip & cover" is kind of ridiculous.  But it is what it is.

Yes it is, which is why it is not being enforced.

[K.T.B.]

Just now, wowzz said:

Yes it is, which is why it is not being enforced.

 

Inside, it makes sense; outside, it doesn't.  ESPECIALLY with all the data we now have concerning Covid.  

[wowzz]

47 minutes ago, K.T.B. said:

 

Inside, it makes sense; outside, it doesn't.  ESPECIALLY with all the data we now have concerning Covid.  

It makes no sense inside either. If we share a table at dinner with two other couples, we do not need to wear masks. Why should we wait masks if we sit with the same people in a well ventilated inside bar ?

[K.T.B.]

12 minutes ago, wowzz said:

It makes no sense inside either. If we share a table at dinner with two other couples, we do not need to wear masks. Why should we wait masks if we sit with the same people in a well ventilated inside bar ?

 

Well, when talking about inside, you also need to include the casino, the theater, etc.  Better to just make it an overall inside rule rather than pick and choose which areas.  NOT disagreeing with you though.

[MissP22]

On 11/2/2021 at 11:36 AM, K.T.B. said:

 

Inside, it makes sense; outside, it doesn't.  ESPECIALLY with all the data we now have concerning Covid.  

 

On 11/2/2021 at 12:25 PM, wowzz said:

It makes no sense inside either. If we share a table at dinner with two other couples, we do not need to wear masks. Why should we wait masks if we sit with the same people in a well ventilated inside bar ?

I hope all the pro mask people wear their masks at dinner time in-between bites.

We'll mask up as necessary when reminded at the bar when eating & drinking. 

Lets not forget to mask up in the show lounge either .....in-between sips. 

[wowzz]

6 hours ago, MissP22 said:

 

I hope all the pro mask people wear their masks at dinner time in-between bites.

We'll mask up as necessary when reminded at the bar when eating & drinking. 

Lets not forget to mask up in the show lounge either .....in-between sips. 

Crikey!  It took you 9 weeks to reply ! 

Thanks for keeping up !

Really -  why bother ?

Edited January 1, 2022 by wowzz

[MissP22]

10 hours ago, wowzz said:

Crikey!  It took you 9 weeks to reply ! 

Thanks for keeping up !

Really -  why bother ?

I no longer receive emails so unless I refer back to one of my previous threads and read most of it again, it gets lost.

I've tried to fix the problem- no success.

[rbtan]

We're on Oceania this Jan.14(we hope!) & Sky Princess next year. On Oceania you were never able to touch the food(unlike other cruise buffets)As to the sip & cover, which most lines are kind of using. We go by what we do in restaurants that require masks...We are masked up till we sit & order. Once food comes out we unmask & eat. If we leave to use the bathroom or leave we mask up. We normally only do 2 person tables. 

[Jonibme]

On 10/31/2021 at 1:55 AM, Snaxmuppet said:

There is some truth in what you say but as always... but if you look in more detail then it looks less good regarding cruising.

 

If we were all under 50, with no underlying health issues and all just had our 2nd dose or booster 14 days prior then I would agree that the risk is likely to be extremely small (but not zero).

 

However, the reality on cruise ships is quite different. The age mix is skewed very heavily towards older people... the vast majority of those dying from covid are over 70. As a result of the skewed age there are likely a lot of people on board with other health issues. 

 

But the main reason I would suggest that the risk is not as low as you suggest is that many older persons had their 2nd jab quite a while back... their resistance will be waning now and they may not yet have had their booster. If everyone had had their boosters then risks would be hugely lower. We are on board... yes, fully vaccinated, but 6 months ago... we couldn't get out booster until our return (we tried!). So the protection from our vaccination is now waning. I don't think this should just be ignored. A lot of people seem to think that just being double jabbed gives good protection... well it does but it then declines over time and like me it is quite possible that a lot of people on board had their jabs 6 months or so ago so they are nowhere near as protected.

 

You can't just say "double jabbed so I am protected"... it isn't as simple as that.

Would you consider 1300-ish positive Covid tests in 1.1 million cruisers to be a high infection rate or high risk?
 

 Numbers released by the CDC show about 1,350 cases on ships between June and October. (Note: This figure was before Omicron.) That may sound like a lot, but comes out to about a 12 cases per day across all the ships sailing and hundreds of thousands of passengers and crew.

 

 I think that’s safer than the numbers would be if they tested everyone attending parades and final games this week! I’ll take my chances.

[nocl]

28 minutes ago, Jonibme said:

Would you consider 1300-ish positive Covid tests in 1.1 million cruisers to be a high infection rate or high risk?
 

 Numbers released by the CDC show about 1,350 cases on ships between June and October. (Note: This figure was before Omicron.) That may sound like a lot, but comes out to about a 12 cases per day across all the ships sailing and hundreds of thousands of passengers and crew.

 

 I think that’s safer than the numbers would be if they tested everyone attending parades and final games this week! I’ll take my chances.

Unfortunately we are not still in the June to October period.  If we were there would not be any recommendation. Current CDC data had over 5000 cases on cruise ships between Dec 15 and Dec 30.

[Jonibme]

Just now, nocl said:

Unfortunately we are not still in the June to October period.  If we were there would not be any recommendation. Current CDC data had over 5000 cases on cruise ships between Dec 15 and Dec 30.

Please send that link? I’m searching the CDC site at the moment and not finding that data. 

[nocl]

18 hours ago, wowzz said:

Crikey!  It took you 9 weeks to reply ! 

Thanks for keeping up !

Really -  why bother ?

I think they they just wanted anther stream to complain about sip and cover.

[nocl]

2 minutes ago, Jonibme said:

Please send that link? I’m searching the CDC site at the moment and not finding that data. 

The CDC usually does not put numbers related to cruises on their web site.

 

Will this do

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2021/12/30/cdc-cruise-warning-omicron/9055443002/

 

Between Nov. 30 and Dec. 14, cruise ships operating in U.S. waters reported 162 cases of COVID-19 to the CDC. Between Dec. 15 and Dec. 29, cruise ships sailing in U.S. waters reported 5,013 COVID-19 cases to the CDC.

Edited January 1, 2022 by nocl

[Jonibme]

19 minutes ago, nocl said:

The CDC usually does not put numbers related to cruises on their web site.

 

Will this do

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2021/12/30/cdc-cruise-warning-omicron/9055443002/

 

Between Nov. 30 and Dec. 14, cruise ships operating in U.S. waters reported 162 cases of COVID-19 to the CDC. Between Dec. 15 and Dec. 29, cruise ships sailing in U.S. waters reported 5,013 COVID-19 cases to the CDC.

It would be much more meaningful information if the full statistical picture were represented.

5,013 cases out of how many people tested? What’s percentage of the crossing population is this? If it is still below in local on shore outbreak rate, it matters… What itineraries were they on? Is it possible that specific ports should be avoided due to local outbreaks that exposed cruisers? Other trend related data… understanding the case count vs total population and vaccination status would be the best case scenario.