Grburkart

7 minutes ago, timbom said:

Joke all you want but the more we can delay the spread out of asia the greater our chances are of developing a vaccine against it.

Here’s my take on it...

First of all, I’m 60 years old. I’m currently recovering from heart surgery because my heart stopped and I was “dead” for 43 seconds. So I don’t fear death. I’m not sure why I just told you this but it might have something to do with the story. 
Ever since I can remember, there have been people predicting the demise of the world, be it the world is ending, climate change, nuclear holocaust, biblical prophecy, widespread disease, famine, and the list goes on and on. 
I'm tired of listening to the propaganda about the destruction of society as we know it. So some “expert” publicly says bad things and people gobble that up like it’s gospel. That’s laughable to me. Fear mongering is NOT helpful to anyone. 
 

Glenn

1 hour ago, NorthwestCruiser said:

I would say that the question under consideration by that article has been answered.  

 

We are used to scare headlines for "clickbait" and there is a lot of nonsense out there (no it is not a bioweapon and people are not suddenly falling in the streets), but COVID19 is a significant threat that has serious people concerned.   The WHO does not declare a PHEIC lightly.   Looking at the cruise ship, the question of how infectious the disease has been answered pretty conclusively, %60 infection rate may be on the low side.   (If everybody stayed on the ship for three months how many do you think would be infected?)    Highly infectious viruses are not something out of science fiction as any cruiser knows.   Those handwashing stations are for a reason.

 

It is unlikely to be contained because it appears to have the perfect properties to spread -- it is a great example of evolution (of coronaviruses) in action.    SARS was less infectious (apparently) and we were able to stop it, this one slips through our defenses.   Unless we get a technological fix soon it will be here.   

 

What we don't really know is how is how bad it will be for the general population, symptoms seem to range from an annoying cold to fatal.   Most people (high %80s)  survive but it has killed relatively young healthy people, however old people have survived it too.  It, is certainly worse for you than cell phone use, GMO foods, mercury in fish, or living next to power lines.   It is certainly a time to quit smoking or vaping.   It would probably be a good idea to have a months of supplies at least on hand in case you end up quarantined.

 

 

I have them stored in my bomb shelter while I wait for Armageddon.

Glenn

3 minutes ago, fragilek said:

 I think what is being referred to is the photos of crew with the masks hanging round there necks while smoking and chatting on deck. It was then pointed out that they sit and eat together so taking off to smoke and chat did not seem like a big deal to them.

Okay. I’m not familiar with that photo. I’ll stand corrected. 
 

Glenn

1 hour ago, Coral said:

Yes it is a PR nightmare. My friends see the ship every day (several times a day) on the news. They have not cruised but are in the demographic that are looking at them and Princess is the last line they will look at based on what they see on TV news. And they have warned that the stock is taking a hit because of it. If everything was great - they would not announced this stock hit. Even loyal Princess people have thought they handled the cancellations poorly.

 

There has been some criticism by how staff acted during the quarantine (not using face masks around others, etc...). Not sure how accurate it is but it is out there.

 

 

I’ll stand by my remarks. I must be watching different TV news stories than you. The demographic you speak of aren’t looking at Princess, they are looking at the cruise Industry as a whole. Princess’ PR then becomes irrelevant to your friends who don’t cruise. In the news stories I’m reading, people are disappointed about the cancellations but thankful to the Cruise Line for doing it. A very small number are angry with the process but they’ll have to learn to deal with the disappointment. 
I might also point out that my statements are my opinion and not based statistics or facts that neither one of us know about. Sometimes what we see and hear are misrepresentations of the truth. 
People like to criticize so I don’t think it’s fair to judge a situation that people are unfamiliar with. Sometimes we have to learn as we go. We’re not there so we really can’t judge their actions. 
Without being there, I would be positive that the Princess gurus didn’t tell the staff NOT to wear masks. In those early stages that we talk of, communication was confusing at best. I’m only making this up but what if there weren’t enough masks to go around? The passengers get looked after first, and the crew should then be idolized for their efforts. 

