How are Covid cases on NCL ships?

[Mlake09]

18 hours ago, wordsjustfly said:

We are thinking about dipping our feet back in the cruising waters after too long of a hiatus.

 

How’s it been out there?

 

Covid cases low I hope?

We cruised three weeks ago on the Gem out of NYC. We all tested positive when we got home (mother in law had cold symptoms on the last day). From the face place group, I know at least 90 others on the ship did as well. All of us are boosted, and my in laws are double boosted.  We had avoided it up until now and four of us are still experiencing lingering symptoms. 

 

This was our fourth cruise since the restart, and by far the most lax in covid protocols. Every cruise prior tested at the pier, which I think made a big difference (on our December and February cruises, I heard over 100 people tested positive at pier even after testing negative on the 72 hour test). Masking was also not required on this trip.

 

[kylenyc]

I've been on a few NCL cruises out of New York in the past year and have not caught COVID. Catching it would mean I would not be able to visit and care for my immuno-compromised mother upon my return. At least 9 out of 10 passenger on Joy out of Bermuda May 1, 2022 do not wear a mask and if they do, most are wearing cloth or surgical masks. While crew member are required to wear a mask, it won't take you long to spot a crew member pull down their mask to talk with a passenger or other crew member.

 

I wear a true N95 mask and wear it properly whenever I'm indoors except in my own cabin or while drinking and dining. I put it back on when answering the door to speak with the steward or room service. I take nearly every precaution. I do take calculated risks and are selective in who I interact with without a mask on, and mostly at outdoor venues.

 

Having 100% of crew members and nearly all passengers to be vaccinated, and all passengers to provide proof of a negative Covid test in order to board unfortunately may give some people a false sense of security.
 

A person can catch Covid, get tested on the same day or the next day, and test negative. They are then free to bring the disease on board the ship. I think about how many people might travel to a city like Miami or New York to catch their cruise ship and how they might give themselves many more opportunities to catch Covid that they might not do in their normal daily lives - Traveling in a packed bus, train or plane with other passengers to the port city the night before with their negative Covid test in hand, staying at a hotel and interacting with hotel staff and other guests, riding with others on a tour bus, going to a restaurant, dancing, drinks, or seeing a show, all before arriving at the port... Then interacting with port agents who do not work for the cruise line and pull down their masks when talking to you or wear in on their chin.
 

People may be inadequately informed or prepared. People may put their guard down because they are on vacation and they will fully enjoy themselves after years living in the mental health disaster known as the pandemic (dammit!). They will take what they think are informed risks when all risks aren't fully disclosed. They are not informed of the consequences of catching Covid on the ship -- Being quarantined aka imprisoned in a cabin, possibly not their own expensive cabin they paid for but a smaller one in an isolated section of the ship, perhaps an inside cabin without any windows, one without all the comforts or access to the amenities they expected on their "vacation", possibly served by a team that is understaffed or inadequately prepared, ignored by guest services who are busy with Covid negative revenue generating passengers.
 

Even in a city like New York where mask compliance is high, once on board the ship, 99% of passengers drop their masks because they aren't required. Perhaps think they are safe in the cruise ship's bubble. Add unlimited drink packages to the mix and inhibitions fall further. If the bubble hasn't already popped repeatedly, there is another opportunity to stick a pin init as soon as passengers visit a port of call, giving themselves another opportunity to bring Covid on board.

You can reduce the risks of catching Covid substantially by following well known protocols - Wearing a true N95 mask, social distancing, washing hands. But that is not what most people consider a vacation.

 

For me a vacation is a necessity and is still a vacation even if I have to wear a mask and be selective in whom i let into my personal bubble. NCL cruises are still the safest vacations so long as they maintain the most important of their protocols.

