Contact Tracing

[MissP22]

Does anyone know for sure how Princess performs contact tracing aboard the ships? I've read conflicting posts that it wasn't using the medallions yet some say they do? It seems like an insurmountable task to track all passengers 24/7, but other than using the medallions what other way can there be?

[Coral]

I do not know if they are doing it via Medallion but it is not difficult to do. I work in IT and we can see who is connected to any access points at any time and can easily log this information. It would be easy to say this infected person was in the Wheelhouse Lounge at this time - who else was in there at that time? I don't think they are doing this (scanning log files) but they could.

 

I know they are contacting people who you are traveling with (via a post here). So who you are sharing a cabin with and who your booking is linked with. Perhaps if you made are eating with at dinner (they scanned our medallions). Those would be obvious ways. At the most traveled lunch - they knew who we were sitting next to at the table.

Edited January 8, 2022 by Coral

[azbirdmom]

If you are unlucky enough to be on an excursion with someone who has Covid-like symptoms or tests positive, you'll be contacted too.  It happened to us during our August cruise on the Majestic.  The excursion was on Wednesday and we got the call on Saturday, the last day of the cruise.  We were negative as were apparently everyone else on the excursion (from Skagway - ferry to Haines and then a bus to the Kroeschel wildlife farm).  Not sure if they also used the Medallion to figure out who the person crossed paths with but the list that I saw when we went for the test clearly was a roster of those on our excursion.

[Coral]

5 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

If you are unlucky enough to be on an excursion with someone who has Covid-like symptoms or tests positive, you'll be contacted too.  It happened to us during our August cruise on the Majestic.  The excursion was on Wednesday and we got the call on Saturday, the last day of the cruise.  We were negative as were apparently everyone else on the excursion (from Skagway - ferry to Haines and then a bus to the Kroeschel wildlife farm).  Not sure if they also used the Medallion to figure out who the person crossed paths with but the list that I saw when we went for the test clearly was a roster of those on our excursion.

Good point - excursions! Depending on the excursion - they will probably easily contact those booked on that excursion.

 

The medallions don't work off of the ship so it would have been on their excursion list.

Edited January 8, 2022 by Coral

[Coral]

In some regards - cruising may be the safest or the unsafest way to travel during COVID. Both on the extremes.

 

Safest in that they can easily make sure everyone is tested and vaccinated to get on the ship but unsafest due to a confined environment.

Edited January 8, 2022 by Coral

[PacnGoNow]

They must use the medallion in some cases, because one poster said they were in a nightclub the night before they were tested.  They came up positive. So everyone in the nightclub was advised the were exposed and had to get tested.

They would know if you were there if you ordered a drink as your OM would be scanned.  Anyone in the DR around them, etc.  So, that would be a big help in contact tracing.  That’s why using an RFID is not a good idea.

 

[MissP22]

10 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

They must use the medallion in some cases, because one poster said they were in a nightclub the night before they were tested.  They came up positive. So everyone in the nightclub was advised the were exposed and had to get tested.

They would know if you were there if you ordered a drink as your OM would be scanned.  Anyone in the DR around them, etc.  So, that would be a big help in contact tracing.  That’s why using an RFID is not a good idea.

 

Being identified & tested wasn't my main concern in the past but it's the idea that they might quarantine you just for being in close contact with a positive person even in the show lounge, elevator or dining room. You could have your vacation terminated for just being near someone who comes down with the virus let alone catching it yourself. 

 

In the past I've never had much concern about being tracked via the medallion system but recently have had second thoughts after reading stories such as this. 

I think we'll be limiting our visibility of our medallions on out next cruise as much as possible.

That’s why using an RFID might not be a good idea.

[Buckeye10640]

11 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

Being identified & tested wasn't my main concern in the past but it's the idea that they might quarantine you just for being in close contact with a positive person even in the show lounge, elevator or dining room. You could have your vacation terminated for just being near someone who comes down with the virus let alone catching it yourself. 

 

In the past I've never had much concern about being tracked via the medallion system but recently have had second thoughts after reading stories such as this. 

I think we'll be limiting our visibility of our medallions on out next cruise as much as possible.

That’s why using an RFID might not be a good idea.

I wonder if there is anything in the lengthy passenger contract that says you are not permitted to block your medallion?  I have no idea,  but it seems Princess would want to discourage if not outright ban this,  especially now with the extra  Covid  requirements and restrictions.  Of course you can leave it in your room while moving about  the ship but you could not get drinks or get back in the room!

