AoS Refused Entry to St Lucia And Antigua

[zywnywld]

These islands would suffer badly from a flu outbreak, but I'm curious how influenza has been handled on these islands in the past. The statistics on how many times ships miss ports and the reason might be interesting.

[kyriecat]

The islands must really be trying to isolate themselves from the swine flu. My friend's daughter is on Carnival's Victory right now. They were supposed to stop in St. Lucia today but were being turned away. When he talked to her yesterday, Carnival hadn't provided a back-up plan. Obviously my information is all second hand, but the passengers were told that someone onboard had been to the infirmiry with "flu-like" symptoms so the ship was being denied entrance to the St. Lucia port.

Sorry - I got bad information earlier. The daughter is on Adventure not Victory. She usually sails Carnival so my friend thought she was on a Carnival ship, but his wife said the daughter decided to try RC this cruise. Hopefully this experience won't make her wish she had stuck with Carnival. ;)

[runningtide]

Maybe the AOS home port will deny the ship entry, and the passangers will have to remain on this ship for several days more.......:eek: or maybe :D I mean fair is fair

 

Seriously..., I hope the issues works its self out for future cruises. I'm on the GOS 7/16 and have a lot invested in this trip.

[acc82]

 

Would you still take a cruise if you knew other passengers might have cold? Or if a fellow passenger was a nurse who, when not vacationing on a cruise ship, works in a hospital where H1N1 cases are treated? Because I'm here to tell you that, whether you know it or not, you would and you DO!

 

Honestly, I'm afraid I'll be denied boarding at the port if my nose is running due to my seasonal allergies. But even if they do let me onboard, who knows when I'll be quarantined or the ship will have to miss a port because of me. It's complete madness!

 

 

AGREED. I am such a person (nurse) and i work in a hospital, where, on a daily basis, I'm exposed to everything under the sun. IMO, swine flu, flu, stomach virus. all the same! you can die from each. nobody's denying entrance for cruise ships with passengers having stomach flu. shall we get overcautious about this too? and if only 3 passengers have symptoms, I'd say the crusie ship is doing a pretty good job isolating those people and catching it quickly. plus, it's possible that not everyone if anyone has this.

 

i sneeze all the time because of year long allergies....are people going to look at me like a leper on a cruise? I certainly hope not. The fact is, this (swine flu), like anything else, kills those who postpone care or have a weak immune system. a virus is a virus is a virus.

 

I think the ports should've handled this in a more diplomatic matter. I.e. have thoese patients disembarked seperatly from others. have them weark masks and put them on a plane back home (if they are sick, i'm sure they'd rather be at home anyway) OR, do what royal HAS done frequently in the past - quarantine them to the room.

 

this isn't royal's fault. they don't know if their passengers are healthy or sick. this is the reason that I and others have seen patient's airlifted off the ship due to heart problems or whatever... YOU are responsible for making sure you are healthy before you get on a isolated floating boat with 2500 people. This is for everyone's benefit, including your own.

[01Sweetpea]

I can see both sides of the equation.

 

I understand these countries not wanting to possibly infect their countrymen with this strain of the flu. These poorer countries may not have the medicine necessary to treat their citizens properly. They are only doing what they feel is in the best interest of their country.

 

On the other hand, if it was me spending thousands of dollars on a cruise, I would NOT want to be floating around the ocean for 7 days. I book a cruise to go places, see different countries, experience some of the culture. Now if I book a Trans-Atlantic cruise, I know I'm getting alot of sea days, but when you book a Caribbean cruise, you kind of expect some ports in there.

 

If I'm going to be stuck somewhere, I'd rather be stuck at home, not sailing in circles.

 

For some people, this could be their only week worth of vacation time and they could have saved for quite a few years to be able to take this vacation only to be stuck at sea.

[Hypo]

I just saw on the news that the World Health Organization has raised the H1N1 flu alert to level 6 which is a world wide pandemic.

[robmab]

 

If I'm going to be stuck somewhere, I'd rather be stuck at home, not sailing in circles.

 

 

Not me! I'd rather be on a cruise ship where someone is cooking for me, cleaning up after me and serving me fruity drinks by the pool ANY DAY!!!!! Ports or no ports, just get me on the ship and I'm happy!:)

[aqhacruiser]

I just saw on the news that the World Health Organization has raised the H1N1 flu alert to level 6 which is a world wide pandemic.

