What Criteria Will You Use to Conclude It Is Safe To Cruise Again

[pappy1022]

1 hour ago, Dolebludger said:

Actually, we are more concerned about the rather long flights to get to a cruise than the cruise itself. 

Every component has it’s own risks and possible outcomes and it all has to work just right in order to have a safe journey. As they say, one weak link and the entire chain breaks. Too many if’s and I hope’s to get me on a cruise any time soon. We all know the risks and if people decide to cruise (and all the other travel that comes with it) then I wish them well and hope they have an uneventful journey. 

[Guerncruising]

1 hour ago, pappy1022 said:

Every component has it’s own risks and possible outcomes and it all has to work just right in order to have a safe journey. As they say, one weak link and the entire chain breaks. Too many if’s and I hope’s to get me on a cruise any time soon. We all know the risks and if people decide to cruise (and all the other travel that comes with it) then I wish them well and hope they have an uneventful journey. 

Here, here!

[fizzy]

Although it seems so long ago, has it ever been actually determined if the cruise lines will have passenger eligibility criteria as far as medical clearances and the like?

[mrlevin]

10 minutes ago, fizzy said:

Although it seems so long ago, has it ever been actually determined if the cruise lines will have passenger eligibility criteria as far as medical clearances and the like?

 

Do you mean like swab test before boarding and even if you turn up negative, if you shared transportation to the ship with someone (unrelated) that tests positive you will still be denied boarding?

[fizzy]

7 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

 

Do you mean like swab test before boarding and even if you turn up negative, if you shared transportation to the ship with someone (unrelated) that tests positive you will still be denied boarding?

Thanks for answering but I was curious if any more discussion had come up regarding age and pre existing conditions as had been talked about long ago. And I do think it's impossible to cover all the bases with these swab tests. I really have no idea what the answer is.

[Dolebludger]

7 hours ago, Guerncruising said:

And what would be most disturbing would be if your destination changed status from being safe to not safe during, or, worse still, towards the end of the flight. 

‘Yes, the New York Times just reported today that tracing has indicated that one positive person got COVID in an airliner restroom. 

[D C]

1 hour ago, Dolebludger said:

‘Yes, the New York Times just reported today that tracing has indicated that one positive person got COVID in an airliner restroom. 

That seems like an impossible conclusion.  How could a bathroom be singled out over any other location on an aircraft? 

[Guerncruising]

4 hours ago, D C said:

That seems like an impossible conclusion.  How could a bathroom be singled out over any other location on an aircraft? 

Maybe someone else with Covid was in there with them! 😂

[GrJ Berkshire]

5 hours ago, Guerncruising said:

Maybe someone else with Covid was in there with them! 😂

Mile high club.................

[poss]

Omg, I haven't heard mention of the Mile High Club since way back when I was a high school teacher and my students used to proudly invoke it.   Was a fun reminiscence.

[ABoatNerd]

The decision to cruise again would be stacked up against escorted land vacations and other options.

 

It would come down to value for money, hassal factor, risk factor, level of independent activity, flexibility, access to medical care, ability to truly experience a piece of geography etc.

 

Before covid - cruising was losing its luster due to the constant downgrading, congestion in cruise ports etc. 

 

So cruising would have to improve leaps and bounds beyond the past before it would equal an escorted or private land vacation - for this household and the majority of our friends who we have traveled with.

 

So even if covid was under control - the days of automatically booking a cruise are long gone for us.

 

 

[Guerncruising]

26 minutes ago, ABoatNerd said:

The decision to cruise again would be stacked up against escorted land vacations and other options.

 

It would come down to value for money, hassal factor, risk factor, level of independent activity, flexibility, access to medical care, ability to truly experience a piece of geography etc.

 

Before covid - cruising was losing its luster due to the constant downgrading, congestion in cruise ports etc. 

 

So cruising would have to improve leaps and bounds beyond the past before it would equal an escorted or private land vacation - for this household and the majority of our friends who we have traveled with.

 

So even if covid was under control - the days of automatically booking a cruise are long gone for us.

 

 

An interesting viewpoint of your experiences and something I hadn’t really thought of. By the same token many land experiences are also becoming congested, it’s as if everyone is trying to do the same. 

Guernsey used to be a tourist place for British people but the majority seem to go to Spain etc., where the weather is possibly more guaranteed and it’s a cheaper experience. Visitors tend to come from Europe to here to see what the Germans have left behind following WW2 and of course Victor Hugo’s house. 

