CARNIVAL CORONA VIRUS THREAD

[hawkeye93]

The big news at the moment is Norwegian Cruise Line just announced that it is changing and modifying it cancellation policy in the wake of corona virus fears. I can’t figure out how to post a link but go to cruiseindustrynews.com and the article is easy to find. I suspect Carnival will follow suit. 

Link https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/22519-norwegian-modifies-change-and-cancellatio-policies.html


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[bugaler]

1 minute ago, hawkeye93 said:

Link https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/22519-norwegian-modifies-change-and-cancellatio-policies.html


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It’s good that they are being proactive with this but fat lot of good it does those of us who have a Spring Break cruise booked in the next month.  Hopefully they will reconsider their policies in the next few weeks if this continues to spread. I don’t even need a refund just a cruise credit if we are going to be denied ports. 

[hawkeye93]

It’s good that they are being proactive with this but fat lot of good it does those of us who have a Spring Break cruise booked in the next month.  Hopefully they will reconsider their policies in the next few weeks if this continues to spread. I don’t even need a refund just a cruise credit if we are going to be denied ports. 

Agreed. I find these revisions pretty weak. If you’re within 60 days you can reschedule without penalty but it has to be by June 30. I seriously double checked thinking surely they meant June of 2021. Not real helpful imo unless I’m missing something. I would never cancel my May trip now rebook for June.


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[pacruise804]

14 hours ago, nickfritz said:

So the inevitable has happened, the 11 March has changed it itinerary and removed a port completely.

 

It had 3 ports and now we've got an email saying there is only 2 ports.

 

Mystery Island and Noumea.

 

It was meant to be Mare, Isle of Pines and Noumea.

 

Wonder if there will be any compensation for a total of 1 less port.

 

Although they do state:

 

Q.  I booked this cruise only to visit 'XX' port, and now we are missing that port. I want a refund for this?
A.  If the itinerary change is for reasons beyond Carnival's control, no additional compensation will be provided on board or after the cruise through Guest Care.

You should at a minimum receive the difference in port charges/taxes between Mystery Island and Mare & Isle of Pines.

 

Carnival is not required to provide anything else (at least to US customers), but might offer something as a good will measure.

[pacruise804]

2 hours ago, hawkeye93 said:

Sharing a good and recently updated site from ABC and the WHO. https://apple.news/AWNH7tksxSr6_lFeZMa04mA


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This was an interesting read (even ignoring the typo of COVID-10 vs COVID-19), but presents some questions:

It's "virtually inevitable" that someone in the New York state will test positive for novel coronavirus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a Friday news conference compared to Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's Health Emergencies Program warned that calling COVID-19 a pandemic prematurely would be "essentially accepting that every human on the planet will be exposed to the virus." If countries take the containment measures necessary to break the virus' transmission, "that does not need to be the history of this event," Ryan said.

~More weight should probably be given to WHO vs a politician, but I'm not sure containment is possible with how long it can take for symptoms to develop.

 

Japan has the third-highest national total, when including the hundreds of confirmed cases related to the Diamond Princess cruise ship. And also: So far in the United States, 60 people have been diagnosed with the disease. The majority of the cases are Americans who were on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was placed under quarantine in Japanese waters as hundreds of passengers became infected with the new coronavirus.

~I have read many sites that include Diamond Princess in Japan's numbers, but I didn't realize they were also being included in US numbers.  Are a significant number of cases being counted twice?

 

 

[bingomamma19]

5 hours ago, WorkerBee74 said:

 

Because there are handwashing stations at the entrance to the buffet?  Maybe we've been on different ships, but I've seen people outright refuse to wash them and go strutting past everyone else like they are someone special.

So, i assume you wash your hands when going to pump gas, going into any store and have to open the door with the handle that everyone has touched, going to the grocery store etc.   You do realize that real life brings germs galore .     

 

I dont worry about if other passengers wash their hands before going to the dining room as they will not be touching my plate, glass or utensils.    The buffet you can easily avoid that by washing your hands AFTER you get your food and are ready to eat, as you can not know if every single person has washed their hands.

 

 

[hawkeye93]

This was an interesting read (even ignoring the typo of COVID-10 vs COVID-19), but presents some questions:
It's "virtually inevitable" that someone in the New York state will test positive for novel coronavirus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a Friday news conference compared to Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's Health Emergencies Program warned that calling COVID-19 a pandemic prematurely would be "essentially accepting that every human on the planet will be exposed to the virus." If countries take the containment measures necessary to break the virus' transmission, "that does not need to be the history of this event," Ryan said.
~More weight should probably be given to WHO vs a politician, but I'm not sure containment is possible with how long it can take for symptoms to develop.
 