 

There were reports that WHO was going to make this announcement this week so it probably played a part in the decision to deny entry to ports. It is now officially a pandemic and that does change things.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/un_un_swine_flu

[Ocean Boy]

I'm also scheduled to board AOS on Sunday, and I agree with other posters who have basically said that there are contagious conditions on every ship AND in every port.

 

It angers me that St. Lucia and Antigua are so panicked over the media-induced H1N1 frenzy that they would turn away thousands of healthy people who will spend money on their islands. It also angers me that cruiselines, port personnel, etc. are so quick to label any condition with "flu-like" symptoms as H1N1. Yes, there's a chance it could be, but the testing process for H1N1 confirmation takes something like 10 days -- so it's IMPOSSIBLE for them to know if these passengers or crewmembers actually have H1N1. It's just as likely that it could be Influenza A or the common cold -- both of which share symptoms of cough, runny nose, fever, etc.

 

Would you still take a cruise if you knew other passengers might have cold? Or if a fellow passenger was a nurse who, when not vacationing on a cruise ship, works in a hospital where H1N1 cases are treated? Because I'm here to tell you that, whether you know it or not, you would and you DO!

 

Honestly, I'm afraid I'll be denied boarding at the port if my nose is running due to my seasonal allergies. But even if they do let me onboard, who knows when I'll be quarantined or the ship will have to miss a port because of me. It's complete madness!

 

What should anger people more is the fact that it makes no difference whether one had infuenza type A or subtype H1N1 (swine). The swine subtype is not behaving any differently than seasonal flu. I am not aware of ships being turned away in the past if someone on board had "flu like symptoms" so why should it be happening now? As I said previously, this reaction seems to be about a month behind the times. Back then we didn't really know for sure what severity this virus would have. We are now much better educated.

[Ocean Boy]

I have to say that if I were given a choice of staying out in the beautiful warm weather going in circles and missing some ports, versus going to San Francisco and Seatlle (when the boat was supposed to head south), I would vote for the warm weather every time.

 

I am sure that the ship did everything it could to keep the passengers happy and busy.

 

We went on a cruise from LA to Hawaii two years ago. It was four sea days going, five or six days visiting around the islands, and another four sea days coming home. I LOVED it. And it was the first time in 20 years I have seen my husband actually relax!

 

I'll take a sea day anytime :)

It was your choice to book a cruise that spent days at a time at sea. That is not everyone's idea of fun. Possibly that has something to do with why these people on Adventure chose to book that cruise instead of one going to Hawaii. The southern itineraries have quite a reputation for being port intensive cruises.

[Ocean Boy]

There were reports that WHO was going to make this announcement this week so it probably played a part in the decision to deny entry to ports. It is now officially a pandemic and that does change things.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/un_un_swine_flu

 

Yup, more reason for people to panic.:rolleyes:

[MrPete]

Yup, more reason for people to panic.:rolleyes:

 

We have just had our first case at DD's grammar school. :mad:

[PhinsAndGills]

I had "flu-like symptoms" one morning on my first cruise: nausea, upset stomach, headache, sluggishness. But I'm sure it was the 5 or 6 rum drinks I had the night before...

[Ocean Boy]

We have just had our first case at DD's grammar school. :mad:

 

But in the past have you really given it that much thought when one person, or even more, in the school had the flu? Mostly it is looked upon as a nussance that one hopes not to get because it means a week of feeling miserable. This flu is no different from that flu.

[MrPete]

But in the past have you really given it that much thought when one person, or even more, in the school had the flu? Mostly it is looked upon as a nussance that one hopes not to get because it means a week of feeling miserable. This flu is no different from that flu.

 

I think I'll wait to see how this all plays out before making that conclusion. Especially when it's not even flu season yet!

[Ocean Boy]

I think I'll wait to see how this all plays out before making that conclusion. Especially when it's not even flu season yet!

 

We already know how this is playing out. THIS virus is no more deadly than THAT virus.

[SherriZ366]

I just saw on the news that the World Health Organization has raised the H1N1 flu alert to level 6 which is a world wide pandemic.

This should speed up vaccine production according to articles I read. Hope they can get the flu shots made up in time to make a differnce but the method they use is antiquated.

