Swine flu updates from Cruise Critic

[nealstuber]

Here are the details, beatriz22 and everyone:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=3199

 

Sure seems like Carnival Jumped the gun here. None of the other lines followed suit, travel restrictions are easying and its almost "yesterday's news." (THANK GOODNESS).

[nrdsb4]

Sure seems like Carnival Jumped the gun here. None of the other lines followed suit, travel restrictions are easying and its almost "yesterday's news." (THANK GOODNESS).

 

You say the travel restrictions are easing, but I never thought there were any travel restrictions. My impression was that there were travel advisories made by the WHO, but no actual governmental restrictions, at least by our government.

[CrusinAgain]

Sure seems like Carnival Jumped the gun here. None of the other lines followed suit, travel restrictions are easying and its almost "yesterday's news." (THANK GOODNESS).

 

What cruiselines are left for the Mexico route in the Summer? Princess goes elsewhere and Royal has restricted travel. We had the Mexican Riviera booked for June 14th and the whole itinerary changed to the Pacific coast. I don't think Carnival jumped the gun. I can only imagine all the people that would get on the band wagon and blame Carnival for taking them somewhere a travel advisory for travel that is unessential to go to. We lost $2500 on this trip. We got the cruise funds back but not the airline plus we had to book a difference airline that actually goes to where we are booked at now.

[Chloe1292]

Clearly, this entire situation has been entirely overblown. A situation that should merit a bit of precaution (and perhaps reminders about hand washing etc) has turned into a full-blown fiasco. There hasn't been any evidence to warrant blanket cancellations to Mexican ports, especially for the next month. None.

 

H1N1 isn't Carnival's fault. However, their reaction to it is entirely their responsibility. IMO, they have mismanaged this responsibility at basically every turn. First the cancellations and now refusing to give refunds.

 

I've lurked here for a couple weeks and I'm pretty sure I'll get flamed for this post. Honestly, though, I'd like to know where they keep the carnival kool-aide some of you have been drinking. Attitude is important but come on now...how do you justify a customer service driven industry treating it's clients so poorly? Or does this really not rate as poor treatment in your book? If any other company took your money and changed the product they gave you with very short notice and then refused to give you a discount or refund, would that really be ok with you? I'm genuinely curious.

[beatriz22]

now if only we could get an update on cruises after June; its all such a mess

[passionmango]

I agree! We were on the Carnival Splendor for May 17, 09 and switched to the Carnival Freedom July 18, 09 they charged us 847.00 extra plus we had to switch flight schedule which is another cost added on. I asked Carnival why my total was so high, they told me they had thousands of people to serve at this time. For me its not fair, I will not deal with another Carnival cruise again after 7/18/09.

[samsmaisy08]

Our travel agent called today with info that the Inspiration that we are booked on for the 18th will not be going to cozumel. 2 days at GC instead. OR we are allowed to cancel and get credit for a later cruise. My DH has been so concerned...he does tend to be a nervous nellie. And since we're going to Alaska the 29th of May, he was concerned. I've read a few other posts. Frankly, I'm appreciative that Carnival and any other Cruise Line is taking this step. Yes, I'm very cautious, I'm a serious user of sanitizer and washing my hands and taking precautions....but not everyone else is that way. I see folks all the time, adults and children coughing and sneezing, not covering their mouths. Better safe than sorry. Just my opinion folks.

[nealstuber]

... Better safe than sorry. Just my opinion folks.

 

If it was actually safer, I guess you could argue that what happend made sense. Here in South Texas the rocket scientists finally figured out that by cancelling school, they more or less forced kids into the mall, the movies, and a lot of other places that can't touch the hygene standards of their school.

 

Seeing as the chance of getting seriously ill from the Pig-Hini virus appears to be less than "common" shipboard accidents, I think the axiom "better safe than sorry" is not applicable. There was no "safe" - but the whole situation was "sorry."

[floridacruzin]

If it was actually safer, I guess you could argue that what happend made sense. Here in South Texas the rocket scientists finally figured out that by cancelling school, they more or less forced kids into the mall, the movies, and a lot of other places that can't touch the hygene standards of their school.