Japan has the third-highest national total, when including the hundreds of confirmed cases related to the Diamond Princess cruise ship. And also: So far in the United States, 60 people have been diagnosed with the disease. The majority of the cases are Americans who were on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was placed under quarantine in Japanese waters as hundreds of passengers became infected with the new coronavirus.
~I have read many sites that include Diamond Princess in Japan's numbers, but I didn't realize they were also being included in US numbers.  Are a significant number of cases being counted twice?
 
 

You can go get all the figures from the CDC. They have it separated out from those repatriated back from the Diamond Princess. We have tested a total of 459 people with 49 being positive from DP and 15 others. These are numbers as of 4 pm yesterday.


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[jimbo5544]

3 hours ago, JasperCruiser said:

The big news at the moment is Norwegian Cruise Line just announced that it is changing and modifying it cancellation policy in the wake of corona virus fears. I can’t figure out how to post a link but go to cruiseindustrynews.com and the article is easy to find. I suspect Carnival will follow suit. 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/22519-norwegian-modifies-change-and-cancellatio-policies.html

 

here you go

[jimbo5544]

Not a huge change, but shows empathy without offering up a ton.  Not sure the date parameters are meaningful.  

[lottiegreen56]

I’m thinking out loud here, but given the mortality rate is low among most of the population and it is a virus which would make those afflicted immune, would it make sense to just let the damn thing run it’s course and try to keep the elderly and those with compromised immune systems from contracting or develop a better course of treatment tailored specifically to them? 
 

My career has been mostly sales/politics so I do realize that I’m out of my element here but I remember when my oldest kids were in preschool, they encouraged the parents to expose relatively healthy kids when a kid in the class got the chicken pox so that every kid would go through it together, then back to normal. I know things change but it’s just a thought. 
 

I try not to give conspiracy theories too much credit but the way this thing is wreaking havoc on the stock market in an election year, things just seem to be a little too strange for me. 

Edited February 29, 2020 by lottiegreen56

[hawkeye93]

I’m thinking out loud here, but given the mortality rate is low among most of the population and it is a virus which would make those afflicted immune, would it make sense to just let the damn thing run it’s course and try to keep the elderly and those with compromised immune systems from contracting or develop a better course of treatment tailored specifically to them? 
 
My career has been mostly sales/politics so I do realize that I’m out of my element here but I remember when my oldest kids were in preschool, they encouraged the parents to expose relatively healthy kids when a kid in the class got the chicken pox so that every kid would go through it together, then back to normal. I know things change but it’s just a thought. 
 
I try not to give conspiracy theories too much credit but the way this thing is wreaking havoc on the stock market in an election year, things just seem to be a little too strange for me. 

There’s no evidence of immunity after this virus. There’s at least one person that is believed to have been re-infected (Japan I believe).


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[DryCreek]

8 hours ago, WorkerBee74 said:

 

Because there are handwashing stations at the entrance to the buffet?  Maybe we've been on different ships, but I've seen people outright refuse to wash them and go strutting past everyone else like they are someone special.

This brings to mind what I witnessed last week on the Vista.

I dubbed them "the backwards ladies".

I noticed the two (middle-aged) women casually strolling around the buffets in the Lido area.  They each had one of the platter-sized plates loosely clutched to their chests.  They strolled around some more, and finding nothing to entice them, they replaced both plates on the stacks of clean plates.  Now, to reinforce the "backwards part", they each also liberally dosed with the hand sanitizer and walked away rubbing their hands and doing an overall excellent job of getting every nook and cranny.  Up to the wrist even.  Yes, I was sober.....

[DryCreek]

3 hours ago, bingomamma19 said:

So, i assume you wash your hands when going to pump gas, going into any store and have to open the door with the handle that everyone has touched, going to the grocery store etc.   You do realize that real life brings germs galore .     

 

I dont worry about if other passengers wash their hands before going to the dining room as they will not be touching my plate, glass or utensils.    The buffet you can easily avoid that by washing your hands AFTER you get your food and are ready to eat, as you can not know if every single person has washed their hands.

 

 

Uhmmm, maybe not always a safe assumption.

Please see my post about the "backwards ladies".

[Luv2cruz1000]

1 hour ago, DryCreek said:

This brings to mind what I witnessed last week on the Vista.

I dubbed them "the backwards ladies".

I noticed the two (middle-aged) women casually strolling around the buffets in the Lido area.  They each had one of the platter-sized plates loosely clutched to their chests.  They strolled around some more, and finding nothing to entice them, they replaced both plates on the stacks of clean plates.  Now, to reinforce the "backwards part", they each also liberally dosed with the hand sanitizer and walked away rubbing their hands and doing an overall excellent job of getting every nook and cranny.  Up to the wrist even.  Yes, I was sober.....

