Corona virus RCI policy

[mochuck]

4 hours ago, banzaii said:

Thanks for the information.

 

Singapore has more reported cases than Hong Kong!

It might have to do with how the virus was acquired. All of the confirmed cases in Australia were from people who had recently come from China and there has been no human to human transmission. It may be that Hong Kong cases are human to human and Singapore is not.
I don't know if that is the case, but it could be the reason that RCL is excluding people who have been to Hong Kong. It also may be that cases were isolated at the airport.

[Sirlancelot]

Got this today 2/2  at 2 PM!!! For our Brilliance out of Tampa 5 nt cruise sailing TOMORROW 2/3. So it seems a reaction to the Sunday US Federal travel restrictions but it is not exactly timely! I thought they would not have a way to find out how people got to the port but it seems they have their ways

ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING TRAVELS

 

Dear Guest, We’re looking forward to welcoming you aboard! Before you embark on our adventure, we have some important information to share with you. After consultation with medical experts and public health authorities, we’ve decided that regardless of nationality, any guest or crewmember traveling from, to, or through mainland China or Hong Kong less than 15 days prior to their sailing will be unable to board any of our ships. We regret to have to do this, but due to the recent increase of coronavirus cases around the world, this precaution will help avoid the spread of this virus. We take this very seriously and have a responsibility to maintain a safe and healthy environment onboard our ships, as well as in the ports we visit. Additionally, we’ve tightened our secondary health screening requirements and the following guests will need to undergo extra screenings to ensure safety at the cruise terminal: Guests or crewmembers that have been in contact with individuals that have traveled from, to, or through mainland China or Hong Kong in the last 15 days. Anyone that holds a Chinese or Hong Kong passport - regardless of when they were there last. Anyone that feels unwell or demonstrates flu-like symptoms. While these measures are conservative, our responsibility is to reduce the spread of coronavirus, in an effort to keep our ships safe and to ensure you are able to enjoy your time with us. If you or someone in your stateroom has traveled from, to, or through mainland China or Hong Kong, please contact your Travel Advisor immediately, or contact us at 1-800-256-6649 or visit www.RoyalCaribbean.com/contactus for your local Royal Caribbean International office phone number.  Your vacation and your health are very important to us, so in an abundance of caution, we’ve taken numerous proactive steps to maintain high health standards onboard our ships. This includes: Thoroughly sanitizing the cruise ship terminal before and after every sailing, Special sanitizing of high traffic areas onboard multiple times a day, Adding extra medical staff on each sailing,  Providing complimentary consultations with medical experts for all guests & crew,  Plus, the Captain will make two daily announcements during your cruise reminding everyone of how to stay healthy onboard. And, you can do your part too! To ensure we all have an enjoyable cruise, here are some important tips to help keep you healthy and prevent colds, flus, and stomach viruses – both onboard and on land.  After using the bathroom and before any meal or snack (it’s a cruise; we know there’s lots of that), make sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. If you happen to sneeze, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue (or with your upper sleeve). Avoid sneezing or coughing into your hands or without covering your nose and mouth. Use hand sanitizer as often as possible. Rub the gel thoroughly, and in-between your fingers, until your hands are dry. And remember, if you don’t feel well while you’re onboard, it’s imperative that you immediately visit our medical facility on Deck 2 for a complimentary checkup. Our onboard doctors and nurses are always ready to assist. Your safety and wellbeing are always our top priorities, but we also want you to have an amazing time. Stay clean, stay healthy, stay happy! Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Sincerely,

[not-enough-cruising]

2 hours ago, PhoenixCruiser said:

 

It was the measles

 

https://www.npr.org/2019/05/02/719452016/st-lucia-quarantines-cruise-ship-after-measles-case-occurs-onboard

Yeah , measles 

 

thanks for the correction 

[ARandomTraveler]

Glad I got cancel for any reason insurance for my Asia cruise in June, just in case.

[Merion_Mom]

This email is going out to ALL cruises.

[bearette]

We are doing a Dubai cruise next month and once we saw they were canceling flights we were concerned ( we had booked state on an Air China flight via Beijing.) We talked about it Thursday, rebooked Friday, and by Saturday everyone had announced sanctions from those who had visited China or Hong Kong. So much for a vaction, I was having nightmares about my kids getting sick.  I'm not really any safer at home either,  hopefully all these sanctions will do what it was meant to, contain and stop the spread so no one else gets infected (well at least limit the spread).  Hopefully by the end of the month it will all be over.

