Does the CDC's recently announced cruise warning impact your decision to cruise?

[navybankerteacher]

12 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

Beware of knockoffs from Canal St.

But, that's where you get all the good stuff ---- real cheap!

[hucifer]

On 1/5/2022 at 6:28 PM, Keksie said:

I don't pay any attention to what the CDC says about anything.  I won't cruise at this time because of all the protocols which would make it a not enjoyable vacation.  

 

On 1/5/2022 at 7:07 PM, pc_load_letter said:

I don't care what the CDC says. If a cruise line announced tomorrow that they were going to have maskless cruises...I would be booking.

Y'all are my kind of people. Totally agree.

[evandbob]

The CDC's warning is just 1 of many factors that go into our cruising decision making processes.  Conditions in the ports, mitigation efforts of each cruise line, vax requirements, present viral trends, actual cruisers experiences, etc., all get examined and weighed before we book a sailing. And then, the usual cost and itinerary evaluation of different ships and cruise lines comes into play

 

We cruised 3 times in Sept, Oct and Nov of 2021, and have 3 bookings in March, Oct & Nov 2022 and 1 in 2023.  

[iancal]

No.

[SelectSys]

Now with all the news on omicron creating lots of immunity I would expect that the CDC will follow the lead of other countries in dropping these kinds of things.  Time to cruise!

[slidergirl]

10 minutes ago, SelectSys said:

Now with all the news on omicron creating lots of immunity I would expect that the CDC will follow the lead of other countries in dropping these kinds of things.  Time to cruise!

The US is geographically much larger than most of those countries loosening restrictions.   Until the entire country cools off would I expect things to change.   Kind of like Beijing - it's supposedly a "closed bubble within a bubble" for athletes yet a bunch have popped positive..

[SelectSys]

15 minutes ago, slidergirl said:

The US is geographically much larger than most of those countries loosening restrictions.   Until the entire country cools off would I expect things to change.   Kind of like Beijing - it's supposedly a "closed bubble within a bubble" for athletes yet a bunch have popped positive..

It is cooling off in the US and further restrictions aren't serving too much purpose.  I am vaccinated and boosted.  I have been exposed to Omicron multiple times without severe impact.  This story supports my opinion based on the reported data.

https://www.axios.com/omicron-cases-deaths-vaccines-us-d52d9142-599a-45c2-9b57-14e58b97d191.html

• The risk of dying from COVID is 60 times higher for unvaccinated people than it is for people who are vaccinated and boosted, according to the CDC's most recent data.
• A more recent study in the U.K. suggested that a booster cuts the risk of death by about 95%, compared to being unvaccinated.

 

For me, it's time to cruise!   Others are free to make their own decisions based on their own risk assessment.  

 

Continued US restrictions will only cause me to spend money elsewhere - maybe Norway or Denmark in the spring!

 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2022 by SelectSys

[slidergirl]

2 minutes ago, SelectSys said:

It is cooling off in the US and further restrictions aren't serving too much purpose.  I am vaccinated and boosted.  I have been exposed to Omicron multiple times without severe impact.  This story supports my opinion based on the reported data.

https://www.axios.com/omicron-cases-deaths-vaccines-us-d52d9142-599a-45c2-9b57-14e58b97d191.html

• The risk of dying from COVID is 60 times higher for unvaccinated people than it is for people who are vaccinated and boosted, according to the CDC's most recent data.
• A more recent study in the U.K. suggested that a booster cuts the risk of death by about 95%, compared to being unvaccinated.

 

For me, it's time to cruise!   Others are free to make their own decisions based on their own risk assessment.  

 

Continued US restrictions will only cause me to spend money elsewhere - maybe Norway or Denmark in the spring!

 

 

 

Your experience is anecdotal.  Your personal experience can't say no one else on the cruise is going to come on and asymptomatically  infect some who may not be as lucky as you and do get sick, possibly not mild.   Remember - it's the whole of the population, not just you.  And,  deaths aren't a valid way to count with Omicron as much as the level of illness one gets and how many pop positive.   My own anecdote: 2 of us at work (3 total) have been vax'd and boosted.  Yet we both got the "O" - she got it first and passed it on to me.  First tests were negative - deemed "flu", but second test popped positive.  We work in a condo project in a major winter resort town where we have thousands of visitors from around the US and internationally.  We most likely caught it from a guest.  We were both sick  - fever, cough, nausea.  Enough to feel like crap and not want to go anywhere if we could.   

