Cruising on Norwegian Bliss and Testing Positive-- One Family's Experience

[Cruising89143]

6 minutes ago, nocl said:

Actually in all of the states you are free to return home, as long as you drive there.

 

As the OP mentioned those that had cars parked there were taken to their cars and not part of the mess.

 

The OP was not from the local area, so they were not within driving distance.  So while they might be able to get on an airplane to fly home (because no one at the airport would know) to somewhere in the US.  It would certainly not be ok until they were outside of the infectious period.  A matter of morality and ethics.

Agree. This is one reason why we would only cruise out of either San Diego or L.A at this time. We can easily drive home from the port to self quarantine if needed. A lot of misinformation being spread on some of these threads. 

[TNcruising02]

5 minutes ago, nocl said:

Just as a matter of curiosity I decided to run a little test.  I have top tier status with Hilton and IHG so I can customer relations for both and asked them the following question:

 

If I was traveling and contracted Covid and needed to quarantine do you have any program where you either keep a list of hotels that would be willing to accept someone that needed to quarantine or would be able to help find such a hotel.

 

In both cases the answer was not in the US.  That in some Asian countries there are hotels designated as quarantine hotels, but in the US each hotel in the area would have to be contacted and see if they would be willing to accept guests to quarantine.

So basically, people who don't drive to the port are dependent on the cruise line to help them with a hotel and transportation or they will have no choice but to find one for themselves without revealing their status.  I guess they can check into a hotel online or over the phone.  As far as transportation, if the cruise line doesn't help with that, would an Uber driver even want to pick up a covid positive person?  Does this force a person to expose an innocent driver to covid or they are stranded?

The cruise lines were supposed to have plans in place to help deal with covid positive people.  If the cruise line doesn't help, a person will be forced to keep their positive status quiet while fending for themselves with transportation and lodging.

[szpal]

I  appreciate  the support and empathy here. Thank you!

I did want to correct one statement in my timeline since I can't edit. The hotel the guests were supposed to be go to wasn't named in the letter they received; it was communicated by phone to some of the guests, including my kids. We were relieved when we knew which one it was.

In the Facebook group for our cruise, I had already read a horror story about testing positive at the pier. Similar in many ways to what happened to us--no help from Norwegian...left on their own. But worse than our story because their luggage took the cruise without them. 😳When they arrived at the *hotel that won't be named,* they were told their credit card would need to be pre-authorized for $4000.

Neither of our kids have a credit card that can pack anywhere near that amount. That's one of the reasons I stayed  behind in LA.

[nocl]

1 minute ago, cruisingator2 said:

Agree. This is one reason why we would only cruise out of either San Diego or L.A at this time. We can easily drive home from the port to self quarantine if needed. A lot of misinformation being spread on some of these threads. 

I am sticking to the same approach with a cruise out of LA in two weeks.

[GoldenGirl327]

11 minutes ago, susanf31 said:

Important to note that he is quarantining because he can't back into Ireland. Not because of any rules or laws in Florida.  If you live in the USA and get off a ship in Florida testing positive, you are free to return home.  I live right behind the Radisson - it's a nice hotel and near many restaurants he can walk to but I still feel badly for them.  I'm surprised Radisson is taking quarartining folks. It's the #1 hotel in the area where people stay before getting on a cruise...that's not a good mix.

Right - in countries where they have strict quarantine rules for inbound traveling, there are "quarantine hotels" specifically set up just for this situation. The whole hotel is just for quarantining passengers - it's paid for by the government.

Since the US does not test when someone comes into the country (only before they board in the originating country) the US is not set up to handle an influx of just recently tested positive cruise passengers. So I don't know why NCL gave them that paper that said they'll be met by someone and taken to a specific hotel. I think NCL should've just said upfront that if you test positive you're on your own to find a place to quarantine - even if it's at your own expense. Why should NCL reimburse you for testing positive and having to quarantine (unless the trip is cancelled or shortened by them or you have travel insurance through them )? 

[szpal]

1 hour ago, WYB! said:

Thanks for posting and I hope you son and your group are doing better now.

 

Any idea how he got infected?

 

Was there a time that he was on his own without the other members of the group and unmasked?

 

Stay well.

Great question.  The person that became ill was fully vaccinated, but not boosted.  We did everything together as a group, and that person was the only one to become ill. Thankfully!

 

[wampuscat7]

Doesn't the CSO from the CDC require cruise lines to have a housing agreement in place in home ports? 