[lbjen]

I don’t understand why anyone who has been potentially exposed would even want to put themselves on a cruise ship for the next two weeks. They’re not exactly well known for their stellar medical facilities. 

[The_Big_M]

5 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Why is it puzzling? Hong Kong has the 4th most reported cases of any country outside of Mainland China (of which it shares a border)

 

Actually, 5th most. Behind Japan, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea.

 

Makes any justification even more questionable.

[The_Big_M]

5 hours ago, kernow said:

Yes but them seem to have much better prevention policies in place and they are banning entry to anyone coming from China. 

 

If transmission is the concern and the age is unknown (which is why these broad restrictions have been introduced onboard), what matters is the number of people already carrying in those countries who could have already spread it, not future visitors.

[mugtech]

Holland America ship picked up 800 cruisers in Hong Kong on the weekend, was refused entry to Manila, the next port.  Doing a sea day then stopping in Taiwan as scheduled, cruise originally scheduled to end in Shanghai, will be ending in Japan.  Picking up 800 in Hong Kong could result in more unscheduled sea days.

[mugtech]

The Philippines just denied entry to a Holland America ship because 2 days ago they picked up 800 passengers in Hong Kong, so another sea day, next stop Taiwan.  Wonder how many more rescheduled ports to sea days they will incur before ending in Japan.  Cruise was originally scheduled to end in Shanghai.

[mochuck]

7 minutes ago, mugtech said:

The Philippines just denied entry to a Holland America ship because 2 days ago they picked up 800 passengers in Hong Kong, so another sea day, next stop Taiwan.  Wonder how many more rescheduled ports to sea days they will incur before ending in Japan.  Cruise was originally scheduled to end in Shanghai.

It will be interesting to see if Taiwan takes them.

[Merion_Mom]

2 hours ago, Sirlancelot said:

Got this today 2/2  at 2 PM!!! For our Brilliance out of Tampa 5 nt cruise sailing TOMORROW 2/3. So it seems a reaction to the Sunday US Federal travel restrictions but it is not exactly timely! I thought they would not have a way to find out how people got to the port but it seems they have their ways

ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING TRAVELS

 

Dear Guest, We’re looking forward to welcoming you aboard! Before you embark on our adventure, we have some important information to share with you. After consultation with medical experts and public health authorities, we’ve decided that regardless of nationality, any guest or crewmember traveling from, to, or through mainland China or Hong Kong less than 15 days prior to their sailing will be unable to board any of our ships. We regret to have to do this, but due to the recent increase of coronavirus cases around the world, this precaution will help avoid the spread of this virus. We take this very seriously and have a responsibility to maintain a safe and healthy environment onboard our ships, as well as in the ports we visit. Additionally, we’ve tightened our secondary health screening requirements and the following guests will need to undergo extra screenings to ensure safety at the cruise terminal: Guests or crewmembers that have been in contact with individuals that have traveled from, to, or through mainland China or Hong Kong in the last 15 days. Anyone that holds a Chinese or Hong Kong passport - regardless of when they were there last. Anyone that feels unwell or demonstrates flu-like symptoms. While these measures are conservative, our responsibility is to reduce the spread of coronavirus, in an effort to keep our ships safe and to ensure you are able to enjoy your time with us. If you or someone in your stateroom has traveled from, to, or through mainland China or Hong Kong, please contact your Travel Advisor immediately, or contact us at 1-800-256-6649 or visit www.RoyalCaribbean.com/contactus for your local Royal Caribbean International office phone number.  Your vacation and your health are very important to us, so in an abundance of caution, we’ve taken numerous proactive steps to maintain high health standards onboard our ships. This includes: Thoroughly sanitizing the cruise ship terminal before and after every sailing, Special sanitizing of high traffic areas onboard multiple times a day, Adding extra medical staff on each sailing,  Providing complimentary consultations with medical experts for all guests & crew,  Plus, the Captain will make two daily announcements during your cruise reminding everyone of how to stay healthy onboard. And, you can do your part too! To ensure we all have an enjoyable cruise, here are some important tips to help keep you healthy and prevent colds, flus, and stomach viruses – both onboard and on land.  After using the bathroom and before any meal or snack (it’s a cruise; we know there’s lots of that), make sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. If you happen to sneeze, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue (or with your upper sleeve). Avoid sneezing or coughing into your hands or without covering your nose and mouth. Use hand sanitizer as often as possible. Rub the gel thoroughly, and in-between your fingers, until your hands are dry. And remember, if you don’t feel well while you’re onboard, it’s imperative that you immediately visit our medical facility on Deck 2 for a complimentary checkup. Our onboard doctors and nurses are always ready to assist. Your safety and wellbeing are always our top priorities, but we also want you to have an amazing time. Stay clean, stay healthy, stay happy! Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Sincerely,