[Keksie]

14 minutes ago, slidergirl said:

Your experience is anecdotal.  Your personal experience can't say no one else on the cruise is going to come on and asymptomatically  infect some who may not be as lucky as you and do get sick, possibly not mild.   Remember - it's the whole of the population, not just you.  And,  deaths aren't a valid way to count with Omicron as much as the level of illness one gets and how many pop positive.   My own anecdote: 2 of us at work (3 total) have been vax'd and boosted.  Yet we both got the "O" - she got it first and passed it on to me.  First tests were negative - deemed "flu", but second test popped positive.  We work in a condo project in a major winter resort town where we have thousands of visitors from around the US and internationally.  We most likely caught it from a guest.  We were both sick  - fever, cough, nausea.  Enough to feel like crap and not want to go anywhere if we could.   

But I thought everyone had to wear masks at your condo and that you always wore your mask at work.   

[SelectSys]

19 minutes ago, slidergirl said:

Remember - it's the whole of the population, not just you. 

Of course - I assume you read my statement that everyone needs to make their own risk assessment?  I am only speaking for myself.

 

20 minutes ago, slidergirl said:

We were both sick  - fever, cough, nausea.  Enough to feel like crap and not want to go anywhere if we could.

Bummer.  The "silver lining" is that you now have even more immunity!  My suggestion to you would be to get on out there and don't waste your newly acquired immunity boost!  

 

Again for me it's time to cruise.  I wish you well in your own decision making process.

 

[SelectSys]

20 minutes ago, Keksie said:

But I thought everyone had to wear masks at your condo and that you always wore your mask at work.   

 

We all know that nothing is 100% effective.  I assume @slidergirl and her office mates were just unlucky.  The CDC has looked at the relative protection level of various kinds of masks.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7106e1.htm

Edited February 4, 2022 by SelectSys

[slidergirl]

29 minutes ago, SelectSys said:

 

We all know that nothing is 100% effective.  I assume @slidergirl and her office mates were just unlucky.  The CDC has looked at the relative protection level of various kinds of masks.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7106e1.htm

Yes, we all wear KN95 (properly fitted) masks in here and we make our guests wear masks.  Some bozo pulled off our mask sign in our elevator last night - probably one of the kids from FL who gave my co-worker hassles for having to mask up 😉. 

 I had the big, bad COVID back when it started.  My immunity didn't last all that long.  When they finally had antibody tests available, my PCP gave one to me 5 month later and it was antibody-less.   Not lucky at all all of us.  

Edited February 5, 2022 by slidergirl

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, SelectSys said:

It is cooling off in the US and further restrictions aren't serving too much purpose.  I am vaccinated and boosted.  I have been exposed to Omicron multiple times without severe impact.  This story supports my opinion based on the reported data.

https://www.axios.com/omicron-cases-deaths-vaccines-us-d52d9142-599a-45c2-9b57-14e58b97d191.html

• The risk of dying from COVID is 60 times higher for unvaccinated people than it is for people who are vaccinated and boosted, according to the CDC's most recent data.
• A more recent study in the U.K. suggested that a booster cuts the risk of death by about 95%, compared to being unvaccinated.

 

For me, it's time to cruise!   Others are free to make their own decisions based on their own risk assessment.  

 

Continued US restrictions will only cause me to spend money elsewhere - maybe Norway or Denmark in the spring!

 

 

 

Go and cruise - there are lots of options -- just don't argue with people who are interested in protecting themselves --- AND OTHERS.

[SelectSys]

Just now, navybankerteacher said:

Go and cruise - there are lots of options -- just don't argue with people who are interested in protecting themselves --- AND OTHERS.

I am not arguing with anyone.   Please show me how?  If you read my response, I said that everyone needs to make their own risk assessment.   

 

What's interesting is that I picked my return to cruise date - late April 2022 - over a year ago based on the 1918 experience.  This guess looks to be panning out, but of course things can still change.  I am actually thinking of accelerating my return and picking up a local cruise even sooner.

 

BTW - No need for using caps as my understanding of the internet is that the use of caps indicates that someone is yelling.  Do you feel a need to yell at me? Why? Are you upset with my posts?  Do you find them unreasonable? just curious...

[SelectSys]

26 minutes ago, slidergirl said:

Yes, we all wear KN95 (properly fitted) masks in here and we make our guests wear masks.  Some bozo pulled off our mask sign in our elevator last night - probably one of the kids from FL who gave my co-worker hassles for having to mask up 😉. 

 I had the big, bad COVID back when it started.  My immunity didn't last all that long.  When they finally had antibody tests available, my PCP gave one to me 5 month later and it was antibody-less.   Not lucky at all all of us.  

Bummer, you really have had a tough go.  I have heard that Omicron is sufficiently different so that breakthrough cases are quite common.  Same for the vaccines relative to other variants.  Hopefully COVID keeps evolving to something less harmful.

Edited February 5, 2022 by SelectSys

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, SelectSys said:

I am not arguing with anyone.   Please show me how?  If you read my response, I said that everyone needs to make their own risk assessment.   

