Coronavirus

[Myskoogie]

Is anyone here not going to cruise in the next few months or canceling their cruise?  My BF wants to cancel our Miami Eastern Caribbean cruise at the end of February because he is concerned about the coronavirus.  Any thoughts?

[dkjretired]

5 hours ago, Myskoogie said:

Is anyone here not going to cruise in the next few months or canceling their cruise?  My BF wants to cancel our Miami Eastern Caribbean cruise at the end of February because he is concerned about the coronavirus.  Any thoughts?

More likely to get sick at home.

[proggieus]

are you 65+?

 

Under 2?

 

compromised immune system?

 

if you answered all as a no then you have VERY Little to worry about,

 

30,000 people a YEAR die in the US from the Flu-

[c-boy]

hang out in the casino and drink 90 proof you'll be fine

[sanger727]

I wouldn't even consider cancelling a Caribbean cruise. Now, a southeast asia cruise, probably. But the chance of the virus affecting you in the caribbean is too tiny to consider (and yes, I'm aware of the one ship from New Jersey, but think how many cruise ships are in the bahamas/caribbean right now unaffected).

[KnowTheScore]

On ‎1‎/‎30‎/‎2020 at 8:11 PM, Myskoogie said:

Is anyone here not going to cruise in the next few months or canceling their cruise?  My BF wants to cancel our Miami Eastern Caribbean cruise at the end of February because he is concerned about the coronavirus.  Any thoughts?

 

For what should be obvious reasons you are going to get varying viewpoints on a dedicated cruise forum like this.

 

I recommend you read through the other Coronavirus thread here:

 

 

 

Straight answer:  YES I am cancelling a cruise I am due to take in coming weeks despite having paid for it already.  Money is not a consideration vs my health, life and that of my wife.    I am also cancelling cruises forward booked this year as I believe the situation is only going to get worse.   Whether Coronavirus is on-board in not the sole issue.   The other issue is that if anyone on-board presents with ordinary cold/flu symptoms then ports are going to refuse your permission to disembark until those people are cleared of having Coronavirus.  I personally believe this will result in you missing one or more ports on your itinerary.

So comes down to whether you want to pay £000s for that inconvenience or whether you're happy to go to sea anyway.

Each to their own.

 

[KnowTheScore]

Some cases in point to consider:

 

5 days ago:

 

"A cruise ship with more than 3,000 passengers on board has been refused entry at two Caribbean ports over a “high number” of passengers with respiratory tract infections.

 

St Lucia and Dominica both barred the Aida Perla cruise ship from docking, but health officials said there was no suggestion of coronavirus on board."

"The Costa Smeralda was held in the port of Civitavecchia after a 54-year-old Chinese national displayed symptoms "

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/two-caribbean-ports-refuse-entry-to-carnival-cruise-ship/news-story/e4a7a4762e9d9a86a3a57da87528210e

 

 

[Aplmac]

This morning's TV news.

 

3 ships out there in the Far East -are now isolated and quarantined!
 

[Aplmac]

1 hour ago, Aplmac said:

This morning's TV news.

3 ships out there in the Far East -are now isolated and quarantined!
 

 

DIAMOND PRINCESS would seem to that That Third Ship?

- just saw it on CNN.

 

[MortgageChick]

Let me start by saying I have sailed on over 50 cruises , ranging from 4 to 33 nights, so this is not my first "rodeo" as they say LOL

 

 My husband and I are embarking on MSC Divina Caribbean on Feb 28th .  we received an email that among other things included a note that they would implement the following process:

• Mandatory non-touch thermal scans conducted for all guests and crew prior to embarkation for every cruise;
• Anyone with signs or symptoms of illness, fever (≥38 C°/100.4 F°) or feverishness, chills, coughing or difficulty breathing will be denied boarding;

First off, I am not concerned about Coronavirus in the Caribbean, as the majority of those who fall ill with it seem to  recover, and as many have mentioned 32,000 Americans died from the flu last flu season.   What I am worried about, is that if  for example you have a cold/sneezing or a  cough at embarkation ( my husband has a smokers cough ) they will automatically deny boarding.  In a case like this will we be refunded our cruise fare? or are you out of luck because you were coughing that day...it certainly sounds that way

Also concerning will be the quality of our cruise experience..... as we are likely to be constantly having our hands sprayed with sanitizer, and encounter long lines at all meals as the staff serve food choices to each person in line a the buffet ( which is fine as long as everyone does not have a million questions about each dish, and can make up their mind about what they want)

 

This is our first MSC cruise, and booked it after others have told us that MSC has an excellent cruise experience...though some of the reviews I have been reading over the past 60 to 90 days do not sound like that is still the case.  