 

Seeing as the chance of getting seriously ill from the Pig-Hini virus appears to be less than "common" shipboard accidents, I think the axiom "better safe than sorry" is not applicable. There was no "safe" - but the whole situation was "sorry."

 

 

A sorry situation it was but I got upgraded from a OV to a spa deck balcony after I splurged and paid a whopping 27.00 total.

[sbinbc]

You say the travel restrictions are easing, but I never thought there were any travel restrictions. My impression was that there were travel advisories made by the WHO, but no actual governmental restrictions, at least by our government.

 

Actually, WHO does not even have a travel advisory much less restriction. In fact, under the heading "No rationale for travel restrictions" on the WHO website is an article advising against travel restriction. Here is a quote from that article:

 

>> WHO is not recommending travel restrictions related to the outbreak of the influenza A(H1N1) virus. Today, international travel moves rapidly, with large numbers of individuals visiting various parts of the world. Limiting travel and imposing travel restrictions would have very little effect on stopping the virus from spreading, but would be highly disruptive to the global community. <<

 

I really is ridiculous that so many people in areas of Mexico unaffected by the virus have lost their livelihoods and tourists have had their holiday plans turned upside down. Cruise ships are being diverted to San Diego, San Francisco, Victoria and Vancouver, where there ARE confirmed cases of Swine Flu from Cabo, PV and Mazatlan where I don't believe there are. Crazy!

[gtarbet]

Cruisinagain,

 

I was wondering, After all your plans changed you said you had to rebook. Where are you going now? We are booked on the Splendor on July 5th. Right now it is still going into Mexico but I am not faithful that it will stay that way after today. I really don't want to port in Oregon and we are really not sure if we are up for the cooler climates when we were expecting tropical weather. Just looking for options and suggestions. When we spend as much money as we do on a cruise we need to make sure it is great. We can't afford to do this very often. I wish that I could. I would love to learn from what you did. Thanks

[sbinbc]

Cruisinagain,

 

I was wondering, After all your plans changed you said you had to rebook. Where are you going now? We are booked on the Splendor on July 5th. Right now it is still going into Mexico but I am not faithful that it will stay that way after today. I really don't want to port in Oregon and we are really not sure if we are up for the cooler climates when we were expecting tropical weather. Just looking for options and suggestions. When we spend as much money as we do on a cruise we need to make sure it is great. We can't afford to do this very often. I wish that I could. I would love to learn from what you did. Thanks

 

I think that Carnival are going to regret extending their itinerary changes in to mid-June as the flu is already waning in Mexico and by then could be a non-issue. The likelihood of them extended it into July is very small, I think.

In the unlikely event they do, you would not need to worry that you were heading to cool weather up here in the Pacific Northwest. While it would obviously not be as hot as Mexico, it would probably be pretty warm up here. I just checked the weather history and on July 9th last year, which is the date you would be in Seattle if they continued the same itinerary change, it was 78.3 degrees as recorded at the airport, which means the actual high in the city was likely a couple of degrees higher. you could leave your parka at home!

[nrdsb4]

Actually, WHO does not even have a travel advisory much less restriction. In fact, under the heading "No rationale for travel restrictions" on the WHO website is an article advising against travel restriction. Here is a quote from that article:

 

>> WHO is not recommending travel restrictions related to the outbreak of the influenza A(H1N1) virus. Today, international travel moves rapidly, with large numbers of individuals visiting various parts of the world. Limiting travel and imposing travel restrictions would have very little effect on stopping the virus from spreading, but would be highly disruptive to the global community. <<

 

I really is ridiculous that so many people in areas of Mexico unaffected by the virus have lost their livelihoods and tourists have had their holiday plans turned upside down. Cruise ships are being diverted to San Diego, San Francisco, Victoria and Vancouver, where there ARE confirmed cases of Swine Flu from Cabo, PV and Mazatlan where I don't believe there are. Crazy!