 

Edited May 13, 2022 by kylenyc

[HBCcruiser]

This is another good website that shows the CDC C19 status by ship: 

https://www.cruzely.com/cruise-ship-covid-status-tracker-daily-update-chart-news-and-possible-cases/?amp&fbclid=IwAR274oKnXnkxKB3sX-oifbbP_G1Utyv_8vXNALLnj6yfb-54t8U--RARLrg

[PacificCoastal]

5 hours ago, TheJamesGang said:

Thank you!!!!

 

I know for a fact there were many cases on deck 10 where our room was. I kept being woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of a vacuum cleaner. I was asking my husband why on earth they would vacuum at 2am! What I later found out was once they remove someone from their room for Covid, they spray this machine that sounds like a vacuum in all the places they take that person. 

 

When they came for me in the hazmat suits and wheelchair, they did it to us. Sprayed where we went including the elevator. 

Wow, that's a world away from what I experienced on Encore.   When I notified the medical center of my positive antigen self test, they tried to convince me it would be better to do testing ashore by saying it would be far cheaper than onboard.  I insisted on the NCL PCR, and they hastily collected it and charged $150 to my account.  The results came back negative.  I walked off with the rest of the passengers and got a PCR test at a medical center in port and the results were positive like my self test.  All three tests were within hours of each other.

 

I just hope I did everything right in order to prevent spreading it.  They offered no assistance trying to isolate and get off the ship, and there was definitely no spraying behind me when I debarked!  It's as if NCL had a fingers in their ears approach to COVID at that point and simply didn't want to report more cases to the CDC.

[insidecabin]

14 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Firstly, I'm sorry to hear about your current medical condition and do wish upon you healing energy. 

 

Second, If you look at current hospital stats, of those admitted to University of Michigan for Covid, 86% have a comorbidity and nearly half are double vaxed and boosted. There are currently more patients admitted who are vaccinated than who are not. This trend holds true across the nation. Unfortunately, I can see where your oncologist is coming from because those with comorbidities are occupying hospitals at a greater rate than those who are not vaccinated. Comorbidity seems to be the variable in play.  Here is raw data, no politics, just the facts, I'm sure you can triangulate with other hospitals around the country:  https://www.uofmhealth.org/coronavirus/covid19-numbers

 

Third: Please take a look at Holland, Celebrity, Princess, and Carnival forums for additional threads about quarantining. Quarantining is ramping up tremendously, but serious illness from those who test positive has yet to be reported. Of those reporting from quarantining, it appears most have mild flu like symptoms. Whether or not you want to risk this is a personal choice. I can understand needing a vacation. 

 

Fourth: You may consider join various social media sites also to keep track of covid numbers. There may even be a site specific to the Pearl. 

 

If your heart is not set on cruising, I'm sure you know that there are lots of choices in land vacations which offer much lower population densities. A week at a spa retreat sounds lovely to me. Who knows, you may even find something you like better than cruising! 

 

Best to you

 

 

 

There are currently more patients admitted who are vaccinated than who are not.

 

It is expected that the vaccinated group is likely to have more cases than the unvaccinated, over time it will trend towards  100% as everyone gets vaccinated.

 

The vaccinated group is much larger than the unvaccinated group at some age groups by a factor of 19+(95%+ rate).

 

I suspect(not seen any data) that those with underlying conditions are also more likely to have been vaccinated as their doctors would have been pushing them to get the shots.

 

In the UK many qualified for extra shots(3main+booster) second boosters are in progress for compromised(over 12) and over 75. 

 

 

 

 

 

[insidecabin]

The current strategy by the cruise lines(not just NCL) is pretend its all over.

 

They dropped the protocols and any on ship testing(unless people volunteered) at the same time hoping most would never know till they got home as most will be asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms and not report in for a test.

 

At the same time capacities increased

 

The Transatlantic cruise have shown  the true extent of the problem as they have been testing at the end of the cruise so USA people could fly home, 100s are  positive and getting sent to quarantine hotels.

 

In the UK we no longer have quarantine so no need to isolate  in your hotel you can just go about your business till you test negative and can get on the plane home.

