My Covid experience on Princess

[sama12]

We are on the Coral now and tested positive 2 days ago.  The service we have had has been excellent.  No problems with getting hot food and drinks, and delivered at the time we asked. Lots of phone calls from the Medical Centre to see how we are.  We got the antivirals and they have made a huge difference.  It looks like they are adapting policy as they are going along.  Our covid info pack stated that we would have to

Annepay for any alcoholic beverages but internet is still free.  It also suggested possibly paying for the antivirals and I had to fill in a form with our insurance policy no, whereas my husband who tested positive 12 hours before me filled in different forms.  We shall just have to wait and see.   I'm sorry you are having problems on the Grand.  It shows the difference the ship, or rather the organisation makes.  We put off cruising until we thought covid was past.  We have got another cruise on the Coral in Feb so I am not too worried about that.  It is a very nice ship and we like the size.   We are on a repositioning on the Grand in September and hopefully things will be a bit better by then. 

Anne

[Wastegirl]

Just to let everyone know, Room Service has had a complete turnaround today, everything delivered on time. Also was offered free laundry service. I think someone has had a bomb put under them. I hope I’m not celebrating too soon 😁

[Tripmode33]

28 minutes ago, Wastegirl said:

Just to let everyone know, Room Service has had a complete turnaround today, everything delivered on time. Also was offered free laundry service. I think someone has had a bomb put under them. I hope I’m not celebrating too soon 😁

Perhaps they read this forum!!!!

Hope all goes well for you going forward now.

We board the Grand on Thursday for NZ itinerary.  Fingers crossed we stay well and enjoy cruise.

[MMDown Under]

9 hours ago, getting older slowly said:

Elisa.... I am sorry to hear about your time on the Grand,,,, particularly as we got off on the 17th Nov after 13 nights the next day testing positive... Feeling better now but still lack of energy  ( flat batteries.. lol )....

 

We did find Guest Services a bit hit and miss.... once stood there for 5 minutes and were ignored ... just walked off in disgust....

 

We would think they would have their Covid plan down pat....

 

Now I am not so Confidante booking more cruises  

 

Cheers  Don

Hope you are feeling better, Don.  Sorry you tested positive after you disembarked from the Grand.

[arxcards]

How is it all going now?

 

I was ready to roll out a welcome mat in Newcastle tomorrow, but now that Grand Princess has to report to NSW authorities, she is showing as tier 2. I figure this requires testing for anyone going ashore, and I might stay on the other side of the river just to be safe 😉

 

When departing Newcastle in the evening, they fire the guns at Fort Scratchley to salute the ship. If you reach tier 3 in the morning, and you hear the guns being fired - duck!!

[OzKiwiJJ]

33 minutes ago, arxcards said:

How is it all going now?

 

I was ready to roll out a welcome mat in Newcastle tomorrow, but now that Grand Princess has to report to NSW authorities, she is showing as tier 2. I figure this requires testing for anyone going ashore, and I might stay on the other side of the river just to be safe 😉

 

When departing Newcastle in the evening, they fire the guns at Fort Scratchley to salute the ship. If you reach tier 3 in the morning, and you hear the guns being fired - duck!!

On Grand Tier 2 would kick in around 112 cases, Tier 3 at 375 cases. 

 

The Tier 2 figure could be less than what is in your local community right now. 

[arxcards]

48 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

On Grand Tier 2 would kick in around 112 cases, Tier 3 at 375 cases. 

 

The Tier 2 figure could be less than what is in your local community right now. 

Most likely, but I am sure our local press will be sharpening their pencils all the same. This is our first ship ever with elevated covid, and the tension is building. 😂

[eddieg07410]

On 11/24/2022 at 7:50 PM, Wastegirl said:

We are on the Grand Princess currently, with Covid. We are travelling up the East Coast and are in quarantine. I will try and keep this as short as possible staying with a list of the facts so people can make up their own minds whether the chance of getting Covid will make a difference to your travel plans. For us it was the little things that make it difficult. 
 

