Zuiderdam Quarantine

[highscar]

I guess I’ll pack lots of knitting and crochet supplies for next cruise. 

[DaveOKC]

I guess the concept of booking at least a Verandah cabin in case of catching COVID is not working - you get a verandah anyway if you catch it.

 

[IPB4IGO]

1 minute ago, DaveOKC said:

I guess the concept of booking at least a Verandah cabin in case of catching COVID is not working - you get a verandah anyway if you catch it.

 

Well, there are inside cabins in the quarantine sections of the ship, but that would be cruel.

[seaoma]

2 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

I guess the concept of booking at least a Verandah cabin in case of catching COVID is not working - you get a verandah anyway if you catch it.

 

 

Let's just say it doesn't appear to matter what cabin you book, you're going to be moved to a quarantine cabin.

 

@IPB4IGO So far, I don't think HAL has moved anyone to an inside, but I've read some of the other cruise lines have. I agree that it would be cruel. I'm wondering if it's an indication of how many people they have in QT? I would imagine that once they've filled the Verandah cabins in the QT section, that they may start filling the Insides rather than beginning another QT hallway.

 

This entire cruising situation right now is not for the faint of heart.

[CHK]

Thank you for all of the information on quarantine! I have one question: what kind of cabin were you booked in before being put in quarantine? We are booked on the Nieuw Statendam for a 21 day cruise in February--and we booked a Veranda Cabin specifically because of the worry over quarantine. But would they move us to another cabin in the "quarantine section" if one of us were ill? And what about your partner if not travelling alone.? I'm assuming they'd have to quarantine as well--right?

[NMCruiser123]

8 minutes ago, CHK said:

Thank you for all of the information on quarantine! I have one question: what kind of cabin were you booked in before being put in quarantine? We are booked on the Nieuw Statendam for a 21 day cruise in February--and we booked a Veranda Cabin specifically because of the worry over quarantine. But would they move us to another cabin in the "quarantine section" if one of us were ill? And what about your partner if not travelling alone.? I'm assuming they'd have to quarantine as well--right?

I was booked in the exact same cabin category…standard full view veranda.  You would definitely move to the quarantine section if you came down with COVID as they have set up the airflow differently to not circulate within the ship in the quarantine section.  I know this because I asked why my room was so warm.

 

My quarantine neighbor said his wife tested negative and wasn’t required to quarantine so she is still in the original stateroom.  She is out enjoying the town today.  I was surprised about that

Edited January 7, 2022 by NMCruiser123

[julia]

Well yaaaaaaay on the alcohol delivery!  Would you mind sharing your first name?  It may help as we keep you company during this crazy time!

[NMCruiser123]

12 minutes ago, julia said:

Well yaaaaaaay on the alcohol delivery!  Would you mind sharing your first name?  It may help as we keep you company during this crazy time!

I know…I just ordered 4 glasses of wine (I said feel free to throw them all in the same container if it makes it easier!).  I also discovered the the table in the cabin is heavy enough to use as an exercise weight...awkwardly.  Hopefully I won’t drop it on my face.  Do you think if I asked very nicely they would bring me a dumbbell from the gym?  

 

Would prefer not to share my name, but I am very appreciative of the company!

[KirkNC]

1 hour ago, dchip said:

Is that a promise??? 😂

Yes but it must be a reciprocal arrangement!

[KirkNC]

58 minutes ago, IPB4IGO said:

Well, there are inside cabins in the quarantine sections of the ship, but that would be cruel.

I wonder if they use those for crew.  It would be an upgrade for them.

[ger_77]

8 minutes ago, NMCruiser123 said:

I know…I just ordered 4 glasses of wine (I said feel free to throw them all in the same container if it makes it easier!).  

Good information to know . . . yay!!!   I think instead of bringing knitting, I'd tuck in a cross stitch project - they take little space and can take a lot of time to complete, even on a lovely balcony.  I'd also bring my iPad that already has nearly 1,000 books on it.

 

You could ask to have the daily crossword and/or sudoku delivered to your cabin.  If you don't ask, you don't get.

 

Good luck with your quarantine - I'm glad you have a friendly neighbour.  Perhaps you could find out who "lives" next to him and you could do a group chat.

 

Smooth Sailing!  