[KnowTheScore]

4 minutes ago, MortgageChick said:

 What I am worried about, is that if  for example you have a cold/sneezing or a  cough at embarkation ( my husband has a smokers cough ) they will automatically deny boarding.  In a case like this will we be refunded our cruise fare? or are you out of luck because you were coughing that day...it certainly sounds that way[/quote]

 

No I think that assumption is wrong.   The protocols are specific to which ever cruise line you take so it is important you email them with VERY SPECIFIC questions to get the answers you want.   You will likely initially just get the standard "company policy" line from them initially.   Then email back stating they haven't answered your question and insist on an answer.

 

My belief is that if you show signs of cold/flu symptoms you will be referred for additional checks before boarding.  If your hubby has no temperature and is clearly not ill then I don't think you need to worry.  There will be a lot of "old boys" like him, many with COPD and conditions from a life of smoking or working "darn't pit" and so on.

 

4 minutes ago, MortgageChick said:

Also concerning will be the quality of our cruise experience..... as we are likely to be constantly having our hands sprayed with sanitizer, and encounter long lines at all meals as the staff serve food choices to each person in line a the buffet

 

This is our first MSC cruise, and booked it after others have told us that MSC has an excellent cruise experience...though some of the reviews I have been reading over the past 60 to 90 days do not sound like that is still the case.  

 

Personal hygiene is ALWAYS an important aspect of any cruise quite regardless of Coronavirus.  Just don't touch stuff, no lift buttons or hand rails and so on if you can help it.  Wash your hands very frequently and thoroughly etc.

 

The biggest impact to your cruise, as I explained earlier is that people ALWAYS go down with cold/flu or flu-like illnesses on a cruise ship, it's a nailed on guarantee and NOW when that happens you are going to be turned away by ports.  So provided you don't mind sitting in the Caribbean not being able to get off at some ports then all is well.   For me personally, that would be enough of a problem to make me cancel my cruise, which is what in fact I am doing. 

 

 

 What I am worried about, is that if  for example you have a cold/sneezing or a  cough at embarkation ( my husband has a smokers cough ) they will automatically deny boarding.  In a case like this will we be refunded our cruise fare? or are you out of luck because you were coughing that day...it certainly sounds that way[/quote]

Also concerning will be the quality of our cruise experience..... as we are likely to be constantly having our hands sprayed with sanitizer, and encounter long lines at all meals as the staff serve food choices to each person in line a the buffet

 

This is our first MSC cruise, and booked it after others have told us that MSC has an excellent cruise experience...though some of the reviews I have been reading over the past 60 to 90 days do not sound like that is still the case.  

[MortgageChick]

Thank you for your response.... I will console myself with the fact we have booked a large aft verandah stateroom with a view of the wake. If things get too bad and we miss all the ports , we will can in our stateroom and imagine we are on a Transatlantic crossing 😉.

[Aplmac]

15 minutes ago, MortgageChick said:

Thank you for your response.... I will console myself

with the fact we have booked a large aft verandah stateroom

with a view of the wake.

 

Looking something like this

 

[KnowTheScore]

1 hour ago, MortgageChick said:

Thank you for your response.... I will console myself with the fact we have booked a large aft verandah stateroom with a view of the wake. If things get too bad and we miss all the ports , we will can in our stateroom and imagine we are on a Transatlantic crossing 😉.

 

So long as you are prepared to do that then all is fine.  Me personally, the £000s a stateroom would cost would really "smart" if my cruise ended up nothing than a trip at sea.  A very significant part of your cruise ticket is the huge costs of berthing fees at each port which can be £80,000 and upwards a port sometimes.   I think it's totally wrong of the cruise lines to set sail in the current environment knowing that ports will likely be missed the moment someone has the sniffles and NOT be prepared to give passengers compensation.   They know they are just going to make lots of money and passengers will have to foot the bill AND suffer the inconvenience.  The cruise line can just claim it's all down to mandatory Coronavirus protocol.   They only compensate for missed ports when there are technical ship problems.   In short, it's a total rip off at the current time, imho.  

Just not worth it for me personally but each to their own always.

Edited February 8, 2020 by KnowTheScore

[MortgageChick]

As I look out the window of my home here in Canada, we have about 40cm of snow on the ground and sub zero temps... 

My cruise is non refundable, as is my airfare, so I think that the obvious choice is to stay the course, knowing that we may not be able to dock anywhere but maybe at  MSC private Island.   If I was in cancellation window, I might reconsider, but I do not see any win in cancelling a non refundable vacation when the chances of infection are still minimal, and we have no pre existing conditions.

 

[KnowTheScore]

You may still be able to advertise your cruise on the likes of Facebook and transfer it to someone else and thereby get most of your money back.  You'd offer a small discount to entice buyers of course.  Many people do this.

