Bon Voyage Sea Princess World Cruise 2019

[NSWP]

From the blogger - cabin water flow issues now in many cabins.  Oh dear.😪 And the coughing lurgy has hit.

Edited June 7, 2019 by NSWP

[Kiwi Kruzer]

4 hours ago, NSWP said:

From the blogger - cabin water flow issues now in many cabins.  Oh dear.😪 And the coughing lurgy has hit.

 

She puts the coughing down to all the dust swallowed in Dubai ?

It would be interesting to watch a game of bowls take place on a cruise ship.......even with the calmer waters they are sailing through there will still be motion from the ship .

[Kiwi Kruzer]

They have joined the queue for the convoy transit around Yemen and into the Red. Sea....along with hundreds of others . Rather busy through their.

 

[NSWP]

Sure is, like Parramatta Road.😂

[MicCanberra]

Wow, a lot of traffic for sure.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

The World Cruisers have arrived in Aquaba , Jordan.Big day of sightseeing ahead for some as they head off to Petra .

 

[MicCanberra]

Other would be for Wadi rum.

[Gwendy]

Lots of issues apparently, passengers offloaded in Oman and Dubai due to medical issues.  Some rejoined today but will miss Petra, another couple flew home to Brisbane after ship left them in Dubai.  News story on Channel 7, they want some/most of their fare refunded.

Hope they get it all sorted and settled before I join in Dover.

[MicCanberra]

Goodness.

[Aus Traveller]

1 hour ago, Gwendy said:

Lots of issues apparently, passengers offloaded in Oman and Dubai due to medical issues.  Some rejoined today but will miss Petra, another couple flew home to Brisbane after ship left them in Dubai.  News story on Channel 7, they want some/most of their fare refunded.

Hope they get it all sorted and settled before I join in Dover.

Did the couple left in Dubai miss the ship or where they disembarked?

[possum52]

42 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

Did the couple left in Dubai miss the ship or where they disembarked?

According to Channel 7 news report, it seems it was a medical issue with the wife and they were asked to have a medical clearance when they rejoined the ship in the next port. The husband said their travel insurance wouldn't cover the costs to do that so they decided to fly home. Sounds a bit iffy to me. 

 

Leigh

[Cruisegroover]

1 hour ago, possum52 said:

According to Channel 7 news report, it seems it was a medical issue with the wife and they were asked to have a medical clearance when they rejoined the ship in the next port. The husband said their travel insurance wouldn't cover the costs to do that so they decided to fly home. Sounds a bit iffy to me. 

 

Leigh

Here is a link to a newspaper report though it is the Daily Mail but as they say there is always more to the story.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7130881/Couple-left-devastated-50-000-pocket-cruise-holiday-left-stranded-Dubai.html

[possum52]

Thanks Cruisegroover. The article doesn’t really add any more info than what the Channel 7 news coverage did. Will be interesting to see what comes of it, if anything. 

 

Leigh

[MicCanberra]

30 minutes ago, Cruisegroover said:

Here is a link to a newspaper report though it is the Daily Mail but as they say there is always more to the story.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7130881/Couple-left-devastated-50-000-pocket-cruise-holiday-left-stranded-Dubai.html

I am sure there is more to the story, cruise lines do not make these decisions lightly and if the insurance won't cover it then they had the wrong cover or already knew they wouldn't be covered for a pre-existing condition.

[OzKiwiJJ]

On 6/7/2019 at 2:47 PM, NSWP said:

Had an E mail from a couple of friends on board.   A lot of whingers on board, complaining about price of drinks and food quality in particular.  You need to research those issues before you fork out the big bucks for a 'worldie.'

Princess did raise drinks prices late last year and some of the increases were quite big. Also Princess seems to be cutting back on the quality of the produce they use, and also seem to be reducing the number of choices on the menus. We noticed both those things when we were on Majestic last November - definitely a step down from the Diamond cruise we did earlier that year. It's concerning me a bit as were doing the 35 night Hawaii/Tahiti cruise on Sea Princess in August.

