Covid protocols, what to expect currently

[SargassoPirate]

Pink sez " we notice that the waiter cleans the table of the previous table guest and then uses the same dirty cloth to clean the next table and he /she is not see washing his hands or using hand sanitizer at all between the tables and bringing water, coffee, tea, iced tea,"

 

I've complained about that practice for years - especially when I would see them wipe off a table with a used napkin and then set the table with coffee cups and tumblers placed upside down on the "clean table".

 

BUT.....now they wear rubber gloves for an entire shift as theater to make the guests more comfortable.

 

 

Edited June 6, 2023 by SargassoPirate

[Keksie]

17 hours ago, pink845 said:

Been on a couple of cruises now since Jan 2023.  Last one was Majestic, Alaska a few weeks back.  Our procedure with respect to Covid is as follows. We wear our masks in crowds; we wear our masks collecting food at the buffet.  We tell our room steward on day 1, not to enter our room for the entire cruise. We leave our dirty towels at the door and he drops off new ones in a clear plastic bag.  We do not need cabin service at all. We book a mini suite balcony so we have plenty of space to roam. Mini suites have a large sofa bed as well and we let the fresh air enter the cabin upon our arrival and several times during the day.   In the dining room, we have always had no issue getting a table for two in a more far way spot so not to have to interact with other passengers too much in that dining space.  We have found there is more space in the specialty dining rooms, so we ate in those 4 out of the 7 nights.   Less chance of room steward spreading germs from cabin to cabin if that room steward is not entering our cabin.  He uses the same cloth to clean each cabin we are sure.  Princess has become super cheap there.  Also, we do not ask the waiters to bring water or any beverage to us when at the buffet (I mean, water, tea, coffee, the free ones) because we notice that the waiter cleans the table of the previous table guest and then uses the same dirty cloth to clean the next table and he /she is not see washing his hands or using hand sanitizer at all between the tables and bringing water, coffee, tea, iced tea, whatever to the fellow passengers that request it.  Funny.  Not really. So if we want coffee, we go get it and let it drip into our own coffee insulated mugs.  Just a few things that we do to prevent coming into contact with Covid.  As an aside, there were quite a few fellow passengers wearing masks on our May sailing of the Majestic, and more and more in crowded spots as there are people who in general show no respect for others when they are coughing and sneezing. We see them and hear them coughing into their hands (yes) not their sleeve, leaving kleenex on the table.  Manners people.    Just a few notes about our recent experiences.   Six vaccine doses and counting.  No Covid in 3.5 years and we have travelled quite a bit.  

We don't do any of those things, have travelled, eaten inside, been around others since May of 2020 and no Covid  either.  

[eclue]

3 hours ago, Keksie said:

We don't do any of those things, have travelled, eaten inside, been around others since May of 2020 and no Covid  either.  

We don't do any of those things either and have cruised just about every month since the return to cruising.....never got covid either. I do like to wear my mask in the casino to block some of the smoke so it does come in handy and of course we had 5 vaccines so well protected. The best advise I can give is to wash your hands frequently.

[love to cruz]

We just got off a 7 day cruise. My husband was admitted to the hospital with Covid & I came down with it two days later. The doctor thinks it is likely we contracted it while on the ship, as he fell ill 2 days after disembarking.  This strain is nasty.

[antsp]

21 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

Do you have fun on your cruises with those self imposed restrictions?

 

DON

I'd rather catch Covid than live like Don

[Napagirl]

1 hour ago, love to cruz said:

We just got off a 7 day cruise. My husband was admitted to the hospital with Covid & I came down with it two days later. The doctor thinks it is likely we contracted it while on the ship, as he fell ill 2 days after disembarking.  This strain is nasty.

I'm so sorry - I hope you are both on your feet again soon!

[Coral]

2 hours ago, love to cruz said:

We just got off a 7 day cruise. My husband was admitted to the hospital with Covid & I came down with it two days later. The doctor thinks it is likely we contracted it while on the ship, as he fell ill 2 days after disembarking.  This strain is nasty.

I am sorry. I hope your husband is doing better now. What ship were you on and do yo know what strain you had?

Edited June 7, 2023 by Coral

[love to cruz]

We were on the Emerald. The doctor did not tell us what strain we had.  This is our third time getting Covid. My husband had a booster last June. I am double vaccinated. Guess that doesn't matter.

[memoak]

25 minutes ago, love to cruz said:

We were on the Emerald. The doctor did not tell us what strain we had.  This is our third time getting Covid. My husband had a booster last June. I am double vaccinated. Guess that doesn't matter.

I have had 5 vaccinations and got it 3 times but the symptoms were not all that bad got less severe each time

[suzyed]

3 minutes ago, memoak said:

I have had 5 vaccinations and got it 3 times but the symptoms were not all that bad got less severe each time

What was the original vaccine that you all got?

