anyone see this story?

[luv2cc]

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2768511.shtml?cat=500

 

Tell me your thoughts....would you tell the truth or lie about it? Should Royal Caribbean have denied boarding?

[Mach1]

If all he had was some food poisoning - why wouldn't they let him board? :o

 

I feel bad for those two

[BillOh]

Interesting, I didn't see the video, but I thought I had heard in cases like that they are allowed to board, but are quarantined. I thought, and my memory is fuzzy, I've seen show where this happens they are examined by a doctor before boarding and in this case I would think they would be found to not have a fever.

 

This story is one reason some people will lie. People who have had weight loss surgery can have food problem and can vomit and don't have anything contagious. I personally have a lap band and if I'm not careful and don't chew properly, something can come back up. If that ever happened on cruise day to me (wolfing down something hurriedly at the airport or hotel), I would probably lie on the form to get on board knowing I wasn't contagious. I have come close, not chewing a piece of dry Honey Stung chicken. I was in distress and hiding it for awhile till it passed.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

How many people fill out that form and lie about their true symptoms because they do not want to ruin their vacation? I bet more that we think.

 

He could of simply been just a upset tummy and a few bathroom visits, or true case of the flu.

 

Cruise line right or wrong?

Hard to say, they could of quarantined both of them.

Deny them boarding because of the risk and possiblity of NORO and the spread throughout the ship.

 

I feel bad for the couple, I hope they get the answers they are looking for.

 

***

[temple1]

I have to agree with the posters who would not be quite honest in their response to the health questionnaire. I am one of those people who as soon as I'm asked these questions - start feeling my head and wondering if the queasiness is something real or just excitement about almost being on board along with my reaction to the precruise celebration the night before with DS. :confused:

 

 

This story is one reason some people will lie. People who have had weight loss surgery can have food problem and can vomit and don't have anything contagious. I personally have a lap band and if I'm not careful and don't chew properly, something can come back up. If that ever happened on cruise day to me (wolfing down something hurriedly at the airport or hotel), I would probably lie on the form to get on board knowing I wasn't contagious. I have come close, not chewing a piece of dry Honey Stung chicken. I was in distress and hiding it for awhile till it passed.

 

I would like to hear more about your lap band experiences. I have contact info in my signature.

[FLACRUISER99]

Don't know about you folks but I know how to fill out the form.

[luv2cc]

I know in the written story it doesn't mention the cruiseline. But in the video it shows RC ships and it also showed the actual form he filled out which was for the Navigator OTS.

 

I was surprised they denied boarding. I, too, thought they would quarantine to be sure what it was. Makes you wonder what the true story is. Maybe he refused to be quarantined and checked out by a doctor? That's pure speculation. I do feel bad for this couple.

[ChipLondon]

It is unfortunately, on the back of stories like this, that many choose to lie on the embarkation health forms. Then those that are actually ill, and carrying a virus, bring it on to ships.

Although most of us feel sorry for these people, I wonder how most of us would answer, if asked should they be allowed boarding if we were on the same sailing.

If I was being honest I might be hesitant to openly say yes, although we are never asked similar health questions when staying in hotels the night before a cruise, with many of the same people that will also cruise with us.

So we have do ask, do the Health Forms really have any benefit at all ?

[TBone2K]

Its also an example of why you need to understand your travel insurance policy.

[kathyemma]

Two years ago I was oh so sick on boarding day. I am surprised they let me on. I was green. I think I was still drunk. I know I was hung over for the first 3 days. I don't normally drink. The night before the cruise we stayed with an old friend. We stayed up all night drinking. We killed a bottle of fire fly. I still get ill thinking about it. I knew I was just sick from drinking. That night we went to chops - I couldn't even eat. The waiter couldn't believe I wasn't eating the filet. I had to explain that I was still hungover. He couldn't believe I was still that bad at 7pm. The one plus to being that hungover - my bar bill was almost nothing at the end of the week! If they had stopped me I would have explained I was hungover and prayed a doctor would confirm and let me board. And really, a blood test or breath test would confirm insane amount of alcohol in my system. And I forget the ?s on the form - but maybe I didn't lie - unless they ask about queezy stomach. I don't remember.

 

Kathy

[pthree]

Hope everything works out for the couple. Not sure what I would do in that situation though. I know I wouldn't want to be stuck at the port waving bye bye to the ship.

[jebl]

I have to agree with the posters who would not be quite honest in their response to the health questionnaire. I am one of those people who as soon as I'm asked these questions - start feeling my head and wondering if the queasiness is something real or just excitement about almost being on board along with my reaction to the precruise celebration the night before with DS. :confused:

 

 

 

 

I would like to hear more about your lap band experiences. I have contact info in my signature.

 

Just sent you an email regarding Lap Band.

[sherilyn70]

Don't know about you folks but I know how to fill out the form.

 

Me too... and I lied when I filled out one in 2010 because it asked about fever in the last 7 days, and mine had passed 5 days prior. I made a decision and didn't give them a chance to. I stiffled my cough from the bronchitis that was no longer contagious and boarded.

[luv2cc]

It is unfortunately, on the back of stories like this, that many choose to lie on the embarkation health forms. Then those that are actually ill, and carrying a virus, bring it on to ships.

Although most of us feel sorry for these people, I wonder how most of us would answer, if asked should they be allowed boarding if we were on the same sailing.

If I was being honest I might be hesitant to openly say yes, although we are never asked similar health questions when staying in hotels the night before a cruise, with many of the same people that will also cruise with us.

