Covid on QM2

[Jacqueline]

At the noon announcement, the captain said  that the number of cases of Covid onboard have been increasing and that crew will now be required to mask. Also encouraged passengers to mask.

it would be good if they had masks available at the entrance to the venues…

[NancyDrew1953]

Oh, dear, not good news.  I was on the QM2 from October 25 to November 20 on the Northern Lights round-trip from NYC.  Although I know that there were some Covid cases on board, it did not appear to be that bad.  At that time, my guess estimate was that about 5 percent of the crew were masked, but that less than 1 percent of the passengers were masked.  
 

I am back on the QM2 on December 3rd (this Saturday); hopefully, things will improve.  I was planning of packing my masks anyway, but this is a bit discouraging.

 

I know that the cruise lines do not provide numbers of Covid cases,  but do you know the total passenger count on board right now.  The Norway segment of the Northern Lights had over 2,400 passengers. The captain announced that this was the highest headcount post-Covid. Also, it would be interesting to know how many on your cruise back from the Caribbean are continuing on to Southampton.

[Jacqueline]

I wish I knew. I think that the grills is entirely sold out. The maitre d said over 100% with third berths .

it would be good if they had masks available in locations. 

[Deafcruise]

Oh dear we are due onboard 10th December and I’m getting a bit unsettled about this :(

[Host Hattie]

Have you asked your butler or the concierge? We were given them on Queen Victoria. 

[Underwatr]

Cunard dropped the requirement for a pre-embarkation observed test when the ship was en route from Southampton to New York.

The testing is an imperfect way to identify and exclude cases of infection from boarding (and I expect that at least some infected passengers could have come aboard in Southampton) but I suppose it could have been a contributor.

[Jacqueline]

Many people had already purchased tests and used them. I had no interest in sailing with Covid. I brought enough tests that I have self tested every four days or so.

I am sure that people did bring it on board. Sadly, even with testing, Covid was being brought onboard. The antigen and lateral flow tests are very imprecise, although better than nothing.

I was on a cruise this summer with required vaccines and testing and it was estimated that 30% of the boat ended up with Covid . Disney ran four day cruises and people who were doing back to back had to disembark (zero out the ship in Miami) and test AGAIN before reboarding. There were so many cases that those passengers had to pack all their bags prior to disembarking so that if they were positive they didn’t need to get back on the ship! Sitting at a table with a person who had Covid or anyone in your party having Covid could not sail! And still so many cases.

Covid is endemic and some people still do get very sick. 
I don’t know what the answer is. probably the best case was our summer cruise, a few weeks after we all had Covid at home. Still had strong immunity.

 

[Gretchendz]

We were on the October QM2 sailing Hamburg to NYC.  We are fully vaccinated and boosted. Whenever we were indoors with people, other than eating, we stayed masked.  I would estimate only 10-20% of passengers did so. On the Cruise Critic roll call for a cruise, several people reported arriving home with Covid.

 

We have tested and are fine. And we flew through Newark! 

 

We are very careful and so far have been fine. This does not mean, however, that we don't understand there is risk.  By the way, we spend a month on this trip--flew to Zurich, took an AMAWaterways Rhine cruise, spent almost a week in Berlin, Dresden and Hamburg, then took the QM2 home.

 

My advice if you are worried, improve your odds by sanitizing your hands regularly (like every time I used a handrail!) wear a mask when indoors with others,  and be fully vaccinated and boosted.

[Deafcruise]

We are having conversation at the moment if we should go seeing its so close to Christmas …I know we can catch it anywhere but the risk is real 😞

[buchanan101]

13 hours ago, Underwatr said:

Cunard dropped the requirement for a pre-embarkation observed test when the ship was en route from Southampton to New York.

The testing is an imperfect way to identify and exclude cases of infection from boarding (and I expect that at least some infected passengers could have come aboard in Southampton) but I suppose it could have been a contributor.

I sailed from Southampton to NY on 18th October. They didn't even ask to see vaccination proof on boarding - no tests, though the shop came straight back from NYC so presumably avoided the Canada requirement

 

Crew maybe 30% masked, passengers 5% to 10%

[newcruise]

23 hours ago, Jacqueline said:

At the noon announcement, the captain said  that the number of cases of Covid onboard have been increasing and that crew will now be required to mask. Also encouraged passengers to mask.

it would be good if they had masks available at the entrance to the venues…

We board tomorrow, Saturday, December 3. I am happy to see that all crew will be required to mask up. That was the case on our August Mediterranean cruise on another line. How can it hurt? I hope the mask wearing by passengers will be required, not just suggested. Who wants a repeat of the mid-voyage cancellations we saw just 2 years ago? There’s always something…!

