Return to cruising poll

[Mary229]

8 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

While scientists can’t say with certainty - they are saying that a mask will be necessary for some time to come until we achieve herd immunity. (Unless of course, they find it is not being transmitted).

 

However, since the amount of spread is being measured (and said to be slower and decrease) with the Johnson and Johnson vaccine it seems to be a valid concern and makes the wearing of masks after being vaccinated  crucial for the time being.

The point is we all should be careful to give accurate information.  And the accurate information is that we just don't know if the vaccine prevents spread.  I am not getting into the lock-down or mask debate.  That is up to the society to make those decisions and the individual to follow or not follow them.  

[drowelf]

7 hours ago, crusinbanjo said:

No disrespect intended, but, Not sure how you can be shedding virus after being vaccinated, if the virus can’t take hold on you, spread seems to me to be negligible, isn’t that the point of being VACCINATED?  but whatever,  if I am required to mask up to be on board after vaccination, I’ll just stay home.

 

I've seen news reports and read several articles that speak to that. Here is a link to one. 

 

https://today.uconn.edu/2020/12/uconn-healths-dr-david-banach-explains-covid-19-vaccine/#

Edited February 5, 2021 by drowelf

[crusinbanjo]

6 minutes ago, drowelf said:

I've seen news reports and read several articles that speak to that. Here is a link to one. 

 

https://today.uconn.edu/2020/12/uconn-healths-dr-david-banach-explains-covid-19-vaccine/#

So what I read says they are absolutely sure that they don’t know and will get back to us when they are sure that they are sure.  Got it. Ha... just being sarcastic, please don’t take any offense.   It’s all so crazy!

[drowelf]

4 minutes ago, crusinbanjo said:

So what I read says they are absolutely sure that they don’t know and will get back to us when they are sure that they are sure.  Got it. Ha... just being sarcastic, please don’t take any offense.   It’s all so crazy!

Yep, thats about it. We don't know what we don't know and we don't know when we might know it either. 😆

[rodndonna]

2 minutes ago, crusinbanjo said:

So what I read says they are absolutely sure that they don’t know and will get back to us when they are sure that they are sure.  Got it. Ha... just being sarcastic, please don’t take any offense.   It’s all so crazy!

We always have to keep in context that these vaccines were 'fasttracked' so we really don't have the full knowledge behind them yet we would normally have before a vacinne is used. Beyond being considered safe  (most important) and keeping people safe protected the effects of Covid, the rest of what we will want/need to know will come with time. I don't think we were in a position to wait another year to have them define it, when there was enough evidence the vaccines safely provided protection for the vaccinated person. 

 

As you have said - it is all pretty crazy (and unprecedented). 

[drowelf]

10 hours ago, KirkNC said:

Well I am a little surprised that 55% will cruise with significant restrictions but that’s probably just my personal bias.  Of course CC is populated by hard core cruisers so maybe that accounts for the results.

I'm surprised too, but there are some really hard core cruisers here. We would consider masking on the ship, but vaccination must be required and we want to get off the ship any way we want, so no required ships excursions for us. 

 

I want to enjoy my time on the cruise and having the threat of it ending prematurely due to an outbreak is not something I would care to risk. 

[rkacruiser]

23 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I am not questioning your rationale......but there are masks that don’t hook on the ears.  I flew this week and my sister provided me with a n95 and it looped around my neck and the top of my head. 

 

I have yet to find such a mask.  I have searched online:  what seems like it might work are not for sale to non-medical people or organizations.  If you--or someone-- could post a site for a reputable company where such masks are available, I'd appreciate it.  

[rkacruiser]

22 hours ago, AncientWanderer said:

 

For a number of physical reasons, I'm not able to comfortably wear a mask either, @rkacruiser.  I do suffer through it for brief periods of time, such as getting in and out of a grocery store as quickly as possible, but it's difficult and unpleasant.   So no cruising for me if masks are required onboard.  This makes me sad, but it's something I've come to terms with. 

 

I do the same as you.  In order to receive my first doze of the Pfizer vaccine, I had to wear the mask for 1 hour and 20 minutes.  That was the longest continuous period of time that I have had to do so.  