 

I, too, feel for the Mexican tourist industry. They've taken a beating this year between this and the hysteria created by the violence in the border towns. We stayed in Cabo over spring break and one of our waiters was telling us about how they had cancellations over the travel advisories related to border town violence and he was sad that the whole country was being painted as dangerous when it's just not so.

[bigdaddyvoges]

Now I have never been to Key West, but it appears Mexico is going back to "business as usual" and the CDC here has said the strain is A LOT more mild than expected. I have a June 14th sailing on the Valor (I transferred in from RCCL after the MR was rerouted on the same date), and I am being optimistic that if in the coming week or two if it should die down even more that we will be allowed to go to Cozumel. With all vacationers out of town, Mexico is poised and has already lost a TON of money. So why if the scare has really been blown out of proportion, why can't Carnival go back to Mexico in a week or two? I am sure they can still change it and Mexico would gladly take the tourism..... Just a thought, but hey if it is Key West then so be it!!!!

 

Bob

Chicago

[londonbridge247]

Really? And did you ask the rep to explain the penalty to you as stated? The penalty plainly states no refund of deposit from such and such day; 50% during such and such day - You need to go higher up immediately. Those that sqawk the loudess should get results. We did not have any problems when the hurricane hit and only 1 port was altered. Carnival is the only one who has this written clause no cancellation penalty so call them back and speak to the supervisor and manager and have them read the clause and have the dates in front of you what it plainly says for cancellation penalty. Royal did not have this at all yet just gave us a full refund since they changed all the ports.

 

I just checked and I am within the 29 to 8 days for an 7 day cruise. So I guess the "penalty" is 50%. So I got a refund of 50% and instead of keeping 50%, they gave it to me in a future cruise credit.

[kdkg11]

Clearly, this entire situation has been entirely overblown. A situation that should merit a bit of precaution (and perhaps reminders about hand washing etc) has turned into a full-blown fiasco. There hasn't been any evidence to warrant blanket cancellations to Mexican ports, especially for the next month. None.

 

H1N1 isn't Carnival's fault. However, their reaction to it is entirely their responsibility. IMO, they have mismanaged this responsibility at basically every turn. First the cancellations and now refusing to give refunds.

 

I've lurked here for a couple weeks and I'm pretty sure I'll get flamed for this post. Honestly, though, I'd like to know where they keep the carnival kool-aide some of you have been drinking. Attitude is important but come on now...how do you justify a customer service driven industry treating it's clients so poorly? Or does this really not rate as poor treatment in your book? If any other company took your money and changed the product they gave you with very short notice and then refused to give you a discount or refund, would that really be ok with you? I'm genuinely curious.

 

We are sailing on the Valor on 5/24 and have the port change to Key West. Although Key West is fine I really would rather go to Cozumel. There are 89 confirmed cases of H1N1 in Illinois, 5 cases are in cities that surround the city I live in, there are none as far as I know in Cozumel. I can see why Carnival wanted to be careful at first but any future itinerary changes are, in my opinion, not called for.

[bigdaddyvoges]

KDKG: A fellow Illinois resident here!!! I am going on the Valor June 14th, and I am the "last week" of itinerary change. I don't see why the changes were needed out into June. They played off the "Scare" tactic, but I completely disagree. Mexico's tourism industry needs us there!!!

[beatriz22]

maybe itll all go back to party in mexico time, we are hoping, we dont want to cancel or postpone; no updates on carnival.com for a few days now, where are they??

[kdkg11]

Here is the Il updated numbers and Cozumels numbers

 

There are now 225 confirmed case of swine flu in Illinois, the state Department of Public Health reported this morning.The dramatic climb into triple digits over a few days was attributed to state labs tackling test backlogs because they are able for the first time to conduct confirmation tests without sending them away, officials say.

 

 

Chicago remains the apparent epicenter of the swine flu outbreak in Illinois, with 93 confirmed cases. Suburban Cook County has another 57 confirmed cases, the IDPH reported this morning.