Glenn

Just now, Farts said:

I agree that it's not their fault. 

 

Ppl around me know I love to cruise. But now many ppl are saying how all cruise ships are just nasty petri dishes. Can't blame them. 

I fully agree with that. An acquaintance was on the Emerald last fall and he came down with the norovirus. So you just never know. 
Tne best way to contact something is by visiting a hospital or a school. Now cruise ships are on the list. 
 

Glenn

9 minutes ago, Farts said:

Tons of ppl I know who were interested in cruising have lost interest. 

 

I have personally cancelled 1 cruise bc of this. 

Fair enough and I’m one of them. Losing interest in cruising is different than losing interest in Princess cruises. My point being it’s not the fault of Princess and I think it’s admirable for the way they’ve conducted themselves considering they have zero control over the proceedings.

Glenn

21 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

There were only two possibilities:

a) Keep the masks on and consume no food or drink

b) Consume food and/or drink which means the masks would be off for a period of time, fully defeating the purpose of using the masks.

 

And, per another post, there were definitely 14 persons on the plane who had tested positive for the virus.

In the comment that I responded to, two points you made began with “if” which implies uncertainty. If you look in the thesaurus, “if” and “presumption” are the same word, yet you want to present that as fact. 
I've got news for you that you may not be aware of. There are people a lot smarter than me, perhaps both of us, that are in charge that may think there are more than two possibilities. 
However, you do make a good point that it will probably be a long assed flight without food and water. 
 

Glenn

1 minute ago, caribill said:

Supposedly on the plane the passengers were to wear their face masks the entire flight.

 

If that was enforced, then there would be no beverages or food served.

 

If that was not enforced, then the virus could spread if those with the virus had any food or drink.

I’m thinking that there were professional people on the aircraft that had things under control and they did what needed to be done. I think it might be conjecture on your part. 
 

Glenn

14 hours ago, Coral said:

They are in a PR nightmare right now. I hope they do the right thing.

PR nightmare? I hardly think so. This whole situation with only one ship of many in quarantine isn’t the fault of Princess. In this particular instance with the Diamond, it’s at the behest of the Japanese Government. 
In my opinion, the gurus at Princess should be proud of what they’re doing. Don’t forget, Princess is still fully operational around the world. 
 

Glenn

1 hour ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

The thing with Princess is that they quite often do the right thing; they just take their time doing it and create a lot of unnecessary stress for their guests along the way. The other thing is that what they say they will reimburse and what actually gets reimbursed are sometimes worlds apart.
 

The Princess experience is first rate when things are going well; they falter considerably when they are thrown curveballs. Unfortunately, they operate in an environment with countless external risks, and they seem to do everything in their power to resist incurring any ill effects when something goes wrong, instead passing them on to guests.  I understand their allegiance is to their shareholders rather than their guests, and most here would say that’s where it must be, but I can only imagine the amount of angst it has caused thousands of people who were told for weeks that if they cancel, they would incur the standard cancellation charges. I’m glad Princess has finally changed their minds on this, but much of the damage has already been done. 

I’m wondering where the sense of entitlement comes from when people expect to be treated like royalty in an emergency situation. It’s not fair to run down a company that is as much a victim as the passengers are. 
 

Glenn

30 minutes ago, kent9xxx1 said:

not wrong?  Did thousands get exposed when handling the cases on land?  Did they all go into quarantine because they handled them?  

I stand with my comment that the poster is not wrong. And yes, thousands are exposed. A thousand people isn’t that many when you consider day to day activities.  For example, a handler that is exposed might be on the subway going home after working all day amongst the masses. 
You probably need to be told this so understand being exposed doesn’t mean you’ve contacted the virus, but you may have, therefore... thousands!

Glenn

1 hour ago, kent9xxx1 said:

Did thousands of additional people get infected on land when handling all their land based cases? 
You think the bus driver receive french kiss from the passengers in lieu of fare?  Even so, this is hyperbole at best.  Thousands?  Lol. 