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, Buckeye10640 said:

I wonder if there is anything in the lengthy passenger contract that says you are not permitted to block your medallion?  I have no idea,  but it seems Princess would want to discourage if not outright ban this,  especially now with the extra  Covid  requirements and restrictions.  Of course you can leave it in your room while moving about  the ship but you could not get drinks or get back in the room!

I haven't yet read anything that states a passenger must carry a medallion with them at all times. 

What about people who choose the old cruise card? They wouldn't be able to be tracked continuously but would still be able to get drinks anywhere on the ship.  Of course they would know you were at that bar for at least that one purchase but the chances of an infected person being there at the same instant would be greatly reduced. 

I did find this on my passenger contract just now. "You are not required to use or wear the Medallion® on MedallionClass® vessels. Please contact Your vessel staff to obtain a Cruise Card if You do not wish to use the Medallion®"

Edited January 9, 2022 by MissP22

[PacnGoNow]

1 hour ago, MissP22 said:

Being identified & tested wasn't my main concern in the past but it's the idea that they might quarantine you just for being in close contact with a positive person even in the show lounge, elevator or dining room. You could have your vacation terminated for just being near someone who comes down with the virus let alone catching it yourself. 

 

In the past I've never had much concern about being tracked via the medallion system but recently have had second thoughts after reading stories such as this. 

I think we'll be limiting our visibility of our medallions on out next cruise as much as possible.

That’s why using an RFID might not be a good idea.

That’s the big difference in us.  I would definitely want to know if I was exposed and wouldn’t worry about MY vacation.  I would not want to possibly spread it to others, especially those that might be compromised. 
Knowledge is power. 

[azbirdmom]

2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

In the past I've never had much concern about being tracked via the medallion system but recently have had second thoughts after reading stories such as this. 

 

NCL seems to be the worst in terms of stories like this.  There is another thread on the NCL boards that reads like a horror story about the treatment following a positive test onboard.  Not hearing anything like this about Princess so hopefully their protocols are keeping the numbers low enough that they can deal appropriately and humanely with those who test positive.

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, PacnGoNow said:

That’s the big difference in us.  I would definitely want to know if I was exposed and wouldn’t worry about MY vacation.  I would not want to possibly spread it to others, especially those that might be compromised. 
Knowledge is power. 

I would defiantly report my self as being sick but I still don't trust them not to quarantine me just for being near an infected person even though I might not test as positive. After all we probably pass many infective people in our daily life just going shopping & nothing comes of it. 

Why be quarantined on a ship for no reason other than being close to an infected person? 

People who have compromised immune systems should think hard about sailing on a ship these days. 

[PacnGoNow]

1 minute ago, MissP22 said:

I would defiantly report my self as being sick but I still don't trust them not to quarantine me just for being near an infected person even though I might not test as positive. After all we probably pass many infective people in our daily life just going shopping & nothing comes of it. 

Why be quarantined on a ship for no reason other than being close to an infected person? 

People who have compromised immune systems should think hard about sailing on a ship these days. 

Yes. There could be onshore people too that you come in contact with.

 

Anyway, I respect your opinion.

Stay safe.

[Coral]

16 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

They must use the medallion in some cases, because one poster said they were in a nightclub the night before they were tested.  They came up positive. So everyone in the nightclub was advised the were exposed and had to get tested.

They would know if you were there if you ordered a drink as your OM would be scanned.  Anyone in the DR around them, etc.  So, that would be a big help in contact tracing.  That’s why using an RFID is not a good idea.

 

I could definitely see this. You can track your friends (with their consent) on the ship and they are doing this via access points. All those access points can easily be logged and they can easily look up "who was in Alfredos at 1 pm when the infected passengers was in there" or whatever.

[jwattle]

If you are a contact they test you; if you're negative, you are, at most, in your own stateroom for 24 hours, and they give you FCC for that.

[startedwithamouse]

How would they give you a cruise card in place of a medallion?  How would you open your cabin door?  

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, jwattle said:

If you are a contact they test you; if you're negative, you are, at most, in your own stateroom for 24 hours, and they give you FCC for that.

As long as they don't start doing what NCL did to that couple I would be OK with that. 

1 hour ago, startedwithamouse said:

How would they give you a cruise card in place of a medallion?  How would you open your cabin door?  

You just request a cruise card in place of the medallion & it opens the door pretty much the same way - you just have to be much closer, like a foot or so away.