[OzKiwiJJ]

13 hours ago, Cruisegroover said:

Here is a link to a newspaper report though it is the Daily Mail but as they say there is always more to the story.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7130881/Couple-left-devastated-50-000-pocket-cruise-holiday-left-stranded-Dubai.html

It sounds a bit strange. I had a medical issue near the end of our Med cruise on Royal Princess a couple of years ago. I went to the Medical Centre and they put me on IV antibiotics twice a day until the cruise ended, even though they weren't certain the problem was caused by an infection. There was no talk of needing to go to hospital at any of the remaining ports on the cruise.

[pully8]

It is a very sad story and I feel for their plight but I agree there must be more to this tale.

From what I have read the cruise line can ask for a medical clearance at anytime if there are concerns.

If on a long cruise you would think basic medical supplies including antibiotics would be carried by the passengers?

We have not been on a long cruise but we do see our doctor prior and get all necessary meds and a letter to cover.

Strange about the insurance not covering and would like to know more details about that.

Usually a urinary tract infection can be treated simply and quickly.

I do suspect there is much more to this story and we may never know why they were off loaded.

Warning to others to be prepared and to check details of their insurance, especially given the costs of cruising and flights.

 

[By The Bay]

It could be that the UTI resulted in other medical issues which could not or would not be handled by the Doctor onboard Sea Princess.

[pully8]

Indeed and how was the infection diagnosed on board by pathology or relying purely on symptoms?

Behavioural changes including confusion can occur especially in older people and that may have been a concern.

Nevertheless it is very sad and a loss of money for them.

 

[MicCanberra]

18 minutes ago, pully8 said:

Indeed and how was the infection diagnosed on board by pathology or relying purely on symptoms?

Behavioural changes including confusion can occur especially in older people and that may have been a concern.

Nevertheless it is very sad and a loss of money for them.

 

Yes, I feel for anyone who not only loses their money but also their dream cruise/ holiday.  Sad for them and compounded by either ignorance (lack of insurance cover) or neglect (knew they were not covered but took the risk).

[pully8]

Yes so many possibilities that we do not know.

People can be vulnerable when travelling and not aware of risks to their safety and wellbeing.

Bewildering to be off loaded in a place that is unfamiliar and when unwell.

He stated no one asked if they had funds to cover their expenses off the ship.

The cruise line would consider any expenses off the ship would be the sole responsibility of the traveller. They felt abandoned sadly.

Travel insurance is essential but it is more expensive for older people especially if they have medical conditions to disclose.

False economy not to be insured.

If the insurance does not cover their losses would love to know why.

We may never know.  

 

[Gwendy]

Unfortunately many people balk at the cost of travel insurance, particularly those over 70, when premiums rise and also those if us with pre existing conditions.  It is one more thing you have to factor in.

Whingers would be those that failed to research.  I spoke to a woman who was going on this cruise, at a pre boarding luncheon, asked her what she wanted to do in St Petersburg. Her response, I don’t know what’s there I will see on the day!  No idea  she could not leave the ship without a pre arranged tour or a visa. 

Drink prices all available on web site if you research.

i am doing 52 night Dover to Brisbane, a few years ago I did Sydney to London, 54 nights.  Yes there were a lot of whingers there too, I think the demographic of world cruisers ha something to do with it (oops I am in that demographic too), also not knowing what to expect and on this first segment a LOT of sea days.

I have seen a few deaths on these cruises and serious illness.  In all cases, including a crew member who had to be helicoptered off, I saw nothing but respect and care from Princess staff.

[MicCanberra]

I just did a weekend cruise and we had 3 medical evacs before we left the harbour, one was before we left the dock at white bay.

[possum52]

It does seem as if there is more to the story than has been told so far.  The moral of any travel, particularly overseas and a long cruise is to ensure you have appropriate travel insurance for all your needs particularly medical. If the passenger was suffering from an UTI, she could have been quite ill and perhaps taken to hospital? This would explain why Princess requested a medical clearance before she could resume the cruise. My mother had a particularly serious one 18 months ago and was in hospital for a couple of weeks before being allowed to go home. 

 

On our longest cruise so far, Sydney to Singapore on the Diamond, we had need of the medical centre twice - my husband on the second day for an ingrown toe nail which required the doctor to perform a procedure and I had to visit late in a cruise when there was a flu outbreak on board. The care we had from the medical staff was exceptional but I have read of others who did not have the same experience.

 

Leigh

[NSWP]

Having two friends on board, I hear it is becoming a bit of a nightmare, sickness and medivacs etc.