Measuring COVID on board - NSW Health levels

[Aussieflyer]

I have just noticed Coral Princess has been listed as Level 2 on the NSW Cruising and COVID site - haven't seen a level 2 for quite a while. I wonder what the numbers are like and whether this is at the end of a long cruise (so any pax with COVID are likely to be still on board as opposed to short cruises where they are off before any symptoms).

[nnps]

Yes, it is nearing the end of a 17 day cruise from Perth to Sydney via Darwin etc. Worryingly, that level 2 was designated on Friday and it doesn't dock until tomorrow so it's likely to get worse.

[LittleFish1976]

I wish every State and NT was publishing this sort of chart showing the covid levels on board cruise ships docking in any Australian port. It's really useful information for so many reasons. Seems odd that NSW is the only one requiring this reporting from the ships themselves.

 

Are they requiring masks on board Coral now the numbers are quite high?

[OzKiwiJJ]

Tier 2 is over 3% of passengers and crew, so around 90 cases for Coral Princess.

 

Tier 3 is over 10% of passengers and crew, so around 300 cases for Coral Princess.

 

We reached tier 3 on Coral during the Round Australia cruise last year. Long cruises do tend to get high numbers of cases as far too many people refused to report symptoms as that would mean they have to isolate. Instead they carry on going to bars, restaurants, theatres, excursions etc, usually without even having the decency to wear masks. 

[Auscruisefam]

Those figures shouldn’t be reported at all, at least not publicly. They are no where near correct. It’s only people who have reported and tested positive. Princess will always have higher numbers because the demographic on Princess is more likely to report symptoms. 

All those numbers do is bring more negative attention to cruises. In reality the numbers on board are much much higher. 
There are no Covid measures for cruises that actually make sense or prevent anything, they are only there to make people think someone is doing something. The whole thing is so ridiculous we need to just move on already. 



 

 

[Pushka]

Covid isn't mentioned on any of the cruise ships berthing in Adelaide and the rest of SA. 

[Aussieflyer]

11 minutes ago, Pushka said:

Covid isn't mentioned on any of the cruise ships berthing in Adelaide and the rest of SA. 

As far as I know NSW is the only state to do this. It is something of a furphy as 9 times out of 10 there will be COVID on board (like in the rest of society) and the numbers only relate to those who have notified the medical centre on board. As mentioned above, many pax will not admit to being positive (or even test for COVID when unwell on the premise that if you don't know, you are fine). Probably quite a few run of the mill colds and other respiratory viruses down the rounds as well.

[korky1]

We disembarked Pacific Adventure on Thursday after 10 night enjoyable cruise.   On last day on board (Wednesday), started to feel a  bit nasally and by bed time was pretty sure I was at least getting a cold.   Was back home within an hour of disembarking as live in Sydney.  Did not do RAT test on Thursday as was not planning on leaving the house and still wasn't sure if I was developing cold symptoms. .Woke up about 5.30am yesterday sneezing and blowing my nose a lot.  Did a RAT test and it was positive.  This is just like any other head cold I have ever had.  I was still able to do all our washing etc yesterday as I feel fine from the neck down.  Today (Saturday) nose situation much improved. Hardly need to blow my nose at all now

This is very similar to the first dose of covid I had in March last year.  Was like a head cold and lasted about 3 days.

I do not panic or worry about catching covid any more than I worry about catching a cold.  I am 69 years old and enjoy good health. 

We cruised in November, December,  February and then this cruise in March,   I accept the fact that I may catch covid on a ship, just the same as I might catch a cold on a ship.  This is the world we now live in.

Even though it is no longer a requirement,  I will not leave home or let family or friends visit us for at least 5 days when I wll do another RAT test and if it is clear then I will venture out into the big wide world again. So far hubby is fine.  He will do a RAT test tomorrow to ensure he is OK to go to our local Coles tomorrow.    If he does happen to test positive,  our son who only lives 10 minutes drive away will do our shopping for us and leave it on our porch.

We are cruising again in May, this time on Carnival Splendour.   Really looking forward to it, 

21 minutes ago, Auscruisefam said:

Those figures shouldn’t be reported at all, at least not publicly. They are no where near correct. It’s only people who have reported and tested positive. Princess will always have higher numbers because the demographic on Princess is more likely to report symptoms. 

All those numbers do is bring more negative attention to cruises. In reality the numbers on board are much much higher. 
There are no Covid measures for cruises that actually make sense or prevent anything, they are only there to make people think someone is doing something. The whole thing is so ridiculous we need to just move on already. 



