Face masks are back on North and Southbound Alaska

[prmssk]

1 hour ago, dickinson said:

@MissP22 I beg to differ with you about masks.  They DO work.  Until Princess dropped the mask mandate March 1 there were barely any posts on here about people catching Covid.  Since then... a lot.  With Omicron the type of mask makes a difference.  N95 or Kn95 (or the Korean equivalent KF94) is so much better.  I have heard that cloth masks are not so good anymore. Of course, wearing a mask correctly is also important.

COVID was rampant even on Princess ships (and ships of every cruise line) in January and into February while mask mandates were in place.  The initial Omicron which ramped up right around New Year's was a huge challenge for all cruise lines.  Just because you didn't hear about it doesn't mean it wasn't an issue.

[USCcruisecrazy]

23 minutes ago, Keksie said:

I didn't misunderstand.  I personally don't understand the point of sip and cover.  Any time you take the mask down you are exposing yourself to the virus.  Constantly pulling a mask up and down seems counterproductive to me.  I have never worn a mask in a restaurant.

Plus, pulling a mask up and down...constantly touching it and not washing your hands every time you touch it...seems more risky than not wearing it all.  Not to mention, relaxing vacation and mask stuck to one's face don't seem to go together.  No thanks!

[Dar & Bob]

1 hour ago, dickinson said:

I think you misunderstood.  Of course you could catch covid while physically eating.  We can't eat masked.  BUT we can look at the menu masked.  When we finish our appetizer course we can mask up while waiting for the next course, etc.  If one wants a sip of something while waiting for food there is sip and cover.  I find that if sitting in the MDR for 90 minutes I am not physically eating for 90 minutes but probably only about 20 minutes or so.  The rest is waiting for food and talking with DH and being masked.

We were on a Princess cruise in January with the mask mandate.  There was never a sip and cover except in the theatre.  I am assuming it's the same now.  Once we sat down we removed our masks with our own group.  With the symptoms being so mild the only concern for us is being quarantined.  Unfortunately Princess has shown by only doing this on the Whittier/Vancouver sailings and not those that are RT from the US that they are concerned with having it discovered.  If we had not been waiting for so long for this trip we would think about cancelling. 

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, Keksie said:

I didn't misunderstand.  I personally don't understand the point of sip and cover.  Any time you take the mask down you are exposing yourself to the virus.  Constantly pulling a mask up and down seems counterproductive to me.  I have never worn a mask in a restaurant.

It's another idea dreamed up by someone in the front office to make it look like their taking all possible precautions to prevent any spread of the virus. I'm surprised they didn't include bite & mask in their recommendations.  😄

[JF - retired RRT]

7 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

I'm sure that the outbreaks among the pax is caused by embarking pax. After all, the pre-boarding tests are as long as 3 days before boarding. Lots of time for maskless pax to be infected, and to infect others.

One of the reasons (not the only one) that we tested the day before our cruise.

[latserrof]

1 hour ago, Dar & Bob said:

 Unfortunately Princess has shown by only doing this on the Whittier/Vancouver sailings and not those that are RT from the US that they are concerned with having it discovered.

Sorry, I don't understand this. Can you (or someone)  explain please?

Edited June 7, 2022 by latserrof

[GloriaF]

On 6/4/2022 at 12:07 PM, suzyed said:

Or the Glacier Bay inside passage?

I hope the Covid protocols are in full force on these cruises as well!  We leave on Crown June 11 and plan to wear masks when in public places on and off the ship.  Compared to the risk of getting sick, wearing a mask is simple and makes sense to me.  We will also be spending considerable time on our balcony.

 

I would also be delighted if the buffet went back to crew serving everyone.

Edited June 7, 2022 by GloriaF

[Dar & Bob]

19 minutes ago, latserrof said:

Sorry, I don't understand this. Can you (or someone)  explain please?

