COVID concern 30 days away

[markf]

I am 30 days away from sailing, and with the increase in COVID cases the last few cases, concerned about getting it.

Curious as to everyone’s thoughts, we hear that many passengers seem to arrive home after a cruise and test positive.

certainly want to go but want to be safe as well !

[RJ257]

A new booster is or will be available very soon.

[cruisegus]

Who bothers to test anymore?

[smokeybandit]

Enjoy your cruise. You'll be fine. Covid now is significantly less than it was this time last year.

Edited September 14, 2023 by smokeybandit

[taglovestocruise]

I feel the same as i did two years ago, could not care less about covid. 

[CruiseMrB]

I'm a NOVID (No known COVID to date) and will be sailing in January. We will get the latest booster and wear N95 mask in all interior locations outside of our cabin, except to eat. That's the drill these days for us until further notice. Plus lots of hand washing and sanitizer, if the dispensers even work.

 

We live in Florida, so the idea that we are ever going to get accurate timely information on anything is out of the question. So we act accordingly.

[RoperDK]

Don't want to be controversial.  I'll just say what happened to us and how I feel about it.  We are fully vaxxed and boosted.  We have accepted the fact that we may pick up an illness onboard.  We have cruised several times since the restart and have picked up the "cruise crud" a couple of times.  To my knowledge we haven't had covid before.  However, we just got off of Mariner and both my husband and I have tested positive once we got home.  Many from our roll call have also reported positive results.  So far we have mild cases, as do most others I have talked to.  It does seem that there is quite a spike in cases.  I really don't think there is a way to avoid it at this point.  I won't stop cruising, but we will keep to ourselves for a week from now on after disembarking.  I don't want to pass it along.  

[deliver42]

There is no escape. Covid  is here to stay .Either accept it and take precautions, or don't go. It's personal choice. I, for one will continue to cruise. I've had all my boosters, so I'm pretty congident.

[Host Jacquelyn]

Just back from Serenade. A bunch of us tested positive upon our return, as did many others we met onboard. We washed / sanitized our hand a lot, but other than that, no precautions.

[ldubs]

My thoughts are that we are not lackadaisical about it in the sense we toss caution to the winds.  We will continue to apply basic precautions and continue to go on vacation. 

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, markf said:

I am 30 days away from sailing, and with the increase in COVID cases the last few cases, concerned about getting it.

Curious as to everyone’s thoughts, we hear that many passengers seem to arrive home after a cruise and test positive.

certainly want to go but want to be safe as well !

Go on your cruise. Have a good time. Stop worrying.

 

Yes, there will be COVID positive people onboard. Yes, there are COVID positive people in the supermarket when you go shopping. Yes, there will COVID on airplanes (if you are flying in for your cruise). 

 

Yes, everyone boarding the ship will be asked if (1) they have tested positive (2) if they have any COVID symptoms (3) If they have had contact with anyone with COVID. Will all answer truthfully,,, if you take the response on this thread, no. 

 

I don't think that "many" people come home with COVID. It is more like "a few people" come home with COVID. And the "few people" are the ones who complain about it.

 

I look for indicators on the ship. If COVID was rampantly spreading, you would see more crew down or masked (their protocol for crew coming back from isolation or close contact). And you don't really see it. 

 

On our cruise last week, the number of "ill" people did pick up toward the end of the cruise. In response, there were more passengers wearing masks toward the end of the cruise. Not a lot, but more than at the start of the cruise. 

[smokeybandit]

4 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Yes, everyone boarding the ship will be asked if (1) they have tested positive (2) if they have any COVID symptoms (3) If they have had contact with anyone with COVID. Will all answer truthfully,,, if you take the response on this thread, no. 

 

They don't ask about testing positive or contact. They just ask about any cold symptoms in the last 24 hours.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, deliver42 said:

There is no escape. Covid  is here to stay .Either accept it and take precautions, or don't go. It's personal choice. I, for one will continue to cruise. I've had all my boosters, so I'm pretty congident.

I totally agree. I am old. I have many of the pre-conditions that could potentially make COVID worse/fatal. I was on Royal's first North American cruise out of Nassau. I was on NCL's first North American cruise out of Seattle. Were the early cruises scary,,, you bet. Walking down Bay Street in Nassau with every shop boarded up at a time with the Bahama's had less than 10% vaccination rates was surreal. Watching people,,,, who had been sitting with you in NCL testing centers fail their COVID tests... spooky. Taking your mask off in public for the first time in over a year... unnatural. But,,, we have continued to cruise. And assess risk on every cruise. 