What kind of condescending remark is that? You better think before you comment. The poster is not wrong. 
 

Glenn

30 minutes ago, brisalta said:

 

Smoking affects pulmonary function and the behavior of the cilia in a negative fashion. This inhibits the clearance of particles such as virus from the lungs. It also increases the severity of pulmonary infections.

Smoking reduces stamina and various other physiological attributes. Keep kidding yourself if you think smokers are healthy.

 

Recent research has demonstrated that a lung can heal over a period of time after ceasing smoking.

Smoking also has deleterious effects on various other organs.

 

(I will ignore the increase risk for various cancers in this discussion).

I don’t want to turn this thread into a debate on smoking other than someone suggested smokers are at a higher risk than others to get this virus. 
In response to your comment, I smoked for 30 years (quit 10 years ago) and I was never sick a day in my life. I know lots of smokers who are healthy and very much alive. 
I'm not advocating smoking but it’s not the death trap people make it out to be. 
 

Glenn

10 hours ago, Pushka said:

Im not sure I’d factor death into anything unless you had significant other health issues. And smokers seem to be particularly at risk. Most outside of China are making a full recovery. 

People are dead because of this illness. I’m sure the disease doesn’t care where you live. As you said, people with significant health issues are at a higher risk INCLUDING death. 
I haven’t seen or read anything that suggested smokers are higher risked people. Some/most smokers are healthy people. But maybe I’m the uneducated one. 
I'm thinking some people are naive to believe it’s not serious. Especially if you’re worried about $1000.00

Glenn

To the OP... as this post is a few days old, it might be too late but I would be happy to forfeit my $1000.00 given the one of the alternatives is death, or at minimum the risk of being sick. 
There’s two places to get sick, visiting hospitals and schools. Now it looks like Cruise ships need to be added to the list. Think about it, unlike an airplane where exposure is over a limited time, where a cruise ship gives you exposure for several days, even weeks. 
So I say the choice is really a no brainer. 
Sorry to be a negative Nelly. 
 

Glenn

I’m not sure where the confusion is. Pretty straight forward stuff.

Glenn

16 hours ago, CallyCruzer said:

Make sure You decide what you are looking for if you book.  On previous cruise, it was a quiet retreat, comfortable loungers, afternoon tea etc. But on my current cruise 37 day on emerald, it’s been filled with loud talking, laughing, people playing cards etc.  A child in the adult only pool screaming etc for over two hours.  So definitely not what I was going for. 

I’m sorry to hear of your troubles on the Emerald. I know I would be disappointed with screaming kids, especially when they’re not in a kid friendly atmosphere. I get the loud talking and laughing to a point, however it is a place to have fun (kinda). 
I was to be on the Emerald now but I had cancelled my cruise due to health reasons. I am envious of anyone posting from the ship. 
have lots of fun!?!

Glenn

It kind of astounds me that after producing the excerpt from the passenger contract, that we all signed by the way, there are still those that debate that very same policy. 

I realize there are certain people exempt from the rules but we have to go by something. The policy is straight forward but it still befuddles many. 

I would be in agreement with buying wine or otherwise (I like ouzo) from Port, to be enjoyed onboard. In the meantime, there’s that pesky policy that gets in the way. 

Nobody is disputing that you can bring wine onboard. A whole truckload if you desire. The catch is, by the contract, bringing stuff in from ports of call. Corkage fee or not, it’s taboo. 

Glenn

I’ll stray a tiny bit here by saying I work in the oil industry in Northern Canada and I stay in work camps when I’m on shift. 1500 person camps to 4000 people camps. The food is served buffet style except that the kitchen staff plate our meals, which is good if you’ve spent any amount of time watching people use the buffet. I have done my share of eating this style. 

I hate buffets, more for sanitation reasons than food quality and when food prep is done for the masses it becomes institutionalized and quality and taste take a back seat to production. 

