Cruising choices with an active Pandemic

[k_sheep]

Short cruise round Australia they said
Low risk they said
New Zealand is safe they said.

Unbelievable.
Particularly allowing the staff member back on board whilst waiting for test results

Four people aboard cruise ship test positive for coronavirus in Sydney

The passengers came off the cruise ship with no knowledge of COVID-19 on Thursday morning.

www.smh.com.au

yep super looking forward to my indoor cabin on that ship in a couple months ....

 

[p--and--t]

In keeping with the thread title.... I would think this is the only most obvious choice for the next 6+ months

 

[Anna]

Short cruise round Australia they said
Low risk they said
New Zealand is safe they said.

Unbelievable.
Particularly allowing the staff member back on board whilst waiting for test results

The really alarming thing is that apparently 3 of those positive were from only 13 swabs taken before disembarkation was allowed. The other is an unswabbed pax who is now in Tasmania and sought medical treatment there.

3 out of 13 swabs is a horrific proportion if that is true

 

[moa999]

3 out of 13 swabs is a horrific proportion if that is true

Were they random swabs, or swabs of people that had flu symptoms?

 

[Pushka]

The really alarming thing is that apparently 3 of those positive were from only 13 swabs taken before disembarkation was allowed. The other is an unswabbed pax who is now in Tasmania and sought medical treatment there.

3 out of 13 swabs is a horrific proportion if that is true

Maybe they were the only ones with symptoms. I agree, it's plain negligence.

 

[Anna]

Not sure sorry. I had ABC24 on while I was eating my lunch and I heard the NSW chief health officer or maybe the minister say 13 swabs were taken but not how they decided to take them.

 

[TheRealTMA]

The really alarming thing is that apparently 3 of those positive were from only 13 swabs taken before disembarkation was allowed. The other is an unswabbed pax who is now in Tasmania and sought medical treatment there.

3 out of 13 swabs is a horrific proportion if that is true

Is it just me? But given that we know that asymptomatic people are some of the worst carriers, why weren't all the paxs tested before being allowed to leave the ship or at least quarantined on the ship for 14 days??

Some are falling down on the job and not taking the epidemic seriously.

 

[Pushka]

Is it just me? But given that we know that asymptomatic people are some of the worst carriers, why weren't all the paxs tested before being allowed to leave the ship or at least quarantined on the ship for 14 days??

Some are falling down on the job and not taking the epidemic seriously.

That's probably too much - almost 3000 tests. And at that time no known cases. However they should have at least had a temp check once there was a suspicion - I read somewhere they were symptomatic. One being a crew member. They should have held back disembarkation until the results were known. Then allowed symptom free people to disembark after a temp test but with strict quarantine. Handed them all a mask they had to wear to protect others until they were at home. Positive ones go to isolation.

 

[luxury-lizard]

This cruise ship incident is a catastrophe IMO - our measures etc just are not sufficient - any hope of early containment is out the window - now I'm really depressed ...... I think I'll stay self-isolated even after my 2 weeks are up.

 

[p--and--t]

Our "so called" border controls are an absolute appalling disgrace and national embarrassment. Thousands of people flooding back into the country via airports and ports without so much as a temperature check or signed promise to self isolate. I am fuming over what has been going on for the last few weeks and still happening as I type this.

 

[I love to travel]

In regards to a few comments about falling down on the job. My whole week has been about disaster recovery planning for COVID19. I am exhausted. Things will get missed, poor judgements will be made. I agree that this is a massive oversight but spare a thought for the health industry that is trying to navigate its way through this.

 

[Tropic]

A disappointing failure of protocol for sure but it's a small known number compared to the likely much larger unknown number of asymptomatic carriers that entered the country via our airports from the time this thing started up to when the border controls and mandatory self isolation were imposed. Given some people only suffer very mild symptoms, there probably lots of people in the community who have actually had Covid19 and recovered without even knowing it...who knows?

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

yep super looking forward to my indoor cabin on that ship in a couple months ....

Geez I would be UPGRADING to a balcony A S A P

 

[k_sheep]

yep super looking forward to my indoor cabin on that ship in a couple months ....

Geez I would be UPGRADING to a balcony A S A P

Good news! I got an email this morning that my cabin had been assigned. At first I was angry that they changed my carefully-chosen room. Then I realised we've been moved to a balcony

Bad news! It's directly below the fitness centre, so the treadmills are hella noisy apparently.

Good news! Earplugs are easy to acquire, plus we don't tend to sleep in much anyway .

Bad news! It's the Ruby Princess .... sigh ....

Good (?) news - it's a conference cruise which I really think is going to be cancelled anyway - so hopefully travel insurance kicks in.

Ahhh what a rollercoaster for our first cruise!

 

[Pushka]

Good news! I got an email this morning that my cabin had been assigned. At first I was angry that they changed my carefully-chosen room. Then I realised we've been moved to a balcony

Bad news! It's directly below the fitness centre, so the treadmills are hella noisy apparently.

Good news! Earplugs are easy to acquire, plus we don't tend to sleep in much anyway .

Bad news! It's the Ruby Princess .... sigh ....

Good (?) news - it's a conference cruise which I really think is going to be cancelled anyway - so hopefully travel insurance kicks in.

Ahhh what a rollercoaster for our first cruise!

Was it a charter? If Princess Cancels you will get your money back and then some. I don't get why the cruise world is acting like this thing will disappear in 30 days. On Cruise Critic a USA person said they have a cruise out of Sydney in mid April. I suggested the Border control gate is firmly shut for quite a duration.

 

[k_sheep]

Not a charter, no. A normal, commercially available to the public cruise. The conference people just rent out the conference rooms or whatever.

Funnily enough the medical conference groups are a bit scared - no one likes having big groups of doctors together right now!!

 

[straitman]

I started to quote people but too many quotes were needed.

On Tuesday evening (17th) we arrived back in Sydney on Carnival Splendor. We disembarked at 9:30 pm, about 36 hours ahead of our original schedule. We then got to spend a night in a hotel followed by a day travelling home via buses, planes, trains and taxis before we had to continue our self quarantine at home.

The point of my post is that we were surprised, even amazed that there was no screening of any sort of any passengers. Having said that our only port of call was Noumea the previous Saturday since leaving Sydney. Noumea has no reported cases of COVID-19 and they were quite thorough checking people on embarkation.

 

[amaroo]

I know people are still prepared to cruise.... I just don't know why?

 

[Pushka]

I know people are still prepared to cruise.... I just don't know why?

There's a cruise ship in Adelaide today....and you know I love cruises but seeing this ship right now does my head in.

 

[Pushka]

There's a cruise ship in Adelaide today....and you know I love cruises but seeing this ship right now does my head in.

Apparently there's a bit of a sh@t storm about the ship in the media here right now. Some in charge are denying it's here.