[Norseh2o]

Thank you for sharing this quarantine experience.  We are all interested in your well-being.  And especially glad that you have a balcony!  😀  

[highland cruiser]

Appreciate you taking the time to post and your positive attitude will get you through this.  Great news about being able to use your beverage package.  It both myself and DH were in quarantine for anytime in the same cabin..no matter what size...we would definitely need our wine!!  Will be following your posts and know that we will be giving you all the encouragement you need to get thru this.

 

[madera1]

Thank you for sharing this quarantine experience with us. I am glad you are feeling ok and hope that communication from those of us on CC will provide some comforting thoughts. I would encourage you to spend as many daylight hours as possible on your balcony to get fresh air and perhaps continue conversations with your neighbors.

[nagsheadbeachbum]

So do I undertand correctly that if another member sharing the same initial room tests negative, then they can stay in that room? 

If I tested positive I would hope they would let me negative tested spouse stay with me. Do you know if this is an option?

 

[dchip]

49 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

Yes but it must be a reciprocal arrangement!

Absolutely!!!!!

[LumeyJrs]

An amazing story.  Thank you for sharing.  We weren't even aware that they are testing to get through the canal.  I hope it's either a false positive or your symptoms are minimal.

We are on the Zuiderdam next week, heading East to West.  Watching this thread enthusiastically.  It's the reason I finally created an account here on CC after lurking for so long ...

Is it an "outbreak" that is affecting other events on the ship?  Is anything getting cancelled?

 

[NMCruiser123]

25 minutes ago, LumeyJrs said:

An amazing story.  Thank you for sharing.  We weren't even aware that they are testing to get through the canal.  I hope it's either a false positive or your symptoms are minimal.

We are on the Zuiderdam next week, heading East to West.  Watching this thread enthusiastically.  It's the reason I finally created an account here on CC after lurking for so long ...

Is it an "outbreak" that is affecting other events on the ship?  Is anything getting cancelled?

 

Great question.  Of course I don’t know, but I will say that a couple of the bars were never opened for the 4 days that I was able to explore them.  This could have either been due to crew shortage, a lower capacity of guests, or both.  Nothing else has been cancelled, but one of our ports (Guatemala? I forget and am now not nearly as invested as I was in caring about that) has refused us entry due to COVID onboard so we have an additional port added in Mexico to replace it.

 

1 hour ago, nagsheadbeachbum said:

So do I undertand correctly that if another member sharing the same initial room tests negative, then they can stay in that room? 

If I tested positive I would hope they would let me negative tested spouse stay with me. Do you know if this is an option?

 

I believe it is an option, but consider that choice carefully if it happens to you.  I’d give anything to have my partner with me right now, but 225 feet of square space for 10 days and limited distractions might test even the most loving couple!

 

We just pulled out of port…that was entertaining to watch from up close.  I don’t usually pay nearly so much attention to the procedure.  On our way further south…slowly slowly…to the canal…and then slowly slowly slowly…to my freedom.

[TiogaCruiser]

Welcome to Cruise Critic, and the HAL forum.

 

So sorry to hear that you are in quarantine. Have you visited the “Daily”? A bunch of fun and caring people hang out there. You will find lots of laughs and comradary (sp) there. Each morning, Rich posts the report and the “Food & Beverage Dept. Adds recipes & reviews for the meal, cocktail & wine of the day. And announces the Port of the Day, and where the real fleet is. We’ve been sharing our virtual cruise since the shut down. 
 

I’ll be back in a moment with today’s link.

 

3 hours ago, syesmar said:

@NMCruiser123 I’m a bit surprised they wouldn’t have some sort of quarantine packet of information, as this is no doubt a stressful situation. Here’s what their website has regarding their responsibilities to passengers who test positive, under “On Board”: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/worry-free-promise/COVID-19-protection-program.html

“On Board:

1. FCC worth 100% of the per-day cruise fare for the missed days and a refundable credit to their onboard account for missed pre-paid onboard experiences and shore excursions purchased through cruise line, and for the refundable portion of taxes, fees, and port expenses for ports visited after disembarkation.
2. Onboard COVID-related medical center visits and testing of suspected COVID-19 cases will be free of charge.”

There’s additional Shoreside and General information in the link, as well.

 

Know that we all care and are wishing you the best!

EDIT: @iflyrc5your post wasn’t there when I started composing, sorry for the double info:>)

Agree. It really would be good for HAL to put together a “welcome to quarantine” packet. And maybe provide some suggestions for distractions: ie: OFFER to deliver the crossword puzzle, soduko, maybe even provide some larger jigsaw puzzles ( they are inexpensive and can be disposed of at the end of quarantine).