 

What's interesting is that I picked my return to cruise date - late April 2022 - over a year ago based on the 1918 experience.  This guess looks to be panning out, but of course things can still change.  I am actually thinking of accelerating my return and picking up a local cruise even sooner.

 

BTW - No need for using caps as my understanding of the internet is that the use of caps indicates that someone is yelling.  Do you feel a need to yell at me? Why? Are you upset with my posts?  Do you find them unreasonable? just curious...

Yes, as a matter of fact I do find at least some of your posts unreasonable -such as your contention that "...restrictions aren't serving too much purpose."  and that "...everyone needs to make their own risk assessment."

 

Leaving "risk assessment" up to "everyone" certainly does reduce the effect of precautions -- by making them less effective by being less widely taken.

[SelectSys]

3 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Yes, as a matter of fact I do find at least some of your posts unreasonable -such as your contention that "...restrictions aren't serving too much purpose."  and that "...everyone needs to make their own risk assessment."

 

Leaving "risk assessment" up to "everyone" certainly does reduce the effect of precautions -- by making them less effective by being less widely taken.

 

Good enough - we can agree to disagree.  I believe that people can make their own decisions at this point regarding travel.  I am not sure what you believe in this regard..

 

You also misstated what I said about restrictions.  I simply said that I will spend my travel money where restrictions are less prevalent.  That said,  I do believe that that travel restrictions given the level of vaccinations, treatments, immunity, virus evolution, etc are showing diminishing returns in terms of effectiveness.  it seems that more and more countries agree with me in that they  are dropping/reducing restrictions - especially Scandinavia.  Another is example is that the UK no longer requires tests for vaccinated travelers.  

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/01/24/uk-lifts-travel-restrictions-testing-requirement/

For fully vaccinated travelers, crossing into England will soon be a bit easier. British Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said Monday that people who meet that criteria will no longer have to take a coronavirus test within two days of entering the country, beginning at 4 a.m. on Feb. 11.

“Of course, we know that covid can spring surprises,” he said. “But everybody now should feel confident about booking holidays and business trips and visits to family and friends abroad.”

 

Just curious - what is your "all clear signal" that it is safe to cruise/travel?   

Edited February 5, 2022 by SelectSys

[KirkNC]

No

[slidergirl]

I think I already said this, but again:  we're not going by deaths right now as much as tests and infections to determine how good/bad the "O" still is.   Just because the death rate is dropping it does not mean people can't get infected and potentially get seriously ill or just asymptomatic.   A little while longer please.  Don't want to see another repeat of this summer ("it's going away, lets get rid of all restrictions" followed by "oops, it's back, mask up and distance please").

 

I've traveled around the West all Summer long, wearing a mask.  Even the National Parks I went to required masking.  For me, it did nothing to distract from my activities and enjoyment.  I'm sorry that so many feel a mask takes away.  

[Keksie]

15 minutes ago, slidergirl said:

I think I already said this, but again:  we're not going by deaths right now as much as tests and infections to determine how good/bad the "O" still is.   Just because the death rate is dropping it does not mean people can't get infected and potentially get seriously ill or just asymptomatic.   A little while longer please.  Don't want to see another repeat of this summer ("it's going away, lets get rid of all restrictions" followed by "oops, it's back, mask up and distance please").

 

I've traveled around the West all Summer long, wearing a mask.  Even the National Parks I went to required masking.  For me, it did nothing to distract from my activities and enjoyment.  I'm sorry that so many feel a mask takes away.  

It must just be some National Parks.  We were at Mt. Rushmore and Devil's Tower last summer and didn't need to wear masks.  I am glad there are parks for everyone.  Some with masks required and some without.  

[CPT Trips]

19 minutes ago, slidergirl said:

I think I already said this, but again:  we're not going by deaths right now as much as tests and infections to determine how good/bad the "O" still is.   Just because the death rate is dropping it does not mean people can't get infected and potentially get seriously ill or just asymptomatic.   A little while longer please.  Don't want to see another repeat of this summer ("it's going away, lets get rid of all restrictions" followed by "oops, it's back, mask up and distance please").

 

I've traveled around the West all Summer long, wearing a mask.  Even the National Parks I went to required masking.  For me, it did nothing to distract from my activities and enjoyment.  I'm sorry that so many feel a mask takes away.  

I’m not sure cases is the best metric at this point in time since a lot of the infections are not very serious and also cases are dropping.
Hospitalizations and deaths mean more to me. Hospitalizations are falling, as expected when cases fall, and lagging behind the case drop.

Deaths are still climbing; maybe starting to level off. But they haven’t stared dropping yet.

I am puzzled by some many people won’t participate in certain activities they used to enjoy because they fear wearing a mask. But that’s their choice.