Covid on cruiseships!!!

[bazzaw]

If you really must get a dose of Covid, just make sure that you don't get it on a cruiseship 🙂  Cruiseing is the only Industry that I am aware of that has mandatory isolation of positive cases . I now have personal experience of this and once bitten, very much twice shy for me -   will not be cruising ever again until this requirement ends - if it ever does! 

[Over from NZ]

Surely you knew that before cruising though? 

[arxcards]

20 minutes ago, bazzaw said:

If you really must get a dose of Covid, just make sure that you don't get it on a cruiseship 🙂  Cruiseing is the only Industry that I am aware of that has mandatory isolation of positive cases . I now have personal experience of this and once bitten, very much twice shy for me -   will not be cruising ever again until this requirement ends - if it ever does! 

Better to be out and about and sharing it with other passengers? True about mandatory isolation, but there are still lots of high-risk settings that won't let you visit while you have covid. If the ship outside of your cabin is considered a high-risk setting, it makes some sense to be confined to cabin. I would hate to be in ISO too, as it was boring enough doing it at home. 

 

You were aware of the iso requirement when you booked and when you boarded? Try to stay sane and get well if you are feeling crook.

[Aus Traveller]

From what I see, there are more precautions taken against the transmission of COVID on cruiseships than in the community. We have to choose whether to stay at home (totally) or live our lives trying to avoid the virus.

[Elorac123]

1 hour ago, bazzaw said:

If you really must get a dose of Covid, just make sure that you don't get it on a cruiseship 🙂  Cruiseing is the only Industry that I am aware of that has mandatory isolation of positive cases . I now have personal experience of this and once bitten, very much twice shy for me -   will not be cruising ever again until this requirement ends - if it ever does! 

As far as I know people can fly in to any port in Australia and not have to be double vaccinated and they can go anywhere in the country quite freely.

People can also walk around quite freely in they have tested positive for Covid as long as they have no symptoms.

So why is it that our politicians require passengers to be double vaccinated to sail in their own country or even if it’s just in there own state?

I believe that the vaccines that we had in roughly September 2000 would no longer be effective and boosters are not required.

There are many many people who for one reason or another have not been vaccinated and don’t qualify for a medical exemption who would like to cruise.

It is my opinion that this is bordering now on discrimination.

Cheers Carole

[LittleFish1976]

1 hour ago, bazzaw said:

If you really must get a dose of Covid, just make sure that you don't get it on a cruiseship 🙂  Cruiseing is the only Industry that I am aware of that has mandatory isolation of positive cases . I now have personal experience of this and once bitten, very much twice shy for me -   will not be cruising ever again until this requirement ends - if it ever does! 

Sounds like there was quite a lot of covid on Queen Elizabeth. Did they at least look after you well when you were in iso?

[OzKiwiJJ]

Personally I felt I was much better off having Covid on Coral Princess than at home, despute missing a couple of ports. All I had to do was relax and get better - no cooking, no housework, a nice balcony to go out on for some fresh sea air, food and drinks delivered on request, and no charge for medical care including antivirals.

 

You can't compare the shipboard environment to your home environment, unless you work in an office full time and travel to and fro on crowded public transport where the risk is of catching Covid is more comparable to the closed-ship environment.

 

I'm more than happy to be on a cruise ship, fully vaxed and wearing my mask when roaming around the ship. Roll on my next cruise!

[bazzaw]

11 hours ago, LittleFish1976 said:

Sounds like there was quite a lot of covid on Queen Elizabeth. Did they at least look after you well when you were in iso?

We did not know how many were in the same boat as us - until right at the end when we were departing the ship. I would guess that there were less than 100? They had a "special"  procedure for us to depart the ship after EVERYBODY else - waiting until 1030 for them to come and collect us from the cabin was the final cream on the cake of torture 🙂 

[Galesa]

10 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Personally I felt I was much better off having Covid on Coral Princess than at home, despute missing a couple of ports. All I had to do was relax and get better - no cooking, no housework, a nice balcony to go out on for some fresh sea air, food and drinks delivered on request, and no charge for medical care including antivirals.

 

You can't compare the shipboard environment to your home environment, unless you work in an office full time and travel to and fro on crowded public transport where the risk is of catching Covid is more comparable to the closed-ship environment.

 

I'm more than happy to be on a cruise ship, fully vaxed and wearing my mask when roaming around the ship. Roll on my next cruise!

 I find comments like this to be really interesting with al ot of cruisers saying the same thing.

 

When I (4x vaxd) had Covid in November, however, I felt absolutely lousy for at least a week. Had no interest in eating (which believe me is unusual) or drinking. Very, very tired. Couldn't drink coffee or beer. On that basis, spending my time on a cruise in isolation would be quite horrible for me. Much rather be in my own home. That said, willing to take a chance on cruising because I ain't getting any younger.

