Cruising during and after COVID-19

[howiefrommd]

Costa just posted how they will be handling things once they start cruising.  Can you imagine?

 

 http://www.sailcosta.com/8115_Safety/8115.03_FAQs.pdf

[molly361]

Yikes. Doesn't sound like much fun to me

[time4u2go]

Looks OK to me. 

I would imagine a lot of the same things will be adopted by other cruise lines.

[molly361]

At least I would not have to request a table for me anymore😇

[lenquixote66]

I have no desire to cruise until the pandemic ends .Of course I may have left the planet by then .

[BillieJeanKaraokeKing]

Most of it appears to be common sense, and broadly as expected, but I have to admit I'm not so sure I'd actually fancy it in practice. 

[papajak]

I'd be willing to give it a try. 

 

[bouhunter]

Interesting, #34 say's quarantine cabins will be balcony's.

[Biker19]

Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady is a brand-new ship, part of a brand-new cruise line and will have brand-new health protocol when it finally hits the high seas on Oct. 16 for its "soft open" sailing with a limited number of passengers on board, CEO Tom McAlpin said. 

The Scarlet Lady's maiden voyage had been scheduled April 1 but was canceled in early March, McAlpin told USA TODAY. The Scarlet Lady's debut was to be the culmination of seven years of work and Virgin Voyages' first ship's first journey.

"We could have never predicted the extent of the global health challenge and what this would mean for travel," he said.

Since the cruise line has not yet had its official first sailing, it has also been untouched by the coronavirus, which plagued many other vessels as it infected more than 8 million people worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins data. And it is hoping to stay that way with new health protocol in place. 

 

During the ship's soft open, Virgin Voyages will continue to monitor developments onboard to determine any changes that may need to be made before Scarlet Lady's first sailing season.

Passenger health is the No. 1 priority, McAlpin said. 

“We rolled up our sleeves with leading experts to further innovate and create an even healthier way to travel and still have an incredible vacation,” Alpin said in a release Thursday, detailing new protocols. 

 

To create the "Voyage Well" plan, Virgin Voyages formed a "Voyage Well Expert Advisory Group," composed of partners at AtmosAir Solutions, EcoLab, Vikand's Dr. Bill Heymann, Global Public Health Services.

 

It also collaborated with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and frequently reviewed the World Health Organization's "best practices and guidelines."

To ensure passenger safety, the "Voyage Well" plan includes:

 

• Rapid COVID-19 testing for passengers and crew pre-embarkation.

 

• Post-sailing notification system that allows passengers and crew to report illness within 14 days of disembarking through an "ethical health tracking app," which will be part of Virgin Voyages' "Sailor App" for all passengers, both are still in development, according to Nirmal Saverimuttu, the company's chief experience and commercial officer. 
• Pre-boarding health checks for crew and passengers.
• Thermal camera technology in terminals and on board to monitor passenger and crew temperatures, though they have not yet named a partner company. 
• Implementing "best policies" on sanitation and social distancing on board.
• Managing ship occupancy to maintain physical distancing on board.
• Leveraging digital technology on board to minimize contact. 
  • "The Band": Virgin Voyages' smart wearable tech that allows passengers to conduct contactless payment, unlock their cabins, pinpoint a location for the delivery of "Shake for Champagne," make onboard purchases, pay bar tab etc. It also serves as a "VIP pass" for passengers who have booked suites to enter "Richard's Rooftop."
  • "Service Chat" on the "Sailor App" for digital assistance.
  • "Virtual Queues" on the "Sailor App" so people can get online for onboard features without physically lining up.
• No buffet, large dining hall or communal food-sharing will be offered on board (though a buffet was never part of Virgin Voyages' original plan for Scarlet Lady).

Scarlet Lady's design already included an HVAC system capable of pumping fresh air through the ship's public spaces and its cabins – effectively removing any recirculated air.

 

But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Virgin Voyages partnered with AtmosAir Solutions to retrofit Scarlet Lady with an air purification system that also disinfects air on board by leveraging bipolar ionization technology. The system has been tested by Microchem Laboratory and is 99.9% effective in neutralizing the  coronavirus.