 

 

[Aussieflyer]

6 minutes ago, korky1 said:

We disembarked Pacific Adventure on Thursday after 10 night enjoyable cruise.   On last day on board (Wednesday), started to feel a  bit nasally and by bed time was pretty sure I was at least getting a cold.   Was back home within an hour of disembarking as live in Sydney.  Did not do RAT test on Thursday as was not planning on leaving the house and still wasn't sure if I was developing cold symptoms. .Woke up about 5.30am yesterday sneezing and blowing my nose a lot.  Did a RAT test and it was positive.  This is just like any other head cold I have ever had.  I was still able to do all our washing etc yesterday as I feel fine from the neck down.  Today (Saturday) nose situation much improved. Hardly need to blow my nose at all now

This is very similar to the first dose of covid I had in March last year.  Was like a head cold and lasted about 3 days.

I do not panic or worry about catching covid any more than I worry about catching a cold.  I am 69 years old and enjoy good health. 

We cruised in November, December,  February and then this cruise in March,   I accept the fact that I may catch covid on a ship, just the same as I might catch a cold on a ship.  This is the world we now live in.

Even though it is no longer a requirement,  I will not leave home or let family or friends visit us for at least 5 days when I wll do another RAT test and if it is clear then I will venture out into the big wide world again. So far hubby is fine.  He will do a RAT test tomorrow to ensure he is OK to go to our local Coles tomorrow.    If he does happen to test positive,  our son who only lives 10 minutes drive away will do our shopping for us and leave it on our porch.

We are cruising again in May, this time on Carnival Splendour.   Really looking forward to it, 

Sorry to hear you picked up a virus on the cruise but glad you are feeling much better and it was only very mild. I agree with your view that COVID is here and for us at least is about as scary as a bad cold. I know there are others though that the virus could be much more serious. We had COVID in June last year - was off for a couple of days but then picked up quickly. At that time quarantine was 7 days. We have had viruses since and do a few RATs to check - so far we have just had colds.

[Pushka]

So it begs the question. Are people reporting positive RATs to the local health authorities on land or simply managing an infection using sensible precautions. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

29 minutes ago, Pushka said:

So it begs the question. Are people reporting positive RATs to the local health authorities on land or simply managing an infection using sensible precautions. 

Probably a combination of both. CovidLive reports the number of cases per week by state and those numbers have been increasing lately. However the cases reported are probably only the tip of the iceberg as many people probably don't report getting Covid, and some may be asymptomatic so don't even realise they've caught it.

[windsor26]

Why would people not report their illness?        We were not at all ill but due to the ship (Majestic) in January checking everyone  DH tested positive on day 6 of the cruise so he isolated and so did I keeping him company  (they asked if I wanted to go to another cabin) - we ate together in our room  delicious food exactly what we ordered each meal and had 4 phone calls from the staff each day asking  were we well; did we have our meals;  were they ok; and did we want medical attention.

We were given free internet for both of us - the TV has loads of channels; more than we have at home without pay to view, and our meals came with brandy and other drinks we ordered (free)   Everyone was great BUT  we had to make our own bed although linen towels etc were left at the door every day for us.

Without being able to visit ports or the entertainment we did still enjoy the cruise  AND  just heard from Princess  they have given us a future cruise credit of $90 per day each for the days we were isolated.  Great service  Thanks Princess.

 

 

[NSWP]

6 minutes ago, windsor26 said:

Why would people not report their illness?        We were not at all ill but due to the ship (Majestic) in January checking everyone  DH tested positive on day 6 of the cruise so he isolated and so did I keeping him company  (they asked if I wanted to go to another cabin) - we ate together in our room  delicious food exactly what we ordered each meal and had 4 phone calls from the staff each day asking  were we well; did we have our meals;  were they ok; and did we want medical attention.

We were given free internet for both of us - the TV has loads of channels; more than we have at home without pay to view, and our meals came with brandy and other drinks we ordered (free)   Everyone was great BUT  we had to make our own bed although linen towels etc were left at the door every day for us.

Without being able to visit ports or the entertainment we did still enjoy the cruise  AND  just heard from Princess  they have given us a future cruise credit of $90 per day each for the days we were isolated.  Great service  Thanks Princess.

 

 

Simple, they do not report it as they do not wish iso in cabin. They want to enjoy what they paid for. Irresponsible  idiots.

[Elorac123]

7 minutes ago, windsor26 said:

Why would people not report their illness?        We were not at all ill but due to the ship (Majestic) in January checking everyone  DH tested positive on day 6 of the cruise so he isolated and so did I keeping him company  (they asked if I wanted to go to another cabin) - we ate together in our room  delicious food exactly what we ordered each meal and had 4 phone calls from the staff each day asking  were we well; did we have our meals;  were they ok; and did we want medical attention.