 

So sorry your family is experiencing this, OP!

[luckyinpa]

i know it's impossible to find out but id love to hear the van drivers story after all this was done.

 

loss of work/quarantine etc etc. talk about a story over dinner! 

 

ive never flown to a cruise and this thread proves thats whats best for sure.  and based on the story told even if i flew, when i was left 'unguarded' at port with no guidance, id be outta there. im sure thousands of infected people fly every day and no one makes a deal out of it. you'd just meld into the crowd. 

[szpal]

22 minutes ago, jezabel80 said:

Quoting from the article above....".Heather Silvis, of California, said in her vaccinated and boosted family, one of her three teenage sons had a 105 degree fever, but crew members took two hours to give him a COVID-19 test and six hours to bring him medicine."

I'm in no way defending NCL,  but sorry,  why did she not bring medicine for her son.   Traveling, in these times,  or any time,  you should always have a supply of Tylenol,  Ibuprofen, cough drops, etc.   That's all they probably gave him anyway.   And definitely at least two weeks extra of prescription medicine.  I could probably supply the ship's infirmary  with all the stuff I bring.    And many times, myself, husband or our friends were grateful I brought the contents of my Medicine Cabinet with me, lol.

I also take quite a bit of medicine on board. Right now I'd really recommend it!
Norwegian supplied the Covid-positive guest a rather generous supply of medicines including a new one (sorry I don't have the name for it--I think it begins with an "A") that is supposed to shorten symptoms. As far as I can tell, they didn't charge for the medicine or the Covid tests. 👏

[Cruising89143]

17 minutes ago, wampuscat7 said:

Doesn't the CSO from the CDC require cruise lines to have a housing agreement in place in home ports? 

 

So sorry your family is experiencing this, OP!

From reading the various threads on the RCI and Celebrity boards from guests who have tested positive, the cruise lines are handling the setting up of private transfer to hotels that they have set aside to handle quarantine situations at their cost.

[szpal]

13 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

i know it's impossible to find out but id love to hear the van drivers story after all this was done.

 

loss of work/quarantine etc etc. talk about a story over dinner! 

 

ive never flown to a cruise and this thread proves thats whats best for sure.  and based on the story told even if i flew, when i was left 'unguarded' at port with no guidance, id be outta there. im sure thousands of infected people fly every day and no one makes a deal out of it. you'd just meld into the crowd. 

I've been thinking so much about these van drivers and this company. Imagine what they stepped in to there. And, I realized last night that they probably didn't get paid! Who would have paid them?

There are still great people--many really--who put kindness and care for other people ahead of themselves. These guys did everything they could to take care of their passengers in a bad situation. Two black Sprinter vans and a black party bus (I think).  If anyone has any idea who this van company might have been at the port, please let me know.

Edited January 7, 2022 by szpal

[nocl]

2 minutes ago, szpal said:

I've been thinking so much about these van drivers and this company. Imagine what they stepped in to there. And, I realized last night that they probably didn't get paid! Who would have paid them?

There are still great people--many really--who put kindness and care for other people ahead of themselves. These guys did everything they could to take care of their passengers in a bad situation. Three black sprinter vans and a black party bus (I think).  If anyone has any idea who this van company might have been at the port, please let me know.

Which port?  

[szpal]

Just now, nocl said:

Which port?  

Los Angeles - San Pedro

[wampuscat7]

20 minutes ago, cruisingator2 said:

From reading the various threads on the RCI and Celebrity boards from guests who have tested positive, the cruise lines are handling the setting up of private transfer to hotels that they have set aside to handle quarantine situations at their cost.

Yes, I've read that as well. Reading the differences between Royal's quarantine and covid procedures/experiences vs. NCL's makes me really wish we'd booked Royal instead. NCL's treatment of OP's family and the other positive passengers is appalling. 

Edited January 7, 2022 by wampuscat7

[nocl]

16 minutes ago, szpal said:

Los Angeles - San Pedro

I know some folks that work around there.  Will let you know if I can find out who handles the crew transport for NCL.

 

Do you know which hotel they were taking the crew to?

 

 

Edited January 7, 2022 by nocl

[Beer Belly]

Pretty much solidifies our group of 6 canceling. Awesome to hear everyone is doing well.

[szpal]

7 minutes ago, nocl said:

I know some folks that work around there.  Will let you know if I can find out who handles the crew transport for NCL.

