Passengers off MSC Preziosa I’ll!

[nikkiw60]

On BBC news website a flight from BArbados  in quarantine. Passengers off Preziosa ill after 13 night cruise.

[Beamafar]

"Crew and passengers on a Virgin flight have had to be quarantined after an outbreak of sickness on the flight. Everyone on board the VS610 flight from Barbados to Gatwick has to be medically assessed after an outbreak of ‘coughing sickness.’ It is believed five crew members became unwell after the flight landed at Gatwick around 5.20am this morning.

 

Police boarded the plane in masks and took everyone on board to a holding area where they were assessed. The flight is believed to have been specially chartered following a cruise on board the MSC Preziosa in Barbados. Passenger Trevor Wilson said they were held on the flight for 90 minutes before being transferred to a holding centre to be checked over. He added he thought that the illness seemed to have originated on board the ship and not the plane."

 

I've had very similar symptoms on a number of cruises over the years.  I was ill for 3 weeks after our Splendida cruise last year going from Dubai to Yokohama.  A German woman I keep in touch with got a similar bug doing the return route.

Edited March 6, 2019 by Beamafar

[emmas gran]

Hi Nikki & Bea

 

we did this trip and landed at LGW 4 weeks ago ---not sure what has happened but consider ourselves lucky. 

Didn't hear of any sickness from travel companions apart from 1 young lady in YC had a stinking cold for 2/3 days.

 

Bea is it you commenting on Splendida as we board her on 30th March for Dubai to Yokohama?

 

Liz

[Beamafar]

Yes, Liz ... I did a review of the trip.  If you're interested, here's the link:

 

 2527635-everything’s-going-splendidly-on-splendida-dubai-yokohama-2018

[Bobal]

This happens all the time. We've just returned from a Celebrity cruise where lots of people had colds and coughs and my husband picked it up. I picked up a cold leading to a cough from an MSC cruise in October and another cold from a land based holiday in January. Lots of people in confined spaces using buffets is a hothouse for bugs.

 

The fact that the plane was full of people who had all been living in the same space, eating in the same places and then boarded the same plane would only amplify it. And whilst I don't doubt that there was a high prevalence of what sounds like a nasty bug I do have to pour some scorn on the fact that the BBC article says that several of the flight crew were taken ill with it. It doesn't take a genius to know that this sort of bug does not manifest itself within a few hours of being exposed to it, so there's a certain amount of sensationalism going on here.

[SeaTheW0rld]

7 minutes ago, Bobal said:

This happens all the time. We've just returned from a Celebrity cruise where lots of people had colds and coughs and my husband picked it up. I picked up a cold leading to a cough from an MSC cruise in October and another cold from a land based holiday in January. Lots of people in confined spaces using buffets is a hothouse for bugs.

 

The fact that the plane was full of people who had all been living in the same space, eating in the same places and then boarded the same plane would only amplify it. And whilst I don't doubt that there was a high prevalence of what sounds like a nasty bug I do have to pour some scorn on the fact that the BBC article says that several of the flight crew were taken ill with it. It doesn't take a genius to know that this sort of bug does not manifest itself within a few hours of being exposed to it, so there's a certain amount of sensationalism going on here.

 

Excellent point. 

 

[ssmea03]

Yea, and they would all have been on the same virgin charter flight going out 2 weeks before, thats probably when the first infections happened. 

[emmas gran]

17 minutes ago, ssmea03 said:

Yea, and they would all have been on the same virgin charter flight going out 2 weeks before, thats probably when the first infections happened. 

 

I traveled on Virgin charter on Jan 22nd returning Feb 5/6th  and as my post states we didn't hear of anyone being ill on board Preziosa other than the young lady I mentioned which was about 8/10 days into the 14 day cruise. We were taken to the airport around 1-1.30 for the 5.20 pm flight so they could have picked something up at Barbados airport.

[Beamafar]

A couple of friends of ours arrived home from the Preziosa just over 3 weeks ago;  they (fortunately) didn't have any problems, either.  (They weren't on a Virgin charter flight).

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Doesn’t it occur to these alleged journalists that 5 crew members could not possibly be infected by the pax if they arrive at Gatwick with the illness???  It would take those crew members at least 24 hours to show signs of the illness.  Air planes are a prime source for infection as the air is recirculated over and over especially at that time of year.

 

It also stands to reason that, in the winter time, people are having more winter illnesses.  People from one area tend to build up resistance from each other over time.  Since pax are flying in from all over the world they have no resistance to others who are flying in from other areas.  When you travel during the winter you accept the risk.  

[kelleherdl]

We were on the Preziosa on this cruise. We are from the U.S and travelled back and forth to Martinique on Air France (don't ask me if I will ever travel Air France again). We were in YC, so can't speak to the general passenger population. I did not see any generalized respiratory illness onboard. Just a few kids. But I was in medical a few times for an injury and there were several folks with severe coughing. Several were Brits who likely would have been among these folks.

 

Dennis

[Beamafar]

22 minutes ago, kelleherdl said:

 ... and travelled back and forth to Martinique on Air France (don't ask me if I will ever travel Air France again).

