85 Cruise Ships under CDC Investigation for Covid Outbreaks

[Forecheck]

https://www.axios.com/over-85-cruise-ships-under-cdc-investigation-following-covid-outbreaks-7f2e4e4a-4744-418c-9982-917837082f24.html

 

Not to be negative , however - it is what it is and it seems some of the news on CC is being buried.

Edited December 28, 2021 by Forecheck

[CanEcosse]

Given how easily and widely that Omicron is spreading, this is not surprising. These ships are in the CDC "Yellow Ship Criteria":

Ship is at or above CDC’s investigation threshold:

Cases reported in 0.10% or more of passengers (e.g., if 6500* passengers on board, CDC’s investigation threshold is met if there are 7 or more cases among passengers occurring during the previous 7 days)

[Fouremco]

18 minutes ago, Forecheck said:

Not to be negative , however - it is what it is and it seems some of the news on CC is being buried.

Could you expand on this? I'm not seeing CC "burying" news related to COVID as long as it relates to cruising. There have been posts/threads deleted that have contravened the guidelines (see the red banner at the top of the page), but I think that the boards contain a huge amount of COVID-related news.

[Forecheck]

Some have mentioned ( Especially on the Royal Board ).. How their posts have been deleted... Personally believe this is BS as this is what these boards are all about - Sharing of information to fellow cruisers  ... If posts are being scrutinized then I think that's Wrong ....

[Ginnyfyr]

1 hour ago, CanEcosse said:

Given how easily and widely that Omicron is spreading, this is not surprising. These ships are in the CDC "Yellow Ship Criteria":

Ship is at or above CDC’s investigation threshold:

Cases reported in 0.10% or more of passengers (e.g., if 6500* passengers on board, CDC’s investigation threshold is met if there are 7 or more cases among passengers occurring during the previous 7 days)

I think all the cruise lines are doing a great job of responsibly managing positive cases. Of course they are going to happen with Omicron, but gone are the early days of the pandemic where you were having huge outbreaks and deaths on board. If Symphony of the Seas only had 48 positives out of 6000 guests, I think that's an excellent indication that they are on top of things and are diligent about isolating positive or suspected positive cases. 

[Fouremco]

10 minutes ago, Forecheck said:

Some have mentioned ( Especially on the Royal Board ).. How their posts have been deleted... Personally believe this is BS as this is what these boards are all about - Sharing of information to fellow cruisers  ... If posts are being scrutinized then I think that's Wrong ....

Posts can be deleted for a wide variety of reasons. We all have to stay within the rules or risk having a post deleted; I've no problem with that. Most posts that are deleted a glaring in their breach of the rules and it's easy to predict their demise. People unhappy with the way CC runs things are always welcome to seek out other discussion groups, but I think that you'll find far more valuable information available right here on CC.

[edrussell]

Given the rate of spread it was inevitable that cruise ships would have cases.  They had cases before the newest variant became a 'thing' and when you compare the previous variant in terms of how easily it spread to the current one the percentages about line up.  Of course cruise ships with any outbreak make great clickbait and fodder for the 'media' as they had no stories to report on until recently.  This just gets them eyeballs which is their focus.  

 

We all know cruise ships are going to be in the spotlight, but even a casual observer can see that it is impacting all sides of the travel and leisure space.  

 

 

 

 

[broberts]

2 hours ago, Forecheck said:

Some have mentioned ( Especially on the Royal Board ).. How their posts have been deleted... Personally believe this is BS as this is what these boards are all about - Sharing of information to fellow cruisers  ... If posts are being scrutinized then I think that's Wrong ....

 

I suspect that sometimes people lose track of their posts. With hot topics the threads get long and often there are multiple similar threads.

 

[ski ww]

Makes you think, do I really want to go on a cruise at this time?? With all the testing pre & post cruise/flight, wearing masks while on board, stops been cancelled because countries don't want cruise ships with out breaks spreading the infection. Not the way I want to spent my vacation. 

[hancogran]

3 minutes ago, ski ww said:

Makes you think, do I really want to go on a cruise at this time?? With all the testing pre & post cruise/flight, wearing masks while on board, stops been cancelled because countries don't want cruise ships with out breaks spreading the infection. Not the way I want to spent my vacation. 

👍 +1 .. I feel the very same way.  As bad as I want to cruise, all the testing, masks, etc. are enough to stop me from booking.  We're staying optimistic that our October cruise will be more "normal".  

[lesters]

2 hours ago, ski ww said:

Makes you think, do I really want to go on a cruise at this time?? With all the testing pre & post cruise/flight, wearing masks while on board, stops been cancelled because countries don't want cruise ships with out breaks spreading the infection. Not the way I want to spent my vacation. 

Agreed. We made the sad decision to cancel our February cruise.  Too much up in the air right now.  
 

Now really looking forward to the September booking.  

[A&L_Ont]

16 hours ago, edrussell said:

Of course cruise ships with any outbreak make great clickbait and fodder for the 'media' as they had no stories to report on until recently.  This just gets them eyeballs which is their focus. 

Twitter and FB news feeds are having a run of these stories the last few days.  The reader comments are extremely uninformed, but it’s getting the clicks the media wants. I just read the comments and continue on.

[melbrook]

6 hours ago, ski ww said:

Makes you think, do I really want to go on a cruise at this time?? With all the testing pre & post cruise/flight, wearing masks while on board, stops been cancelled because countries don't want cruise ships with out breaks spreading the infection. Not the way I want to spent my vacation. 