 

Do you know which hotel they were taking the crew to?

 

 

Thank you! I'm not sure, but assume it was the hotel I'm not naming. I believe that's how they ended up with the wrong passengers.

[nocl]

1 hour ago, GoldenGirl327 said:

Right - in countries where they have strict quarantine rules for inbound traveling, there are "quarantine hotels" specifically set up just for this situation. The whole hotel is just for quarantining passengers - it's paid for by the government.

Since the US does not test when someone comes into the country (only before they board in the originating country) the US is not set up to handle an influx of just recently tested positive cruise passengers. So I don't know why NCL gave them that paper that said they'll be met by someone and taken to a specific hotel. I think NCL should've just said upfront that if you test positive you're on your own to find a place to quarantine - even if it's at your own expense. Why should NCL reimburse you for testing positive and having to quarantine (unless the trip is cancelled or shortened by them or you have travel insurance through them )? 

Because they stated that they would. for one reason

 

I expect that there is probably a legal obligation in the port agreements since transportation and housing of passengers needing to be quarantined was one of the key areas that the CDC indicated had to be in the port agreements before cruising restart.

 

 

[nocl]

24 minutes ago, szpal said:

Thank you! I'm not sure, but assume it was the hotel I'm not naming. I believe that's how they ended up with the wrong passengers.

I sent a note to someone that works at the port to see if they can identify the company.

[jlseymour3]

19 hours ago, ramdoggiesmom said:

I couldn’t agree more. The lack of communication by NCL is unconscionable. People will go along with the program if they are informed what the program is. It’s the unknown that angers and scares people. Very bad form from NCL. And it makes me sad having cruised NCL 15 + times in the last 10 years. Not what I would’ve expected at all.

I have to say that the bad customer service with a non-standard issue doesn't surprise me.  My BinL and I had our credit card details hacked at the bar in Cartagena, Columbia at the cruise pier, inside the gates.  Both of us had were contacted by our credit card companies before we left port.  We went down to customer service to suggest they contact the Cruise pier to take action - and they couldn't care less.  They thought we were complaining about NCL and it was impossible to get them to understand that we understood that it wasn't NCL's fault, but that they should still take action to combat fraud and theft that could impact their passengers in the future.  They didn't do it, so they didn't care.  Obviously small potatoes compared to this situation, but I'm not surprised at the callous attitude of NCL customer service.

[nocl]

2 hours ago, szpal said:

Thank you! I'm not sure, but assume it was the hotel I'm not naming. I believe that's how they ended up with the wrong passengers.

Heard back from my contact at the port.  Unfortunately they said that due to their position with the port, they cannot release the information.

[CarolinaMamma]

Thank you, OP, for sharing this helpful information. 
 

This solidifies my thinking that if we go on our cruise next week, we will drive to the port instead of flying. 
 

Let me ask you this. (NOT intending to start a debate, so I’d only like to hear from the OP on this one) Knowing what you know now,  would you cruise again if you could drive to the port? It sounds like you had a great time the first six days. 

[CarolinaMamma]

4 hours ago, JGmf said:

Lessons learned: drive to the port and don't report illness to NCL if you can avoid it.

Yep. Seems NCL is not giving people any incentive to report symptoms. Would be better to self-test and self-quarantine if you get the sniffles. We will be bringing some home tests and OTC meds if we go. 

[Snowrose]

15 hours ago, szpal said:

@cruisingguy007I appreciate that. Thank you.
My struggle all week is wondering if Norwegian "dropped the ball" or if this is typical.  Clearly they were overwhelmed on our cruise. What about other cruises this week or next? 
I believe people need solid information to make good decisions--whether they find it here or in the media. I see a lot of articles right now but not a lot of shared experiences.
I agree that it's better to be in control of the experience. And lodging! I like your thinking on that. 😀

 

Can you give an approximate number of how many people total were released this way? You said approx 30 went to the vans. How many before you all split up?

[morpheusofthesea]

17 hours ago, nangirl79 said:

As a nurse testing and working with Covid patient's, we don't wear Hazmat suits. We wear a gown, gloves, mask and goggles. Hazmat suits are overkill.

Yes, I agree it would be overkill if you are vaccinated and boostered. These workers on board are lucky if they have both vaccinations mRNA or one J&J. Most of them are not yet boostered, and they are petrified, the hazmat suits are just 'lipstick' for their psyche.