 

One has to do what one has to do.  Just as you said "I've come to terms with".  

 

 

[Mary229]

9 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I have yet to find such a mask.  I have searched online:  what seems like it might work are not for sale to non-medical people or organizations.  If you--or someone-- could post a site for a reputable company where such masks are available, I'd appreciate it.  

She is medical personnel, we sterilized a mask she had been issued on a light duty day. I have been told HomeDepot does carry them but that you should call your location prior to going.  They are also used by wood workers and painters 

[YXU AC*SE]

7 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

If you--or someone-- could post a site for a reputable company where such masks are available, I'd appreciate it.  

 

Wilmington Pike Lowes / Home Depot /  Ménards.  3M / Milwaukee  n95s instead of looping over the ears have bands that loop at the base of your head, and at the crown from side to side. That ensures a tight fit across your face. Plan B would be to use a regular ear loop mask, and rather than hook over your ears, you can use a velcro adjustable strap to hold in place that would connect side to side on the back of your head behind your ears?   Scott.    

 

[rkacruiser]

4 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

She is medical personnel, we sterilized a mask she had been issued on a light duty day. I have been told HomeDepot does carry them but that you should call your location prior to going.  They are also used by wood workers and painters 

 

Thanks.  I will check Home Depot.  I am not a frequent shopper there.  

4 minutes ago, YXU AC*SE said:

 

Wilmington Pike Lowes / Home Depot /  Ménards.  3M / Milwaukee  n95s instead of looping over the ears have bands that loop at the base of your head, and at the crown from side to side. That ensures a tight fit across your face. Plan B would be to use a regular ear loop mask, and rather than hook over your ears, you can use a velcro adjustable strap to hold in place that would connect side to side on the back of your head behind your ears?   Scott.    

 

 

Thanks!  I will check these sources out.  I am not a shopper and have little reason to patronize any of the stores you mentioned.  

 

One wonders why such masks are not available at businesses such as Walgreen's and CVS?  

 

 

[YXU AC*SE]

3 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

One wonders why such masks are not available at businesses such as Walgreen's and CVS?  

 

Walgreens has online -->   https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/core-adult-layered-cloth-face-mask-with-ties-white/ID=300404460-product?skuId=400625828     not sexy, but these are non-elastic tie-up top and bottom.      Scott. 

[bcummin]

4 hours ago, YXU AC*SE said:

 

Wilmington Pike Lowes / Home Depot /  Ménards.  3M / Milwaukee  n95s instead of looping over the ears have bands that loop at the base of your head, and at the crown from side to side. That ensures a tight fit across your face. Plan B would be to use a regular ear loop mask, and rather than hook over your ears, you can use a velcro adjustable strap to hold in place that would connect side to side on the back of your head behind your ears?   Scott.    

 

 

OR for a quick fix, take a shoelace, thread it through the loops and tie a bow on the back of your head.  A cute new fashion statement.  :)

Barbara 

[crusinbanjo]

13 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I have yet to find such a mask.  I have searched online:  what seems like it might work are not for sale to non-medical people or organizations.  If you--or someone-- could post a site for a reputable company where such masks are available, I'd appreciate it.  

Look for the 3M N95 masks, I have been buying them for years for use in my woodworking shop......  but I have not seen them recently at HomeDepot

[mcrcruiser]

18 hours ago, Mary229 said:

The point is we all should be careful to give accurate information.  And the accurate information is that we just don't know if the vaccine prevents spread.  I am not getting into the lock-down or mask debate.  That is up to the society to make those decisions and the individual to follow or not follow them.  

We take the flu vaccine yearly  & that vaccine prevents getting ill & thus  also prevents spread . Since flu vaccines work that way why wouldn't covid vaccines work the same way ?

[KirkNC]

1 minute ago, mcrcruiser said:

We take the flu vaccine yearly  & that vaccine prevents getting ill & thus  also prevents spread . Since flu vaccines work that way why wouldn't covid vaccines work the same way ?

Does the flu vaccine actually work that way?  I don’t know either way.  