 

I am pretty sure that this letter went out to everyone sailing at least in the next three weeks.  (I'm sailing on 2/20 and received it)

[Bailey & Sophie]

 

We got it and we're not going anywhere near this area.

[mochuck]

People cruising from Australia have to go through immigration before you board. This involves handing over your passport. Your passport contains a record of all of your international movements either in an electronic chip (Smart Passport) or via stamps.

[njkruzer]

Yes, received.  But we're in Australia and boarding Radiance on the 9th and I believe some of our fellow travelers maybe having to change flights.  Some flights from UK change in Hong Kong.   Hope everyone makes it.

[brillohead]

14 hours ago, lr657 said:

The outside of the mask you are touching has been exposed to whatever is floating around in the air. Not a good idea to rely on a mask as prevention.

You claim to be an RN, but you also don't understand the difference between Airborne and Droplet Precautions?

Seriously, you need some re-education.

[alistairg]

A lot depends on the rate of increase of people with the virus over the next few days. It will be interesting to see if it slows down once we get 14 days out from the quarantine of Wuhan.

 

But if it does continue to get worse then any businesses and events that involve large number of people congregating together are going to have problems.

 

It is surprising that more countries have not closed their borders to people who have been in China.

 

I note that healthcare staff in Hong Kong are threatening to go on strike because the border has not been closed.

 

It seemed very odd to me that last week airlines were cancelling direct flights to China, but people in China could still take a flight to Hong Kong and then home.

 

It is hardly surprising that countries will not let cruise ship passengers leave if the ship has large numbers of Chinese people or people who have been to China on board. Cruise ships with large numbers of people in close proximity are usually an ideal breeding ground for viruses.

 

Indeed I would not be surprised if some more nervous people are cancelling cruises anyway. You only have to look at the price of cruises out of Dubai at the moment to see that there must be a large number of people who avoid travelling when they perceive there to be a risk.

 

If this starts to grow outside of China then we will likely see similar restrictions in other places and more people will start avoiding places such as aircraft and airports, cruise ships, sports events etc. We are some way off this at the moment.

[ONECRUISER]

1 hour ago, alistairg said:

A lot depends on the rate of increase of people with the virus over the next few days. It will be interesting to see if it slows down once we get 14 days out from the quarantine of Wuhan.

 

But if it does continue to get worse then any businesses and events that involve large number of people congregating together are going to have problems.

 

It is surprising that more countries have not closed their borders to people who have been in China.

 

I note that healthcare staff in Hong Kong are threatening to go on strike because the border has not been closed.

 

It seemed very odd to me that last week airlines were cancelling direct flights to China, but people in China could still take a flight to Hong Kong and then home.

 

It is hardly surprising that countries will not let cruise ship passengers leave if the ship has large numbers of Chinese people or people who have been to China on board. Cruise ships with large numbers of people in close proximity are usually an ideal breeding ground for viruses.

 

Indeed I would not be surprised if some more nervous people are cancelling cruises anyway. You only have to look at the price of cruises out of Dubai at the moment to see that there must be a large number of people who avoid travelling when they perceive there to be a risk.

 

If this starts to grow outside of China then we will likely see similar restrictions in other places and more people will start avoiding places such as aircraft and airports, cruise ships, sports events etc. We are some way off this at the moment.

