Cancelling Cruises because of the C word

[AndyMichelle]

1 minute ago, Tommart said:

How true that is.  Very few people, comparatively speaking, now get their news from reliable sources, which is one of the reasons we're still getting all this 'It's just flu, load of fuss about nothing' nonsense - just before they raid Tesco and clear it out of toliet rolls.

Bob down the pub said its fake news, so don't know why we are all worrying... 

He also sold me a load of toilet rolls and a Halloween mask, he was out of stock of the usual type but said the Frankenstein one I got works just as well... 😁

Andy 

[cruisenewbie1976]

5 minutes ago, Tommart said:

How true that is.  Very few people, comparatively speaking, now get their news from reliable sources, which is one of the reasons we're still getting all this 'It's just flu, load of fuss about nothing' nonsense - just before they raid Tesco and clear it out of toliet rolls.

 

It's good to have perspective too though. I know this is the beginning but it's only affected 100,000 in the whole world. I don't think scaring people to death helps either. 

[mrsgoggins]

7 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

Just because you are unfit to travel now, doesn't mean you are unfit to travel later?

 

 

It may do alas.

[jeanlyon]

Nope.  You can recover from viral bronchitis. 

[mrsgoggins]

Just now, jeanlyon said:

Nope.  You can recover from viral bronchitis. 

Maybe we are speaking at cross purposes.  I didn’t have viral bronchitis in mind.

[jeanlyon]

OK, my friend has viral bronchitis.  Her doc thinks it#s silly for her to go on a cruise.  She still has fluid on her lungs.  So she will cancel this cruise and then be fine for the next one.

 

 

[Polly1922]

6 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

OK, my friend has viral bronchitis.  Her doc thinks it#s silly for her to go on a cruise.  She still has fluid on her lungs.  So she will cancel this cruise and then be fine for the next one.

 

 

If her doctor advised against cruising I fear her travel insurance will be void if she cruises and then has to make a claim.

She is sensible to cancel this cruise.

I wish her a quick recovery to full health.

Edited March 8, 2020 by Polly1922

[cruisenewbie1976]

1 hour ago, PRINCESSTHE BEST said:

But treating their guests a million times better than P&O.

 

Not if you believe some of the stories coming from Grand Princess. 

[jeanlyon]

Agree.  food is terrible or non existent.

[Eddie99]

The US State Dept has just thrown the cat among the pigeons.  What will this mean for insurance etc?

 

 

”This is a fluid situation.  CDC notes that older adults and travelers with underlying health issues should avoid situations that put them at increased risk for more severe disease.  This entails avoiding crowded places, avoiding non-essential travel such as long plane trips, and especially avoiding embarking on cruise ships.  Passengers with plans to travel by cruise ship should contact their cruise line companies directly for further information and continue to monitor the Travel.state.gov website and see the latest information from the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/index.html. 

 

(CDC = Centres for Disease Controls ... US central body for such things)

[jeanlyon]

Well that puts it in a nutshell!

[AndyMichelle]

8 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

Well that puts it in a nutshell!

The report started by saying US citizens should NOT travel by cruise ship, especially the elderly and anyone with underlying health issues... 

Andy 

[staygulf]

If the UK follows suit it will presumably mean that anyone elderly with underlying conditions Who ignores that advice will invalidate their insurance?

[jeanlyon]

Well that would be good in my position.

[staygulf]

3 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

Well that would be good in my position.

Mine too. The contract requires you to have insurance so they would have to refuse permission to sail 

[Daveuj]

This is all moving very fast just hope we do not go the way of northern Italy?.

[davecttr]

15 minutes ago, Daveuj said:

This is all moving very fast just hope we do not go the way of northern Italy?.

It could be that going anywhere in a week or two will be discouraged, especially on a cruise ship.

