Celebrity Eclipse exposed passengers to Covid19

[JaMa1991]

1 hour ago, sheffield said:

CruisinJayne, how can you think the right thing was denying they had cases on board with the symptoms of COVID19? You even admit there were people coughing. That behavior was not for the good of the people you met on your way home.

True...really the wrong way of putting it, but I believe they didn’t  tell us anything in order to get us into San Diego without incident.  I think we all assumed our coughs and colds were just that (see Va man’s comments)...We kept saying we had been in quarantine since we stopped in Puerto Montt on 3/13, and didn’t believe it could be anything else.

[TeaBag]

6 hours ago, loerie said:

I had a fabulous time on the Eclipse -no complaints-but Im an 80+ old girl .

Panic will kill you quicker!

Loerie, this is the second cruise we have been on together and never met.  I would love to meet this 80+ old girl.

[goofysmom99]

It doesn't actually matter whether there was Covid19 onboard or not or whether they knew or not.  The cruise lines have little or no liability.  This USA Today article about cruise line liability was published today.  Long article but so worth the read.  Lots and lots of naive folks on ships, myself included.

Edited April 3, 2020 by goofysmom99

[loerie]

30 minutes ago, TeaBag said:

Loerie, this is the second cruise we have been on together and never met.  I would love to meet this 80+ old girl.

we were the couple that were married 59 yrs in the Marriage game -enough said!

[LMaxwell]

10 hours ago, NinaBlue22 said:

I just don’t understand, did Celebrity not know about this sick passenger and crew members?

 

I think they didn't want to end up with a Grand Princess/Zaandam situation.  Being turned away from South American ports is one thing...

[Jaxweb]

21 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

 

I think they didn't want to end up with a Grand Princess/Zaandam situation.  Being turned away from South American ports is one thing...

Maybe. 

The may later say they did what they needed to do to end this ordeal. 
The Australian government is also accusing cruise ship companies of flat out lying. 
So, this would not be the first time this happened. 

 

 

[rugerdog]

2 hours ago, Va man said:

I don ‘t think the coughing on board was symptomatic of anything specific.  I have done about a dozen cruises and at the end of every cruise a lot more people are coughing than at the beginning. I can remember coming home with an upper respiratory infection from about half of my cruises.

 

10 hours ago, markpc17 said:

Anyway, I did see many people who were sick onboard, coughing, etc...did seem like there was something going around but certainly did not have to be C19.  Any ship I've ever sailed on with a lot of people I see similar. 

 

I've never been on a cruise ship, an airport, an aircraft, a restaurant, a theater, a subway, a train, a bus or a grocery store where there haven't been people coughing/sneezing, although there can obviously be many, many reasons why.  We've all encountered people at work or elsewhere in public who don't stay home when they're sick. 

 

When all this was first starting and cruise lines were talking about denying boarding to anyone with a cough, I read lots of people on CC concerned they'd be denied due to symptoms of allergies, medication side effects, emphysema, COPD, etc.  

 

I can't imagine in any grouping of 3,000 people, there isn't going to be someone who is sick.  Clearly there is no way the Eclipse had zero sick persons on board.  Now, if they claimed to have zero COVID19 positive cases on board, that could be true if they hadn't tested anyone.  I don't know if anyone was tested onboard.  

 

Where I live, we've been told to "assume" you've been exposed, and since testing is not readily available (or reliable), stay home, stay isolated, and monitor symptoms.  I'm in my 6th week of doing just that, as are most of us.

 

Moving forward from what was done, done incorrectly, or not done, my thoughts and concerns are with the Eclipse passengers and crew, as well as the thousands of others in similar situations worldwide.  

 

markpc, thank you for detailing your experience, and may you and your wife be healthy.   Lots of us at home have been anxiously following the Eclipse, holding our breath for safe passage.  Welcome home.

 

 

[lexmiller]

11 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

It doesn't actually matter whether there was Covid19 onboard or not or whether they knew or not.  The cruise lines have little or no liability.  This USA Today article about cruise line liability was published today.  Long article but so worth the read.  Lots and lots of naive folks on ships, myself included.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2020/04/02/coronavirus-lawsuits-face-uphill-battle-against-cruise-industry/5111173002/

 

Here's a link to that article - thanks goofysmom99 for letting us know.  

