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PRINCESS SHIPS & CORONA VIRUS


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4 hours ago, Earthworm Jim said:

So with 10 new cases, does that start the 14 quarantine clock all over again? If those 10 are just infections from before the quarantine started that were, until now, in the incubation period it shouldn't. But if they are newly transmitted cases from, say, the crew distributing food, it should.

 

I don't know how they could possibly tell the difference.

Since the passengers are all isolated in cabins, and food prep cleared (protocols would require MHW to clear it before use and thus th ereason for the initial delays in food distribution) then the clock should not have to reset.  If someone related to food prep or distribution were to become infected then the clock might have to restart.  If you saw the menu that they can choose from for each meal (3 items for lunch 3 for dinner), the reason is to minimize the number of staff involved in food prep. Keep in mind that the staff will also be quarantined when not on duty.

Edited by npcl
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Only you can decide what is the right  for you.  My neighbor is currently on Princess cruise in Hawaii right now and I haven’t heard anything  her. She is in her 70’s although her sister had urged her to cancel but she wasn’t concerned. She was really looking for to travel with her friends.
 

Have you tried to contact Princess to see if maybe they will let you postpone to a later date without too much penalties? They have cruises to Hawaii until end April.  I don’t have any personal experience with this type of request but it doesn’t hurt to ask. 

 

safe travels

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26 minutes ago, dog said:

Holland America Westerdam picked up passengers in Hong Key ng can’t disembark in Japan. News articles reporting 

This situation could be worse if no port allows docking.  The only choice might be to ferry as many passengers to their home countries for quarantine.  That would be an interesting itinerary change.

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I cannot imagine cancelling that cruise for the reason you suggested.

The virus is not creating issues in LA at this point.

You are worrying before anything has happened to make a person worry.

Agree that normal thinking about noro virus or flu or colds etc would be on my mind.

Not this new scare.

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1 hour ago, NFL Traveler said:

I have no faith in the number of people the Chinese govt claims are infected within their own country.  They began building extra hospitals 10 days ago for numbers that did not match what they were reporting.  None of should ever believe anything reported by China or similar countries; they have a looong history of "lying."

 

A google search for the number of people infected with Coronavirus in China showed a report out of Taiwan from "Tencent."  Apparently, an error was made in posting the numbers infected and moments later the report was changed to reflect what is being reported by Western media.  The numbers in China were in excess of 150,000 with deaths over 25000 (about 16%).  These numbers, to me, seem to far more realistic to what we are being spoon fed.  Some will try to compare the numbers reported with SARS outbreak to Coronavirus and consider the reports accurate.  Not a political statement, but closed Socialist/Communist countries are not known for honesty.  I will link the Tencent article at the bottom of my post.

 

This would explain the need for China to build large temp hospitals with more than 1000 beds.  Also, a well-known US news consolidator had an article reporting that China has been cremating hundreds of bodies per day.  

 

I'm scheduled to sail on the Princess Diamond on 2 April.  I don't mind saying my wife is in total panic.  I'm not of a mind to panic, but prefer to gather data before making a rational decision.  I am inclined to believe Tencent and at some point will probably cancel (I'm hoping something positive will come about in treatment, but...).  If we cancel, we will still venture to Japan, but spend our time traveling the country on our own without the fear (unless there is a sudden explosion of cases in Japan).

 

https://www.ccn.com/alleged-tencent-leak-suggests-coronavirus-death-toll-spiraling-to-25000/

While I would believe that the total number of cases could be 150,000, and dramatically under reported. I do not believe that the mortality rate is anywhere near 16%.  If it was you would be seeing far more fatalities in the patients outside of China. There are over a hundred that have had the illness outside of China for at least 10 days, so if higher numbers were correct you would see more than the 2 fatalities reported by other countries by now.  The 1-2% number seems to be correct for now.

 

The nature of Corona, Many mild cases, 15-25% serious cases, cases listed only after confirmation testing, would, by itself, result in substantial under reporting, even in someplace like the US. 