 

"AtmosAir purification systems use our patented technology to attack vs. react," Steve Levine, president and CEO of AtmosAir Solutions, told USA TODAY in a statement. "[They] are specifically designed to effectively work as a proactive agent in combating viruses, bacteria and germs."

 

Philip M. Tierno, professor of microbiology and pathology at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, told USA TODAY that the device is so effective that he had one of the devices installed in his own home four years ago.

"It is probably one of the most effective means of sanitizing or disinfecting the air in a continuous fashion," he said. 

What happens, Tierno explained, is that the ions break down the proteins that exist on the outer layer of a viral cell, bacterial cell or fungi cell, destroying it. The system, he added, would eventually eradicate surface particles as well as particles in the air.

"The only thing that it cannot do," he said. "Is if you're sitting next to a person that has COVID-19 and that person turns and sneezes on you, then it's too late for anything to work."

 

In a release provided by spokesperson Michelle Estevam, the cruise line clarified that these implementations are subject to change as technology continues to advance. 

 

Virgin Voyages has also instituted a flexible cancellation policy.

"For sailings through December 16th, 2020, we’re moving final payment dates to 60 days (from 120 days) before you sail, and you can cancel up to 48 hours before your voyage and receive a 100% voyage credit," McAlpin said. "We want you to feel confident about making plans, while knowing that if anything changes, we’re always on your side."

[BirdTravels]

7 hours ago, howiefrommd said:

Costa just posted how they will be handling things once they start cruising.  Can you imagine?

 

 http://www.sailcosta.com/8115_Safety/8115.03_FAQs.pdf

Most of this is marketing propaganda. Sounds great on paper and in advertisements to attract passengers back. In practice, it doesn't mean anything. "We will sanitize public areas twice a day". "We will neutralize halls",,, I can walk down a hall with a neutralizer, but that won't provide adequate disinfection unless I specifically address all surfaces that could have contaminants,,, and they can't spray every surface and keep the halls usable. 

 

There is nothing here that is unexpected. And if you have been to one of the re-opened resorts, there is nothing more here than at those resorts on land. We have been to a couple of fine dining restaurants and they had no menus. You were asked to scan a QR code and review the menu on your smart phone. In cafes, they use a single printed menu that goes in the trash after you touch it. And while "socially distant tables" sounds good, there were constantly people walking right next to you. 

 

 

 

[bouhunter]

15 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Most of this is marketing propaganda. Sounds great on paper and in advertisements to attract passengers back. In practice, it doesn't mean anything. "We will sanitize public areas twice a day". "We will neutralize halls",,, I can walk down a hall with a neutralizer, but that won't provide adequate disinfection unless I specifically address all surfaces that could have contaminants,,, and they can't spray every surface and keep the halls usable. 

 

There is nothing here that is unexpected. And if you have been to one of the re-opened resorts, there is nothing more here than at those resorts on land. We have been to a couple of fine dining restaurants and they had no menus. You were asked to scan a QR code and review the menu on your smart phone. In cafes, they use a single printed menu that goes in the trash after you touch it. And while "socially distant tables" sounds good, there were constantly people walking right next to you. 

 

 

 

That elevator picture perfectly sums up how idiotic "social distancing" has become.  Unbelievable.

[cb at sea]

 Cover 19 isn't going ANYWHERE......it will become less and less of an issue, over time....sort of like Influenza has become.

 

[SherriZ366]

2 hours ago, cb at sea said:

 Cover 19 isn't going ANYWHERE......it will become less and less of an issue, over time....sort of like Influenza has become.

 

Hope you're right and also hope the strains get weaker.  

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, bouhunter said:

That elevator picture perfectly sums up how idiotic "social distancing" has become.  Unbelievable.

In my office complex, that ask that only one person be in an elevator car at a time. That only causes back up of people in elevator lobbies and people say "screw it" and pile into the next available elevator. 

 

In the elevators in the hotel we were at (picture above), less than 30% of the people stood on their dots. Most people stood in the middle of the elevator car admiring their unmasked faces in the elevator mirror.