We were given free internet for both of us - the TV has loads of channels; more than we have at home without pay to view, and our meals came with brandy and other drinks we ordered (free)   Everyone was great BUT  we had to make our own bed although linen towels etc were left at the door every day for us.

Without being able to visit ports or the entertainment we did still enjoy the cruise  AND  just heard from Princess  they have given us a future cruise credit of $90 per day each for the days we were isolated.  Great service  Thanks Princess.

 

 

 Because unfortunately some people are selfish and don’t want to “miss out” on anything.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if people knowingly have Covid and still board 

Sad world we live in.

Cheers Carole

[Aussieflyer]

1 hour ago, Pushka said:

So it begs the question. Are people reporting positive RATs to the local health authorities on land or simply managing an infection using sensible precautions. 

I think a lot of people are not reporting a positive test to local health authorities if the symptoms are mild - most will (hopefully) isolate themselves even though it is not a requirement now. 

Edited April 1, 2023 by Aussieflyer

[Aussieflyer]

18 minutes ago, windsor26 said:

Why would people not report their illness?        We were not at all ill but due to the ship (Majestic) in January checking everyone  DH tested positive on day 6 of the cruise so he isolated and so did I keeping him company  (they asked if I wanted to go to another cabin) - we ate together in our room  delicious food exactly what we ordered each meal and had 4 phone calls from the staff each day asking  were we well; did we have our meals;  were they ok; and did we want medical attention.

We were given free internet for both of us - the TV has loads of channels; more than we have at home without pay to view, and our meals came with brandy and other drinks we ordered (free)   Everyone was great BUT  we had to make our own bed although linen towels etc were left at the door every day for us.

Without being able to visit ports or the entertainment we did still enjoy the cruise  AND  just heard from Princess  they have given us a future cruise credit of $90 per day each for the days we were isolated.  Great service  Thanks Princess.

 

 

Thank you for doing the right thing - I would think quite a few people suspected they might have COVID but didn't test or report.

[Ozwoody]

Could all be irrelevant soon according to Cruise Passenger Magazine.

https://cruisepassenger.com.au/news/unvaccinated-people-could-be-cruising-as-soon-as-april-23/

If that is approved possibly ships won't be required to report cases.

[Yaya_in_Oz]

2 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

Could all be irrelevant soon according to Cruise Passenger Magazine.

https://cruisepassenger.com.au/news/unvaccinated-people-could-be-cruising-as-soon-as-april-23/

If that is approved possibly ships won't be required to report cases.

 

I wouldn't be concerned if unvaccinated people were on board as its awhile since some have had vaccinations so they'd be low on immunity but the thought of Covid positive passengers just being allowed to roam around the ship infecting other passengers and crew horrifies me. Not everyone does the right thing by isolating but most do, thereby reducing the spread. The ship wouldn't need to report cases. It would be all over the media.

[LittleFish1976]

19 hours ago, Auscruisefam said:

Those figures shouldn’t be reported at all, at least not publicly. They are no where near correct. It’s only people who have reported and tested positive. Princess will always have higher numbers because the demographic on Princess is more likely to report symptoms. 

All those numbers do is bring more negative attention to cruises. In reality the numbers on board are much much higher. 
There are no Covid measures for cruises that actually make sense or prevent anything, they are only there to make people think someone is doing something. The whole thing is so ridiculous we need to just move on already. 



 

 

 

Those covid case numbers may not be accurate to the nth degree but they are indicative of the level of covid on board.

Experts have been saying throughout the pandemic that the numbers being quoted in any context only represent about one tenth (10%) of the total numbers infected.

 

Why shouldn't those numbers be published? You think it's better to hide them?

 

And it's just not true that there are no measures on cruise ships that can reduce covid spreading. Wearing an effective mask helps for starters. Good ventilation helps. Not having unmasked people crowding helps - ie boarding; waiting for tenders; disembarking etc.

 

[LittleFish1976]

2 hours ago, Yaya_in_Oz said:

 

I wouldn't be concerned if unvaccinated people were on board as its awhile since some have had vaccinations so they'd be low on immunity but the thought of Covid positive passengers just being allowed to roam around the ship infecting other passengers and crew horrifies me. Not everyone does the right thing by isolating but most do, thereby reducing the spread. The ship wouldn't need to report cases. It would be all over the media.

 

I think the importance of being vaccinated with a primary course and at  least one booster is that it reduces - massively - your risk of dying. I understand that effect doesn't entirely go away but having further boosters does strengthen or increase that effect.

 

If I were running a business like a cruise line, I would be keen to avoid having more people becoming dangerously ill or dying on my ships and costing me money in having to deviate course to remove them from the ship (the ill ones; the deceased are kept on board in the morgue of course).