 

AS far as hospitals, the problem with Corona virus is that the serious cases do require substantial care, and the illness recuperation time  is relatively long (one case in the US only developed to serious 9 days after initial symptoms).  So the serious cases are consuming a lot of hospital beds for 10 days or more (based upon posted recovery numbers).  So you need lots of beds to provide intensive services, far more than would be normal. Plus trying to keep those patients isolated from other patients that would normally be in the hospital for other reasons and you really need lots of beds, staff, supplies.

 

 

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2 minutes ago, matadams4u said:

This situation could be worse if no port allows docking.  The only choice might be to ferry as many passengers to their home countries for quarantine.  That would be an interesting itinerary change.

Article says other places banning ships. Daily Mail article

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3 hours ago, voljeep said:

i'm "sure" there are family groups on this cruise in different cabins - maybe even a balcony then an inside across the hall 

 

if that was us, you better believe there would be some 'movement' of passengers between those 2 cabins unless there was security outside stopping us

 

sorry

Keep in mind that if you are in quarantine, and you do not follow instructions you would not be dealing with Princess and crew staff you would be dealing the Japanese authorities.  The act would be breaking Japanese Law.  Something that they take very seriously and you might find yourself with a much longer stay after quarantine ends. They tend to take rules and regulations seriously.

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Following along with this to get information.  What a mess.  My biggest concern would be the medications I am on.  Yes, I always travel with a few extra days worth , but two weeks plus? Can just imagine trying to get some of my meds in a foreign country.  Which would lead to a fibromyalgia attack and then they'd think I had the virus....

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13 minutes ago, npcl said:

While I would believe that the total number of cases could be 150,000, and dramatically under reported. I do not believe that the mortality rate is anywhere near 16%.  If it was you would be seeing far more fatalities in the patients outside of China. There are over a hundred that have had the illness outside of China for at least 10 days, so if higher numbers were correct you would see more than the 2 fatalities reported by other countries by now.  The 1-2% number seems to be correct for now.

 

The nature of Corona, Many mild cases, 15-25% serious cases, cases listed only after confirmation testing, would, by itself, result in substantial under reporting, even in someplace like the US. 

 

AS far as hospitals, the problem with Corona virus is that the serious cases do require substantial care, and the illness recuperation time  is relatively long (one case in the US only developed to serious 9 days after initial symptoms).  So the serious cases are consuming a lot of hospital beds for 10 days or more (based upon posted recovery numbers).  So you need lots of beds to provide intensive services, far more than would be normal. Plus trying to keep those patients isolated from other patients that would normally be in the hospital for other reasons and you really need lots of beds, staff, supplies.

 

 

That is one of the reasons I don't think we are getting the correct death rate  numbers.  As the cases increased the demand for ICU beds would outstrip the supply - (looking at the pictures now they are turning halls ect into multi bed hospitals with no ICU) then the rate should have increased to reflect that, however, the China quoted rates have remained static which makes me inclined to doubt their official numbers. But hopefully not near some of the numbers I have seen bounced around.

Edited by fragilek
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26 minutes ago, npcl said:

Since the passengers are all isolated in cabins, and food prep cleared (protocols would require MHW to clear it before use and thus th ereason for the initial delays in food distribution) then the clock should not have to reset. 

 

Only they're not.  "Passengers with inside cabins are now allowed to walk on the deck for 1.5 hours under the supervision of the Quarantine officers. They must stay 1 metre apart from one another and not make contact or congregate in groups."  This is from someone on the ship.

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2 hours ago, Moeve said:

Some are already going starr crazy and calling upon Donald Trump to come and rescue them! They insist that they do not feel safe anymore and that the Diamond is unsanitary. 
 

me: you are quarantined to your cabin - are you making such a mess of it? 🙄 well then ask for cleaning supplies and clean up after yourself. 
 

I get that clean sheets and towels will be an issue but this will probably also be addressed shortly. One thing at a time! 
 

