Problem on the breakaway in NO

[Babr]

33 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

That’s the US Coast Guard, don’t count on free if you are out of the US.

I can’t speak to the practices and policies of every country in the world capable of providing air-sea rescue. In general, it is part of their mission to provide aid to ships at sea.

 

There are some remote/exotic locations that may require the services of a private rescue company. That is why adventure expedition cruises to places like Antartica require their participants to have insurance policies with high-dollar limits.

 

 

[brad0576]

3 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/6639/

That is only on the next sailing on Breakaway - not any other ship.

[CherWolf]

3 hours ago, DrSea said:

I still have a hard time convincing myself to buy cruise insurance as I am in my early 30s. I will maybe suggest that those in my party over the age of 50 to buy insurance tho, but many are resistant to it.

 

Stay safe and healthy.

Insurance isn't just about health or your age.  I was on a cruise to Cuba when hurricane Irma hit.  The cruise was cut short, all of the flights were booked when we returned to Miami and we had to drive home to Atlanta.  It took 24 hours because of

traffic.  Insurance paid for my car rental, gas, tolls, meals and hotel.  Had I not had insurance, that would have been on me.

[BennyBrun]

48 minutes ago, At Sea At Peace said:

 

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/least-17-covid-cases-found-aboard-cruise-ship-new-orleans-2021-12-06/

 

Reuters (3 Hours Ago) ~

Suspected Omicron case aboard Norwegian cruise ship is South African crew member

Was this a new crew member that joined the ship?  Or were they there from the beginning of the restart? 

[bigrednole]

1 hour ago, CPT Trips said:

That’s the US Coast Guard, don’t count on free if you are out of the US.

We experienced something on the night of 11/20 or 11/21 depending on the exact time. We had to divert back to FL on embarkation night. A person had to be medi-vacced by USCG helicopter off the ship for what was initially determined a heart attack. Later in the cruise we were all informed it was severe pneumonia for the person and they were stable. I can only imagine what that cost would be.

 

To go a little further with it, the person getting hauled up was half way. According to my daughter and her friends, one cable snapped and they had to lower the dangling basket to the deck. The helicopter had to re-rig another cable, lower, and bring them back up. Since we had 2 sea days, they made up the time with no issues. But, this was a clear indication that insurance is a must.

[Jim_Iain]

7 hours ago, DaggoB said:

We just got off the Breakaway. Prior to the testing requirements on Friday one of the bartenders told us that a couple of crew members were in quarantine without symptoms. This was on Thursday. On Friday it was announced that all passengers were ordered to be tested by the CDC. This was probably due to the fact that crew members were in quarantine. The testing went fast and smooth. The disembarkation took longer than normal with a few glitches but we were off the ship within an hour. Everybody was given a BinaxNOW by the port authority to test at home. 
According to news reports there were 3200 passengers on board , not true. According to officers and crew members there were less than 1600 passengers and a full crew. All venues were less than half full, the pool deck always had at least fifty percent of the lounge chairs empty, elevators never had more than three or four people at a time and most of the time there was nobody on them. The Manhattan dining room at dinner was at least two thirds empty. All of the eating venues were about the same. The only restaurant that was half full was the Haven. Food was excellent. All of the crew wore masks and we never saw them removed for any reason. They asked you to wash your hands and sanitize but we never heard washie washie. 
if there are any questions I will try to answer them if I can. 

Thanks for the clarity.    It's amazing how many stories there were as people and press passed lots of false information. 

 

I'm a little perplexed about the protocol that NCL uses for communication with passengers regarding positive tests on the ship.   I've been on 4 Celebrity Cruises in October & November.   We had between 1-3 cases on each cruise.   The protocol on Celebrity is that once a person (crew or passenger)  test positive all close contacts are immediately quarantined until tested negative twice within 24 hours.   The Captain also come on (even in the staterooms which is unusual on Celebrity ) announce that x number had tested positive and that all close contacts had been tested.   They are very transparent.

 

What I saw on the news this morning was many of the passengers claiming they knew nothing of the positive cases until hearing it on the news and social networks.   Was that true or were they just uninformed? 

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, DrSea said:

Yes, it's the medical evacuation that I am concerned about. It can exceed 100k from what I hear. I have bring it up to my guests. I will let them decide as it is their money and health.

You might look into the MediJet insurance -  it covers medical evacuation only and I find their annual policy  reasonable priced for the protection.

Edited December 7, 2021 by Jim_Iain

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, At Sea At Peace said:

 

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/least-17-covid-cases-found-aboard-cruise-ship-new-orleans-2021-12-06/

 

Reuters (3 Hours Ago) ~

Suspected Omicron case aboard Norwegian cruise ship is South African crew member

So the one suspected Omicron case led to this massive outbreak of 17 positive tests (none of which are being claimed to be the Omicron variant)?  The media is entertaining, and not in the way that they are supposed to be.

