Grand Princess Coronavirus Discussion (retitled after merger of several topics)

[ChiCruiser758]

3 minutes ago, kathy49 said:

the way I am reading above it is saying the person has symptoms but they can't test per cdc.  Is there not a medical dr. on board that can request the test...this is no time to guess on this stuff. Agree no time to be cruising. One after another.

 

There was an announcement made on board that the ship will not debark until this passenger is tested and the results of the test come back. So, it appears this passenger is getting tested, despite not meeting the CDC "at risk" guidelines.

[BermudaBound2014]

1 minute ago, ceilidh1 said:

Carnival doesn't share crew with Princess. Completely separate in terms of employment.

When I listened to VP Pence I got the feeling the crew from the two ships in question came in contact with one another  not trust the two ships shared crew. 

[kimanjo]

2 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Oh, this could be possible.....

Not actual crew though

 

No, but maybe they are using "crew" loosely, as opposed to passenger.

[BermudaBound2014]

Just now, ChiCruiser758 said:

 

There was an announcement made on board that the ship will not debark until this passenger is tested and the results of the test come back. So, it appears this passenger is getting tested, despite not meeting the CDC "at risk" guidelines.

that is what is being reported on Panorama. An announcement from the cruise director is available. Rooms have been reopened.

[Pushka]

4 hours ago, bluesea321 said:

From a passenger now on the Grand.  Tragic.

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-cruise-ship-cancer/cancer-patient-aboard-coronavirus-stalled-cruise-faces-possible-chemotherapy-delay-idUSKBN20U083

This is very very sad. However, having been in a similar situation we just didn't travel anywhere until all treatments had been verified and the All Clear was given. Because delays can happen. Plus you are very immune compromised during treatments. 

[debsjc]

15 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Is this true? Maybe Royal?

If they shared crew with the Diamond that is surprising,  unless it was a guest entertainer. 

[wrongwaywatson]

When I went through chemo treatments I avoided crowds.  I waited 18 months post treatment to go on a cruise (ironically, The Grand from SF-Hawaii-SF).  I wouldn't have felt good enough to enjoy a cruise in between treatments.   I wish her well, though

 

 

Edited March 7, 2020 by wrongwaywatson

[caribill]

22 minutes ago, Pushka said:

As regards to the test kits available. This virus was only really known about since January. It's March. A test had to be developed, produced and distributed. How on earth could 'the world' produce enough test kits with such high demand, and people needing multiple tests. The logistics are overwhelming and which is why every attempt is being made to slow the spread down.

 

Other countries such as Korea have managed to have sufficient test kits available.

[ceilidh1]

2 minutes ago, debsjc said:

If they shared crew with the Diamond that is surprising,  unless it was a guest entertainer. 

Not really. Crew get shifted from ship to ship all the time. They are sent where needed. In fact, we were on Royal a year ago and a new member of the cruise team left the ship after the second day as she was transferred to Diamond due to her language abilities.

[flyguyjake]

1 minute ago, caribill said:

 

Other countries such as Korea have managed to have sufficient test kits available.

 

Only 6K tests available FDC just said today at White House briefing.

[caribill]

2 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Not really. Crew get shifted from ship to ship all the time. They are sent where needed. In fact, we were on Royal a year ago and a new member of the cruise team left the ship after the second day as she was transferred to Diamond due to her language abilities.

 

There is no way in the past month that any crew member from the Diamond transferred to any other cruise ship.

[maizer]

1 minute ago, caribill said:

 

Other countries such as Korea have managed to have sufficient test kits available.

 

The Korean President mobilized his entire cabinet, along with the police and military to pitch in with the crisis.

 

Although they still have mask shortages, it was refreshing to see them set goals and pursue them relentlessly.

 

Entire country was pretty much aligned

[BigLakeGrandma]

I am on the Grand Princess now. Princess and the crew are doing everything they can but there is s lot of misinformation out there.

 

Yes we are provided with complimentary WIFi but with 3600 on the ship, it works off and on. Forget streaming anything.  Cruise critic may or may not open.

 

We have been provided with access via phone to mental health services. Forget about it as you can’t get an outside line.  We are too far from shore to access out cell plans. (If for no other reason that this, why can’t we move closer to shore.)

 

While the crew is fantastic, we (and they themselves) don’t know if they are positive. With 19 confirmed infected crew, chances are good that more are infected and they could be preparing and serving our meals.

 

All we have been told is there is no plan for us. We are cruising around and around with no end in sight.

 

They should bring us into port, quarantined everyone including crew, prepare meals offship and have them delivered by specialty trained personnel.  

 

This is is just the beginning...,,,

[fragilek]

5 minutes ago, Pushka said:

This is very very sad. However, having been in a similar situation we just didn't travel anywhere until all treatments had been verified and the All Clear was given. Because delays can happen. Plus you are very immune compromised during treatments. 

 One of the reports said that she had surgery and radiotherapy in January and her doctors OK'd the trip as she hadn't started chemo yet. There was a bit of sorting out to see if insurance was going to cover it so they recommended the trip to enjoy time while that was getting organised.   Best wishes to the lady concerned

 

[bluesea321]

Just now, caribill said:

There is no way in the past month that any crew member from the Diamond transferred to any other cruise ship.

 

True.  However there could have been a transfer between the Royal and the Grand, particularly the entertainment staff.

[caribill]

23 minutes ago, NorthWestPassage said:

This is the latest news, posted a little over an hour ago, about the White House meeting, today, with the cruise industry leaders.