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, Tommart said:

How true that is.  Very few people, comparatively speaking, now get their news from reliable sources, which is one of the reasons we're still getting all this 'It's just flu, load of fuss about nothing' nonsense - just before they raid Tesco and clear it out of toliet rolls.

Why have toilet rolls sold out, I have not seen any symptoms of sick or diarrhea attributed to Covid19, or have I missed them?

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, cruisenewbie1976 said:

 

It's good to have perspective too though. I know this is the beginning but it's only affected 100,000 in the whole world. I don't think scaring people to death helps either. 

Indeed we are a long way from the 50 million (80% of UK pop) numbers that have been widely commented on here, in fact one poster is expecting 100,000 UK deaths and god knows how many critical care bed requirements.  

[jake 26]

6 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Why have toilet rolls sold out, I have not seen any symptoms of sick or diarrhea attributed to Covid19, or have I missed them?

 

Herd mentality. But, as you say, why toilet rolls?

[davecttr]

19 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Indeed we are a long way from the 50 million (80% of UK pop) numbers that have been widely commented on here, in fact one poster is expecting 100,000 UK deaths and god knows how many critical care bed requirements.  

I was that poster and merely passed on what the Sunday Times was reporting about government contingency planning.

 

BTW back on topic the CDC and US State Departments have just made interesting announcements about cruising and coronavirus. Basically don't go on a cruise.

 

 

Edited March 8, 2020 by davecttr

[madmacs]

We were booked for China next month but unsurprisingly the holiday was cancelled and we received a full refund. We are looking at a P&O cruise in May but won't book unless and until they change their cancellation policy. The prices have dropped a lot but as an asthmatic I don't want to take a risk on what the situation may be in May under the current policy

[Gazroberts80]

I am a Biologist with a Virology background and some of the media hype about COVID-19 (Coronavirus) has frustrated me massively. However I feel it is vital that we recognise the importance of educated discussion on the matter. I have found it very alarming that P&O groups on Facebook have decided to close down discussion on the matter. Posts about the Virus are not anti-P&O or any other Cruise company they exist because rightfully people have genuine worries about stepping on a Cruise ship under the current climate. 

 

Let me start by saying that I believe we are in very good hands in the UK with the leadership of our Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty, who is a world leading virologist. The UK response has been extremely proportional. He is absolutely right to say that even if you are over 80 and contract the disease the odds are stacked well in your favour that you will survive. Those odds however are massively improved by access to first class medical care such as that the NHS provide.

 

We know it is highly likely that we will see a significant (most likely exponential increase in COVID-19 infections over the the next month or two). Prof. Whitty has said as soon as we see evidence of regular transmission of the Virus in the UK, then those “at-risk” will likely be asked to self-isolate to avoid infection. This week the Premier League are likely to ban over-70’s from attending Premier League Football Stadia. 

 

A cruise ship is a far more likely environment to spread infection than a Football stadium, a Supermarket or a Theatre. If even one person provides a positive test for COVID-19 then the ship will be left in “no-mans land”. Many countries will decline to accept the ship and you will be at the mercy of the Health system of the country you are fortunate or unfortunate enough to be accepted by. You could likely find yourself in quarantine on the ship for a number of weeks, confined to your cabin.

 

This evening the CDC (The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), the equivalent of Public Health England, changed their guidelines. 

 

“U.S. citizens, particularly travelers with underlying health conditions, should not travel by cruise ship.  CDC notes increased risk of infection of COVID-19 in a cruise ship environment. In order to curb the spread of COVID-19, many countries have implemented strict screening procedures that have denied port entry rights to ships and prevented passengers from disembarking.  In some cases, local authorities have permitted disembarkation but subjected passengers to local quarantine procedures.  While the U.S. government has evacuated some cruise ship passengers in recent weeks, repatriation flights should not be relied upon as an option for U.S. citizens under the potential risk of quarantine by local authorities.”

 

People talk about thermal screening as a solution but it is simply not effective, it throws up so many “false positives” and misses individuals who have only recently been infected who go on to be infectious over the course of the cruise.

