OHCruiser

Docs vary a lot on this issue. Even though it's technically free, it's ideally to be dispensed to people with an active infection. I'm sure the government doesn't really want people to have it "just in case", but we were uncomfortable traveling to Canada, on a ship, without it, and with no way to get it. I'm very thankful that I nudged our PCP, believe me. We are confident that we got infected on a shore excursion. We were on a bus all day--about 35 people--where only 10 of us wore masks. It was a wet, rainy day. Air circulation was poor. The servers at lunch were not masked and for the first time, we were forced to have 2 table mates [neither wearing masks]. We went to an historic home that was packed to the gills--again, poor air circulation, many unmasked "strangers" passing through rooms--and then to an overcrowded creamery where we had to stand in a long line for ice cream with more "strangers". When not eating ice cream--which we did outside--we remained masked. We've since canceled 2 cruises that originate & terminate in Canada because of their 10 day quarantine should we be infected again. When we cruise again, we'll embark & debark in the US and we won't go on any excursion that requires an enclosed bus, a common lunch where we have to sit with others [especially inside], or a venue that is small/tight that will be crowded with other tourists. We did everything the way we should have, short of not going on the cruise at all and/or not going on any shore excursions with others. We masked everywhere, including public restrooms, ate outside, used the stairs most of the time, etc. It's a real crapshoot with the super infectious circulating variants, & we lost this round--and it's infuriating at this point, 2.5 yrs. into this cluster.

This is true--and, research shows that it doesn't do much of anything for those under 65 [Israeli study]. It's for those with pre-existing conditions that may result in hospitalization or death due to covid, so age [65+], obesity, high BP, etc. DH & I each have 3 common risk factors: age, obesity, & treatment for mild HBP. His med for HBP had no interaction. My cholesterol med & HBP med do interact, so the procedure was to stop taking those meds for the 5 days of the Paxlovid. Neither of us had any problems following this procedure. This info is on the internet & I suggest that you look it up so you can discuss it with your doc. My doc didn't think my HBP med was an issue, but seeing it on the list for myself made me feel better about not taking it for the 5 days. Again, my HBP is pretty minor, so I wasn't in danger.

We just returned from a Zaandam cruise on which we caught Covid--while masked 100% when indoors on the ship & excursions........... We were not offered Paxlovid, or any other anti-viral. We were told we could buy cough medicine. We were moved from our inside room to a 6th floor balcony. The doctor called 4 out of 5 mornings to see how we were. The cruise ended on day 5 in the US, so we were released from quarantine & sent on our way. We were deeply unhappy with the way it was handled. Fortunately, I had the forethought to take Paxlovid with us. I asked our PCP to prescribe it when she did our proctored test for the cruise. She was a bit reluctant because of the possibility of rebound, but I'm so glad she did. We filled it b/4 we left and included it in our "Covid kit" that included 10 rapid tests, a pulse oximeter, a thermometer, decongestant, sore throat drops, pain relievers. ALL came in handy. DH's O2 saturation rate dropped to 92 & he had a fever of 100.2 as his first symptoms. Others in quarantine told us at disembarkation that they still felt poorly, but we were feeling really well. So far, so good.

Won't cruise without a lanyard, unless it's a ship that no longer uses keycards. I love having my ID, keycard, & a few dollars in a small lanyard pouch rather than carrying a purse. That's what I call a vacation!

First of all, I really hope that you both feel better soon. I was wondering if you were offered Paxlovid by the ship medical services?

Thanks so much for taking all the time to do this. I really appreciate it.

I'm an Android user, so I'm really dumb about stuff like this. I'd appreciate any help here. Thanks in advance. If I buy a used Iphone + Airtags, do I need to add the phone to my provider account in order to use it? Do I need a separate SIM card? Without actual cellphone service, can I still connect to wifi, like I would with a tablet or laptop? I"d really like to do this, as we have several cruises that require flights with stopovers.

We were on the Kdam in April. The ice cream offerings in the Lido were limited, but the gelato was excellent and cheap--$2.00 or so--and well worth every penny. The Amarena Cherry was superb.