Puerto Vallarta

[dmcfad2]

FYI: I don’t know what is going on, but we are on the Koningsdam in PV and they aren’t letting us off the ship. The Mexican authorities haven’t cleared the ship yet. We have been here since 8 am and it’s almost 10 am.  Hoping we can get off eventually. 😢

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

It might not happen.

[Florida_gal_50]

Oh no.  That's not good.  Please let us know what happens.  Good luck.

[Deep68]

We are on board too. What was strange is that at about 7:45am they started letting people off the ship. A handful of passengers were on shore and then they announced disembarkation was paused. After about an hour all the passengers that had disembarked came back onboard. Getting occasional messages that they are still working with Mexican authorities to clear the ship. The Neptune concierge does not know too much more just that shore excursions are not yet cancelled. 

[Deep68]

Just found out we will not be allowed on shore. Apparently there were a handful of crew who have tested positive for COVID but are asymptomatic and the Mexican authorities will not let us on shore.

We are leaving port in 30 mins or so. 

 

[iancal]

No surprise.   If 50 plus cruise members (the reported number so far) have tested positive AND customers, let alone the entire crew complement,  have not been tested while on board I would strongly suspect that the number of infected people on that ship is much greater than 50.

 

Cannot say that I blame any port for not allowing cruisers to disembark.    Aruba and Curacao took the same prudent course of action. 

 

Anyone who is cruising in the Caribbean over the next two months should really expect to have some or all of their port stops cancelled.  Seems inevitable to me.

Edited December 23, 2021 by iancal

[sfocruiser]

11 minutes ago, iancal said:

50 plus cruise members (the reported number so far) have tested positive 

source please

[Florida_gal_50]

@iancalwhere are you getting the info that there are 50 people with covid? Are you thinking of royal Caribbean? The koningsdam is doing Mexican cruises not Caribbean. 

 

How disappointing for those on the cruise 

[Deep68]

30 minutes ago, iancal said:

No surprise.   If 50 plus cruise members (the reported number so far) have tested positive AND customers, let alone the entire crew complement,  have not been tested while on board I would strongly suspect that the number of infected people on that ship is much greater than 50.

 

Cannot say that I blame any port for not allowing cruisers to disembark.    Aruba and Curacao took the same prudent course of action. 

 

Anyone who is cruising in the Caribbean over the next two months should really expect to have some or all of their port stops cancelled.  Seems inevitable to me.

We have not heard there are 50 people just a handful. Just spoke to our cabin attendant and he said he was not sure how many people tested positive but that there were not many. The captain announced he was surprised we were not let onshore.

Edited December 23, 2021 by Deep68

[voyageur9]

The captain may be surprised but ... if you were the port authority and a cruise ship with active Covid cases arrived and announced it wanted to put 1,000 people ashore would you allow it?

 

A known number of infectious passengers/crew is a strong indication that an unknown number of passengers are also likely infectious and (while perhaps asymptomatic) would be active spreaders of the disease.

[Brentt_M]

6 minutes ago, voyageur9 said:

The captain may be surprised but ... if you were the port authority and a cruise ship with active Covid cases arrived and announced it wanted to put 1,000 people ashore would you allow it?

 

A known number of infectious passengers/crew is a strong indication that an unknown number of passengers are also likely infectious and (while perhaps asymptomatic) would be active spreaders of the disease.

The captain was most likely surprised because, right or wrong, they have been allowing it for several weeks.

[Deep68]

6 minutes ago, voyageur9 said:

The captain may be surprised but ... if you were the port authority and a cruise ship with active Covid cases arrived and announced it wanted to put 1,000 people ashore would you allow it?

 

A known number of infectious passengers/crew is a strong indication that an unknown number of passengers are also likely infectious and (while perhaps asymptomatic) would be active spreaders of the disease.

Can certainly understand and appreciate their caution. 