 

 

 

[tracylp6178]

21 hours ago, KateQ22003 said:

This makes me really sad. I am an active cancer patient, and scheduled to sail on the Pearl on June 17th. My oncologist doesn't want me to go, but she said we would wait a few more weeks to see what Covid does before she gives her final recommendation. I am double vaxxed and double boosted, but I know my immune system is crap so I am going to have to defer to what my doctor says. I desperately need a cruise; I have been house-bound since the beginning of the pandemic!

 

Does anyone know if there is any place to get this information other than boards like this? I need to keep my eye on Pearl covid cases, but not quite sure how to do that!

I am also a current cancer patient on oral "chemo" my onc said as long as I use caution, mask and sanitize she is ok with me going.  I will admit I'm getting a little nervous with the rising cases. I did just get my 2nd booster in hopes this will help. But I am in desperate need of a vacation

[BermudaBound2014]

9 hours ago, insidecabin said:

I suspect(not seen any data) that those with underlying conditions are also more likely to have been vaccinated as their doctors would have been pushing them to get the shots.

 

My point was that currently, the greater commonality for Covid hospitalization at University of Michigan is comorbidity, not vaccination. Therefore, those with a comorbidity (regardless of vaccination status) may want to take extra caution. 

 

Interesting side note, the data I provided in the link above was updated today and hospitalizations doubled (from 18 to 36). So, yes hospitalizations are on the rise, but I see no need to panic as there are still a grand total of 36 people hospitalized in a major metropolitan area. And, of those 36 people hospitalized, 75% are double vaccinated and boosted. No longer can it be said that those who are vaccinated are less likely to need hospitalization. The better predictor is comorbidity. 

 

 

[kylenyc]

5 hours ago, tracylp6178 said:

I am also a current cancer patient on oral "chemo" my onc said as long as I use caution, mask and sanitize she is ok with me going.  I will admit I'm getting a little nervous with the rising cases. I did just get my 2nd booster in hopes this will help. But I am in desperate need of a vacation

I would wear a true N95 mask and wear it properly. The Honeywell DF300 N95 mask is an improvement over the KN95s. They wrap around the back of head instead of tug painfully on the ears. They are much more comfortable and have foam around the nose for an optimal seal. They are less than a dollar a piece on Amazon. They look nearly identical to the typical KN95 mask. They fit more comfortably and are more durable than the common 3M N95 mask with rubber elastic that breaks after a few uses and create an uncomfortable seal around the face (that most people don't wear these days anyway).

I would avoid crowded indoor venues and maintain social distance even when wearing a mask, and be selective of who you let into your bubble.  I don't get into crowded elevators. Although I'm the 1% of people who bother to wear a mask, everyone I encounter is polite and doesn't give me any strange looks. I try to take all possible precautions even thought it may not be everyone's idea of a perfect vacation. Even so, it doesn't eliminate all risk but it does reduce it to a degree I'm almost comfortable with. At least I'll have an almost clear conscience that I've  done everything I can to avoid catching it and spreading it to others in my family.

 

 

Edited May 13, 2022 by kylenyc

[RunBikeCruiseDC]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

My point was that currently, the greater commonality for Covid hospitalization at University of Michigan is comorbidity, not vaccination. Therefore, those with a comorbidity (regardless of vaccination status) may want to take extra caution. 

 

Interesting side note, the data I provided in the link above was updated today and hospitalizations doubled (from 18 to 36). So, yes hospitalizations are on the rise, but I see no need to panic as there are still a grand total of 36 people hospitalized in a major metropolitan area. And, of those 36 people hospitalized, 75% are double vaccinated and boosted. No longer can it be said that those who are vaccinated are less likely to need hospitalization. The better predictor is comorbidity. 

 

 

I work in public health. haven't spoke to anybody that was hospitalized for weeks.   Just spoke with somebody that just came home yesterday. That person was over 65, fully vaccinated with some serious medical conditions.  Luckily only in hospital for 2 days, only needed supplemental oxygen while in.   We're in a highly vaccinated area. 