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, At Sea At Peace said:

 

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/least-17-covid-cases-found-aboard-cruise-ship-new-orleans-2021-12-06/

 

Reuters (3 Hours Ago) ~

Suspected Omicron case aboard Norwegian cruise ship is South African crew member

Raise further question of NCL's protocol.   Other cruise lines require all cruise staff joining the ship to quarantine for two weeks after boarding the ship.    If NCL follows the same protocol, I wouldn't think that the nationality of the Crew Member wouldn't matter unless the crew member had just joined the ship.

[Babr]

13 minutes ago, bigrednole said:

We experienced something on the night of 11/20 or 11/21 depending on the exact time. We had to divert back to FL on embarkation night. A person had to be medi-vacced by USCG helicopter off the ship for what was initially determined a heart attack. Later in the cruise we were all informed it was severe pneumonia for the person and they were stable. I can only imagine what that cost would be.

 

To go a little further with it, the person getting hauled up was half way. According to my daughter and her friends, one cable snapped and they had to lower the dangling basket to the deck. The helicopter had to re-rig another cable, lower, and bring them back up. Since we had 2 sea days, they made up the time with no issues. But, this was a clear indication that insurance is a must.

The Coast Guard does not charge for evacuation. It is part of their mission. Your tax dollars are paying for the service.

 

Travel insurance pays for the rest of medical transportation and care once you reach land.

Edited December 7, 2021 by Babr

[bigrednole]

1 minute ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

So the one suspected Omicron case led to this massive outbreak of 17 positive tests (none of which are being claimed to be the Omicron variant)?  The media is entertaining, and not in the way that they are supposed to be.

The term "massive" is not necessary. This is only a 0.5% infection rate and the infections were most likely at the hands of NCL and the infected person from South Africa. Not a situation that is good for the company. It could lead to a PR nightmare and they could be held liable for expenses incurred, especially if the person was not quarantined and tested frequently. This is in the NCL Legal teams' hand now.

[bksunbuddies]

On 12/5/2021 at 8:56 AM, phillygwm said:

That's the issue.  The ships don't really have the infrastructure to test 2500 people.  They're used to testing, maybe, a couple hundred foreign travelers who require it.

 

If the rules change, NCL will need to staff up in order to test and process all those pax the evening before disembarkation, otherwise there will be chaos.

 

We were on the Escape from Port Canaveral, FL for Thanksgiving. Everyone had been vaccinated at least 14 days previous to sailing.  Before boarding the ship, everyone was tested (at NCL expense)…even if you had had a Covid test within the last 24 -48 hours…no exceptions! Testing process and boarding process went very smoothly. Love NCL 

[Shayhooper]

31 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks for the clarity.    It's amazing how many stories there were as people and press passed lots of false information. 

 

I'm a little perplexed about the protocol that NCL uses for communication with passengers regarding positive tests on the ship.   I've been on 4 Celebrity Cruises in October & November.   We had between 1-3 cases on each cruise.   The protocol on Celebrity is that once a person (crew or passenger)  test positive all close contacts are immediately quarantined until tested negative twice within 24 hours.   The Captain also come on (even in the staterooms which is unusual on Celebrity ) announce that x number had tested positive and that all close contacts had been tested.   They are very transparent.

 

What I saw on the news this morning was many of the passengers claiming they knew nothing of the positive cases until hearing it on the news and social networks.   Was that true or were they just uninformed? 

It appears that different companies handle things differently.  Some line feel that they should tell passengers about the number of positive cases.  Others don't feel it is necessary.  Honestly we can only speculate on the reasons.

[BennyBrun]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks for the clarity.    It's amazing how many stories there were as people and press passed lots of false information. 

 

I'm a little perplexed about the protocol that NCL uses for communication with passengers regarding positive tests on the ship.   I've been on 4 Celebrity Cruises in October & November.   We had between 1-3 cases on each cruise.   The protocol on Celebrity is that once a person (crew or passenger)  test positive all close contacts are immediately quarantined until tested negative twice within 24 hours.   The Captain also come on (even in the staterooms which is unusual on Celebrity ) announce that x number had tested positive and that all close contacts had been tested.   They are very transparent.

 

What I saw on the news this morning was many of the passengers claiming they knew nothing of the positive cases until hearing it on the news and social networks.   Was that true or were they just uninformed? 

The communication part on NCL I don’t understand either.  It should have been more transparent.  But I believe in their safety protocols.  You have to be vaccinated no exceptions and you have to test at the terminal ( until mid January 2022) then you can board.  To qualify for assistance in the event you test positive at the terminal you have to bring a negative test result at your own expense 48 hours prior to embarkation.  I felt safe but I do like to be kept informed and kept out of loop about positive cases onboard even though they might have done it to prevent mass hysteria but I believe being transparent is the better option in this case.