I suppose that we should all be looking for quality and no large crowds and I thought that is what Regent is all about. Sadly they can’t control the hundreds who are disgorged from the larger ships. 

[SusieQft]

Those sailing on the earliest ships to restart will probably not have the hugely crowded ports that had become too common in the past few years.  There could be other drawbacks, of course, but the congestion should be less.

[tripperva]

For us, the main enjoyment is cruising and time on the ship . The exceptions are the wonderful land tours in foreign ports.

 

[gb58]

Ships are going. Ports are open.

[snorkle lover]

On 8/28/2020 at 12:10 PM, ABoatNerd said:

The decision to cruise again would be stacked up against escorted land vacations and other options.

 

It would come down to value for money, hassal factor, risk factor, level of independent activity, flexibility, access to medical care, ability to truly experience a piece of geography etc.

 

Before covid - cruising was losing its luster due to the constant downgrading, congestion in cruise ports etc. 

 

So cruising would have to improve leaps and bounds beyond the past before it would equal an escorted or private land vacation - for this household and the majority of our friends who we have traveled with.

 

So even if covid was under control - the days of automatically booking a cruise are long gone for us.

 

 

 

ABoatNerd,

I spend way more time reading on this board than I probably should but I did find your comments interesting.  We are booked on the Splendor in September 2021 but I am beginning wonder if this cruise will compare, in any way, to the one and only wonderful cruise we took on the Explorer ( in the Med) in 2018. We also had two RSSC cruises  canceled for 2020. Granted Regent ships are on the small size compared to the mega ships that can haul around many thousands. However, looking at the total number of passengers and crew it seems  the Splendor, when fully booked, can carry about 1,300. That being said ( hopefully I won't be chastised) I am beginning to think that other modes of travel might be better for us ( being young at heart but in our 70s). The average number of people on a European river cruise is 150 ( not sure about the number of crew). I think the average for a land tour is 25 to 80 depending on the company and the type of tour. Right now I am musing on the subject. We are looking forward to sailing on the Splendor next year but the reality of this cruise  being such a different experience keeps cropping up in my head.

Will all modes of travel require masks in a year, how will social distancing work ( on a ship elevator, on a bus)?

I am desperate to travel ( in 2021) and have something to look forward to so any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[ABoatNerd]

snorkle lover, Guerncruising:

 

The one thing positive I can say from this virus is that it has forced everyone and every organization to get out of their ruts and confront the reality of same old, same old, automatic behaviors that many people have developed over the years - this virus forced people to look around and identify other options, yes options.  Meaning expand one's horizons.

 

I have been cruising since 1988.  But in the past 5 years my cruising frequency is way down due to the declining quality, never knowing what to expect on the next cruise, bigger ships, more nickle and diming, increase in cancelled ports, pushing alcohol,  ship design reducing linkage to the sea (loss of front viewing areas on Celebrity new ships is awful) and on and on - items many other folks on CC have mentioned. Essentially, it is the increased "processed" nature of cruising and the view being turned inward that really ended cruising for me.

 

What happened was that I, my family and many friends, have discovered escorted land tours because we refused to cruise given the current situation and trends at that time.

 

We have never looked back.  The land tours, the river cruising etc provide a Real experience of the piece of geography that you chose to visit.

 

I am not even sure I will consider as much of that as before as flying is simply a revolting experience with less and less customer service and consideration for those that do not fly business class. 

 

For now I will be driving Canada (already seen most) and hopefully more of the USA in the future. I took some of my cruise fund and purchased a Porsche to facilitate driving trips for touring and to visit friends in Canada and the USA - ie avoid flying.

 

I guess my message is this - consider all options when planning travel. There seems to be people on "auto pilot" and do repeated cruises. OK. But, what are you purchasing today? What is the product, what are the pros/cons of cruising versus other options?

 

In my analysis, cruising now and in the future carries a very high risk of infection and inconvenience versus land tours where there are hospitals close by and much less density. That alone makes me not consider a cruise for the foreseeable future.

 

In the end, to each their own.

[latserrof]

We have done 70+ cruises since 1980 and of course have seen the many cutbacks, but we still loved cruising and thought it a great value until this pandemic (we were aboard the Rotterdam when it hit). But looking forward, we fear that because cruising faces so many hurdles,  if/when it finally emerges, it will be so changed that it will hold little appeal for us. And we've really been put off by the cruise lines' behavior in handling passengers, crew, refunds and information, and we have no reason to believe they will get better in the future.  Finally, from many of the comments on CC and to the CDC's RFI, we wouldn't feel "safe" or comfortable with a lot of our fellow passengers, particularly the many who are ready to cruise tomorrow despite the pandemic.