 

[suzyed]

On 6/4/2023 at 12:29 PM, danny6514 said:

Covid is still real and alive, but practically everyone on the ship no longer care about it. Mask wearing is rare, coughing is common, and I wouldn't be surprised that people who test positive continue to roam about the ship.

Just like in the real world, I guess.

[suzyed]

12 hours ago, Keksie said:

My strategy for cruising is to wash our hands often and bring enough OTC meds to stay out of the medical center.

Us too!  We may bring masks for the elevator or theater.

[love to cruz]

22 minutes ago, suzyed said:

What was the original vaccine that you all got?

 

Wish we could say that. Our third time with Covid, but the first time hospitalized with it.

[SargassoPirate]

9 hours ago, love to cruz said:

We were on the Emerald. The doctor did not tell us what strain we had.  This is our third time getting Covid. My husband had a booster last June. I am double vaccinated. Guess that doesn't matter.

I know your handle is "love to cruz' but with your record with covid, why continue to place yourself in harm's way?

 

The other side of the coin is I have still not had covid, have had so many shots and boosters that my card is filled up, and never wear a mask anywhere unless required to.

 

I don't worry about Noro either because I wash my hands before I touch my food.

 

 

 

[Nicole&Pete]

11 hours ago, pink845 said:

Been on a couple of cruises now since Jan 2023.  Last one was Majestic, Alaska a few weeks back.  Our procedure with respect to Covid is as follows. We wear our masks in crowds; we wear our masks collecting food at the buffet.  We tell our room steward on day 1, not to enter our room for the entire cruise. We leave our dirty towels at the door and he drops off new ones in a clear plastic bag.  We do not need cabin service at all. We book a mini suite balcony so we have plenty of space to roam. Mini suites have a large sofa bed as well and we let the fresh air enter the cabin upon our arrival and several times during the day.   In the dining room, we have always had no issue getting a table for two in a more far way spot so not to have to interact with other passengers too much in that dining space.  We have found there is more space in the specialty dining rooms, so we ate in those 4 out of the 7 nights.   Less chance of room steward spreading germs from cabin to cabin if that room steward is not entering our cabin.  He uses the same cloth to clean each cabin we are sure.  Princess has become super cheap there.  Also, we do not ask the waiters to bring water or any beverage to us when at the buffet (I mean, water, tea, coffee, the free ones) because we notice that the waiter cleans the table of the previous table guest and then uses the same dirty cloth to clean the next table and he /she is not see washing his hands or using hand sanitizer at all between the tables and bringing water, coffee, tea, iced tea, whatever to the fellow passengers that request it.  Funny.  Not really. So if we want coffee, we go get it and let it drip into our own coffee insulated mugs.  Just a few things that we do to prevent coming into contact with Covid.  As an aside, there were quite a few fellow passengers wearing masks on our May sailing of the Majestic, and more and more in crowded spots as there are people who in general show no respect for others when they are coughing and sneezing. We see them and hear them coughing into their hands (yes) not their sleeve, leaving kleenex on the table.  Manners people.    Just a few notes about our recent experiences.   Six vaccine doses and counting.  No Covid in 3.5 years and we have travelled quite a bit.  

I like your thinking, cruising and doing everything the same but in a safer way so you don’t have your vacation ruined by an illness. I have no problem getting Covid from a cruise if Im sick when I’m back home but I don’t want to be ill on holiday.

 

We will try and do what you have described but we would like our room cleaned.

 

I sort of wish they still did testing, whilst it is a very long and anxious 15 minute wait to see if the test is negative and you can board, what it does mean is that everyone is that little bit more careful before the cruise and has less interaction with others so there is less chance of all kinds of viruses boarding the ship in the first place.

[flhokie]

We do the following:

- Bring lysol wipes and spray. Wipe down & spray the cabin on boarding and multiple times throughout the cruise.

- Mask indoors except when actively eating/drinking and try to avoid crowds. 

- Wash hands and use sanitizer regularly. Have gloves if we feel they're needed for the buffet.

- Make sure all vaccines are up to date (ex. senior mother made sure to get the newly authorized 2nd biavalent booster).

- Make sure to have any OTC meds we might need if we were to contract it. 

[luvtravel]

On 6/5/2023 at 5:58 PM, pink845 said:

Yes, great fun.  And we return home healthy to boot!!!!

Just wanted to say thank you for respecting your fellow travelers and yourselves by wearing masks when appropriate.    

[SargassoPirate]

3 hours ago, flhokie said:

Have gloves if we feel they're needed for the buffet.

Why do you need gloves for the buffet?  What are the benefits?  Do you wear them while you are eating?

 

I'm curious about the phenomenon of gloves everywhere.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by SargassoPirate

[love to cruz]

7 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

I know your handle is "love to cruz' but with your record with covid, why continue to place yourself in harm's way?

 

The other side of the coin is I have still not had covid, have had so many shots and boosters that my card is filled up, and never wear a mask anywhere unless required to.

 

I don't worry about Noro either because I wash my hands before I touch my food.

