Seabourn and the current issues surrounding the Corona Virus

[oceanviewer21]

4 minutes ago, jozi said:

Article in today's Washington Post about situation on Ruby Princess. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/trapped-on-virus-ravaged-cruise-ship-shocked-passengers-struggle-to-keep-spirits-up/2020/02/05/6fbae50c-47d3-11ea-91ab-ce439aa5c7c1_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most

Thats also a Carnival line one might think Seabourn would not risk that again.

[oceanviewer21]

I laughed our loud. Very funny.

[Sunviking]

The ship is actually the Diamond Princess (still one of Carnival's).

[SLSD]

I read on a SB FB group that passengers booked for the February 29th cruise out of Hong Kong will receive a message from SB saying that they can change to another cruise through the summer.  I'm just relaying what I have read.  

[rols]

10 hours ago, Flamin_June said:

In the meantime, if HK with 'only' 21 cases is considered too much of a risk, will Singapore be any safer ?

Well yes Singapore should currently be 'safer'. All the current cases in Singapore (and HK), and we're on 28 now, are directly traceable back to people who have travelled from Wuhan. Both Singapore and HK have done extensive contact tracing and here they have found all but 4 of of the nearly 500 possible contacts of anyone who had the disease. Of those, the few who had been infected were mostly isolated days before they got sick, very, very likely before they had any ability to transmit. It's important not to underestimate the effort going on here, if you were determined to have been in the presence of anyone who caught this disease, working in a shop or restaurant, driving a bus, anything, you will be taken to hospital and isolated. The fact they have nearly 30 cases gives me some hope they've found and rounded up the right people. Several of the recent cases for instance are people who were proactively isolated days ago.

 

Why is Singapore in a better place than HK? There are fewer arrivals from mainland China into Singapore and those were cut off completely a week ago. HK was slower to do that, has land entry points with the mainland and many travellers from mainland China will have passed through the international airport which, if someone passed the virus on there, makes contact tracing near impossible. I would be more concerned had I been to HK in the past two weeks, especially the airport. 

 

Definitely keep watching the news but unless and until you read about widespread community transmission, which has not happened in either city, the risk of catching the virus visiting and walking about the city is low. I probably wouldn't get on a ship for the next month, not one which has been to China, or had crew from China join, until the incubation period is over and you can be fairly sure that it's not a floating cluster. 

[Flamin_June]

Thanks for the reassurance. We are due to spend 5 nights in Singapore before boarding Ovation, which we were both really looking forward to. We will carry on looking forward to that. I had imagined the response in Singapore might be efficient and robust, good to learn that it has been.

[florisdekort]

14 hours ago, Flamin_June said:

Perhaps Dr Weil could be persuaded to join us so we can banish the virus with midful chanting, crystal chimes and a stick of celery 😷

The good doctor is joining us on February 21 from Auckland to Sydney. I hope Seabourn stocked up on red wine!  😝

[Janet987]

5 hours ago, florisdekort said:

The good doctor is joining us on February 21 from Auckland to Sydney. I hope Seabourn stocked up on red wine!  😝

Need those antioxidants in red wine to protect us. We are still on board with you and the good doc.

 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Stay safe, everyone! Remember this virus isn't generally transmitted in the air but by touch.  Some good advice: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-06/want-to-avoid-virus-forget-face-masks-top-airline-doctor-says

[SLSD]

I've just read that even a newly planned itinerary for Ovation (embarkation February 29) has to be changed as an additional port is denying all cruise ships.  It appears that cruising in Asia has become very dicey due to the corona virus.  I've been following the video reports of a passenger on the Princess Diamond (quarantined ship) which now has more than 60 reported cases of the virus.  

[Fletcher]

I've been monitoring a few cruise ships and the story is the same - ships are wandering around with nowhere to go.  There's a Silversea ship, the Spirit, which was to have gone to Taiwan and Manila and got turned away.   They went to Saigon hoping to disembark passengers there.  They got turned away.  Now they are headed to Bangkok, like the Seabourn Ovation.  As of now, Bangkok port is empty of cruise ships and the Ovation appears to have been turned away as it's heading south.  Maybe Ushuaia will take them in.  Seems like the best place to be right now.  

 

 

[Sunviking]

On another board a passenger currently on the Ovation wrote that they were able to get off the ship in Laem Chabang which I believe is the port used for Bangkok.