 

The majority of Carnival Corporation and PLC ships are operating under the Carnival Cruises and Princess brands. Those brands have changed their policy to allow people due to travel this month to cancel their booking and transfer the credit to a future booking once the crisis has subsided. This is precisely the right move and recognises the loyalty of the customers and the unprecedented times the industry is facing. They know we will all be racing back to get our Cruise Fix in 2-3 months once the Virus subsides. 

 

However in Europe, where the COVID-19 situation is more advanced such an option is not available to the customers of the other Carnival Corporation and PLC brands, P&O, Cunard, AIDA and Costa. Why is this? Most likely there is more fear of litigation in the US. 

 

I understand why many “fan groups” don’t want the negativity of COVID-19 to dominate their generally positive and happy groups. I personally refuse to watch the likes of Eastenders and Coronation Street as I have no desire to seek pleasure in watching other people’s misery. However this Virus is unprecedented and it demands people to be sensible, because you may well need specialist medical care (20% of people do, which is even higher amongst at risk groups). Would you rather be at home or abroad if that reality strikes? Most projections are talking about a maximum of 3 months before things settle down, so we will likely just need to be more cautious with our travel plans over the months of March, April, May and possibly June. 

 

These usually brilliantly run groups act as a barometer of public opinion to the Cruise lines. They are highly influential in affecting policy decisions of the Cruise lines.

 

I desire nothing more than being on the deck of a beautiful ship in the Mediterranean sunshine in 3 weeks time.  However despite not being in an “at risk” group I am not selfish enough to expose family members in an “at risk” group to the worst possible environment to exist in under current circumstances. I personally couldn’t think of anything worse than the mental torture of facing quarantine restrictions in an inside cabin. Hopefully come June we will all be back as a family “Living the dream” on a Cruise ship. 

 

I posted this information on two of the largest P&O Facebook groups only to be “banned” from posting. There is surely a moral responsibility for a group to provide people with information that has the potential to positively impact on their decisions and their wellbeing. If Public Health England are suggesting “at risk” groups will soon need to self-isolate and the government is advising Premier League football stadia ban over-70’s, then these are hugely unprecedented times. 

 

Some of these groups have argued that comment on COVID-19 is placed in sub--groups as some of their audience don’t want to read about the topic. This achieves nothing; those who seek out these sub-groups are most likely to be those already informed enough to make rational and logical decisions. 

 

Of course I’d rather read about brilliant cruise experiences and see lots of amazing pictures of peoples travels but if posts like this allow people to take more educated short term decisions, which may well save lives, it’s worth it. Deleting a post that could positively impact on the well being of the groups community isn’t the answer, it is burying your head in the sand and worse still puts more lives at risk. 

 

We can be back on these ships in 3 months, without a care in the world, living life to the full. However it is only right we in the UK are allowed to opt out of our cruise over these coming months, without taking a financial hit. Carnival Corporation & PLC is jointly listed on the US and UK stock markets and it is totally illogical that you get that luxury if you have booked with Carnival Cruises or Princess but not with the Carnival UK (P&O Cruises and Cunard).

 

Facebook “fan groups” shutting down discussion on the Virus are reducing the pressure on P&O and Cunard to follow suit. Allowing people the option to postpone their sailing is totally justified based on the advice of the Public authorities. 

 

Edited March 9, 2020 by Gazroberts80

[Tablelamp]

I am embarking on a cruise on 17th of May. I do have three existing conditions including COPD. I am wondering if I should contact my doctor or whether it would be best to wait a while and see what happens.  The balance of my cruise.  Any advice would be welcome.

[Tablelamp]

I am embarking on a cruise on 17th May. I am 78 and have pre existing medical conditions. Including high blood pressure and COPD.  I am wondering whether to contact my doctor now, or wait a while and see what happens. My balance is fully paid.  Any advice or suggestions would be very welcome.