 

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 hours ago, Yaya_in_Oz said:

 

but the thought of Covid positive passengers just being allowed to roam around the ship infecting other passengers and crew horrifies me. Not everyone does the right thing by isolating but most do, thereby reducing the spread. The ship wouldn't need to report cases. It would be all over the media.

Based on what I saw on my Round Australia cruise last year, where I caught Covid, I'd say most don't.

 

The known Covid numbers jumped significantly while I was in iso and I reckon that was due to the WA government requiring all passengers to test before going ashore in Fremantle (days 5 & 6 since I developed symptoms). In our section of corridor, between the mid-ships and aft lifts there were two cabin in iso (including me) when I tested positive. When I came out of iso there were ten cabins. A passenger we sat next to at dinner one night said he walked the whole ship and counted 329 iso cabins.

Edited April 2, 2023 by OzKiwiJJ

[Aussieflyer]

43 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

......

In our section of corridor, between the mid-ships and aft lifts there were two cabin in iso (including me) when I tested positive. When I came out of iso there were ten cabins. A passenger we sat next to at dinner one night said he walked the whole ship and counted 329 iso cabins.

So that would make it about a third of cabins had at least one pax in iso. And then there would have been crew on top of that. 

It sounded like the testing required by WA picked up a large number of cases (who possibly would not have a) known they were ill as asymptomatic or b) chose not to test or c) knew they had COVID but did not tell the ship.

I am really in two minds about the thought of unvaccinated pax. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 minute ago, Aussieflyer said:

So that would make it about a third of cabins had at least one pax in iso. And then there would have been crew on top of that. 

It sounded like the testing required by WA picked up a large number of cases (who possibly would not have a) known they were ill as asymptomatic or b) chose not to test or c) knew they had COVID but did not tell the ship.

I am really in two minds about the thought of unvaccinated pax. 

Yes, there were definitely cases among the crew. We heard of a few crew members thay we'd got to know over the five cruises that caught it.

 

Mostly b) and c) I suspect judging by the amount of coughing in the theatre just before I went into iso.

 

I agree with the previous comment - people who have only had the two vaccinations and no boosters are now no better off than someone who is unvaccinated as far as potentially catching and spreading the virus but may still retain enough immunity to lessen the severity of the illness. It's clear now that vaccinations don't stop people catching the virus so everyone on current cruises can still catch and spread it. Still I'd prefer to have less medical emergencies affecting my cruises - we saw experienced quite a few medivacs last year, and even one return to port which cost us about seven hours, put us right in the middle of a storm, and resulted in the cancellation of yet another port stop on that cruise. 

[Aussieflyer]

2 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Yes, there were definitely cases among the crew. We heard of a few crew members thay we'd got to know over the five cruises that caught it.

 

Mostly b) and c) I suspect judging by the amount of coughing in the theatre just before I went into iso.

 

I agree with the previous comment - people who have only had the two vaccinations and no boosters are now no better off than someone who is unvaccinated as far as potentially catching and spreading the virus but may still retain enough immunity to lessen the severity of the illness. It's clear now that vaccinations don't stop people catching the virus so everyone on current cruises can still catch and spread it. Still I'd prefer to have less medical emergencies affecting my cruises - we saw experienced quite a few medivacs last year, and even one return to port which cost us about seven hours, put us right in the middle of a storm, and resulted in the cancellation of yet another port stop on that cruise. 

The idea that 2 vaccinations is fully vaxxed doesn't really hold up - that was what was originally considered and required by cruise line (and airlines for quite a while) but then as immunity waned, new variants emerged and new vaccinations were released, the need for booster shots become more common. We have just had our 5th shots, though we did get COVID last year after 4 vaxxes. I would like to think that it is a bit like the flu shot and that people get an annual one routinely so that some level of immunity is maintained.

Guess we will have to wait and see what the requirements for cruising will be over the next while - I don't think anyone ever imagined this would still be an issue after all this time.

[Auscruisefam]

I have only had 2 shots right at the beginning for work at the time. I haven’t had a vax in over 2 years. So technically I am unvaccinated but I can still cruise because I have a piece of paper that says I’m vaccinated. Makes zero sense.

If they are actually serious make anyone who wants to cruise have a booster within 6-9 months of cruising. 
My point is that cruises are already pretty much unvaccinated anyway. 11 and under don’t need vax, plus 5% exceptions, plus all those who never got a booster etc. 

For the life of me I will never understand this distaste towards unvaccinated people. No one seems to have an issue if someone with multiple health conditions gets on board, if they are elderly, have breathing devices, are frail, morbidly obese, have heart issue, asthma’s etc no problem but God forbid an unvaccinated person is allowed to cruise …. They might drop dead and hold up your cruise, it’s a bit far fetched.