[HAL Sailer]

 CC Boards, I am currently following the voyages of Silverseas Spirit, Seaborne Ovation, Crystal Symphony, Holland America Westerdam, and of course the Diamond Princess  -- all turned away at various ports, still searching for ports that will accept them, and hoping to reach a welcoming port before those authorities change their minds. 

[texanaust]

61 infected on the quarantined Princess ship now...Seabourn and others sailing in circles.  How many passengers are going to want to embark (or will be able to embark) on upcoming Asian cruises?  This is going to be a disaster for the cruise industry.

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, texanaust said:

61 infected on the quarantined Princess ship now...Seabourn and others sailing in circles.  How many passengers are going to want to embark (or will be able to embark) on upcoming Asian cruises?  This is going to be a disaster for the cruise industry.

Sadly, I think you are right.  There was even a Royal Caribbean ship with issues when they docked in NYC today.  Several passengers sent to the hospital (awaiting diagnosis), the ship delayed for its next itinerary.  This ship did have citizens of mainland  China on board.  I've read that there are ships being denied docking privileges in the Caribbean.  

[B767drvr]

Not sure of the veracity of this article, but I absolutely DO NOT believe the "official" numbers coming from the Chinese government.

 

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3871594

[poolma]

Latest news is Royal Caribbean is refusing boarding on any of their ships and sailings to passengers with passports from China, Hong Kong, or Macau.

Edited February 7, 2020 by poolma

[Cantara24]

5 hours ago, HAL Sailer said:

 CC Boards, I am currently following the voyages of Silverseas Spirit, Seaborne Ovation, Crystal Symphony, Holland America Westerdam, and of course the Diamond Princess  -- all turned away at various ports, still searching for ports that will accept them, and hoping to reach a welcoming port before those authorities change their minds. 

 

WOW!! You must be one of those highly edumacated folk. So happy you have stumbled on the Seabourn forums. 

 

Meanwhile, after a port day in Laem Chabang, Ovation is arriving at Ko Kood for a wonderful beach BBQ and Caviar in the Surf. Well not so much on the surf part, it does tend to be calm, but still a great beach.

Edited February 8, 2020 by Cantara24

[HAL Sailer]

1 hour ago, Cantara24 said:

 

...after a port day in Laem Chabang, Ovation is arriving at Ko Kood for a wonderful beach BBQ and Caviar in the Surf. Well not so much on the surf part, it does tend to be calm, but still a great beach.

 

Glad Ovation was welcomed in a port; others not yet. Latest posting on Holland's blog had the Westerdam "sailing southwesterly off Taiwan to best position the ship to access potential port locations".

[MMDown Under]

9 hours ago, Sunviking said:

On another board a passenger currently on the Ovation wrote that they were able to get off the ship in Laem Chabang which I believe is the port used for Bangkok.

Yes it is the port on the ocean which is used for Bangkok.

[texanaust]

It is quite possible Laem Chabang will welcome all the cruise ships.  Thailand has had a very friendly response to the Coronavirus.  Flights to China are still operating normally and there are no restrictions on arrivals (currently).  The Thai PM (Junta leader) has made it clear that he does not want to irritate China and their tourist $$$$ to the country.  Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia have made similar statements.  

 

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, HAL Sailer said:

 

Glad Ovation was welcomed in a port; others not yet. Latest posting on Holland's blog had the Westerdam "sailing southwesterly off Taiwan to best position the ship to access potential port locations".

I don't think Hal's blog meant their statement to be funny, but the mental picture of the ship sailing to be in the best position to access potential port locations demonstrated the impossible plight they have found themselves in!  Would make a good cartoon, if it wasn't so serious!

[SLSD]

I just read that Norwegian Cruise Lines is canceling their Asian itineraries for the rest of the year...

[teamflames]

36 minutes ago, SLSD said:

I just read that Norwegian Cruise Lines is canceling their Asian itineraries for the rest of the year...

Certainly on their ship the Spirit, not sure about their other ships.

[SLSD]

21 minutes ago, teamflames said:

Certainly on their ship the Spirit, not sure about their other ships.

I went back and found the article I read.  You are right.  All Asian voyages of the Spirit cancelled through December 2020. 

Edited February 8, 2020 by SLSD