Incredible! Our last cruise we witnessed people using their hands at the condiment station for guys burgers! How anyone thinks you can stay healthy on a cruise doing that is beyond me. Needless to say,we did not need ANYTHING for our burgers. 

Scary part for both this and the backwards ladies is this was seen, what is scary is what we don't know about.

 

[beshears]

JasperCruiser interesting.  I just received a reply back from someone that we are to tour in Jamaica, asking if the ships have been turned away there, and he said no! So hopefully in the next few weeks it will stay the same way. 🙂

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

3 hours ago, lottiegreen56 said:

I’m thinking out loud here, but given the mortality rate is low among most of the population and it is a virus which would make those afflicted immune, would it make sense to just let the damn thing run it’s course and try to keep the elderly and those with compromised immune systems from contracting or develop a better course of treatment tailored specifically to them? 
 

My career has been mostly sales/politics so I do realize that I’m out of my element here but I remember when my oldest kids were in preschool, they encouraged the parents to expose relatively healthy kids when a kid in the class got the chicken pox so that every kid would go through it together, then back to normal. I know things change but it’s just a thought. 
 

I try not to give conspiracy theories too much credit but the way this thing is wreaking havoc on the stock market in an election year, things just seem to be a little too strange for me. 

I was thinking the same thing.  It seems trying to contain this thing is a losing battle anyway.

 

Better for these islands to take the money from the cruise ships to use towards treating those who get sick.  Causing an economic downturn by stopping the tourists from coming will make things a lot worse as they'll have less economic resources to deal with the virus when it does come.

[hawkeye93]

Now that we have 2 US schools with cases, I have a feeling we will see some rapidly evolving data.


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[pe4all]

9 hours ago, hawkeye93 said:

Now that we have 2 US schools with cases, I have a feeling we will see some rapidly evolving data.


 

For those interested - link:  https://abcnews.go.com/US/high-school-student-washington-latest-coronavirus-community-spread/story?id=69301655

[underwayatlast]

A message to my fellow cruisers on the May 30th departure from Barcelona, I cancelled. The situation is way to unstable going forward, next year should be better. 

[jimbo5544]

13 minutes ago, underwayatlast said:

A message to my fellow cruisers on the May 30th departure from Barcelona, I cancelled. The situation is way to unstable going forward, next year should be better. 

Maybe post this under your roll call.  The world is never a stable place.  That said to each their own.  Hope things improve in your view in the future.

[bury me at sea]

19 minutes ago, underwayatlast said:

A message to my fellow cruisers on the May 30th departure from Barcelona, I cancelled. The situation is way to unstable going forward, next year should be better. 

 

I respect your decision.  I think I'd do the same with a Mediterranean cruise, flights, hotels, etc.

 

Our March 29 cruise is from a port within driving distance.  We plan to cruise unless Carnival cancels.

 

In this evolving situation we all have different considerations and I think there is no wrong answer.

[jimbo5544]

8 minutes ago, bury me at sea said:

 

I respect your decision.  I think I'd do the same with a Mediterranean cruise, flights, hotels, etc.

 

Our March 29 cruise is from a port within driving distance.  We plan to cruise unless Carnival cancels.

 

In this evolving situation we all have different considerations and I think there is no wrong answer.

All true and doing the same for our Magic 3-14 cruise. 

[LaRue1975]

Bury Me At Sea, our family has settled on the same approach as you, we sail April 4th on the Vista. We do have airfare but fortunately I booked it with Southwest, mostly with points so it can be cancelled up until the last minute with no penalty. My ticket was purchased but I have until the end of September to use the credit if I have to cancel. 
 

 

 

[hawkeye93]

 
I respect your decision.  I think I'd do the same with a Mediterranean cruise, flights, hotels, etc.
 
Our March 29 cruise is from a port within driving distance.  We plan to cruise unless Carnival cancels.
 
In this evolving situation we all have different considerations and I think there is no wrong answer.

Agree completely. Everyone needs to make their own decisions by weighing the pros/cons. I’m waiting until closer to my 56-day mark and in the meantime following this rapidly-changing situation as closely as I can. I’m also at a drive-able port so no airfare/hotel to factor in.


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[pe4all]

I have a cruise 3/22.  DH is pushing me to cancel. (he has to work - it is just dd and myself going.)   I have trip insurance (Travelguard) which will not cover anything.  I had used points for my airfare, so I am sure I would get that back.  I know I would get back port taxes, prepaid grats, bottomless bubbles, computer time and water for cabin, leaving me with a loss of $1300.  DH says he will gladly eat the cruisefare to keep us safe.  I told him that - as of this point- with tens of thousands of cruisers in and out of Florida each week, there (so far) have been no cases of coronavirus.  This could change in an instant.  I will wait until last minute to cancel, if need be.  Right now I am in a holding pattern, as are many, many others.