Dennis

 

I was just discussing this itinerary with DH this morning on foot of this thread and also from hearing how much our friends had enjoyed the ports.  The very thing I said to DH was that it would more than likely mean flying Air France if we wanted to do a similar itinerary.  Plus, we'd have to transfer in Paris - the 2 combined were a no-no for us!

[rattla]

My MIL/FIL flew out yestaerday to Preziosa on the virgin plane these guys came back on...  hoping they are going to be ok and not get affected by something.  Sounds like it was on the ship last week as has been mentioned last week by travellers onboard.

[ssmea03]

8 minutes ago, rattla said:

My MIL/FIL flew out yestaerday to Preziosa on the virgin plane these guys came back on...  hoping they are going to be ok and not get affected by something.  Sounds like it was on the ship last week as has been mentioned last week by travellers onboard.

I think I'd be more worried about getting on that virgin plane.😷

[ssmea03]

50 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

 

I was just discussing this itinerary with DH this morning on foot of this thread and also from hearing how much our friends had enjoyed the ports.  The very thing I said to DH was that it would more than likely mean flying Air France if we wanted to do a similar itinerary.  Plus, we'd have to transfer in Paris - the 2 combined were a no-no for us!

There are direct flights from Montreal, with air transat, (and air Canada but they are as bad as air France).

[Beamafar]

No direct flights from Dublin to Montreal, so that wouldn't work for us.  I'm sure we'd find a connecting flight from Heathrow if/when we do decide to do a similar itinerary some time in the future.

[rattla]

20 minutes ago, ssmea03 said:

I think I'd be more worried about getting on that virgin plane.😷

The good thing was they were on it before these guys that were quarantined 😁  The affected people would have came back to Gatwick on the plane that my MIL/FIL travelled out on.

Edited March 6, 2019 by rattla

[Aplmac]

The ship and its crew will get the blame...

when it's a fairly well established fact that most illnesses on board

are brought on board by those lovely paying passengers

i.e. Me and You  - not the crew.

[hamrag]

3 hours ago, Beamafar said:

 

I was just discussing this itinerary with DH this morning on foot of this thread and also from hearing how much our friends had enjoyed the ports.  The very thing I said to DH was that it would more than likely mean flying Air France if we wanted to do a similar itinerary.  Plus, we'd have to transfer in Paris - the 2 combined were a no-no for us!

 

Can you not access a UK website, which will offer the Barbados 14 night (commences on a tuesday), and fly from London...or is that just as bad as the Paris transfer?

[Beamafar]

6 minutes ago, hamrag said:

 

Can you not access a UK website, which will offer the Barbados 14 night (commences on a tuesday), and fly from London...or is that just as bad as the Paris transfer?

 

We can book directly with MSC UK by phone but they don't arrange transfer flights from Dublin - only direct flights to Dubai/Abu Dhabi and European ports.  We don't get to book the same packages as they treat Ireland as a different market;  they just don't have an office here (wouldn't be cost-effective - too small a market).

 

I'm sure it can be arranged with a TA here - I'd be happier transferring in Heathrow than Paris (that's how bad Paris is!)

Edited March 6, 2019 by Beamafar

[kelleherdl]

2 hours ago, Beamafar said:

No direct flights from Dublin to Montreal, so that wouldn't work for us.  I'm sure we'd find a connecting flight from Heathrow if/when we do decide to do a similar itinerary some time in the future.

Turns out we did have flight options which I had not seen when booking air, but they weren't the greatest. During the winter American does fly a Saturday only direct Miami to FDF return flight. That could be an iffy as we like to get to port a day early. Also Norwegian Air has a direct flight from Fort Lauderdale, but cattle car only. On reflection that may have been better than our 'business'  class seat on the very non-direct Air France flight. 

 

Dennis

[Beamafar]

Looking at prices for the 14 night itinerary for March this year vs March 2021:

 

YC on Preziosa 2019  ..... €3879

 

YC on Splendida 2021 .....€5399

 

That's a 39% increase!

 

 

[ssmea03]

10 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

Looking at prices for the 14 night itinerary for March this year vs March 2021:

 

YC on Preziosa 2019  ..... €3879

 

YC on Splendida 2021 .....€5399

 

That's a 39% increase!

 

 

Probably because Splendida is the only ship that can play rocks songs with its horn, a la Disney.

[hamrag]

5 hours ago, kelleherdl said:

We were on the Preziosa on this cruise. We are from the U.S and travelled back and forth to Martinique on Air France (don't ask me if I will ever travel Air France again). We were in YC, so can't speak to the general passenger population. I did not see any generalized respiratory illness onboard. Just a few kids. But I was in medical a few times for an injury and there were several folks with severe coughing. Several were Brits who likely would have been among these folks.

 

Dennis

 

Hope your injury healed, and didn't hold you back too much! We overlapped 3 days with yours, we have been home fully two weeks now, and still reliving a fabulous cruise in YC.

[kelleherdl]

17 hours ago, hamrag said:

 

Hope your injury healed, and didn't hold you back too much! We overlapped 3 days with yours, we have been home fully two weeks now, and still reliving a fabulous cruise in YC.

Thanks Graham.   I was able to stop going down to medical after four days. I got my own plasters and iodine in Barbados. It's healing fine.  Except for affecting evening shoe choices no lasting harm. 😁

 

Dennis