 

 

 

Aren't you lucky!! Our first two Covids had nothing to do with a cruise ship, nor travel. We take great precautions but Covid is air borne. NO! We have no plans on staying home in the future. Thank you for your concern.

[SargassoPirate]

1 minute ago, love to cruz said:

Aren't you lucky!! Our first two Covids had nothing to do with a cruise ship, nor travel. We take great precautions but Covid is air borne. NO! We have no plans on staying home in the future. Thank you for your concern.

Yes, I guess I have been lucky and my MD thinks I must have some sort of heavy duty immune system since I never get sick and never have had covid.

 

You are right about covid being airborne, but have you noticed the ubiquitous rubber gloves?  People must think they have some sort of magical sanitizing powers.

 

Good for you for taking precautions to protect yourself. 

 

Stay well.

[suzyed]

25 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

Yes, I guess I have been lucky and my MD thinks I must have some sort of heavy duty immune system since I never get sick and never have had covid.

 

You are right about covid being airborne, but have you noticed the ubiquitous rubber gloves?  People must think they have some sort of magical sanitizing powers.

 

Good for you for taking precautions to protect yourself. 

 

Stay well.

I think people use the gloves to handle the serving utensils in the buffet that everyone handles. I get it...they are most likely trying to prevent getting NORO.  Not a bad idea.

[SargassoPirate]

39 minutes ago, suzyed said:

I think people use the gloves to handle the serving utensils in the buffet that everyone handles. I get it...they are most likely trying to prevent getting NORO.  Not a bad idea.

I don't mind touching any surface including the serving utensil handles because I do washy washy on the way in and then sanitize after I'm seated and finished touching anything.  I've seen some people use the gloves in the buffet line and then pull them off at the table, lay their silverware on the table,  pull their chair in, touch the condiment containers, and then touch their food with the hands. Totally clueless.

 

What about the food workers that wear them and never change them after touching multiple surfaces?

 

Hence my sarcasm about the gloves having some sort of magical disinfecting powers.

[suzyed]

28 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

I don't mind touching any surface including the serving utensil handles because I do washy washy on the way in and then sanitize after I'm seated and finished touching anything.  I've seen some people use the gloves in the buffet line and then pull them off at the table, lay their silverware on the table,  pull their chair in, touch the condiment containers, and then touch their food with the hands. Totally clueless.

 

What about the food workers that wear them and never change them after touching multiple surfaces?

 

Hence my sarcasm about the gloves having some sort of magical disinfecting powers.

I hear ya.  Actually, the gloves are starting to sound like not such a bad idea....LOL!  I have seen folks in the buffet  lick their fingers and then touch those handles...yuck!  Of course we can wash and sanitize our hands after that, but would rather not touch that in the first place.  I never, not anywhere, place my silverware directly on the table, no no no!
I am a retired operating room nurse so gloves and masks are not a big deal to me.  
I heard flu is going around on the ships so we'll get our flu shots before we sail in Sept. and may even bring a couple of masks for the elevators!

Edited June 7, 2023 by suzyed

[eclue]

6 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

Why do you need gloves for the buffet?  What are the benefits?  Do you wear them while you are eating?

 

I'm curious about the phenomenon of gloves everywhere.

 

 

 

 

Gloves do absolutely NOTHING - any germs are still on the gloves and you are ingesting them...wake up people - Unless you are a medical professional and actually know how to wear gloves , just forget it.

 

[jeromep]

2 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

I don't mind touching any surface including the serving utensil handles because I do washy washy on the way in and then sanitize after I'm seated and finished touching anything.  I've seen some people use the gloves in the buffet line and then pull them off at the table, lay their silverware on the table,  pull their chair in, touch the condiment containers, and then touch their food with the hands. Totally clueless.

 

What about the food workers that wear them and never change them after touching multiple surfaces?

 

Hence my sarcasm about the gloves having some sort of magical disinfecting powers.

Ah the glove "thing".  I have an RV.  I always wear gloves to dump my tanks.  If you do your tank routine correctly and have decent equipment you never spill the forbidden fluid and you don't get it on your gloved hands either.  However, the gloves are there just in case.  Once your tank routine is all done and your hoses are put away and buttoned up, the very last thing is to carefully, like a nurse or doctor, remove the gloves in a very specific manner to avoid having the outside of the glove touch your skin, and then into the trash (which is usually convenient to a dump station).  Then I head back into the rig to wash my hands with soap and water (for a rather long time with lots of agitation) and off you go.

 

For gloves to work as protection from contaminated buffet utensils you have to remove the gloves in a very particular way to avoid any contact with any of your skin.  Medical professionals are pretty good at this, but note when seeing a doctor that their routine is usually to come into the exam room, wash, put on the gloves, do their thing, remove the gloves and then wash again.  While gloves may be great protection, washing is the only real protection we have against contact spread diseases and germs (like Noro).

 

So, yes, I too am sarcastic about gloves being some kind of talisman that protects all.