In case the link isn't "clickable", just google USA Today Centuries old-laws may shield the cruise industry from huge payouts in coronavirus suits

 

[LMaxwell]

11 hours ago, Jaxweb said:

Maybe. 

The may later say they did what they needed to do to end this ordeal. 
The Australian government is also accusing cruise ship companies of flat out lying. 
So, this would not be the first time this happened. 

 

 

 

Doubt it.  

[In_Steerage]

If you're like me and USA Today won't let you read it because of your browser's ad blocker, here's an alternate reference to that "centuries old law shielding cruise lines" that won't bombard you with ads and trackers:

https://www.fayobserver.com/zz/news/20200402/centuries-old-laws-may-shield-cruise-industry-from-huge-payouts-in-coronavirus-suits

[TeeRick]

I can just hear all of the liability lawyers licking their chops waiting to sue anybody, everybody and anything over COVID-19.  Not just the cruise industry.  There will be a lot of Corona Yachts with partying lawyers in a year or two.😟

[Beachin2]

On that site (we can't name - but it has lips and a nose), someone is tabulating actual reports from the Eclipse passengers.  Count is up to 22 positive with another bunch pending.  References the Celebrity Eclipse Family.

[In_Steerage]

2 hours ago, Beachin2 said:

On that site (we can't name - but it has lips and a nose), someone is tabulating actual reports from the Eclipse passengers.  Count is up to 22 positive with another bunch pending.  References the Celebrity Eclipse Family.

Thank you for the heads-up.

Any summaries gleaned and reposted here on Cruise Critic would be much appreciated for those of us who won't go "there".

It's unfortunate that critical information such as this would be posted primarily on a website which is in the business of linking your identity with data related to your posting and viewing activities.

...and then selling said information.

Edited April 3, 2020 by In_Steerage

[Beachin2]

1 hour ago, In_Steerage said:

Thank you for the heads-up.

Any summaries gleaned and reposted here on Cruise Critic would be much appreciated for those of us who won't go "there".

It's unfortunate that critical information such as this would be posted primarily on a website which is in the business of linking your identity with data related to your posting and viewing activities.

...and then selling said information.

 

No doubt and I agree with you.  However, since real names are used it does seem to lend additional credibility to the reports in my mind.  Less/no "keyboard" for trolls to hide behind.

 

[Im A Happy Cruiser]

Can you tell what words to search on that unnamed site to read this info?

[In_Steerage]

San Diego News Station Now Reports Dozens from Eclipse Test Positive

 

Most of the content of this story is in the video.

https://www.kusi.com/celebrity-eclipse-cruise-ship-covid-19-cases-spread-globally/

[hvbaskey]

14 minutes ago, In_Steerage said:

San Diego News Station Now Reports Dozens from Eclipse Test Positive

 

Most of the content of this story is in the video.

https://www.kusi.com/celebrity-eclipse-cruise-ship-covid-19-cases-spread-globally/

 

Interesting when you read these two statements together (I did not highlight COVID19, as that would not have been tested on board) - just highlighting the contradictions of ALL passengers on board were healthy and one was critically ill:

 

"One passenger was taken off the ship in an ambulance.  That woman is now in ICU at Sharp Memorial Hospital listed in critical care.  She is in her 70’s with no pre-existing conditions and tested positive for COVID-19.

 

Officials from the Health and Human Services Department said all passengers on board were healthy and CDC guidelines were followed."

[Stateroom_Sailor]

On 4/2/2020 at 8:07 AM, markpc17 said:

Anyway, second, I feel the hysteria that thousands of disease infected Eclipsers are now infecting the world is ridiculous.  The virus is already here.  The percentage coming from cruise people is a fraction of 1 percent. 

 

With that said, I have developed symptoms that seem Covid19-like. 

 

Anyway, I did see many people who were sick onboard, coughing, etc...

 

We have no idea what percentage is caused by cruising.  Half of the infected remain a-systematic.  If 100 contagious people get off a ship, half get on airplanes, the number skyrockets.  25 couples, infecting 30+ on each leg of a flight, could run into numbers of 1,500 people, that will never trace it back to cruise ship passengers.