- Embarkation was a shambles we were all shoved in like sardines, inches from one another, no chance of social distancing. No checking whether you were in your right embarkation group just everyone flooded in.  We asked if they wanted to see our Rats but no, not necessary. This has to be fixed as given the timeline this is where we most likely caught Covid. 
- Everyone was wearing masks

- Our Dining Room experience was that we were all crowded together with little social distancing

- In the buffet there was a lot of self serve with the same tongs being used by multiple people 

- My husband and I were fanatical about health protocols, are fully vaccinated and have, until now, not had Covid

- My husband felt flat a couple of days before I got Covid but as he’s had a bypass this year it’s not unusual but now thinking about it he was already infected before me

- Husband got a cough and a bit of flem, that’s when we thought maybe Covid and then the same night I got a cough, tightness in chest and aches in my joints. We rang the medical centre who asked us to do a rats using a couple of kits I brought along and we were positive. She said not to go out of our cabin, sent us some Panadol, masked up staff to sanitise our room and told us the doctor would visit next morning. 
- Next morning we got two MDR menus delivered which we could order lunch and dinner from each day. 
- Were told there was no breakfast menus available and we had to organise that ourselves

- By 1 pm no visit by Doctor, had to chase them up, was told no visit but I could see a doctor if I came to the Medical Centre and they would send a staff member with a chair to escort me down. My husband was not allowed to come. 
- I was wheelchaired down in busy lifts, I was too sick to say anything at the time but I should have told the people in the lifts that I have Covid because the porter didn’t 😳

- Spent over an hour waiting to see a doctor who told me I had Covid (as if I didn’t know) and he would give me anti virals, briefly mentioning a 5 day quarantine starting with Day 0 not Day 1 and sent me on my way back up busy lifts. 
- To date there has been no official statement from Princess telling us we’re quarantined and what to do and we only found out today that our room steward did not know we had Covid

- We have to make our own bed and clean our own room

- Keep getting charged for room service which I then have to ring and say that we shouldn’t be charged. 
- A very little thing but we’re not getting our Patter (I know you can get it on the TV) it’s as if we’re non passengers

- Use the app for some room service orders but it’s too rigid, eg I can’t order a half strength latte or a Chai Tea

- Guest services do ring us twice a day to ask if we need anything like new towels, tissues, toilet paper etc

- When we arrived in our Deck 10 cabin there was no tub chair, was told they don’t have them in verandah staterooms anymore (I find that hard to believe) finally got one then asked for a second one later seeming we’re in quarantine, it hasn’t arrived yet after 2 days. 
- Room service is hit and miss, for example ordered specialty tea this morning with breakfast, got cups, hot water, milk but no teabags. A lot of orders have things missing off them

- Yesterday our lunch was late, stuck my head out of the door and the menus are still there at 1 pm, rang someone, the menus were picked up and we finally got something to eat at 2. Will check outside late morning each day now. 
- While I was not positive I was in the laundry and an unmasked American lady is holding forth on how this mask wearing and Covid is all a beat up and her son is not even vaccinated. She was but only because the Australian government wouldn’t let her in without. 
- Also before quarantine we got on the shuttle to Brisbane, it was cheek to jowl so I said to the bus driver I didn’t want to be shoved in the rear seat squashed up to my neighbours. He replied if I didn’t sit down he couldn’t leave and I was stopping the whole shuttle process. He was very aggressive about it and I felt I had to sit down or I’d cause problems. Well the poor people squashed up to me probably have Covid by now and I feel horrible for them. 
 

As for the cruise itself before quarantine, it was a little surreal, a lot of the “fun” vibe seems to be missing. 
 

Well that’s my experience for what it’s worth. We had a cruise booked for February but will cancel that. A cruise we have in May we might leave booked for the moment. 
 

As a side note stuck in a cabin with a husband climbing the walls can be challenging and I’m sure he thinks the same about me 🤣. Also Mitch our cabin steward has been very helpful. 

Well Elise, your story makes me happy that I chose Viking for my 30 day cruise to Australia in February. Thee extra cost seems well worth it, because of fewer passengers, greater social distancing, and better support for those stricken with Covid. No doubt that American you found in the Laundry room has her head in the sand like a lot of people in this country.

[lissie]

On 11/25/2022 at 1:50 PM, Wastegirl said:

 

Well that’s my experience for what it’s worth. We had a cruise booked for February but will cancel that. A cruise we have in May we might leave booked for the moment. 
 

You will be bullet proof in Feb - the figures for reinfection within 90 days is vanishingly low 

[marinating]

Currently on Majestic Princess 13 day NZ cruise, not feeling the best and just tested positive. Guess I’ll wait until the Medical Centre opens to inform them, will need Anti Virals. Glad we have a balcony cabin. 

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, marinating said:

Currently on Majestic Princess 13 day NZ cruise, not feeling the best and just tested positive. Guess I’ll wait until the Medical Centre opens to inform them, will need Anti Virals. Glad we have a balcony cabin. 

I am sorry you have caught covid on Majestic Princess.  I hope you receive anti virals and will soon be feeling better.  