[Covepointcruiser]

My husband is very hard of hearing so masked crew members make it very difficult for him.   He needs to be able to read lips especially when the crew member speaks with an accent.    At least on Seabourn they will lower their masks if someone can’t understand them so I hope they will do the same on the QM2.

[Windsurfboy]

The world cruise starts in January, if covid is allowed on board in significant numbers will grow and groe

 

I wonder what the protocols for the beginning of that will be.

 

Covid is transmitted,  by crew and by the  passengers who will all be new.

 

Will they insist on tests for all passengers, would make sense .

Will they test and quarantine crew.

Perhaps for such a long cruise a few days of daily testing at start makes sense.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 3, 2022 by Windsurfboy

[babs135]

I truly hate the phrase that we're going to have to learn to live with it, but to some extent this is the truth.  Masks alone don't work. We had a hotel based holiday in March/April where protocols dictated a supervised test 3 days before boarding the plane and again on arrival. Masks were worn just about everywhere and the vast majority of people did wear them.  BUT 2 days on returning home hubby, daughter and myself came down with Covid!! Goodness only knows where we'd picked it up.

So what's the answer on a cruise ship?  Your guess is as good as mine!!

[showingdiva]

I was on QM2 in September (a multi-postponed short cruise that had started life in 2019 as a B2B with another ship).   On the first full day, Captain Hashmi did make an (friendly, but firm) announcement to say that he would like passengers to consider wearing masks when moving throughout the ship, and there was a notable increase in doing so from the previous day's embarkation.   I personally continue to wear masks on ships, trains, supermarkets etc, mainly because it's a habit I'm still in at work (hospital A&E).

 

We're getting there, but quite fully there yet.

 

I will have everything crossed that QM2, the ship's company and her passengers have a successful world cruise.

Edited December 3, 2022 by showingdiva

[Underwatr]

11 hours ago, babs135 said:

I truly hate the phrase that we're going to have to learn to live with it, but to some extent this is the truth.

Or one can chose to avoid cruising. We are leaning away from a Caribbean cruise in February and looking into renting a condo in Hawaii instead.

[Windsurfboy]

14 hours ago, Underwatr said:

Or one can chose to avoid cruising. We are leaning away from a Caribbean cruise in February and looking into renting a condo in Hawaii instead.

 

As you say everyone has the option of not cruising. 

 

Therefore  I would have thought the very act of booking a cruise , would tell Cunard you are willing to take a risk and live with it and do not want excessive restrictions and compulsory mask wearing.

[Victoria2]

29 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

As you say everyone has the option of not cruising. 

 

Therefore  I would have thought the very act of booking a cruise , would tell Cunard you are willing to take a risk and live with it and do not want excessive restrictions and compulsory mask wearing.

Alternatively, the very act of booking with Cunard is saying, we trust you to look after us as best you can and if that includes Covid mask wearing etc, so be it.

[Dermotsgirl]

6 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Alternatively, the very act of booking with Cunard is saying, we trust you to look after us as best you can and if that includes Covid mask wearing etc, so be it.

Exactly this.

 

My friends are very risk adverse when it comes to covid, and still live a quite limited life and mask up if they go in any indoor public space.

 

They were on the QM2 2021 Christmas cruise, the one that was abandoned due to Covid, but decided that they felt 'safe' due to Cunard's protocols.

 

In short, they trust Cunard to look after them.

 

The last time I Face Timed them, they said that they'd booked two QV cruises for 2023.

 

I didn't really like to tell them that things have changed on the ships, as I didn't want to spoil their anticipation, but I'm a bit concerned that they will get a shock when they get onboard

[Covepointcruiser]

We are on the QM2 now for 19 days.   Most crew members are not wearing masks.   A few passengers are and some of those have coughs.   There is a respiratory virus going around in the U.S. it’s likely some passengers are infected.

[NavyPanda]

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

As you say everyone has the option of not cruising. 

 

Therefore  I would have thought the very act of booking a cruise , would tell Cunard you are willing to take a risk and live with it and do not want excessive restrictions and compulsory mask wearing.

 

As a mainstream line I believe this will effectively be the Cunard ethos from 2023 onwards. We have already seen large moves towards this with the removal of general mask mandates for both passengers and more recently crew.  I expect the vaccination mandate will disappear shortly to match most of Cunard's competitor cruise lines. 

 

Most Covid precautions have the effect of increasing costs and/or reducing revenue for cruise lines. For example, having to set aside isolation cabins will reduce the number of passengers on board, therefore reducing revenue. When a line ensures everyone is tested and vaccinated this will have an increased administrative burden, which is an extra cost. Cruise lines are businesses, not charities and their objectives are to maximise their revenue whilst minimising costs in order to make profit.