[DrSea]

3 hours ago, brookie848 said:

 We booked our first cruise less than a month out and paid in full. We also got NCL's basic insurance. We ended up cancelling the day we were supposed to fly to Tampa (the day before the cruise) because we found out my MIL was in the hospital and not doing well. Insurance isn't just in case something happens to you.

 

Since then, we've made sure every trip was insured through an independent broker. We ended up using it in 2020 not because of Covid, but because my husband got a kidney transplant. THAT was a lot of paperwork, but we ended up getting every cent back.

Hmm...never thought about it that way.

[BennyBrun]

Pre Covid insurance was like a debate in my house… now the discussion is do we have enough… enough to cover cost of quarantine, transportation and other delays and transportation to a good hospital.

[Karaboudjan]

1 hour ago, bigrednole said:

The term "massive" is not necessary. This is only a 0.5% infection rate and the infections were most likely at the hands of NCL and the infected person from South Africa. Not a situation that is good for the company. It could lead to a PR nightmare and they could be held liable for expenses incurred, especially if the person was not quarantined and tested frequently. This is in the NCL Legal teams' hand now.

According to articles that I have read the crewmember from South Africa was in isolation for the entirety of the cruise.  That suggests that they had recently boarded and were following the quarantine protocol.  And since they were supposedly asymptomatic I presume they were found to be infected  through a scheduled test.

[Babr]

15 minutes ago, BennyBrun said:

Pre Covid insurance was like a debate in my house… now the discussion is do we have enough… enough to cover cost of quarantine, transportation and other delays and transportation to a good hospital.

Look for a policy with generous Trip Delay benefits. That is the part that will pay quarantine expenses. 

[BermudaBound2014]

19 minutes ago, Karaboudjan said:

According to articles that I have read the crewmember from South Africa was in isolation for the entirety of the cruise.  That suggests that they had recently boarded and were following the quarantine protocol.  And since they were supposedly asymptomatic I presume they were found to be infected  through a scheduled test.

My question is how/when did they determine it was Omicron? That’s what the media latched onto 

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks for the clarity.    It's amazing how many stories there were as people and press passed lots of false information. 

 

I'm a little perplexed about the protocol that NCL uses for communication with passengers regarding positive tests on the ship.   I've been on 4 Celebrity Cruises in October & November.   We had between 1-3 cases on each cruise.   The protocol on Celebrity is that once a person (crew or passenger)  test positive all close contacts are immediately quarantined until tested negative twice within 24 hours.   The Captain also come on (even in the staterooms which is unusual on Celebrity ) announce that x number had tested positive and that all close contacts had been tested.   They are very transparent.

 

What I saw on the news this morning was many of the passengers claiming they knew nothing of the positive cases until hearing it on the news and social networks.   Was that true or were they just uninformed? 

What you heard on the news is correct.  Other passengers onboard have posted they were told they were testing everyone as new requirement by the cdc.

Royal and Celebrity have offered transparency from day 1 apparently NCL isnt.

[milolii]

37 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

My question is how/when did they determine it was Omicron? That’s what the media latched onto 

That is good question.  I think the discovery of the Omicron variant onboard is probably what triggered the response.  So my guess it was known sometime towards thr end of last week, a day or two before disembarkation.  Then the mass on board testing began.  
 

Also the specimens were probably flown to a lab that could perform the specialized examination.  UCSF, for example, identified the first US case in just under 8 hours.  Think a university setting.  Could of been performed in Mexico, as well. 

Edited December 7, 2021 by milolii

[Old & Retired]

5 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

How does a phone rep (or NCL doctor) know where an "outbreak" started?

Most NCL phone reps don't even know their own address.  Clueless wonders.

[seaman11]

2 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

My question is how/when did they determine it was Omicron? That’s what the media latched onto 

From what I Gathered is its only suspected by sending the positives swabs to a lab that then  can look at them and give a early detection of it but a full analysis to confirm it 100 percent will take several days. 

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

My question is how/when did they determine it was Omicron? That’s what the media latched onto 

They didn't. The ship would not be able to do genetic sequencing. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, Old & Retired said:

Most NCL phone reps don't even know their own address.  Clueless wonders.

Thank you.  That story was nonsensical.  An NCL phone rep was privy to highly advanced medical tracing data that substantiated that all Covid cases were directly attributable to a single Omicron case that was the "root cause" of this massive (17? 🤣) Covid breakout.  I'll go out on a limb and suggest that if we test 1600+ random folks anywhere in the world right now we'll find many more that 17 positive Covid results.  This probably just proves that what NCL is doing works.