As to unsafe wait until you see the inside of a Chinese hospital these days. Lady you would wish you had stayed onboard the Diamond.......

Basically during quarantine any cabin cleaning would be limited,  I expect that at some point new towels will be provided.  Probably using a similar process as with food distribution.  New ones left outside of door. Old ones picked up and put in biohazard bags until their can be sanitized.  Before that can happen the authorities would have to clear the laundry operations. It would also require additional crew (thus raising additional risk).

 

People need to keep in mind goal is 1. minimize threat and keep the most people comfortable 2. personal comfort only if it does not compromise objective 1.

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I am scheduled for Regal on Sunday also. I never buy the trip insurance and we are dealing with 'the fear of the unknown'. I would be cancelling if I had the opportunity to get a credit to make my family safer.

 

Not necessarily because of the virus, but because of the unknown' with the countries. 

 

Question, since this ship leaves out of the US, do you think the US authorities would do anything differently. Like the flight they did out of China and then quarantine?

 

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2 hours ago, NFL Traveler said:

I have no faith in the number of people the Chinese govt claims are infected within their own country.  They began building extra hospitals 10 days ago for numbers that did not match what they were reporting.  None of should ever believe anything reported by China or similar countries; they have a looong history of "lying."

 

A google search for the number of people infected with Coronavirus in China showed a report out of Taiwan from "Tencent."  Apparently, an error was made in posting the numbers infected and moments later the report was changed to reflect what is being reported by Western media.  The numbers in China were in excess of 150,000 with deaths over 25000 (about 16%).  These numbers, to me, seem to far more realistic to what we are being spoon fed.  Some will try to compare the numbers reported with SARS outbreak to Coronavirus and consider the reports accurate.  Not a political statement, but closed Socialist/Communist countries are not known for honesty.  I will link the Tencent article at the bottom of my post.

 

This would explain the need for China to build large temp hospitals with more than 1000 beds.  Also, a well-known US news consolidator had an article reporting that China has been cremating hundreds of bodies per day.  

 

I'm scheduled to sail on the Princess Diamond on 2 April.  I don't mind saying my wife is in total panic.  I'm not of a mind to panic, but prefer to gather data before making a rational decision.  I am inclined to believe Tencent and at some point will probably cancel (I'm hoping something positive will come about in treatment, but...).  If we cancel, we will still venture to Japan, but spend our time traveling the country on our own without the fear (unless there is a sudden explosion of cases in Japan).

 

https://www.ccn.com/alleged-tencent-leak-suggests-coronavirus-death-toll-spiraling-to-25000/

We cancelled our April 2nd cruise and the 11th also.

It's a shame they charged us 20% to cancel.

 

Edited by gvre
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3 minutes ago, DivotMaker said:

 

Only they're not.  "Passengers with inside cabins are now allowed to walk on the deck for 1.5 hours under the supervision of the Quarantine officers. They must stay 1 metre apart from one another and not make contact or congregate in groups."  This is from someone on the ship.

However they are still considered in isolation.  The rules for time on deck are considered to be sufficient to not break quarantine.  If new information were to come out to indicate that the rules as currently set were not sufficient then it might cause a reset.

 

Cruise ships are not ideal vehicles for quarantine.  For example the ventilation system pumps outside air into each cabin  that creates positive pressure in the cabins and forces air outside into the hallway , where it exits the ship.  However if someone opens a balcony door then you get the air from the hallway getting sucked into the balcony room. I assume you have heard the cases of the whistling sound sometimes when a balcony door is open slightly lowering the air pressure in a balcony room and air is getting sucked into the room from the hallway. Better design is to exhaust from each room into filters creating a slight under pressure in each room so air is not forced out into public areas.

 

But the authorities do the best that they can for with the resources that they have.  Unless MHW gets new data indicating current protocols are not sufficient I expect that the 14 days should be the end of it. 

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9 minutes ago, Kbears said:

I am scheduled for Regal on Sunday also. I never buy the trip insurance and we are dealing with 'the fear of the unknown'. I would be cancelling if I had the opportunity to get a credit to make my family safer.