[mcrcruiser]

Cruising with masks  will not be our style . We can not see entering a dining room wearing a mask 'because what do you do eat a bite & replace your mask ?? 

 

 Additionally ,how do you swim with a mask  or do you now swim with scuba gear ?? 

 

  Take the gym .it is harder to breathe when exercising ,then wearing a mask can inhibit  work out breathing 

 

 Conclusion ,it thus seems  crazy to have to wear masks on a cruise ship especially if the requirements would be cruising for only vaccinated people

 

 There  are  common sense people & of course there are no common sense people  .

 

 Bottom line cruising will only be safe when all people who would be on a cruise have had the vaccine  shots at least one month before boarding the ship ;because it takes that time to build immunity to this virus . 

 

 With regards to the variants which could present a added threat ,then it will be required that all pax be vaccinated with a booster or a complete new vaccine 

 

 

[KirkNC]

9 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

We take the flu vaccine yearly  & that vaccine prevents getting ill & thus  also prevents spread . Since flu vaccines work that way why wouldn't covid vaccines work the same way ?

Does the flu vaccine actually work that way?  I don’t know either way.  
 

According to this article you can still spread influenza after getting vaccinated.

 

https://sharonvillefamilymedicine.com/can-you-still-spread-the-flu-after-getting-the-flu-vaccine/

 

[mcrcruiser]

2 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

Does the flu vaccine actually work that way?  I don’t know either way.  

The flu vaccine prevents you from getting ill & since you are not ill then you cann ot spread the flu 

[KirkNC]

2 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

The flu vaccine prevents you from getting ill & since you are not ill then you cann ot spread the flu 

Not according to the article I posted.

[mcrcruiser]

3 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

Does the flu vaccine actually work that way?  I don’t know either way.  
 

According to this article you can still spread influenza after getting vaccinated.

 

https://sharonvillefamilymedicine.com/can-you-still-spread-the-flu-after-getting-the-flu-vaccine/

 

Then the logical question is why would people take the vaccine ?  Reason is vaccines are designed to stop the spread of the disease 

[mcrcruiser]

2 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

Not according to the article I posted.

  when you take the flu vaccine it prevents you from getting very ill .  Seniors especially are at high risk with out the flu vaccine  ,including death 

Edited February 6, 2021 by mcrcruiser

[cruisemom42]

Count me as one who is surprised there are fewer "wait and see" votes.

 

I am a very independent traveler who would definitely not want to cruise if I was limited to the ship's shore excursions. I would be willing to bend the point slightly and say that if -- for example -- there was one port out of 10 that required a ship tour due to an unusually high number of positive COVID cases or an unusually low number of people vaccinated, I'd consider that reasonable. But in generally, no -- this would not be for me.

 

Second, and I'm not sure other solos have considered this, but as long as masking and social distancing are the order of the day, I assume that I would be condemned to eating alone at a table for one every night. No thank you. Perhaps for a very, very short cruise, but -- no, I couldn't imagine cruising for 10 days or more and not having conversations with anyone else!

 

Plus, there is my logical brain, which keeps asking me whether -- if masks and social distancing and ship-sponsored excursions and testing pre- and post-cruise are all required, and quarantine and an early end to the cruise are possible  --  it is really safe to be cruising at all?

[cruisemom42]

20 hours ago, Mary229 said:

Even the intrepid Rick Steves highly recommends the ship excursions for some Med sites.  He not only speaks to the ease of using them but the quality of the guides. I have to assume those who do not like excursions are likely cruising for a beach break and then I completely understand not wanting an excursion

 

I have a lot of respect for Rick Steves and often recommend his guides to others, especially first-timers, and maybe for first-timers that advice isn't terrible.

 

However, I can't agree (as someone who has taken a dozen Med cruises) that it is a better experience to take a ship tour or that the quality of the guides is uniformly good.  Well, maybe compared with some Caribbean ports, but I don't cruise there.

 

My first Med cruise was all but ruined by some terrible shore excursions.  I had traveled around a lot of the Western European countries previously, but wanted to do a cruise with my mom to see some of the Med ports I hadn't been to yet. The cruise included two stops in Egypt (a big plus for me), two stops in Turkey including Istanbul, and Athens as well as another Greek isle. 