Thats why I’ll intend on doing the MDR 100% of the time. The food is still institutionalized but there’s an individual touch to it, the plating of the food isn’t haphazard and, from what I understand, MDR food is tastier. Plus, wine and buffet food do not mix well. 

If there’s an upcharge for an enhancement, my option to accept it or reject it comes into play and I can exercise my discretion. 

The charge for the second entree? I wouldn’t complain since there are other options. I love a good hot dog!

Glenn

2 minutes ago, BCCRUSINGCOUPLE said:

After reading here there is some great info but let’s also not forget. CCL buying power is huge and they lay far less then anyone plus we pay tips to cover wages. I still think that we need to put our foot down otherwise you will be paying for eveything. Also remember princess is out under the same management as holland America


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Right now there’s no place to put our foot down because nothings happened yet. Until the decision in question affects Princess there’s not a whole lot to do. 

As the saying goes... “you need to pick your fights”... I’m not so sure this ones worth fighting for. 

Glenn

39 minutes ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

You have a lot to look forward to.....especially if you enjoy deserts.   

So when and where are you going on your first Princess Cruise?

Enjoy your cruise.

Ya. Desserts are my weakness. Particularly ice cream. Ice cream topped with more ice cream! 

My cruise leaves October 13 from Barcelona. I am so looking forward to it! And thanks!

Glenn

8 minutes ago, BCCRUSINGCOUPLE said:

All I can say it starts with a chair next one roll of toilet paper per day 2 dollars for a extra roll.


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I mean this with total humour that if you’re using more than one roll of TP a day, there’s other issues going on. 

Glenn

7 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

a) Not having to purchase chairs for new ships

b) Not having to maintain/replace chairs on existing ships

 

Remember they tried to save $$$ on the Royal by not setting up the center staircase for passenger use above deck 7 even though the stairs were there.

 

Geniuses at HQ just think up new ways to save money without considering the effect on passengers.

I still challenge your analysis. First of all they aren’t taking chairs out of the new ships. They are taking chairs out of specific ships in specific rooms for specific reasons. 

There is no way your going to convince me that after they spend ??? So many, many millions of dollars on a new ship that a chair would be missed to save money. 

Maintainance on a chair? I could only say that would be minimal. 

Glenn

2 minutes ago, BCCRUSINGCOUPLE said:

Yup you got it like a anything they will push as far as they can until we say no.


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4 minutes ago, caribill said:

The Carnival Jubilee held less than 2000 passengers. Today Princess is building ships with twice that number of passengers, so the per passenger cost to Princess on a large capacity ship is much less than on a smaller ship. Yes, fuel costs are way up, but technology has made the ships much more fuel efficient.

 

7 minutes ago, BCCRUSINGCOUPLE said:

I think this is a total joke and I hope everyone should be very upset and if you aren’t you will be this is the start of more nickel and dime. We have more people per ship rates are up less sea food dinners cut backs everywhere however CCL is making huge returns. Let’s stick together and tell princess no way


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I think people are getting worked up over something that hasn’t happened yet and MAYBE never will happen. Some folks on CC tend to take things to heart and think of the worst scenario. We need to be reminded that we’re not cruise ship executives and we don’t coach our favourite NFL team. Sometimes decisions are made for reasons we don’t see. 

Glenn

21 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

If it is about  wasted food, then there is another issue they need to work on. When a second entree is requested, it comes with all the vegetables, potatoes or other items that accompany the main item.

 

If you ask for the main item by itself, the waiter brings out a fully plated entree and throws out all but that item before serving it to you.

 

Why? Because getting just the item itself is a special order and the waiter cannot just pick up a plate with just that item. He/she must wait for the extra time it takes the cook to prepare a plate without the unwanted vegetables, etc. Even if this less than a minute, it makes it harder for the waitstaff who find it easier to just throw out the unwanted food on the plate before serving it.

Yes. I agree. We’re saying the same thing. 

Glenn