[Ine]

I read last week Carnival Panorama was not allowed to dock in Cabo San Lucas. Also because of some Covid  by crew or passengers. 

[voyageur9]

Assuming you will be allowed ashore is a low-probability expectation.

 

Anyone who spends money on a cruise this winter should anticipate they are sailing on a pariah ship.

 

For those who don't mind all sea days, it may be money well spent. 

 

Pity, but true

 

[iancal]

32 minutes ago, sfocruiser said:

source please

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/royal-caribbean-covid-outbreak-port-entry-denied/index.html

 

Sorry, it was OS, not Konig

[Ine]

15 minutes ago, Brentt_M said:

The captain was most likely surprised because, right or wrong, they have been allowing it for several weeks.

Well we all know situation about Covid can change by a week or even by a day.

[Brentt_M]

4 minutes ago, Ine said:

Well we all know situation about Covid can change by a week or even by a day.

Absolutely, does not mean it still didn't come a surprise to the captain.

[CruiserBruce]

30 minutes ago, Ine said:

I read last week Carnival Panorama was not allowed to dock in Cabo San Lucas. Also because of some Covid  by crew or passengers. 

No cruise ship docks in Cabo, its a tender port.

[Laurenran]

1 hour ago, Deep68 said:

Just found out we will not be allowed on shore. Apparently there were a handful of crew who have tested positive for COVID but are asymptomatic and the Mexican authorities will not let us on shore.

We are leaving port in 30 mins or so. 

 

Oh no! Such a bummer. We are supposed to be on this cruise next week. I guess I should start preparing myself for a cruise to nowhere. 
 

Sadly the ship is now listed as yellow and is under CDC investigation. 
https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/cruise-ship-color-status.html

[Shmoo here]

4 minutes ago, Laurenran said:

I guess I should start preparing myself for a cruise to nowhere. 

Sadly, such cruises are not allowed.  Cruises from US ports have to make one foreign port call to be legal.

[trixiee]

22 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

Sadly, such cruises are not allowed.  Cruises from US ports have to make one foreign port call to be legal.

Hmm… what do you all think are the odds then of cancellation of the next couple of cruises? 

[voyageur9]

Odyssey of the Seas -- with 50+ confirmed COVID cases -- has been denied entry to two more island ports and will, per Royal Caribbean, remain at sea until this weekend when it's eight-day cruise was to end. 

 

"“The decision was made together with the islands out of an abundance of caution due to the current trend of COVID-19 cases in the destinations’ communities as well as crew and guests testing positive on board — 55 crew members and guests, representing 1.1% of the onboard community,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement. “The cruise sailed with 95% of the onboard community fully vaccinated.”

 

RC seems to be of the view that scores of people carrying a high-infectious, potentially deadly disease, is okay because it's only one percent. Perhaps I'm misreading the tone.

 

 

[nocl]

1 hour ago, Brentt_M said:

The captain was most likely surprised because, right or wrong, they have been allowing it for several weeks.

not when identified active cases are on board. Carnival ship was denied Cabo last week with 1 case.

 

In the Carnival case they would allow passengers ashore if they were tested prior to going ashore. ship declined.

 

Might be same in this case.

[GTVCRUISER]

I have cruised on a few ships that cruised into Ensenada and Victoria , did some paper work , no one got off the ship , then back to the states 

[Deep68]

40 minutes ago, nocl said:

not when identified active cases are on board. Carnival ship was denied Cabo last week with 1 case.

 

In the Carnival case they would allow passengers ashore if they were tested prior to going ashore. ship declined.

 

Might be same in this case.

Just received a letter from the captain. Apparently the Mexican authorities would allow passengers on shore that were on Holland America tours and were tested. As the ship was advised of this restriction at the last minute logistically it was not possible to make this happen. 
We are to get port taxes refunded and a $50 ship board credit and of course refund of cancelled tours.  We are now at sea cruising rather slowly. It is a gorgeous calm day.