[bazzaw]

At least I now know something of what it must feel like to be in gaol - I am going to have to rethink my existing life of crime to make sure that I dont ever experience  the real thing. 🙂 This was enough to send me almost insane 🙂 Wife and i have enjoyed our World cruising - lost count at 400 nights - but NEVER AGAIN for us until this mandatory isolation requirement ceases. BTW I will be perfectly happy to voluntarily isolate at home in my large house and land if we should ever catch it again. - and like almost everybody else that we encountered along the way including on the flights , we will not be wearing masks ever again. 

[windsor26]

If you do not feel ill then being in isolation on a cruise ship is great  They feed you  give you fresh linen every day  you have all the tv channels we don't have at home and they give free wifi and we got free booze    We did not  know we had it   The ship tested everyone and we were positive but feeling fine

 

If we were on land we could have been passing it on to everyone we met  so no grumbles here 

[bazzaw]

12 hours ago, arxcards said:

Better to be out and about and sharing it with other passengers? 

 

 

Well this is EXACTLY what the rest of the World is now doing! There is nothing exceptional about the cruising World. 

 

I was worried about what to do after we were ejected from the ship  - we had to fly home from Sydney that afternoon and we were both positive. So I rang the National Covid Helpline for their advice - their advice to me was that they had no advice - they had generalised recommendations only and they told me directly that we could do whatever we needed (or wanted) to do . I NEEDED and wanted to fly home, in a positive state.  When you are outside your home, COVID is now everywhere! - and there is a strong possibility that you are sitting next to somebody with positive Covid . Time to get over the idea that cruising is some special particular circumstance. 

[bazzaw]

5 minutes ago, windsor26 said:

If you do not feel ill then being in isolation on a cruise ship is great  They feed you  give you fresh linen every day  you have all the tv channels we don't have at home and they give free wifi and we got free booze    We did not  know we had it   The ship tested everyone and we were positive but feeling fine

 

 

You must have been on a different cruiseship in a different cabin class to us!!!!  Free booze?? Fresh linen every day??  Free wifi?? - and if you find the TV channels on a cruiseship suitably entertaining  for 24 hours a day, day after day , well I have no answer to that 🙂 I think that you are rationalising 

[RobinBancs]

Sorry, I understand that you had a poor experience, but cruising is still a special case.  The mortality rate in Australia from COVID is currently as high as it has every been (See below).  A cruise ship hasn't got the medical capacity to deal with the serious cases that are still happening in the community, and given the disproportionate age cross section that cruise, there is a higher risk clientele on board. 

 

 

We were on board the Grand Princess when a guest was medevac'd (sp) from the ship just off the edge of bass straight (see below) and this was on the operational limit of the helicopter.  The location was so much on the edge that they had to drop off two paramedics and some equipment before flying back to Melbourne to refuel and come back to collect the paramedics and guest.

 

 

A covid case that necessitates a medical evacuation further from shore than this is a major operation, so I'm not at all surprised or concerned that the protocols on a cruise ship are designed to minimise the infection risk as it exists to protect vulnerable members of our community.

[windsor26]

27 minutes ago, bazzaw said:

You must have been on a different cruiseship in a different cabin class to us!!!!  Free booze?? Fresh linen every day??  Free wifi?? - and if you find the TV channels on a cruiseship suitably entertaining  for 24 hours a day, day after day , well I have no answer to that 🙂 I think that you are rationalising 

Majestic Princess a cheapest guarantee balcony  and we ordered a drink with our dinners and they were never charged   We did not take advantage during the day as we had our BYO wine and the fridg contents

The TV channels I found entertaining were those we did not have at home like sky for a few serials  so 5 days different entertainment was not to be sneezed at

What is rationalising about my experience?

We were contacted every day to see if we were ok or needed anything and were offered medicine if required but as said we did not feel unwell at all   ALSO  they will be compensating us for the days we were confined

Edited January 28, 2023 by windsor26

[bazzaw]

11 minutes ago, RobinBancs said:

Sorry, I understand that you had a poor experience, but cruising is still a special case.  The mortality rate in Australia from COVID is currently as high as it has every been (See below).  A cruise ship hasn't got the medical capacity to deal with the serious cases that are still happening in the community, and given the disproportionate age cross section that cruise, there is a higher risk clientele on board. 

 

 

We were on board the Grand Princess when a guest was medevac'd (sp) from the ship just off the edge of bass straight (see below) and this was on the operational limit of the helicopter.  The location was so much on the edge that they had to drop off two paramedics and some equipment before flying back to Melbourne to refuel and come back to collect the paramedics and guest.