 

I'm sure that the e folks on AD got the proper drug treatment.

 

I also heard that the santizer that RCI uses to clean the ship for norovirus is even more effective on the influenza virus that doesn't live as long as noro.

[MrPete]

We already know how this is playing out. THIS virus is no more deadly than THAT virus.

 

 

I believe the fear still remains that it doesn't mutate into something worse, with two strains potentially doing such.

 

Then this virus WILL be as bad as THAT virus in the early 20th century.

[HHFamily]

All this makes me worry about my upcoming cruise. I have chronic bronchitis. I cough and cough sometimes, are they going to have a cow because of this scare? Should I go to the DR and get a letter saying my cough is not due to something contagious? Think it's come to that? I hope not, but I'm starting to worry.

[Guest nhrich]

We have just had our first case at DD's grammar school. :mad:

 

So I assume you'll be denying her entry back into the house. ;)

 

Seriously, though, hopefully it doesn't spread beyond the first case there.

[MrPete]

So I assume you'll be denying her entry back into the house. ;)

 

Seriously, though, hopefully it doesn't spread beyond the first case there.

 

LOL

 

Me too! I've already had a call from the schools nurse this morning.

 

CRAMPS (at 10???)

[royal29]

I just saw on the news that the World Health Organization has raised the H1N1 flu alert to level 6 which is a world wide pandemic.

 

As I mentioned earlier, some media frenzy here. Yes, the WHO declared a pandemic this morning, but read these comments from the story:

 

"Phase 6, if we call a phase 6, doesn't mean anything concerning severity. It is concerning geographic spread...Panemic means global, but it doesn't have any connotation of severity or mildness," said WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl. "In fact, what we are seeing with this virus so far is overwhelmingly to date mild disease. So we would think that this event is really a moderate event for the time being, because the numbers are high but the disease is overwhelmingly mild."

 

So many other comments on this thread are on target, particularly the nurse and those who have said the ports in question are overreacting. It's a shame the passengers are missing these beautiful ports.

[aqhacruiser]

Yup, more reason for people to panic.:rolleyes:

 

Panic will be part of it for sure and panic is never good. However it does set off protocols in various countries now on how they are going to handle a pandemic so will they close more ports, or come up with other criteria to allow ships in? We just do not know but declaring it a pandemic will definitely bring about changes throughout the world that may impact future cruises. Between rising oil and now this, it's not good for the travel industry that's for sure.

[CrucianGal]

A mere three cases of flu (and still not confirmed it's swine flu) among a couple of thousand folks and the ship cannot dock? This whole swine flu frenzy was overhyped to begin with, due in great part to media hysteria. I would bet more than three people from any ship walk off with some type of illness that could be contagious and possibly harm people. And, who can say that there are not some island residents with a contagious disease a passenger could catch. We can't live in a bubble.

 

Since I live on a Caribbean island I have to respond to this post. Unlike the mainland US, some Caribbean islands are not equipped medically to deal with epidemics. Case in point our son's private school had a whooping cough breakout a year and a half ago. The doctors on the island did not do a good job keeping it contained and many students were mis-diagnosed. The CDC actually had to come down to St. Croix to dispense anti-biotics on the island. So there is more that needs to be considered when exposing an island population to a contagious desease.

Regards from sunny St. Croix,

Cruciangal

[aqhacruiser]

All this makes me worry about my upcoming cruise. I have chronic bronchitis. I cough and cough sometimes, are they going to have a cow because of this scare? Should I go to the DR and get a letter saying my cough is not due to something contagious? Think it's come to that? I hope not, but I'm starting to worry.

 

It's a good question and I don't think anyone has the right answer to it as we do not know how the ships/ports will respond at this point. Someone can have just seasonal allergies and cough and sneeze too, so who makes the decision to who has the flu or who has a non contagious illness that closely resembles the flu on a ship? It's a tough call for any doctor to make in these circumstances when you are limited to what you can do on a ship and there has to be tremedous pressure on them to get it right and it's hard and then the cruiselines may have their own criteria too. If it was me, I guess I'd go to my doctor and get a note saying I have chronic bronchitis so at least you'd have it if questioned. Whether they'd accept it or not is anyones guess right now. I hope everything goes good for you on your upcoming cruise:)