On a longer term plan, HALs PR department could print up a HAL puzzle. It could be sold to the general population on the ship, and given to those who want them in quarantine. If cost is a factor, the proceeds of sales could cover for the (donation) of freebies for those in quarantine. 

 

Edited January 7, 2022 by TiogaCruiser

[seaoma]

3 minutes ago, NMCruiser123 said:

I believe it is an option, but consider that choice carefully if it happens to you.  I’d give anything to have my partner with me right now, but 225 feet of square space for 10 days and limited distractions might test even the most loving couple!

 

Some very good advice here!

[NMCruiser123]

22 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Welcome to Cruise Critic, and the HAL forum.

 

So sorry to hear that you are in quarantine. Have you visited the “Daily”? A bunch of fun and caring people hang out there. You will find lots of laughs and comradary (sp) there. Each morning, Rich posts the report and the “Food & Beverage Dept. Adds recipes & reviews for the meal, cocktail & wine of the day. And announces the Port of the Day, and where the real fleet is. We’ve been sharing our virtual cruise since the shut down. 
 

I’ll be back in a moment with today’s link.

 

Agree. It really would be good for HAL to put together a “welcome to quarantine” packet. And maybe provide some suggestions for distractions: ie: OFFER to deliver the crossword puzzle, soduko, maybe even provide some larger jigsaw puzzles ( they are inexpensive and can be disposed of at the end of quarantine).

On a longer term plan, HALs PR department could print up a HAL puzzle. It could be sold to the general population on the ship, and given to those who want them in quarantine. If cost is a factor, the proceeds of sales could cover for the (donation) of freebies for those in quarantine. 

 

Thanks for the advice.  I agree…transitioning to the quarantine experience is very abrupt and unsettling, and comes with minimal information and support.  Well, the medical support I’m sure is available if I needed it, but there seems to be very little thought to the well-being of the quarantine guests beyond their basic needs (nutrition and hygiene.)  I don’t always attend the shows and events onboard, but I desperately wish they were live-streamed now as I have seen them do on Princess.  And every time the cruise and entertainment director comes on the PA to tell me about the highlights of the entertainment onboard tonight…well…that just kills me.  Besides being able to order alcohol, I very much feel like I am a patient onboard now, no longer a guest.  In fact I asked for a slightly unique item to be brought to my room today, if possible (a small ask).  The answer was no, but the explanation was “those are for the guests.”

 

 

[TiogaCruiser]

11 minutes ago, NMCruiser123 said:

 And every time the cruise and entertainment director comes on the PA to tell me about the highlights of the entertainment onboard tonight…well…that just kills me.  Besides being able to order alcohol, I very much feel like I am a patient onboard now, no longer a guest.  In fact I asked for a slightly unique item to be brought to my room today, if possible (a small ask).  The answer was no, but the explanation was “those are for the guests.”

 

 

Ouch! Sounds like HAL has some work to do with at least ONE staff member realizing who “guests” are. I would have hoped they would have stepped up to “graciousness” of the service for those in quarantine. But maybe that (gracious) went away with the Signature of Excellence did. 
 

 

Being you are new to the CC community, and you have a wee bit of time, you might enjoy this classic thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2741707-how-do-an-87-and-89-year-old-get-home-from-freemantle/

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5233/

 

Does anyone have other classic links to share with OP?

Edited January 7, 2022 by TiogaCruiser

[IPB4IGO]

3 hours ago, KirkNC said:

I wonder if they use those for crew.  It would be an upgrade for them.

I don't know if they are giving them inside cabins but I'm pretty sure there are crew members in quarantine. I saw them delivering box meals into the quarantine area on the second day of the cruise.

[voyageur9]

OP: Seems probable to me that HAL doesn't want you, nor others who are quarantined, nor the rest of the passengers and probably not the outside world, to know how many are infected.

 

But ... do you have a sense from the size of the quarantine section and/or how many of those cabins are occupied.

 

A few, more than a dozen, dozens?

 

Is it possible to estimate?

[Btimmer]

I am sorry to hear about your situation.  We are on the cruise with you and I have an active thread (Btimmer Almost Live . . ) going which has pictures of our activities that you might be interested in living vicariously through.  If you need anything acquired in port, let me know and how we might get it to you.  Private message me or email me at tkbowman at gmail dot com.

 

Tim

Edited January 7, 2022 by Btimmer