So we have do ask, do the Health Forms really have any benefit at all ?

 

I think I would be fine with them boarding if they were checked out by the doc and found to not be contagious. I would hate for anyone's vacation to be ruined because of one answer on a questionnaire. I still think there has to be more to it. I don't think they would just say 'sorry about your luck' and turn them away just for answering that way.

[voyager70]

It is unfortunately, on the back of stories like this, that many choose to lie on the embarkation health forms. Then those that are actually ill, and carrying a virus, bring it on to ships.

Although most of us feel sorry for these people, I wonder how most of us would answer, if asked should they be allowed boarding if we were on the same sailing.

If I was being honest I might be hesitant to openly say yes, although we are never asked similar health questions when staying in hotels the night before a cruise, with many of the same people that will also cruise with us.

So we have do ask, do the Health Forms really have any benefit at all ?

 

Completely agree. And no, I don't think the Health Forms have any real benefit.

[BillOh]

Don't know about you folks but I know how to fill out the form.

 

I know how to roller skate.

[nellydean]

Absolutely, I would lie: 1/ Because it might not be Noro and 2/ Because if it is Noro then they can quarantine me (which is bad enough, especially if you are on a short cruise).

 

If people thought the cruise line would allow them on, but quarantine for a couple of days to make sure they were OK, I'm sure most would tick the 'Yes' box, including me, but this sad incident shows they were not willing to be flexible.

 

To fly all the way over from the States and be denied boarding is horrible.

[poncho1973]

Why do people post stories asking for opinions and not provide one of their own to start the conversation?

 

That's weird.

[poncho1973]

And really, a blood test or breath test would confirm insane amount of alcohol in my system.

 

This is not likely at all.

 

Unless you were blowing a .20 or so (extremely high, but not where the likelihood of death is "OMG you should have died" level), have no body mass, and/or you drank all morning as well. There was probably almost 0% alcohol left in your body.

 

Assuming you partied hard that hard and didn't stop drinking until 2am.

 

You would still be back to 0% before lunch.

 

If you didn't stop drinking until 5am or so, you would still be back to ALMOST 0% before lunch. Not "an insane amount of alcohol" at all. This even assumes that you drank everything in one hour. If you spread your drinking over 4-5 hours in the evening... you were probably back to 0% by about breakfast.

 

 

 

 

NOW you would still feel like crap and probably still feel impaired because of feeling like crap.

[Motorman23]

Don't know about you folks but I know how to fill out the form.

 

Yep.

[fred30]

Its also an example of why you need to understand your travel insurance policy.

 

 

The problem about understanding the Insurance policy is trying to figure out if it covers all those scenarios that could possibly come up. It sounds like in this case the policy only covered the cost of the cruise because the insurance company said that the cruise line adequately reimbursed them with the $2000.00 worth of vouchers. However, even if the policy was more inclusive would it still have covered the cost to get home. He probably did not have a doctors note stating he could not cruise and it probably wouldn't fall under medical emergency so it wouldn't be covered under that clause.

 

This was not their fault and how many insurance policies would of covered it?

 

I was just thinking if I am late getting back to the ship at port will the policy cover my mistake? This is just one simple scenario that could cost me a lot of money and not be insured.

[NJcruisenewbie]

The way we operate is that if any of us are truely sick we don't travel. That being said we have lied on those forms and will continue to do so. We've had ones when traveling in Asia that ask if you've had signs of a cold like a runny nose. Since allergies cause many of the same symptoms as a cold we have no qualms withholding information.

 

As for intestinal issues, I can tell when it's somethings I've eaten vs. an actual virus. So, again if I were that gentleman I wouldn't have answered yes.

 

I think the cruise line could have had the gentleman checked out by the ship's medical team and then made a decision.

 

I feel really badly for the couple.

[luv2cc]

Why do people post stories asking for opinions and not provide one of their own to start the conversation?

 

That's weird.

 

Why is it weird. This is not about me. BUT if you read through the posts, I did voice my opinion on what the cruise line should have done. To be honest, I don't know how I would answer the form in that situation.

 

I just thought this would be a good conversation starter, that's all. Give me a break.

[Sammycupcaker]

We were going on a Princess cruise in Alaska in 2005 and my grandma was ill. She actually went to the ER in Anchorage before we drove to the ship. It was a reaction to some dental work she had done ( not sure what it was exactly but she has a really sensitive stomach anyway from gastric). We then went to the ship. She met with the medical staff they talked to the ER in Anchorage and she was quarintined to her room for the first 24 hours. It sucked for her, yes. But she was able to enjoy the rest of the cruise.

[SpeedGeek]

During the swine flu epidemic in 2009 I went on my first cruise, and we filled out the questionnaires and they were telling us that even if we checked yes that we'd get seen by the ship's medical staff at no charge to see if we were fit to travel. They did pull one or two people out of line who were obviously coughing but weren't confessing to their illness. I personally think they should do this more often.

 

I'm honestly surprised at the number of people admitting to lying on the health questionnaire considering the petty complaints about chair hogs and dress in the MDR... Those things don't directly affect your cruise, but you coming on board with an illness not only risks your vacation, but mine as well.

 

As for this story, I have a feeling he was checked out by medical staff and they felt he wasn't fit to travel. Upset stomachs generally don't result in "flu like symptoms" which he also checked Yes for. Kudos for him being honest and checking yes, and I feel bad that he missed the trip and the insurance company SHOULD reimburse them, but I think RCCL likely did the right thing in denying boarding.