 

Judging by the low voluntary wearing of masks both on cruise ships and in society more widely, then it follows that the majority of customers do wish to cruise with fewer or no covid protocols, than increased protocols and restrictions. So, in order to maximise the number of potential customers and therefore the price Cunard can charge then policy will naturally gravitate in favour of the majority. 

 

However, there does seem to be a market niche for people who wish to cruise in a more 'covid-secure' environment, with mask mandates, vaccine requirements and a strong isolation policy. Although I can't think of an equivalent land-based business, which markets itself on higher protocols (compared to their competition) I guess an existing, or new line may choose to appeal to this niche and be successful for doing so. However, 'covid-secure' protocols, do come at a significant cost, and as the market will be smaller, it is logical that only a small-ship line would move to fill this niche such as Saga Cruises and this would come with a price tag to match. With Queen Anne coming in 2024 and Cunard having nearly 10000 berths to fill, I strongly suspect that Cunard won't move down this route, and instead, continue down the route that other cruise lines and other businesses in the travel industry more widely, namely in the direction of relaxing protocols further still.

[Windsurfboy]

2 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

As you say everyone has the option of not cruising. 

 

Therefore  I would have thought the very act of booking a cruise , would tell Cunard you are willing to take a risk and live with it and do not want excessive restrictions and compulsory mask wearing.

 

2 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

Alternatively, the very act of booking with Cunard is saying, we trust you to look after us as best you can and if that includes Covid mask wearing etc, so be it.

 

I think both these posts summarise the alternative approaches.

 

I  think it is up to cruise lines to say which side of the fence they are on.

 

A) The precautionary principle.  If in doubt mask up, etc.

OR

B) we will live with it as we do every day on land.

 

Customers will know what to expect and book accordingly.  If A then not my cup of tea and I won't book, if B then others will choose not to cruise

 

PS  I'm  fully in favour of vaccine requirements,  that is how we live with covid on land 

Edited December 4, 2022 by Windsurfboy

[Underwatr]

2 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

Alternatively, the very act of booking with Cunard is saying, we trust you to look after us as best you can and if that includes Covid mask wearing etc, so be it.

On the Cunard survey I took yesterday there was a question on what factors would prevent you from booking a cruise. Two of the options presented were "Fear of getting sick" and "Required measures to prevent the spread of illness." So they're surveying for both ends of the spectrum.

[Victoria2]

13 minutes ago, Underwatr said:

On the Cunard survey I took yesterday there was a question on what factors would prevent you from booking a cruise. Two of the options presented were "Fear of getting sick" and "Required measures to prevent the spread of illness." So they're surveying for both ends of the spectrum.

 

We are not afraid of booking [roll on Tuesday] and will, if we think it prudent, continue to wear masks in small, crowded places such as lifts but that's our decision. If it's mandatory, OK, and if not mandated at all, still OK and we will continue to do our own thing. 🙂

[RICHARD@SEA]

after being on ships for years(back to the 1970's when you could open a port hole in the cabin) and loved being at sea, I have cut back on the # of cruises I plan to take for a couple of reasons.

 

I believe covid is now just a fact of life  - something the human race will have to live with until a cure is found...I am vaccinated & boosted & try to stay away from gatherings where it might be a problem.  I do travel but more land based trips ...mostly in the US & Europe.

After 2 cruises being cancelled & one w Cunard on QM2 this past July I am cautious. In July the nite before the cruise CUNARD sent an email offering a full refund due to the corona virus situation onboard(this was the 7 day July 4 th sailing out of NYC)  I opted out & just unpacked.

First lesson is being personally responsible for choices made.

 

Second lesson is always having travel insurance( this was not an issue in July as Cunard initiated the offer of full refund).  

 Third lesson is to be fully aware of what's happening.  I really miss being at sea  but not at the risk of my health. I believe today that corporations act solely in their own profitable interests.  I sometimes laugh when people expect compensation or the corporates to do whats best for their customers(I am not a guest or family on a ship as I PAID $$$ for my passage).  Look at Crystal Cruise Line that went bust & left many customers without their payments for future cruises in the dust.  And yet there are people that await the resurrection / recreation of Crystal...a fool & his money....  Or even other cruise lines  that had reports from passengers being left stranded in ports during covid close downs(some world cruise passengers have detailed these experiences).  The poor crew & how they were treated.

 

so hopefully I'll be back at sea ...but w real expectation & precautions taken to ensure a safe journey.