Now for something completely different

[Porky55]

Wonderful photos Lyle, I join Lyndarra in green, very envious 🥺 

Though we did short cruise on a Princess ‘Ship’ in May - was fabulous, whole 7 nights. 

Edited July 25, 2021 by Porky55

[Blackduck59]

10 minutes ago, Porky55 said:

Wonderful photos Lyle, I join Lyndarra in green, very envious 🥺 

Though we did short cruise on a Princess ‘Ship’ in May - was fabulous, whole 7 nights. 

Look whose envious now, we had 4 hours. You had seven nights. It was nice to be out on the water though, even when the sea state was a little uncomfortable. We made it a very special anniversary with the overnight in a nice hotel and the staff so nice to us for our special day. We went to one of our best kept secrets on the 22nd. Government house has a wonderful group of gardens all tended by volunteers and free to the public (except for the odd royal visit). We spent a couple hours there with our new cameras trying to understand the vast array of features.

[lyndarra]

20 minutes ago, Porky55 said:

Wonderful photos Lyle, I join Lyndarra in green, very envious 🥺 

Though we did short cruise on a Princess ‘Ship’ in May - was fabulous, whole 7 nights. 

We did 4 nights on Murray Princess in 2016 IIRC.  Can see the door of our cabin, bottom deck right where the "tender" is tied up. It was a bucket list cruise. The following year we went all out and did 7 nights Mississippi, New Orleans/Memphis.

[BRANDEE]

I have a favor to ask of my Australian friends...

 

Does anyone know a person named Antony Johns?  He claims to be Australian and ex Navy,

He has contacted some of the Ruby Princess March 8th passengers through a closed thread we use to "check up on each other" from time to time.

He has stated that he has done a comprehensive investigation for the past year and has discovered Patient Zero and also claims the NZ and Aussie authorities knew this person was infected and put her/him on the Ruby the prior cruise.  He is claiming a government cover up and posting  dated papers to back up his claim.

 

Is he a hoax or known troublemaker?  Any info on such a person? Very upsetting to read what he reported and more upsetting he posted it on a closed private thread for passengers who are trying to support each other in getting over this disaster, especially the many who are still seriously ill.

 

Thanks for any info..

Edited July 25, 2021 by BRANDEE

[Aus Traveller]

4 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

I have a favor to ask of my Australian friends...

 

Does anyone know a person named Antony Johns?  He claims to be Australian and ex Navy,

He has contacted some of the Ruby Princess March 8th passengers through a closed thread we use to "check up on each other" from time to time.

He has stated that he has done a comprehensive investigation for the past year and has discovered Patient Zero and also claims the NZ and Aussie authorities knew this person was infected and put her/him on the Ruby the prior cruise.  He is claiming a government cover up and posting  dated papers to back up his claim.

 

Is he a hoax or known troublemaker?  Any info on such a person? Very upsetting to read what he reported and more upsetting he posted it on a closed private threat for passengers who are trying to support each other in getting over this disaster, especially the many who are still seriously ill.

 

Thanks for any info..

I have no information about Antony Johns. It certainly would be upsetting for yourself, and others who were on that cruise, to read these claims by Mr Johns. Maybe he could have discovered Patient Zero (although I feel there is doubt about that), but his other claim is plain crazy.

 

The world didn't know what we were up against with the virus, but I do not believe, for one instant, that 'the NZ and Aussie authorities knew this person was infected and put her/him on the Ruby the prior cruise.' I don't even believe that they would have knowingly let an infected person board the ship, let alone put the person on. Why would they? It doesn't make sense.

 

There has been no proof (only proof to the contrary) that there was anyone infected on the previous cruise. If there was, there would have been many people - both passengers and crew - from that previous cruise who contracted the virus. I have not heard of any. If an infected passenger was on the previous cruise, many crew members would have been infected even before your cruise and by the time the cruise ended, there would have been a large number of crew infected, having in mind the close quarters that they live in. From what I remember, there were only a handfull of crew infected by the time your cruise ended.

 

Princess also would not have let a person who they knew or suspected was infected board the ship.

[BRANDEE]

4 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I have no information about Antony Johns. It certainly would be upsetting for yourself, and others who were on that cruise, to read these claims by Mr Johns. Maybe he could have discovered Patient Zero (although I feel there is doubt about that), but his other claim is plain crazy.