 

Other counties reporting confirmed cases included DuPage County with 26 cases, Will County with 15, Kane County with 12, Lake County with four cases, two cases each in Boone, McHenry, Winnebago Counties, and single cases reported in Kendall and Knox Counties. Source: WGN TV Chicago

 

CUT THROUGH THE HYPE

As usual, the media, especially the cable news channels are working diligently to raise their ratings by scaring the public. You have probably seen the word "Mexico" on your TV screen so many times to scary music, catch phrases and flashy graphics, your head is spinning. What you may not know is just how the Swine Flu scare really affects you and your travel plans to Cancun. Here we present you only with the facts. How you use them is up to you.

Number of Reported Cases of Swine Flu in Cancun: 2, both mild

Number of Reported Cases of Swine Flu in all of Quintana Roo: 3, all mild

Number of People in Quintana Roo Who Don't Have Swine Flu: 1,135,306

Number of People who Died from Influenza in the USA last year: 36,000

Number of Confirmed Deaths Worldwide from Swine Flu: 30

Number of Confirmed Cases in the USA: 403

Number of Confirmed Cases in Mexico: 822

Number of Confirmed Cases in Canada: 165

Miles from Cancun to the Mexico City Outbreak: 1,100 mi.

Source: World Health Organization

:mad:

 

 

 

KDKG: A fellow Illinois resident here!!! I am going on the Valor June 14th, and I am the "last week" of itinerary change. I don't see why the changes were needed out into June. They played off the "Scare" tactic, but I completely disagree. Mexico's tourism industry needs us there!!!

 

Have a great time on your trip hopefully they will switch back by then!

[bigdaddyvoges]

KD: Thanks, I will make the most of it, but I do agree it is a big scare tactic it seems. Most of the tourist spots in Mexico are isolated along the coasts which like you said are quite far from Mexico City, so unless the infected are willing to drive out to these spots and infect people, the odds of you contracting the swine is like .0000000001%..... News feeds Panic.....

[CrusinAgain]

Cruisinagain,

 

I was wondering, After all your plans changed you said you had to rebook. Where are you going now? We are booked on the Splendor on July 5th. Right now it is still going into Mexico but I am not faithful that it will stay that way after today. I really don't want to port in Oregon and we are really not sure if we are up for the cooler climates when we were expecting tropical weather. Just looking for options and suggestions. When we spend as much money as we do on a cruise we need to make sure it is great. We can't afford to do this very often. I wish that I could. I would love to learn from what you did. Thanks

 

We booked on the Adventure of the Seas leaving out of San Juan going to Aruba, Curacao, Dominica, and St. Thomas. We loved Aruba, have never been to Curacao or Dominca but Dominica looks like a rainforest and well St. Thomas we have been to alot but all warm places. We are having to take the red eye after daughter's graduation on Saturday leaving at 5:30 pm arriving the next day in San Juan at 1:30 pm - a very long time to get there since we live in the Pacific Northwest.

[onit4fun]

Does anyone have any idea if this date is going to get changed like the rest? I have been checking the website and it hasn't been updated since the 4th?:confused:

[WestTxCruiser]

Does anyone have any idea if this date is going to get changed like the rest? I have been checking the website and it hasn't been updated since the 4th?:confused:

If I were you, I'd plan on your regularly scheduled ports for that voyage. We are on the Ecstasy on that same date.

As much as I would LOVE my 5 day to be a 7 day and get to visit Jamaica and Grand Caymans, my gut tells me it aint gonna happen. At least I'll be on a cruise ship, that is all that matters to me.

Hope you enjoy your cruise, where ever it might take you.:)

[onit4fun]

Thanks for the quick response. I was REALLY hoping we would get changed from 5 to 7 days, but I believe you are probably correct. Oh well...I will still sit on the deck and have my drink of the day and soak up the sun!!!!!:p

[WestTxCruiser]

Thanks for the quick response. I was REALLY hoping we would get changed from 5 to 7 days, but I believe you are probably correct. Oh well...I will still sit on the deck and have my drink of the day and soak up the sun!!!!!:p

Sounds awesome to me, don't forget the sunscreen!!!