As stated, the mask protocols are for the ships that do one ways from Vancouver to Whittier.  For the ships going round trip from a US port and back to a US port, like Seattle it is only recommended to wear a mask.  If cases are up in Alaska and that being the reason why wouldn't you include all Alaska cruises.  Those going to Vancouver have to test to fly back to the US and then it would be on Princess to put them up.  Others have stated that Anchorage/Whittier doesn't have the facilities.  This isn't totally a concern for the passenger.  And in reading the health protocols they are providing paper masks not N95s 

 

[suzyed]

6 minutes ago, GloriaF said:

I hope the Covid protocols are in full force on these cruises as well!  We leave on Crown June 11 and plan to wear masks when in public places on and off the ship.  Compared to the risk of getting sick, wearing a mask is simple and makes sense to me.  We will also be spending considerable time on our balcony.

 

I would also be delighted if the buffet went back to crew serving everyone.

Yes, crew serving the food...good idea, as well as crew standing by to direct us to the sinks to wash our hands as they did a few months ago.

[suzyed]

2 minutes ago, memoak said:

We use the same logic that we use on land. We mask in crowded areas like elevators and theaters but once we are seated at a bar or restaurant we are there to eat and drink and will not sip and cover unless forced to. We do not mask walking outside only inside. So far so good and we have felt safe on cruises since the restart

We were forced to sip and cover in the theaters over NYE but hope they don't reinstate that now.

[memoak]

2 minutes ago, suzyed said:

We were forced to sip and cover in the theaters over NYE but hope they don't reinstate that now.

We actually have been avoiding the theaters unless we stand at the back way too crowded

[suzyed]

6 minutes ago, memoak said:

We actually have been avoiding the theaters unless we stand at the back way too crowded

I hear ya.  But when we were on during NYE, we only had 1200 passengers so it was easy to space out.

[Steelers36]

26 minutes ago, Dar & Bob said:

As stated, the mask protocols are for the ships that do one ways from Vancouver to Whittier.  For the ships going round trip from a US port and back to a US port, like Seattle it is only recommended to wear a mask.  If cases are up in Alaska and that being the reason why wouldn't you include all Alaska cruises.  Those going to Vancouver have to test to fly back to the US and then it would be on Princess to put them up.  Others have stated that Anchorage/Whittier doesn't have the facilities.  This isn't totally a concern for the passenger.  And in reading the health protocols they are providing paper masks not N95s 

 

I have been wondering if PCL is doing this to appease Canadian health authorities.  (Since it seems to be more restrictive than other itineraries).

[Honolulu Blue]

1 hour ago, suzyed said:

Yes, crew serving the food...good idea, as well as crew standing by to direct us to the sinks to wash our hands as they did a few months ago.

 

We had a crew-served buffet as well as crew urging us to use the sinks on my California Coastal cruise on the Majestic just a few weeks ago.  Has this changed for Princess fleetwide, or is this on a ship-by-ship basis?  I missed the memo if it went fleetwide without me noticing; I apologize for the oversight.

[Steelers36]

I see an interesting parallel between the mask wearing posts and the formal wear posts (not implying the groups are one-and-the-same, but another aspect). 

 

Many who like dressing formal to the recommendations expect others to follow along.  Many who like the choice to dress less formally are also happy if others choose to dress up more.  Many who want to wear masks everywhere but dining, expect everyone else to do the same.  Many who like the personal choice policy of mask wearing are quite accepting if others choose to wear one or not. 

[P23r23s23]

On 6/6/2022 at 10:40 AM, USCcruisecrazy said:

So, back in January of this year when the 7-day running average of new case was 470,000 a day and deaths were a 7-day average of 2582, they made masks optional except when going through the port.  That was a CDC requirement and not a Princess requirement.  Move forward to June of 2022 where the 7-day average of new cases is 106,000 (just over 20% of January) and the deaths are 284 (11% of January numbers) and now masks are again being made mandatory.  Just another example of how inconsistent and non-science based their decisions are.

Did you see the post by the dock worker? You do realize that the larger issue at the moment is staff shortages when both labor and supplies are at an all-time challenge. This variant is highly contagious but less deadly. So not only does social distancing/masks (N95 or better) help reduce illness for our fellow humans, it helps ensure all the services you rely on in daily life are available. Grocery stores, teachers, and cruise staff are just a few areas that are heavily impacted by wide spread illness.