[2wheelin]

1 hour ago, MortgageChick said:

As I look out the window of my home here in Canada, we have about 40cm of snow on the ground and sub zero temps... 

My cruise is non refundable, as is my airfare, so I think that the obvious choice is to stay the course, knowing that we may not be able to dock anywhere but maybe at  MSC private Island.   If I was in cancellation window, I might reconsider, but I do not see any win in cancelling a non refundable vacation when the chances of infection are still minimal, and we have no pre existing conditions.

 

The likelihood of missing all your ports is slim in that area. The likelihood of infection is the same as always. No need to lose any of your money and you have the right attitude to have a great time. Wish I were leaving the snow behind this weekend!

Ships may turn away individuals but ports will do everything they can to get ships docked if safe for their inhabitants. It is a huge financial loss to turn a ship away.

[Ava79]

On 2/2/2020 at 11:20 PM, c-boy said:

hang out in the casino and drink 90 proof you'll be fine

it's perfect 

[Ava79]

If I were your BF I wouldn't cancel a cruise. It's Caribbean, not Asia. Much more people nowadays die from AIDS or even banal flu, but the fuss is only about coronavirus. All in all I hope he'll enjoy his trip (if not cancel) and everything will be alright 🙂

 

[Christine13020]

I’m going on NZ cruise leaving fro Sydney on 2/29. Traveling solo, I would really rather delay my trip until after this epidemic dies down but I don’t want to loose my entire fare. I’m planning on making the best of it, already got surgical masks to take with me and all kinds of antibacterial gel. I would  do so anyway because Ive fallen ill on nearly every cruise Ive gone on so I really try to be careful. On land I’m healthy as a horse and rarely get sick. Cruise ships are ideal disease breeding grounds, you must be careful. 

[KnowTheScore]

1 hour ago, 2wheelin said:

The likelihood of missing all your ports is slim in that area.

 

 

This statement is completely incorrect.   The area has absolutely nothing to do with the likelihood of many ports being missed off the itinerary.  To suggest this means you believe that certain areas of the world are free from Influenza, or ordinary cold or all the other ILI's (Influenza like illnesses).

 

That is patently not the case.   Colds and Influenza and ILIs are all over the globe and kill people in significant numbers everywhere.

 

The protocols being implemented by numerous ports simply seek to determine if anyone on the ship has ordinary cold/flu symptoms and if they do the port will refuse permission for people to disembark UNTIL the affected people can be cleared of having Coronavirus.

 

The area has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with this likely adverse impact to a cruise.    Cold/Flu symptoms are everywhere, on every cruise ship around the globe.

[ldubs]

On 1/30/2020 at 12:11 PM, Myskoogie said:

Is anyone here not going to cruise in the next few months or canceling their cruise?  My BF wants to cancel our Miami Eastern Caribbean cruise at the end of February because he is concerned about the coronavirus.  Any thoughts?

 

I might take a different tack than others.  If he is seriously concerned enough to lose the fare, then I would say it might be wise to cancel.  Why do something that is going to cause stress instead of enjoyment.  

[ed01106]

My concern wouldn’t be the disease itself as much as the potential for a very disturbed and stressful trip.  

[KnowTheScore]

2 minutes ago, ed01106 said:

My concern wouldn’t be the disease itself as much as the potential for a very disturbed and stressful trip.  

 

 

I agree.   Just imagine it's the first day aboard and you're sitting having a drink and 3 seats behind you someone starts sneezing and blowing their nose into a handkerchief and coughing.    Before the advent of Coronavirus you probably wouldn't be concerned at all, it happens every cruise.   Now however you'll be immediately worrying . .  . do they have Coronavirus?  Are we all going to be quarantined?   Are we going to miss our port tomorrow?   And this stress will continue throughout the cruise imho.

 

[TNcruising02]

I've got a cruise booked in March and one in April.  A lot more would have to happen for me to consider cancelling one of those cruises.  I've taken about 15 cruises and never gotten sick.  I always wash my hands before eating and after handling public utensils at the buffets.  I never touch the bathroom door handle when exiting the bathroom.  I always use tissues on the handle to exit.  However, I do touch elevator buttons, handrails, and things like that.  But washing my hands frequently seems to be the key to staying healthy for me.

If I was elderly, got sick easily, traveling with small children, or had problems with my immune system, I would consider cancelling.  But since I'm not, I figure that no matter where I go I run the risk of being near somebody who is sick.  This would have to get a heck of a lot worse to get me to consider cancelling a cruise.  I see no threat whatsoever at the moment.  I think it's a personal decision and people should do whatever they feel comfortable doing, no matter what anyone else thinks.

Edited February 8, 2020 by TNcruising02