 

The world didn't know what we were up against with the virus, but I do not believe, for one instant, that 'the NZ and Aussie authorities knew this person was infected and put her/him on the Ruby the prior cruise.' I don't even believe that they would have knowingly let an infected person board the ship, let alone put the person on. Why would they? It doesn't make sense.

 

There has been no proof (only proof to the contrary) that there was anyone infected on the previous cruise. If there was, there would have been many people - both passengers and crew - from that previous cruise who contracted the virus. I have not heard of any. If an infected passenger was on the previous cruise, many crew members would have been infected even before your cruise and by the time the cruise ended, there would have been a large number of crew infected, having in mind the close quarters that they live in. From what I remember, there were only a handfull of crew infected by the time your cruise ended.

 

Princess also would not have let a person who they knew or suspected was infected board the ship.

 

Aside from posting a lengthy scenario of his claim, he also posted six "documents" to back up his claims.  Quite interesting how he obtained them.  His documents contain names and dates.  Personally, I feel they all can be "made up" if you can simply type on a computer..  I tried to google his name to see if he was a known troublemaker or conspiracy theorist..we have quite a few here in US. Wondering if he is indeed a true person.  He will cause distress to many on our private thread.  Some have lost family members and some as still seriously ill.

[Aus Traveller]

1 minute ago, BRANDEE said:

 

Aside from posting a lengthy scenario of his claim, he also posted six "documents" to back up his claims.  Quite interesting how he obtained them.  His documents contain names and dates.  Personally, I feel they all can be "made up" if you can simply type on a computer..  I tried to google his name to see if he was a known troublemaker or conspiracy theorist..we have quite a few here in US. Wondering if he is indeed a true person.  He will cause distress to many on our private thread.  Some have lost family members and some as still seriously ill.

What is he actually claiming?

[BRANDEE]

N

17 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

What is he actually claiming?

Basically..New Zealand health put a person on the prior Ruby sailing knowing they were possibly infected.  Once they got back to Sydney the Australian Health also knew and did not stop Mar 8th sailing.  

 

Is there any way this person could be looked up . I would like to report him. He claims to be Australian and ex Navy.  

 

Already there are 6 emoji responses to his claims and they are all the "crying" emoji.  He is certainly causing pain to those who suffered enough.

 

 

Edited July 25, 2021 by BRANDEE

[Aus Traveller]

19 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

N

Basically..New Zealand health put a person on the prior Ruby sailing knowing they were possibly infected.  Once they got back to Sydney the Australian Health also knew and did not stop Mar 8th sailing.  

In my opinion, that is a crackpot theory. I believe that the previous cruise went from Sydney, around NZ and back to Sydney. I have never seen passengers embarking in NZ part way through the cruise. I feel his scenario falls down at the first hurdle.

 

I also don't believe NZ Health would put a person on the ship if they believed they were infected. I suppose he means that the 8th March sailing was infected because someone with the infection (the person he claims got on the ship in NZ) was on the previous sailing. This theory of an infection on the previous sailing has been disproven.

 

P.S. Re my comment about boarding part way through a NZ cruise - I know of occasions when people from NZ ask Princess if they can board at the first port (Auckland) then continue with the rest of the cruise and it is not allowed.

Edited July 25, 2021 by Aus Traveller

[GUT2407]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

Look whose envious now, we had 4 hours. You had seven nights. It was nice to be out on the water though, even when the sea state was a little uncomfortable. We made it a very special anniversary with the overnight in a nice hotel and the staff so nice to us for our special day. We went to one of our best kept secrets on the 22nd. Government house has a wonderful group of gardens all tended by volunteers and free to the public (except for the odd royal visit). We spent a couple hours there with our new cameras trying to understand the vast array of features.

Now you have my attention, what new cameras did you get.

[BRANDEE]

9 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

In my opinion, that is a crackpot theory. I believe that the previous cruise went from Sydney, around NZ and back to Sydney. I have never seen passengers embarking in NZ part way through the cruise. I feel his scenario falls down at the first hurdle.

 

I also don't believe NZ Health would put a person on the ship if they believed they were infected. I suppose he means that the 8th March sailing was infected because someone with the infection (the person he claims got on the ship in NZ) was on the previous sailing. This theory of an infection on the previous sailing has been disproven.

 

Personally, I think he is a crackpot and bastard playing with the emotions of some very upset people who, of course, are trying to make sense of what happened.