 

While I agree this not how I "want" to spend my vacation - I also don't want to go through year 3 or even 4 without one.  I read an interesting article about Covid quite likely being around at least another 2 years and that ultimately we need to learn to live with it.  For me that means factoring in vaccines, tests, masks, bubbles an awareness of crowds etc. for the foreseeable future.  We did it for the first time in October at an AI for a week and it was weird but much needed.  I'm not going to throw caution to the wind and be reckless but I can wear masks a bit longer, restrict certain things a if I need to.

 

10 years ago this week my mom died suddenly of a brain aneurysm just a month past her 60th birthday.  I am now 50 and I feel a clock ticking away at how little time I may have left.  I made all the sacrifices and followed every rule for almost 2 years now - I feel the need to find a balance that lets me stay as safe as I can (for perspective I have worked every day in a high traffic bank and have been in constant contact with the public since March 2020 so I feel exposed daily) while living my life.  My DH and I were travelling 4x a year, seeing the world and we are anxious to get back (as you all are).  

 

Its not judgement on my part; just my perspective.  I would rather wear a mask on a ship then not sail, I have been on cruises that skipped a port due to weather, I have missed flights due to issues with the plane or the crew.  No vacation is guaranteed to go smoothly.  I think what's great on this board is the respect we all have for one another.  I cancelled and postponed 7 trips the past 2 years so I know the pain of making the call.  I still may have to make it myself in 2 weeks if the border tightens or the testing becomes impossible to secure.  Sadly I now pay extra for the privilege of changing tickets and cancelling plans.  Is that the new normal?

 

I feel for all of us agonizing over these decisions - exact opposite of the usual vacation planning vibes.

[Briansbrain]

Thank you for your perspective.. I think you have put into words how my husband and I are feeling.. we are going on our Holland cruise Jan 16…

[Cruiser_SJEL]

On 12/29/2021 at 12:57 PM, melbrook said:

 

While I agree this not how I "want" to spend my vacation - I also don't want to go through year 3 or even 4 without one.  I read an interesting article about Covid quite likely being around at least another 2 years and that ultimately we need to learn to live with it.  For me that means factoring in vaccines, tests, masks, bubbles an awareness of crowds etc. for the foreseeable future.  We did it for the first time in October at an AI for a week and it was weird but much needed.  I'm not going to throw caution to the wind and be reckless but I can wear masks a bit longer, restrict certain things a if I need to.

 

10 years ago this week my mom died suddenly of a brain aneurysm just a month past her 60th birthday.  I am now 50 and I feel a clock ticking away at how little time I may have left.  I made all the sacrifices and followed every rule for almost 2 years now - I feel the need to find a balance that lets me stay as safe as I can (for perspective I have worked every day in a high traffic bank and have been in constant contact with the public since March 2020 so I feel exposed daily) while living my life.  My DH and I were travelling 4x a year, seeing the world and we are anxious to get back (as you all are).  

 

Its not judgement on my part; just my perspective.  I would rather wear a mask on a ship then not sail, I have been on cruises that skipped a port due to weather, I have missed flights due to issues with the plane or the crew.  No vacation is guaranteed to go smoothly.  I think what's great on this board is the respect we all have for one another.  I cancelled and postponed 7 trips the past 2 years so I know the pain of making the call.  I still may have to make it myself in 2 weeks if the border tightens or the testing becomes impossible to secure.  Sadly I now pay extra for the privilege of changing tickets and cancelling plans.  Is that the new normal?

 

I feel for all of us agonizing over these decisions - exact opposite of the usual vacation planning vibes.

Thank you for putting this into perspective.  Even with the CDC’s latest advisory, we are still planning on going on our cruise on the 9th of January.  The way I look at it, its so bad here in Ontario that the risk of staying home is the same, if not greater, then going on our cruise.

[*Miss G*]

I’m just going to copy what I said on another board:

 

I am not cancelling any cruises I have booked.  I did one a couple of weeks ago and everything was fine.  I almost felt normal.  Final payment has been made for a TA in March.  In October I have a river cruise followed by a TA.  Unless *they* dictate otherwise, I am going.  I am at the point, now, where this virus feels like it’s going to be a seasonal flu thing, and if I get my shot I minimize the chances of it killing me.  If it does kill me… well… I guess that’s how I will leave the planet.

 

Having said the above, however, I have not and would not choose to sail on a line where they do not require passengers to be fully vaccinated and mask-wearing is optional.  That is a no-go for me.

[DHP1]

U.S. CDC warns against cruises, regardless of vaccination status
Published Dec. 30, 2021 3:50 p.m. ET

 

MIAMI -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned people on Thursday not to go on cruises, regardless of their vaccination status, because of onboard outbreaks fueled by the omicron variant.

The CDC said it has more than 90 cruise ships under investigation or observation as a result of COVID-19 cases. The agency did not disclose the number of infections.

The CDC also recommended that cruise passengers get tested and quarantine for five days after docking, regardless of their vaccination status and even if they have no symptoms.

[*Miss G*]

2 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

I’m just going to copy what I said on another board:

 

 

I am not cancelling any cruises I have booked.  I did one a couple of weeks ago and everything was fine.  I almost felt normal.  Final payment has been made for a TA in March.  In October I have a river cruise followed by a TA.  Unless *they* dictate otherwise, I am going.  I am at the point, now, where this virus feels like it’s going to be a seasonal flu thing, and if I get my shot I minimize the chances of it killing me.  If it does kill me… well… I guess that’s how I will leave the planet.

 

Having said the above, however, I have not and would not choose to sail on a line where they do not require passengers to be fully vaccinated and mask-wearing is optional.  That is a no-go for me.

 

That’s weird.  I thought I posted this to the Will You Cancel thread.  🤔

[Fouremco]

7 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

That’s weird.  I thought I posted this to the Will You Cancel thread.  🤔

Been there; done that. Too much thread hopping! 😇