[arxcards]

3 hours ago, marinating said:

Currently on Majestic Princess 13 day NZ cruise, not feeling the best and just tested positive. Guess I’ll wait until the Medical Centre opens to inform them, will need Anti Virals. Glad we have a balcony cabin. 

Take care.

[nnps]

6 hours ago, marinating said:

Currently on Majestic Princess 13 day NZ cruise, not feeling the best and just tested positive. Guess I’ll wait until the Medical Centre opens to inform them, will need Anti Virals. Glad we have a balcony cabin. 

I was supposed to be on that cruise too, but got scared by the last NZ cruise and we had symptoms (ended up negative on RATs) so we cancelled. Hope the anti virals are as effective as reported and you recover soon.

Edited November 28, 2022 by nnps
added about RATs

[marinating]

4 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

I am sorry you have caught covid on Majestic Princess.  I hope you receive anti virals and will soon be feeling better.  

Thank you. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

6 hours ago, marinating said:

Currently on Majestic Princess 13 day NZ cruise, not feeling the best and just tested positive. Guess I’ll wait until the Medical Centre opens to inform them, will need Anti Virals. Glad we have a balcony cabin. 

Hope you feel better soon and that you can get the antivirals. They work very well. 

[marinating]

Thanks for the best wishes. I was offered a quarantine cabin away from my husband but declined the offer, we have a nice balcony so happy to remain here. We have been given menus for the days meals with options same as the dining room, breakfast and lunch arrived on time, tasty and hot. I’ve been given some forms to fill in from the medical centre, appears that all medications and antivirals are now being charged, not sure of the cost. I’m pretty sure when I booked Princess stated that antivirals and other Covid related treatments were provided by Princess, can anyone confirm this or have they changed their policy? Thanks. 

[marinating]

6 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

I am sorry you have caught covid on Majestic Princess.  I hope you receive anti virals and will soon be feeling better.  

Thank you. 

[windsor26]

8 hours ago, marinating said:

Currently on Majestic Princess 13 day NZ cruise, not feeling the best and just tested positive. Guess I’ll wait until the Medical Centre opens to inform them, will need Anti Virals. Glad we have a balcony cabin. 

Sorry to hear  but on same cruise cross with those refusing to mask

[OzKiwiJJ]

8 minutes ago, marinating said:

Thanks for the best wishes. I was offered a quarantine cabin away from my husband but declined the offer, we have a nice balcony so happy to remain here. We have been given menus for the days meals with options same as the dining room, breakfast and lunch arrived on time, tasty and hot. I’ve been given some forms to fill in from the medical centre, appears that all medications and antivirals are now being charged, not sure of the cost. I’m pretty sure when I booked Princess stated that antivirals and other Covid related treatments were provided by Princess, can anyone confirm this or have they changed their policy? Thanks. 

According to their website they have not changed their policy, and they should clearly state in advance if they are going to do so. Here's a current screenshot of relevant section from their website.

 

 

[marinating]

5 minutes ago, windsor26 said:

Sorry to hear  but on same cruise cross with those refusing to mask

Thank you, I’m very surprised at the amount either not wearing masks or wearing them incorrectly. Enjoy your day out today!

[windsor26]

2 minutes ago, marinating said:

Thank you, I’m very surprised at the amount either not wearing masks or wearing them incorrectly. Enjoy your day out today!

Just using WiFi and catching up keep safe  Yvonne 

Edited November 29, 2022 by windsor26

[marinating]

6 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

According to their website they have not changed their policy, and they should clearly state in advance if they are going to do so. Here's a current screenshot of relevant section from their website.

 

 

Thank you so much, really appreciate you taking the time to find this information.  I knew I had seen it somewhere. 

[Wastegirl]

Update on how we are going. Room service slow but I suspect with so many Covid cases now it’s getting difficult. 
 

We advised Medical on the 22nd we had Covid and when I saw the Doctor on the 23rd he said the 22nd counted as Day 0. So effectively from the 22nd using Princesses calculations Day 5 (or the 6th day of our incarceration) was the 27th. Then we found out that they don’t test until Day 6. Then we further found out that they didn’t start counting until my Doctor visit 😳. I told them vehemently that we notified them the day previous to that visit. I got  the run around of a ‘nurse will call you’ but they never did. So finally today the 29th, 7 days after we first reported we were tested at 11.30 am and told we would be advised within approx an hour. So about 45 minutes later I get the call, I’m clear but the Rats shows my husband as still having Covid, so he is being tested again tomorrow morning, Day 8. I’m allowed out but my husband is so depressed I’m worried about him. So to anyone thinking they could do 5 days in a cabin fine, in our case it isn’t 5, it was 7 for me and at least 8 for my husband. He is an active person and has hardly felt sick at all. 
 