 

We invited family onto the March 15th sailing, it is sad to see how this has all turned out.  I wish you a quick recovery.

[TeeRick]

49 minutes ago, In_Steerage said:

San Diego News Station Now Reports Dozens from Eclipse Test Positive

 

Most of the content of this story is in the video.

https://www.kusi.com/celebrity-eclipse-cruise-ship-covid-19-cases-spread-globally/

Thank you for this link.  The Celebrity Eclipse reports from passengers finally being cleared to sail and dock in San Diego was a feel good story for many of us here and we were cheering them on.  We did not know about the virus on board.  Neither did they.  What a tragedy.  Good story gone horribly wrong.  Too many of these situations these days.  But we are still cheering on the Eclipse passengers that are COVID-19 positive.  Please take care of yourselves and get well!

[Beachin2]

3 hours ago, Im A Happy Cruiser said:

Can you tell what words to search on that unnamed site to read this info?

Captain Leo's passengers and crew.  Name was changed after reporters got into the other one and started stalking folks

[WonderMan3]

7 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Thank you for this link.  The Celebrity Eclipse reports from passengers finally being cleared to sail and dock in San Diego was a feel good story for many of us here and we were cheering them on.  We did not know about the virus on board.  Neither did they.  What a tragedy.  Good story gone horribly wrong.  Too many of these situations these days.  But we are still cheering on the Eclipse passengers that are COVID-19 positive.  Please take care of yourselves and get well!

 

What's worse is that some people DID know that there was illness; medical staff definitely knew and it's very likely both the Captain and Celebrity Corporate knew. Despite that, everyone else was kept in the dark. That makes the tragedy worse. Here's hoping that everyone recovers.

[Va man]

I agree they knew some people were sick, but people get sick every cruise and no one is told about it.  I think you are making assumptions that they thought it was COVID 19 and those are supported by the facts.  If they thought it was COVID 19, do you really think Captain Leo would have been mingling with us?  Do you think Immigration was not aware that people were sick?

 

[Pushka]

I would have thought it prudent in this current pandemic that any respiratory symptom is treated as Covid19 until proven otherwise by a test. Especially on a ship where there is a massive mix of Nationalities and Covid19 is prevalent throughout US. 

[Covepointcruiser]

Pushka, you can’t treat everyone with a respiratory symptom as having COVID 19!   Only about 8% of the people who were exposed and had symptoms have tested as positive.

Anyone who has symptoms should stay home until they either get over them or have trouble breathing!   That is the current guidance in the U.S.    In addition, anyone who has been out of the country or in any of the U.S. hotspots is expected to self quarantine for 14 days.    To blame a cruise line because one passenger on board had what they thought was another problem is unrealistic.

[TeaBag]

52 minutes ago, Va man said:

I agree they knew some people were sick, but people get sick every cruise and no one is told about it.  I think you are making assumptions that they thought it was COVID 19 and those are supported by the facts.  If they thought it was COVID 19, do you really think Captain Leo would have been mingling with us?  Do you think Immigration was not aware that people were sick?

 

Just for the record, I had a very severe case of food poisoning which was caused by my own stupidity in having an iced drink at McDonalds in Punte del Este.  Yes, it was really good.....until later!  I was quarantined for this but no one knew unless I told them later.  Medical info is not broadcast.

 

Good point about the Captain mingling as we prepared to leave the ship.  We stood and watched this operation for 1.5 hours and saw him.  Mr Nystrom says the positive result from his wife was not known till 10 hours after she left at 7AM in the ambulance.  I just can't imagine what it would have been like if disembarkation had been halted till the results came back.  We were on that ship 15 days worrying about San Diego closing down as other ports had done.  As it was, we made it by the skin of our teeth.  Thank you Captain Leo.   We did everything possible to get home without going near anyone, including giving another Celebrity passenger that we never met on the cruise, a ride home in our car so he would not have to take public transportation.  We are now quarantined in our own home and we are so grateful. 

Mr Nystrom asks us all to please pray for his wife as it is not looking good for her at the moment and he can't even be with her.  Some people really do have problems.   Let's do something positive instead of calling the Captain a liar.