He is claiming the infected person was a crew member.

He also claims NZ already had covid as of Mar 4th

He also claims NSW had over 40 cases as of Mar 8th. 

 

Hoping someone on your side of the world could find out who he is..If indeed he is real.

 

I have to call it a night (actually early morning).  If any information about this Antony Johns, ex Navy  can be found I would greatly appreciate it.  I would love to report back to the members on our thread that he is a hoax, playing with their grief and to ignore his claims.  Thanks if you can help...  

 

Edited July 25, 2021 by BRANDEE

[lyndarra]

2 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

 

Personally, I think he is a crackpot and bastard playing with the emotions of some very upset people who, of course, are trying to make sense of what happened.

He is claiming the infected person was a crew member.

He also claims NZ already had covid as of Mar 4th

He also claims NSW had over 40 cases as of Mar 8th. 

 

Hoping someone on your side of the world could find out who he is..If indeed he is real.

 

 

Sounds like a Class A crackpot.

[Aus Traveller]

1 minute ago, BRANDEE said:

 

Personally, I think he is a crackpot and bastard playing with the emotions of some very upset people who, of course, are trying to make sense of what happened.

He is claiming the infected person was a crew member.

He also claims NZ already had covid as of Mar 4th

He also claims NSW had over 40 cases as of Mar 8th. 

 

Hoping someone on your side of the world could find out who he is..If indeed he is real.

It is possible, even likely, that an entertainer would board in NZ then work on the rest of the cruise. He is claiming this was on the previous cruise, so I come back to the number of infections in the crew by the the time the 8th March cruise ended. As for other crew, it is unlikely. On a 14 night cruise to NZ, they would normally board in Sydney. It is easier and cheaper for Princess to fly crew to there rather than from Asia to NZ.

 

I thought the Kiwis claim that the first COVID they had was from the shore tour in Napier. I doubt that NSW had 40 cases by 8th March, but how would that be relevant if he is claiming the infection came on board in NZ?

 

I have just read Lyndarra's comment and I agree. Unfortunately, his comments will upset some people.

[BRANDEE]

15 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

It is possible, even likely, that an entertainer would board in NZ then work on the rest of the cruise. He is claiming this was on the previous cruise, so I come back to the number of infections in the crew by the the time the 8th March cruise ended. As for other crew, it is unlikely. On a 14 night cruise to NZ, they would normally board in Sydney. It is easier and cheaper for Princess to fly crew to there rather than from Asia to NZ.

 

I thought the Kiwis claim that the first COVID they had was from the shore tour in Napier. I doubt that NSW had 40 cases by 8th March, but how would that be relevant if he is claiming the infection came on board in NZ?

 

I have just read Lyndarra's comment and I agree. Unfortunately, his comments will upset some people.

He posted documentation with dates and names to make his claim look valid and that is what will convince some to believe and reopen wounds.  I'm not sure everyone will see through his inconsistent claims and realize he is just a crackpot.  Also, many on our thread still don't understand how NZ only got it at Napier from the ship's passengers..how come no one at the other four ports didn't get it. He posted a document that states some one in Auckland had it by Mar 4th.  Thus, proving the passengers could have gotten it from being in Napier, on the 15th.

 

If it was true, why didn't he just send it to the news station or newspaper.  

Edited July 25, 2021 by BRANDEE

[Aus Traveller]

Wikipedia has the following:

On 28 February 2020, New Zealand confirmed its first case, a woman in her 60s who had recently visited Iran and returned to Auckland on 26 February 2020.^[10][11]

New Zealand confirmed its second case on 4 March 2020, a woman in her 30s who had recently returned from northern Italy.^[12] The number of cases continued to rise significantly through March 2020, reaching a total of 647 (600 confirmed and 47 probable) and 74 recoveries by 31 March.^[

 

^{Does this mean that the passengers on the Ruby Princess could have contracted COVID while ashore in NZ?}

[Porky55]

1 hour ago, BRANDEE said:

He posted documentation with dates and names to make his claim look valid and that is what will convince some to believe and reopen wounds.

Brandee, hi.

If he has sent you a list of names from the prior cruise, simply check if our names are on it as we were on the prior cruise, as you know from the past. We also went to the disembarkation day NSW Health testing that commenced at 5:30ish in the morning of the 8th March, before you boarded. Again, that cruise ended up with NO COVID cases, otherwise we would have been notified. We filled out required paperwork for this at the time.