 

My mom (former HAL cruiser) wanted to book all ship tours, over my objections. She is one who worries overmuch about missing the ship. So we did book them all through the ship but tried to get the smaller tours wherever possible.

 

It was an exercise in sheer frustration for me. From the "forced" shopping stops (cameo factory in Naples, carpet factory in Istanbul, cartouche and papyrus store in Cairo, jewelry store in the Plaka, leather factory in Ephesus) to the overlong lunches that cut down on actual sightseeing time, to the officious (and even racist, in one port) guides....  Never again.

 

I honestly did not cruise the Med again for about 5 years after that. Instead I did a series of land trips to places we had been on the cruise where I wanted more time -- Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia, etc.  But eventually I did start cruising the Med again because I enjoy it so much, AS LONG AS I can do my own touring.

 

• I've had guides tell outright lies.
• I've had guides lock the entire tour group into a rug store for the demo so no one could leave.
• I've had guides tell racist jokes about ethnic minorities.
• I've had guides shill endlessly for various places or extra items (home made soap bars, Turkish delight, etc.) for sale that make them more $$.
• I've had guides tell me "I have lots of facts I could tell you about this site but I'm not going to, because you'll forget them all in 5 minutes anyway."  (Uh, why not let me make that decision?)

I could go on.  But I've been told I'm too critical so I'll leave it at these glaring examples.

 

Also want to add that private tours are also not necessarily perfect either.   And to be honest, I don't do a lot of them either. I prefer to just plan my own day, my way, under my own steam with the help of whatever local transport is needed. 

[Mary229]

4 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I have a lot of respect for Rick Steves and often recommend his guides to others, especially first-timers, and maybe for first-timers that advice isn't terrible.

 

However, I can't agree (as someone who has taken a dozen Med cruises) that it is a better experience to take a ship tour or that the quality of the guides is uniformly good.  Well, maybe compared with some Caribbean ports, but I don't cruise there.

 

My first Med cruise was all but ruined by some terrible shore excursions.  I had traveled around a lot of the Western European countries previously, but wanted to do a cruise with my mom to see some of the Med ports I hadn't been to yet. The cruise included two stops in Egypt (a big plus for me), two stops in Turkey including Istanbul, and Athens as well as another Greek isle. 

 

My mom (former HAL cruiser) wanted to book all ship tours, over my objections. She is one who worries overmuch about missing the ship. So we did book them all through the ship but tried to get the smaller tours wherever possible.

 

It was an exercise in sheer frustration for me. From the "forced" shopping stops (cameo factory in Naples, carpet factory in Istanbul, cartouche and papyrus store in Cairo, jewelry store in the Plaka, leather factory in Ephesus) to the overlong lunches that cut down on actual sightseeing time, to the officious (and even racist, in one port) guides....  Never again.

 

I honestly did not cruise the Med again for about 5 years after that. Instead I did a series of land trips to places we had been on the cruise where I wanted more time -- Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia, etc.  But eventually I did start cruising the Med again because I enjoy it so much, AS LONG AS I can do my own touring.

 

• I've had guides tell outright lies.
• I've had guides lock the entire tour group into a rug store for the demo so no one could leave.
• I've had guides tell racist jokes about ethnic minorities.
• I've had guides shill endlessly for various places or extra items (home made soap bars, Turkish delight, etc.) for sale that make them more $$.
• I've had guides tell me "I have lots of facts I could tell you about this site but I'm not going to, because you'll forget them all in 5 minutes anyway."  (Uh, why not let me make that decision?)

I could go on.  But I've been told I'm too critical so I'll leave it at these glaring examples.

 

Also want to add that private tours are also not necessarily perfect either.   And to be honest, I don't do a lot of them either. I prefer to just plan my own day, my way, under my own steam with the help of whatever local transport is needed. 

I didn't delve into it but he did not give a blanket recommendation.  He had specific ports for first time visitors that he felt the ship tour was an excellent option.