 

Not necessarily because of the virus, but because of the unknown' with the countries. 

 

Question, since this ship leaves out of the US, do you think the US authorities would do anything differently. Like the flight they did out of China and then quarantine?

 

If you are doing an out and back from the US (not sure where Regal is at the moment)  at this time. I would not be  concerned. Especially if it is a 7 day cruise. I expect that the worse might be a nervous government or two that might not allow a port stop.

Edited by npcl
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19 minutes ago, fragilek said:

That is one of the reasons I don't think we are getting the correct death rate  numbers.  As the cases increased the demand for ICU beds would outstrip the supply - (looking at the pictures now they are turning halls ect into multi bed hospitals with no ICU) then the rate should have increased to reflect that, however, the China quoted rates have remained static which makes me inclined to doubt their official numbers. But hopefully not near some of the numbers I have seen bounced around.

Numbers have not remained, they have remained fairly consistent with the number of reported (mostly serious cases).  What I have been looking at is more the reported numbers outside of China (John Hopkins University has a good page for that). 

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15 minutes ago, Kbears said:

I am scheduled for Regal on Sunday also. I never buy the trip insurance and we are dealing with 'the fear of the unknown'. I would be cancelling if I had the opportunity to get a credit to make my family safer.

 

Not necessarily because of the virus, but because of the unknown' with the countries. 

 

Question, since this ship leaves out of the US, do you think the US authorities would do anything differently. Like the flight they did out of China and then quarantine?

 

Nope, don’t think so.  The “local authorities” seem to have the final say.  Look at the people in Japan right now; the whole quarantine order comes from the Japanese govt. the Americans are in Japanese hospitals.  I wish the USA would sweep in and rescue our citizens on that ship; perhaps they are planning something.  I was told last week on the phone that they would quarantine the ship if any cases are found during the cruise.  They also said it would really be up to the island/country how things would proceed.  Remember if anyone had the virus on the cruise,  the USA, if they allow you to disembark, will most likely put you in a government base quarantine like all those people coming back from China on planes.  Of course everything may be completely fine with no issues but the whole situation seems to be escalating, especially now at sea. It’s a lot of money to lose without insurance but you’ll have to weigh the risks.  For us, no amount of $ is worth potentially losing my freedom. The Princess statement said:

 

Some ports may impose additional requirements for guests to go ashore. In addition, all guests will be subject to pre-boarding health reporting and enhanced screening at check-in, as well as other precautions. Requirements are subject to change based on the interests of the health and safety of our guests and crew and any other requirements imposed by local authorities.

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1 hour ago, KL Smith said:

After 50 cruises on many lines I find myself for the very first time actually hoping they cancel our cruise due to the potential quarantine issue. 

Even though we are probably in the most likely age group (65) to be infected, I have no worries about getting sick. I do however have a great fear of someone else getting sick and the ship being quarantined with us locked in our INSIDE cabin for 2 weeks. 

 

Our cruise leaves Los Angeles for Hawaii in 6 days and I have no cancelation insurance, so it would be a 100% loss for us.

 

Has anyone else canceled on this cruise or considering it?

 

Has anyone heard of any potential no-charge cancelling policies from Princess for upcoming cruises other than the ones in Asia already announced?  

Call your TA or PVP and ask how many outside / balcony / mini suite rooms are available first. You just might get an upsell (we went from BB to MB for $199 as rooms opened up on my voyage)

 

Upsell doesn't come from them but it let's you know IF they will happen. Not saying you'll get one but it's possible 

Edited by Ombud
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We are now on the Emerald Princess.  We arrived in Honolulu this morning.  We originally had two ports scheduled in Samoa.  Both ports have been cancelled.  However, Princess added two additional ports in Hawaii (Kona and Hilo) and an additional night in Tahiti.  We had to scramble to make changes to our port plans, but all is well.  We are on a cruise in the Pacific; it beats sitting inside to avoid the cold and snow of South Dakota.

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