We have tried letting people know our concerns but we just get the run around, no one returns calls and it’s no use complaining of the terrible treatment and lack of service to the nice young lass from guest services that rings us each day, she listens and is very polite but has no authority to help us. Throughout all of this the most difficult has not been having to clean our own room, or no bed changes but the lack of communication as to what procedures are. A letter from the powers that be just detailing what is happening and what we can expect would have gone a long way to covering our concerns. 

Everything from the debacle of our embarkation to how my husband literally feels like he’s in a prison is a result of Princess handling the situation very badly. 
 

BTW in my first walk around this arvo the ship seems very quiet and a bit empty. I mean there are people around but usually on a coolish sea day you can’t move for people in the Atrium but I could have got a seat anywhere. 
 

My advice to anyone still going make sure you don’t get caught in a busy embarkation because that’s when we think we caught it. We were crammed together cheek by jowl.  In retrospect we should have waited until everyone was through and waltzed through Station Pier as the last passengers. 
 

 

[arxcards]

2 hours ago, Wastegirl said:

We have tried letting people know our concerns but we just get the run around, no one returns calls and it’s no use complaining of the terrible treatment and lack of service to the nice young lass from guest services that rings us each day, she listens and is very polite but has no authority to help us. Throughout all of this the most difficult has not been having to clean our own room, or no bed changes but the lack of communication as to what procedures are. A letter from the powers that be just detailing what is happening and what we can expect would have gone a long way to covering our concerns. 

While they may have their hands tied and are are probably at the front line of a barrage of complaints, the girl from guest services is the best connection for getting your issues across. I agree, she may not be able to quickly solve your issues,  but they do link to the supervision of hotel and ship services and should be able to log your issues directly to those officers who are in charge of those departments.

 

A week in iso is not appealing at home, and certainly much less palatable in a cruise ship cabin. Try and make the most of your last couple of nights, and I hope your husband tests negative tomorrow.

[OzKiwiJJ]

3 hours ago, Wastegirl said:

Update on how we are going. Room service slow but I suspect with so many Covid cases now it’s getting difficult. 
 

We advised Medical on the 22nd we had Covid and when I saw the Doctor on the 23rd he said the 22nd counted as Day 0. So effectively from the 22nd using Princesses calculations Day 5 (or the 6th day of our incarceration) was the 27th. Then we found out that they don’t test until Day 6. Then we further found out that they didn’t start counting until my Doctor visit 😳. I told them vehemently that we notified them the day previous to that visit. I got  the run around of a ‘nurse will call you’ but they never did. So finally today the 29th, 7 days after we first reported we were tested at 11.30 am and told we would be advised within approx an hour. So about 45 minutes later I get the call, I’m clear but the Rats shows my husband as still having Covid, so he is being tested again tomorrow morning, Day 8. I’m allowed out but my husband is so depressed I’m worried about him. So to anyone thinking they could do 5 days in a cabin fine, in our case it isn’t 5, it was 7 for me and at least 8 for my husband. He is an active person and has hardly felt sick at all. 
 

We have tried letting people know our concerns but we just get the run around, no one returns calls and it’s no use complaining of the terrible treatment and lack of service to the nice young lass from guest services that rings us each day, she listens and is very polite but has no authority to help us. Throughout all of this the most difficult has not been having to clean our own room, or no bed changes but the lack of communication as to what procedures are. A letter from the powers that be just detailing what is happening and what we can expect would have gone a long way to covering our concerns. 

Everything from the debacle of our embarkation to how my husband literally feels like he’s in a prison is a result of Princess handling the situation very badly. 
 

BTW in my first walk around this arvo the ship seems very quiet and a bit empty. I mean there are people around but usually on a coolish sea day you can’t move for people in the Atrium but I could have got a seat anywhere. 
 

My advice to anyone still going make sure you don’t get caught in a busy embarkation because that’s when we think we caught it. We were crammed together cheek by jowl.  In retrospect we should have waited until everyone was through and waltzed through Station Pier as the last passengers. 
 

 

Good to hear you've recovered. I really hope your husband tests negative tomorrow. I must admit I was starting to feel a bit antsy at the end of my isolation period. 

 

It's very strange how two ships of the same cruuse line have handled Covid so differently. I would have thought the initial experiences with Coral - what to expect as an outbreak ramps up, what worked and what didn't - would have been documented and transmitted to the other ships operating here. Grand seems to be dropping the ball all over the place whereas Coral managed the situation on my cruise very well, with only minor hiccups as the number of cases grew. I'm beginning to think the current CEO of Princess isn't doing his job properly.