Edited June 7, 2022 by P23r23s23

[Steelers36]

On 6/5/2022 at 11:27 PM, ceilidh1 said:

Once Covid guests are disembarked, there is an intense deep clean, that also holds up anyone getting on the ship.

Do you refer to the terminal check-in area or on the ship?  I had not read about any special extra deep cleaning after every voyage.  As we know now, very little chance of surface transmission for this virus.  Also, if there was this extra deep cleaning, IDK how folks would be reporting being on board so early in various "live from" posts.  If you refer to the terminal area (where I realize you are working for Princess), then curious to know what they are doing.

 

Local grocery and retail stores here (for example) long ago stopped wiping down shopping carts and the check-out lane belts, etc.  Not saying they aren't operating cleanly, but the extra precautions are long gone.

 

Edited June 7, 2022 by Steelers36

[P23r23s23]

7 hours ago, MissP22 said:

With out having a debate on the effectiveness of masks, I guess we'll just live life dangerously and hope for the best. And yes we'll be cruising without wearing one unless reminded constantly during the trip. We can't stand having to breath through a mask, especially the N95 or Kn95 type.

Perhaps making a homemade one from the thinnest possible material would satisfy the Princess crew when sailing.

Please stay home. 
 

[P23r23s23]

6 hours ago, Keksie said:

So when food is in front of you it is not possible to transmit or catch covid?  Do you time eating with your mask down so that it only takes 15 minutes total?  Does this include drinking or just food?

For that reason, I am one of the weird ones who masks during a meal unless there is 6 feet space between me and the next table. It is easy peasy. 

[PacnGoNow]

7 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Do you refer to the terminal check-in area or on the ship?  I had not read about any special extra deep cleaning after every voyage.  As we know now, very little chance of surface transmission for this virus.  Also, if there was this extra deep cleaning, IDK how folks would be reporting being on board so early in various "live from" posts.  If you refer to the terminal area (where I realize you are working for Princess), then curious to know what they are doing.

 

Local grocery and retail stores here (for example) long ago stopped wiping down shopping carts and the check-out lane belts, etc.  Not saying they aren't operating cleanly, but the extra precautions are long gone.

 

Hopefully, they are deep cleaning the quarantine and isolation rooms!  😳

 

 

[Shorewalk Holmes]

11 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Many who want to wear masks everywhere but dining, expect everyone else to do the same. 

 

What we expect is that people will follow the ship's rules regarding health precautions.  In a removed post, someone earlier said they won't obey mask rules unless forced to. We should expect better of people.   

[P23r23s23]

19 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I see an interesting parallel between the mask wearing posts and the formal wear posts (not implying the groups are one-and-the-same, but another aspect). 

 

Many who like dressing formal to the recommendations expect others to follow along.  Many who like the choice to dress less formally are also happy if others choose to dress up more.  Many who want to wear masks everywhere but dining, expect everyone else to do the same.  Many who like the personal choice policy of mask wearing are quite accepting if others choose to wear one or not. 

I never got a deadly virus from someone wearing jeans on formal night. I didn’t have to quarantine because someone wore flats instead of heels. 
 

 

[hapster85]

Not particularly thrilled with the idea of having to mask up for our upcoming cruise. We don't actually board the ship until 7/2 and things could certainly change back by then. But either way, we'll deal with it.

 

I do find it odd that they haven't implemented the same protocols on their Holland America ships, as far as I can tell, on the same itineraries. They are still operating under encouraged, but not required. That could change at any moment, of course. It's also me assuming that they have been having similar outbreaks on those cruisetours.

Edited June 7, 2022 by hapster85

[sunsetme]

can you cancel a cruise that requires masking now and get a refund?

[Tedferg]

23 minutes ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

 But, hey, that's fine...just don't know why you care if others do!

Because a non-masker who is infected will transmit the virus more easily to others. This is not rocket science.

Edited June 7, 2022 by Tedferg