[ByThePond]

The reality at the current time is that Omicron will make it’s way on to a cruise ship. A negative rapid test the day before sailing will not catch somebody in the earliest stages of an infection. A couple of days later, put that person in close proximity to other unmasked people and Omicron WILL rapidly spread. The longer the cruise, the more it will spread. The only positive is that for the majority of people, the symptoms are mild but this has the downside that they continue to mingle and spread to others. On the Dawn, it was only a port-mandated mass testing after almost 2 weeks of cruising that identified a large proportion of the passengers as positive moving them in to isolation and causing the cancellation of two port calls. NCL tested Americans (who previously tested negative) the day before arrival and unsurprisingly there were more positive cases found. A large number of Americans will not be able to fly home until they test negative. 

Edited May 14, 2022 by ByThePond

[complawyer]

we were on the jade from athens april 8th thru the 17th.  ncl required a negative covid result 3 days before sailing, so we had that done. at the pier in athens, before being allowed to board, we were tested once again (no charge) the 1st day was a sea day and the 1st port on the 10th was jerusalem. on the sea day (april 9th) the israeli health ministry sent their own inspectors, and the entire ship was tested  once again.  all  the results had to come back before we were allowed to disembark in israel.

 

all that being said, i didnt hear of any problems. or cases of covid on this cruise.

 

i will give ncl credit where it's due. they seemed to have all their based covered as far as safety of the passengers and crew were concerned.

 

now, obviously this may not be the case for all ports of call and all ncl ships, but we had no problems at all.

 

to even simplify things, we flew delta and needed another negative covid test before we were allowed to board any flights back to the u.s.  we stayed at the athens marriott, and right next door was a hospital. it took 30minutes to get t he test and results, no charge, and the next day we were happily  on our way home

[KateQ22003]

On 5/13/2022 at 7:49 AM, tracylp6178 said:

I am also a current cancer patient on oral "chemo" my onc said as long as I use caution, mask and sanitize she is ok with me going.  I will admit I'm getting a little nervous with the rising cases. I did just get my 2nd booster in hopes this will help. But I am in desperate need of a vacation

I am on oral chemo as well; my oncologist is against the idea of a cruise but knows it's ultimately my decision how much risk I am willing to take. She is suggesting an antibody infusion for me; not sure I want to go this route as it only has emergency FDA approval. Right now I am leaning towards canceling, but will wait a few more weeks and watch what's going on in the Northeast. I'm really more afraid of the Boston cruiseport than I am of the ship!

[KateQ22003]

On 5/12/2022 at 7:13 PM, kathy49 said:

There is report after report of how many cases are on board. I can't imagine an "active" cancer patient taking the chance. Covid numbers are getting higher...can't you find some fun land based vacation where you can control your surroundings better?  Good luck.

I think I am going to have to go this route; cruise Covid numbers seem to be trending in the wrong direction. Not to get too personal, but my diagnosis is not good and this may be the last chance I get to cruise while I'm still feeling up to it. Hard decision to make.

[DorothyB]

On 5/12/2022 at 8:00 AM, styles27 said:

We sailed on Pearl to Bermuda on 04/15/2022.  
My husband started feeling sick on the last night of the cruise (chills, a slight fever and cough) he called the medical center on board to report symptoms and they tested all of us. He was positive and me and our 8 yr old grandson were negative. 
The day after we got home I woke up with cold symptoms, took a test and was positive. Our grandson never caught it. 
 

We’re all vaccinated and me and hubby had a booster in October. 
 

 

 

We are booked on the Pearl to Bermuda on 06/10/2022.

 

Curious how they handled your husband?  Did you drive to port? or travel via public transportation? and did they allow him to disembark and head home?

 

Thanks!

[mkkao924]

On 5/12/2022 at 6:37 PM, Mlake09 said:

We cruised three weeks ago on the Gem out of NYC. We all tested positive when we got home (mother in law had cold symptoms on the last day). From the face place group, I know at least 90 others on the ship did as well. All of us are boosted, and my in laws are double boosted.  We had avoided it up until now and four of us are still experiencing lingering symptoms. 