 

 

A covid case that necessitates a medical evacuation further from shore than this is a major operation, so I'm not at all surprised or concerned that the protocols on a cruise ship are designed to minimise the infection risk as it exists to protect vulnerable members of our community.

You have presented a very good argument  - but it confirms my decision to not risk cruising again.  

[bazzaw]

3 minutes ago, windsor26 said:

Majestic Princess a cheapest guarantee balcony  and we ordered a drink with our dinners and they were never charged   We did not take advantage during the day as we had our BYO wine and the fridg contents

The TV channels I found entertaining were those we did not have at home like sky for a few serials  so 5 days different entertainment was not to be sneezed at

What is rationalising about my experience?

I think you like cruising more than I do 🙂 - and hence the rationalising of how great it is even when having Covid 🙂 

[NSWP]

These days with Covid in various numbers on just about every cruise ship, it is a personal decision whether to go and risk the consequences or not go at all.  This scenario might be with us for some years yet.

 

Certainly, some cruise lines treat their impacted pax better than others. I would have thought Cunard would have looked after their pax better than Barry Bazzaw described.

 

Barry, you and your wife get better soon.

Edited January 28, 2023 by NSWP

[redransom]

Isolating positive passengers also reduces the chances that the crew will contact Covid.  

[lyndarra]

1 minute ago, redransom said:

Isolating positive passengers also reduces the chances that the crew will contact Covid.  

That's a very important point which I think is seriosly overlooked by anti-mask brigade. The crew are short staffed and overworked already. These non masked people would then be complaining about lack of service.

[Auscruisefam]

I have a cruise booked in a few weeks. It will be our last until the mandates drop or at least most of them. Honestly I’m dreading the cruise,  I booked an ocean view no balcony. If I go into isolation I don’t know how I will cope. The room is small and no fresh air. I have only ever had balcony rooms and I only booked this cabin as a bet with my husband that I can actually cruise on the cheap. Obviously I can not. 
Also it’s on Luminosa, which I’ve had a few friends do and said it was absolutely crap. 
My husband is being positive and saying it’s an “adventure” meanwhile I’m completely freaking out. But it is 100% my fault for not thinking it through and trying to prove hubby wrong. 




 

[icat2000]

There was no COVID on the two cruises I did over NYE and early January on Luminosa. We cruising again on Grand Princess in March. So  I see how that goes.

[Cruisegroover]

Travelling anywhere seems to be fraught with rules and regulations unless travelling independently.

 

As a comparison to what happens on a land based tour I was on a 15 day APT tour of Canada a few weeks ago. Those who tested positive to Covid were left at the hotels where they tested positive. First couple left behind at Whistler (Westin Whistler Resort) day 5, second couple at Vancouver (Fairmont Waterfront) day 7 and the last couple Lake Louise day 12 (they made their own way to Banff (Fairmont Banff Springs) as they had other family travelling with them).

 

Canada covid rules are the same as ours. So no strict isolation.

 

The tour director didn't give us many updates only to say the couple from Whistler on day 15 flew to Calgary where the tour finished to pick their flights home to Australia via San Francisco as they were told if they didn't fly Calgary to SFO the entire ticket would be cancelled.

 

Mask wearing on the coach was encouraged but only 50% wore them. The TD and driver did all the time.

 

 

[joejoe 59]

2 hours ago, Auscruisefam said:

I have a cruise booked in a few weeks. It will be our last until the mandates drop or at least most of them. Honestly I’m dreading the cruise,  I booked an ocean view no balcony. If I go into isolation I don’t know how I will cope. The room is small and no fresh air. I have only ever had balcony rooms and I only booked this cabin as a bet with my husband that I can actually cruise on the cheap. Obviously I can not. 
Also it’s on Luminosa, which I’ve had a few friends do and said it was absolutely crap. 
My husband is being positive and saying it’s an “adventure” meanwhile I’m completely freaking out. But it is 100% my fault for not thinking it through and trying to prove hubby wrong. 




 

Well if you think your cruise is going to be crap your expectations can't go any lower. Just imagine how good it's going to be when it's much better then your friends said & you're having a good time.

Do your best being covid safe even if others aren't.

Good luck🙂

 

[sewgood]

3 hours ago, Auscruisefam said:

Honestly I’m dreading the cruise,

We felt like this a bit before our last cruise as it was during the start of a new wave but we were not going to lose our money so we went and had a wonderful time.

 

We lowered our risk of catching covid as much as we could as we too were in an ocean view cabin.

I enjoyed the shows (kept that mask on in the theatre), the food, the ports (got ourselves around), listening to the waves on the promenade deck and most of all not cooking, cleaning and doing the grocery shopping.