Check the list for: Rosalie and Glenn Cunningham.

No problem sharing my name here, we are among friends 😉

 

Personally, I think this guy is crank, or has some personal reasoning for  pursuing this at this late date. Really don’t think anyone should ever private message in this way. I would advise the admins of the Group and have the person, if genuine, go through proper channels - solicitors etc.

 

Or just tell him to b**ger off. 

 

[LC1950]

Brandee, is this "Antony Johns" person asking for donations yet to aid in  furthering his investigations?  Yes?  No?  Caveat Emptor!!!  Sounds like a scam in the making to me, but I'm a dyed in the wool cynic from way back.

[Porky55]

49 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

Does this mean that the passengers on the Ruby Princess could have contracted COVID while ashore in NZ?

See my answer to Brandee.

 

Don’t think they ever found Covid on the 24th Feb to 8th March sailing? Never saw or heard anything to confirm this and this study was carried out during the Ruby inquiry.

[Porky55]

4 minutes ago, LC1950 said:

Brandee, is this "Antony Johns" person asking for donations yet to aid in  furthering his investigations?  Yes?  No?  Caveat Emptor!!!  Sounds like a scam in the making to me, but I'm a dyed in the wool cynic from way back.

Agree totally, sounds particularly fishy, not to mention nasty.

 

Is Brandee talking about this guy contacting them privately through a Cruise Critic thread she is following, or somewhere else? I’m sure our CC Hosts would jump on this type of behaviour 🤔

[possum52]

I just found this Antony Johns on FB - he even names who he believes is patient zero, her age, her job, where she had been on holiday and when she arrived in NZ. He also stated her nationalty. It is quite easy to find him on FB for anyone who wants to read what he has written.

[Aus Traveller]

Just now, possum52 said:

I just found this Antony Johns on FB - he even names who he believes is patient zero, her age, her job, where she had been on holiday and when she arrived in NZ. He also stated her nationalty. It is quite easy to find him on FB for anyone who wants to read what he has written.

Was this (mythical) patient zero working on the ship?

[possum52]

3 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

Was this (mythical) patient zero working on the ship?

He says she boarded in Dunedin on March 4th, so as he stated her position onboard, I assume she was working (allegedly).

 

 

Edited July 25, 2021 by possum52

[Aus Traveller]

2 minutes ago, possum52 said:

He says she boarded in Dunedin on March 4th, so as he stated her position onboard, I assume she was working (allegedly).

 

Is there any proof this person was on board? Is there any proof she had COVID?

[OzKiwiJJ]

It sounds dodgy to me. What is this person trying to achieve by contacting passengers in this manner. I read his FB post and it's sounds a bit fishy to me, partly because Dunedin is a relatively minor port in NZ ( but don't tell my brother that). There are no direct international flights into Dunedin so I think it would be unlikely for that port to be used as a crew transfer port. That would require the presence of immigration officials I would imagine. Also I very much doubt Princess would be part of that sort of cover-up. What would they gain by it? Nothing! In fact they copped significant flak from the outbreak onboard.

 

Plus I think the timing is wrong. If someone was on board with the virus there would have been cases far earlier, and many more cases among the crew. Instead the majority of cases were passengers and initial infections probably started after the cruise de p srted Sydney, from someone who boarded there and didn't know they had contracted the virus.

 

It will be very interesting to see if this person makes requests for money to fund his so-called case.

[possum52]

51 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

It sounds dodgy to me. What is this person trying to achieve by contacting passengers in this manner. I read his FB post and it's sounds a bit fishy to me, partly because Dunedin is a relatively minor port in NZ ( but don't tell my brother that). There are no direct international flights into Dunedin so I think it would be unlikely for that port to be used as a crew transfer port. That would require the presence of immigration officials I would imagine. Also I very much doubt Princess would be part of that sort of cover-up. What would they gain by it? Nothing! In fact they copped significant flak from the outbreak onboard.

 

Plus I think the timing is wrong. If someone was on board with the virus there would have been cases far earlier, and many more cases among the crew. Instead the majority of cases were passengers and initial infections probably started after the cruise de p srted Sydney, from someone who boarded there and didn't know they had contracted the virus.

 

It will be very interesting to see if this person makes requests for money to fund his so-called case.

Agree with everything you say Julie. Did you look at the photos of the documents he has?