 

This was our fourth cruise since the restart, and by far the most lax in covid protocols. Every cruise prior tested at the pier, which I think made a big difference (on our December and February cruises, I heard over 100 people tested positive at pier even after testing negative on the 72 hour test). Masking was also not required on this trip.

 

Curious, did you wear mask?

[ChiefMateJRK]

On 5/12/2022 at 7:12 PM, kylenyc said:

People may be inadequately informed or prepared. People may put their guard down because they are on vacation and they will fully enjoy themselves after years living in the mental health disaster known as the pandemic (dammit!).

Or maybe they will make the informed decision that life is too short to be held ransom by a virus that likely won't do them any serious long term harm in the unlikely scenario where they are infected?

[ByThePond]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Or maybe they will make the informed decision that life is too short to be held ransom by a virus that likely won't do them any serious long term harm in the unlikely scenario where they are infected?

On the Dawn, probably 25% of the passengers were not allowed to disembark in IJmuiden after testing positive and then the whole ship was denied entry in Zeebruges and Le Havre. There was a very likely scenario of being infected and it certainly caused significant short-term disruption to a vacation. 

[BermudaBound2014]

15 minutes ago, ByThePond said:

On the Dawn, probably 25% of the passengers were not allowed to disembark in IJmuiden after testing positive and then the whole ship was denied entry in Zeebruges and Le Havre. There was a very likely scenario of being infected and it certainly caused significant short-term disruption to a vacation. 

 

 It's apparent to anyone paying attention that covid is onboard nearly every single cruise ship sailing today, and thus one should expect disruptions to service, itinerary, entertainment, etc... Consumers should know this before stepping onboard. 

 

Not being allowed to disembark in Zeebruges is not "serious long term harm". It's a bummer. But not harmful. 

[cruising sister]

4 hours ago, KateQ22003 said:

I think I am going to have to go this route; cruise Covid numbers seem to be trending in the wrong direction. Not to get too personal, but my diagnosis is not good and this may be the last chance I get to cruise while I'm still feeling up to it. Hard decision to make.

My husband died from cancer 2 months ago. We did our last cruise in November on the Joy. That was when everyone was tested at the pier. We ate all of our meals outside, did not attend shows and wandered on our own in port. Masks were worn and we felt safe. I would be rethinking that decision today but I am glad we had that last cruise together. 

[styles27]

6 hours ago, DorothyB said:

 

We are booked on the Pearl to Bermuda on 06/10/2022.

 

Curious how they handled your husband?  Did you drive to port? or travel via public transportation? and did they allow him to disembark and head home?

 

Thanks!

We received the test results at about 9:30pm on the last night of the cruise so they just had us stay in our room and in the morning we were taken off the ship with our own luggage by 8:15 am. We went through a different area than the other passengers. 
We parked near the ship and drove home. I took the shuttle alone to get our car and picked up my husband and grandson. 
 

Nobody on Pearl told us to do that or even asked how we planned to get to our car. They just asked if we had a flight and when we told them no we live an hour away and drove our own car they just said ok  

 

We weren’t impressed with their lack of concern when it came to that. 

[kylenyc]

2 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

 It's apparent to anyone paying attention that covid is onboard nearly every single cruise ship sailing today, and thus one should expect disruptions to service, itinerary, entertainment, etc... Consumers should know this before stepping onboard. 

 

Not being allowed to disembark in Zeebruges is not "serious long term harm". It's a bummer. But not harmful. 

Do you have any insight into long COVID? Long Covid symptoms such as shortness of breath, brain fog, and chronic fatigue, may be mild to some and "serious" to others.

 

The US GAO estimates a range of 2% to 7% of the US population have developed long Covid. This is consistent with a February UK ONS report that 2% of people in UK have long Covid. Almost two-thirds of those surveyed in the UK report said long Covid limited their daily activities. In a May report, the likelihood of long Covid actually increased among patients who caught the Omicron BA.2 verses patients who caught the Omicron BA.1 variants.