 

 

Pence calls for 'whole of America' approach to coronavirus at meeting with cruise line executives

 

Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday said the U.S. was engaging in a “whole of America” approach in response to the coronavirus, as he met with cruise line executives and port directors in Florida to discuss if any additional measures need to be taken. “President Trump has no higher priority than the health and safety and well-being of the American people,” Pence said, sitting alongside Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. “It’s the reason why, from the first advent of the coronavirus in America, the president launched a whole of government approach, but as evidenced here today it’s not just a whole of government approach... but it’s really a whole of America approach.”

 

Pence said that the industry had found itself at the "center" of America's response to the crisis. He also said efforts were underway to bring the Grand Princess to shore, which has more than 3,500 passengers aboard and has been held off the California coast. Twenty-one people have tested positive for the virus on the ship, and Pence said Saturday that all passengers will be tested and those who have the virus will be quarantined. Pence said the administration has also met with the pharmaceutical industry, nursing home leaders, commercial laboratories and others in an effort to stem the spread of the global virus in America.

 

“I speak for President Trump when I say we couldn't be more grateful with the spirit of cooperation from all the American businesses that we’ve engaged and their desire to put the health of America first,” he said.

Pence’s remarks come as health officials reported that two people in Florida who tested positive for the virus have died -- making them the first known fatalities outside of California and Washington state.

 

The announcement raised the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus strain to at least 16, including 13 in the state of Washington and one in California, with at least 253 confirmed cases across the country. One of the Floridian deaths was a man with underlying health issues in Santa Rosa County in Florida's Panhandle and the other was an elderly person in Lee County, in the Fort Myers area. In his remarks, Pence highlighted the actions the Trump administration has taken, including declaring a public health emergency, suspending travel from China and now screening 100 percent of all of those who take direct flights from Italy and South Korea. He also praised the “yeoman’s work” by Health and Human Services in expanding testing for the virus. Trump signed an $8.3 billion spending bill this week, significantly higher than the $2.5 billion the administration had initially requested from Congress.

 

Pence also emphasized that for most Americans, the risk remains low -- noting that the risk is higher for the elderly who already have serious underlying health issues. “The risk of contracting the coronavirus for the average American remains low,” he said. “That being said, we are going to continue to lean into this effort, to call on industry, to call on every agency of government to deal with it.”

 

Fox News’ Caleb Parke and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

In a press conference, Pence said about the Grand passengers (and crew?) "will be fully tested and quarantined as necessary." Again avoiding what will happen with those that test negative unless the term "as necessary" means quarantining everybody.

[Pushka]

2 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

Other countries such as Korea have managed to have sufficient test kits available.

Yes, but we are talking about having test kits available wherever a cruise ship may berth. In one location. Japan didn't have enough kits either. I don't think we have a current shortage in Australia, and we do test everyone with relevant travel history and respiratory symptoms. However I suspect - actually know - we would not have anywhere near enough if a cruise ship of 3500 people landed and needed testing. Nor anywhere to put them either. It's the sheer size of these ships that is highlighting the deficits in many country's plans to manage an epidemic of this type. And is the exact opposite of every country's management plan of slowing this virus down!
 

Cruise ships are overwhelming our health systems. I love cruises, love watching the ships sail in to our local ports, love love love being on a cruise - my absolute number 1 vacation, but sadly this year something has to give. 

[flyguyjake]

Here is what Pence said about the possibility of shared crew

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVOMh7-g4MI

[debsjc]

40 minutes ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

MSC Opera is now having their own issues:

 

https://nypost.com/2020/03/05/2300-left-cruise-ship-after-passenger-tested-positive-for-coronavirus/?fbclid=IwAR2bGZaeAHXyud3Nxb7gyjJfbKEVpDZWzjy4M7bAHXuXpi-PCPbQwu0dJY0

 

Just reading that cruise started in Genoa, which is in the high risk area of Italy for the virus. Apart from the case on the previous cruise, unfortunately I would be surprised if they don't have new cases picked up by passengers embarking in Genoa. 

[brisalta]

18 minutes ago, need2cruisesoon said:

 

Local tugboat Captain.

Then he would be in the know. Unfortunately I have a hill between me and the bay so cannot listen in on the San Francisco Bay Traffic separation radio traffic.

[ceilidh1]

It;s Royal that is being monitored

[ceilidh1]

Crew member transferred to Royal from Grand but has not had symptoms. Listening to Q and A right now.

[Pushka]

7 minutes ago, fragilek said:

 One of the reports said that she had surgery and radiotherapy in January and her doctors OK'd the trip as she hadn't started chemo yet. There was a bit of sorting out to see if insurance was going to cover it so they recommended the trip to enjoy time while that was getting organised.   Best wishes to the lady concerned

 

 

Indeed, I'm sure everyone hopes she can receive her treatment now and safely. I guess we all make different decisions as is our right to do. 

[debsjc]

6 minutes ago, bluesea321 said:

 

True.  However there could have been a transfer between the Royal and the Grand, particularly the entertainment staff.

 

I was on the Emerald until last Saturday, and we definitely had guest entertainers flown in and out part way through our 28 day cruise.

[kathy49]

the Chicken Ladies recently reported from the ship . Not sure who "Wayne" is. They honestly don't have a clue what is happening...they did mention many of the passengers are out on balconies visiting etc. The internet is bad and it goes in and out.