If does closest could see to this is how it was right after 9/11. Got off Cruise and home with my Wee Ones on 9/10/2001. Day after things changed. Did my part, kept traveling. Was in Florida/Disney & Cruise Oct2001, Anthrax scare happened there also. Cruise was 5 nite OV for $9ea plus $50Port Tax. Ship was not sailing full even with those prices. Dec took another Cruise on new-er Explorer of the Seas. Got a Cat B for $700 with no single supplement and ship was sailing at 85% Capacity. While flying home Airport had me remove my shoes, thought weird but post 9/11, Shoe Bomber had tried his thing earlier in the day... IF outbreak gets worse, or just the scare of it I can see lot less travelers like was in Fall 2001. I'll take precautions when possible, more so if traveling with my kids/Grands but wont stop me

Edited February 3, 2020 by ONECRUISER

[kernow]

4 hours ago, The_Big_M said:

 

If transmission is the concern and the age is unknown (which is why these broad restrictions have been introduced onboard), what matters is the number of people already carrying in those countries who could have already spread it, not future visitors.

I've been following this closely for a while now as we are going to Asia next week. Google 'Hong Kong coronavirus' and 'Singapore coronavirus' and read all the news articles. You will see the difference in the way the 2 countries are treating this and why Hong Kong seems so much more at risk. Even before all the cruise lines announced the changes last week we guessed something like this was going to happen.

[lr657]

On 1/30/2020 at 8:53 PM, lr657 said:

 

They are different and I haven't seen anything regarding the coronavirus being Airborne either.

 

Droplet precautions are used for illnesses transmitted by respiratory droplets generally from coughing or sneezing. Influenza, Rubella, Mumps, and Pertussis  are transmitted this way. A fluid shield type mask is used for protection from these illnesses. If hospitalized, these patients are placed in isolation room.

 

In an Airborne illness, the infectious agent is carried through the air. Examples are Tuberculosis, Measles, Chickenpox, and SARS. These are the illness which would require an N95 or respirator type mask. In the hospital, these patients would be placed in a negative pressure isolation room. 

 

 

5 hours ago, brillohead said:

You claim to be an RN, but you also don't understand the difference between Airborne and Droplet Precautions?

Seriously, you need some re-education.

 

Seriously. If you went back and read my previous post maybe you wouldn't be so quick to insult someone. Not sure what your background is, but maybe you should think before you pretty much tell someone they are lying. 

[marci22]

11 hours ago, SeaHunt said:

This has taught me a big lesson though - viral epidemics are NOT covered by most travel insurance, and from now on I'm only buying "Cancel For Any Reason" trip insurance!

 

https://www.aarp.org/travel/travel-tips/safety/info-2020/insurance-coronavirus-coverage.html

I looked at Chase Sapphire cc travel insurance. 

 

"Your disinclination to travel due to an epidemic or pandemic" is excluded. However, "Quarantine of You or Your Traveling Companion imposed by a Physician or by a competent governmental authority having jurisdiction, due to health reasons" is covered. I wonder if traveling through a prohibited area (such as HK) and being denied boarding is considered a government quarantine. I'd certainly look into it if I used Chase to purchase and was denied boarding.

[brillohead]

1 hour ago, lr657 said:

Seriously. If you went back and read my previous post maybe you wouldn't be so quick to insult someone. Not sure what your background is, but maybe you should think before you pretty much tell someone they are lying. 

All the more reason that you shouldn't be saying that wearing a mask is useless.... coronavirus is still believed to be droplet, therefore a mask IS useful, and a respirator is NOT necessary.  

Although I still wish people cared a tenth as much about the very real threat of influenza (which has killed thousands this year) as they seem to care about coronavirus. 

 

 

[marci22]

8 hours ago, Heymarco said:

That’s really too bad. At this point your husband has a higher risk of getting hit by a car that week than death by cruise virus.

But it's not just about death. What if you are on a cruise with 3k people and one person has the virus and your ship is quarantined or delayed? Some people can't manage that due to work, ill relatives, pets, etc. Even if you are not directly impacted healthwise you can be adversely affected.

[marci22]

7 minutes ago, brillohead said:

Although I still wish people cared a tenth as much about the very real threat of influenza (which has killed thousands this year) as they seem to care about coronavirus. 

You keep saying this. How do you know people do not care about influenza? How do you know these people did not get a flu shot? Being concerned about an unknown virus is reasonable. People are looking for information.