 

Re: Comorbidity: The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston says the number-one predictor of having a severe case of the disease is age followed by comorbidity and immunocompromised status, Using data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they estimate that even vaccine-boosted people ages 50 to 64 are more than 10 times more likely to die from a severe breakthrough case than 18- to 49-year-olds with the same vaccination status.

Edited May 14, 2022 by kylenyc

[Crazy planning mom]

2 hours ago, cruising sister said:

My husband died from cancer 2 months ago. We did our last cruise in November on the Joy. That was when everyone was tested at the pier. We ate all of our meals outside, did not attend shows and wandered on our own in port. Masks were worn and we felt safe. I would be rethinking that decision today but I am glad we had that last cruise together. 

Condolences on your husband's passing.  It sounds like you took prudent steps.

[styles27]

On 5/12/2022 at 1:54 PM, TheJamesGang said:

My husband and I just returned from a sailing on the Encore. We both tested positive for Covid after 2 years of being beyond careful. We even masked on the ship. The cruise was 15 days and after day 5, there were tons of people coughing, sneezing, etc....all over the ship. NCL will keep that very quiet. I should also note that the medical center cannot deal with any kind of outbreak, illness, or even small emergencies. It's a step above going to the nurses office in high school.

 

I originally went to the medical center with severe abdominal pain and vomiting. After they tested me and found I was positive for Covid, they told me all my symptoms and pain were due to Covid and to go back to my room and quarantine, which we did. About 8 hours later I could no longer walk, sit or stand as the pain had become intolerable. My husband called the medical center and they came in hazmat suites with a wheel chair and took me back down to the medical center. Took my vitals, etc...then gave me an IV...which was put in wrong....they didn't get it into the vein, just under my skin so the fluid built up in my arm for a few hours causing my right arm to swell massively. The pain continued. They have no capability to do any kind of scan or ultrasound. They originally wanted me to stay on board and get off in LA as planned, then head to the hospital.

 

My husband and I knew something was really wrong and not Covid related. After my husband repeatedly insisted, they let us get off the ship in Cabo and I was taken to the hospital there. Once I reached the hospital and they took out the IV line from the ship, the fluid starting squirting out of my elbow where the line had been inserted. The doctors there did a CT scan and discovered my appendix had ruptured. The infection had spread thru my abdomen (peritonitis) and caused my kidneys to go into failure. I went into surgery that day. I spent 5 days in the ICU at the hospital in Cabo where I received the most incredible medical care I could have ever hoped for. 

 

We are home now and very grateful for the care I receive in Cabo. Had I taken the advice of NCL and stayed on the ship for 2 more days, the odds are that I would have went into septic shock and died. The point I'm trying to make is please know that if something does go wrong, the ship's medical center is not equipped to handle it.

 

 

 

Wow I am so glad your husband insisted that they let you off the ship in Cabo. That sounds like a horrific experience and I’m so happy you received such great care in Cabo. 
 

It won’t be long before NCL is shut down again if they continue on this path. I get that they want to go back to normal but clearly what they’re doing isn’t working with so many of us testing positive on their ships. 
 

[kjunea]

On 5/13/2022 at 6:49 AM, tracylp6178 said:

I am also a current cancer patient on oral "chemo" my onc said as long as I use caution, mask and sanitize she is ok with me going.  I will admit I'm getting a little nervous with the rising cases. I did just get my 2nd booster in hopes this will help. But I am in desperate need of a vacation

This is my husband.  He's been on Oral Chemo since  the lockdown and his oncologist is very supportive of us doing whatever he feels up to doing, as long as we follow precautions.  We've been on two cruises since August and have three more between now and November, including a 9 day one in June on the Getaway from Copenhagen.  We see the Oncologist Wednesday and I'm asking for a prescription of the antiviral drug to take with us should he come down with it.  We are both vaccinated and double boosted.