 

 

Being told that you could only dance if you stayed socially distant in one of the "dots"

[BirdTravels]

9 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

 

They don't ask about testing positive or contact. They just ask about any cold symptoms in the last 24 hours.

Sorry,,, but they sure did asked about testing positive and close contacts on our cruise on the Encore last week. And had us sign the electronic affirmation to that fact. 

Edited September 14, 2023 by BirdTravels

[smokeybandit]

1 minute ago, BirdTravels said:

Sorry,,, but they sure did asked about testing positive and close contacts on our cruise on the Encore last week.

I don't think the OP is sailing Norwegian.

[markf]

Thanks for your assurance, it will

be will a long month until the day comes  

 

[3CatsInMA]

2 hours ago, CruiseMrB said:

I'm a NOVID (No known COVID to date) and will be sailing in January. We will get the latest booster and wear N95 mask in all interior locations outside of our cabin, except to eat. That's the drill these days for us until further notice. Plus lots of hand washing and sanitizer, if the dispensers even work.

 

We live in Florida, so the idea that we are ever going to get accurate timely information on anything is out of the question. So we act accordingly.

 

Please elaborate on the bolded text.

[LeeW]

Twenty cruises since restart.  About half since masking requirements dropped (although crew wore them longer than passengers). We got covid once, on second half of B2B while they still required testing between cruises (tested positive after we got home).  Still see a few random people wearing masks, but very few.  

 

Last cruise (two weeks ago) had discussion in elevator about number of vaccinations and getting sick.  The folks with the seven vaxes had been sick multiple times and more serious.  We had three and have no intention of getting another shot.

 

We did get our normal flu shots this week in prep for cruise next month.

 

Most ports these days have no restrictions and few people wearing masks.  Will you get sick?  Who knows?

[Crazy planning mom]

Unfortunately, COVID is on the rise and there is a risk with all forms of travel.  We did catch COVID on our only post COVID cruise.  However, we have another one planned.  We will mask im crowded indoor spaces as I do wear a mask commuting to work on the subway.  The other thing I recommend is bringing some OTC meds with you.  And, yes I plan to get the latest booster.

[cruiseboy89130]

7 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Yes, everyone boarding the ship will be asked if (1) they have tested positive (2) if they have any COVID symptoms (3) If they have had contact with anyone with COVID. Will all answer truthfully,,, if you take the response on this thread, no. 

They stopped asking this!

[cruiseboy89130]

7 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

on the Encore

Is this Royal?

[crazyank]

10 hours ago, markf said:

certainly want to go but want to be safe as well !

Really want to be safe?? stay home

[Tatka]

    We sailed 10+ times after restart and each had 2 COVIDs. One time together and then each of us had it separately on/right after different cruises in 2022-2023. We work from home and have extremely limited interactions with other people so yes… it was from cruises. It may happen. After each of our cruises we read in groups that some people contracted COVID. We treat it as something that always may happen, but no different than other diseases when sailing with several thousands passengers. Cold, flu, Noro etc. 

[Tatka]

8 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

I totally agree. I am old. I have many of the pre-conditions that could potentially make COVID worse/fatal. I was on Royal's first North American cruise out of Nassau. I was on NCL's first North American cruise out of Seattle. Were the early cruises scary,,, you bet. Walking down Bay Street in Nassau with every shop boarded up at a time with the Bahama's had less than 10% vaccination rates was surreal. Watching people,,,, who had been sitting with you in NCL testing centers fail their COVID tests... spooky. Taking your mask off in public for the first time in over a year... unnatural. But,,, we have continued to cruise. And assess risk on every cruise. 

 

 

Being told that you could only dance if you stayed socially distant in one of the "dots"

On our first cruise after restart on Celebrity Edge in July of 2021 we did have to show test results or wear masks. Only vaccination cards… then it was masks all the way till March 2022 and tests till November 2022. 
 

[hollon]

Make sure you take hand sanitizer to your table after you get your food from the windjammer, etc. then use it when you get back to your cabin, use it thru out.  We used it all the time in a dec cruise and didn't get it, then we went on a cruise afterwards and thought, oh we won't get it and did not use our hand sanitizer and got it