Maybe back to the RV in the wilderness?

[scuba diver]

What Criteria Will You Use to Conclude It Is Safe To Cruise Again

 

"The gangway is open."

[Wendy The Wanderer]

3 hours ago, latserrof said:

Maybe back to the RV in the wilderness?

 

The wilderness is tempting, isn't it? We're at the cottage right now, not quite wilderness but close enough. Of course, it's not the sea.

[snorkle lover]

Thank you both Latserrof and ABoatNerd for your comments and insights. The good news is that our final payment for the Sept.

2021 cruise is not due until the end of May ( and perhaps they will give us more time) . A lot can and may change between now and then. However, if things are not looking a WHOLE lot better we may cancel. So, in the meantime, I am considering other options. 

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

We have decided that we will not enter airports or airplanes until covid is gone.
To that end, we have only booked Miami- Miami Cruises.

Just drive to the port and board the Splendor.

We will not fly to Europe to do a riverboat. We will not fly anywhere. 
We are not afraid of Regent because we know they will do everything in their power to keep us safe and keep their ships sailing!

sheila and Herb

Edited August 29, 2020 by Bellaggio Cruisers

[tennis]

Those eager to cruise again and interested in data would find it interesting what the CDC posted on their website this week.  Guess how many of the US deaths attributed to Covid-19 had only Covid-19 listed on the death certificate.  Would you guess maybe 40 - 50 %?  No, the total was 6%!  Only 6%.  In addition the average # of comorbidities listed on the death certificates was 2.6.  So over 50% of those that have died had at least 2 other serious diseases.  If you go to the site you might also like to look at the actual data on total deaths versus time. It has really tailed-off.  I haven’t seen any of this data reported in the news.  This is very encouraging news and maybe if it got publicized we can back to normal sooner rather than later.

 

On another topic, there have been several comments related to people following mask and other guidelines onboard cruise ships. We have returned from our trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.  Everyone we saw in airports or on planes wore masks without prompting.  We were on 4 different flights and they were all packed.  Everyone we saw in Yellowstone complied with indoor requirements, even using hand sanitizer upon entering   Around Old Faithful it was very crowded and some people did not comply with the 6 ft or mask rule But if you wanted to distance yourself it was easy.  Nowhere else in the park did we see spacing or mask requirements violated.  In Jackson we saw 2 people not comply with mask requirements and in one case the store clerk immediately told them to put on a mask.  There were lots of people in both parks and so compliance with the requirements was very high.  Hopefully this would be the same on cruise ships and is reassuring to everyone.

[flossie009]

16 hours ago, tennis said:

Guess how many of the US deaths attributed to Covid-19 had only Covid-19 listed on the death certificate.  Would you guess maybe 40 - 50 %?  No, the total was 6%!  Only 6%.  In addition the average # of comorbidities listed on the death certificates was 2.6.  So over 50% of those that have died had at least 2 other serious diseases.

This is not that surprising, is it?

As I understand it Covid-19 often causes other fatal disorders such as pneumonia or heart failure, which would be listed on the death certificate together with Covid-19.

 

The CDC also reports:  "Counts of deaths due to COVID-19 are most likely undercounting the true number of deaths due to COVID-19"

[greykitty]

One issue with this 6% thing that's all over the internet is that it's originally a tweet from QAnon and is very misleading in my mind. 

 

For example, even if we go with the idea that COVID-19 is only serious if you have another underlying issue, I happen to have T2 diabetes and high blood pressure, both well controlled and can, with good fortune, live many more years with both issues.  As my doctor pointed out, add COVID-19 to this mix and it's fairly likely I will not have a great outcome.  

 

And, I wonder how many people are unaware of any underlying conditions they may have.  So many chronic diseases don't have symptoms that leap at you immediately and so many people skip screenings for common diseases.  

 

I also don't buy the COVID-19 is either fatal or no big deal and you recover completely.  

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/twitter-removes-qanon-supporters-false-claim-about-coronavirus-death-statistics-that-trump-had-retweeted/ar-BB18wCf9

 

https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/infectious-disease-expert-for-va-u-of-m-slams-idiotic-covid-19-6-misinformation

Edited August 31, 2020 by greykitty