What happens if you test Covid positive after several days on board?

[MJN1]

Apologies if this has been covered in one of the many recent cruise reviews, but can someone please tell me what protocol SB follows if a passenger tests positive during a cruise?

We heard a complaint that SB (actively ?) discouraged passengers on cruises last summer in the Greek Islands to wear masks, as this was no longer legally required, but then off-loaded infected passengers at the Rhodos Sheraton Hotel without any further support or compensation. 

Is this standard cruise line practice or simply "fake news"?

While we are triple vaccinated, there is always a risk with Omicron to get infected and we would hate ending up somewhere on land and having to find our way  home from there if this unfortunately happens on our next cruise....

So, what should we be prepared for in such a case?

[Hlitner]

At the risk of sounding like a "know it all" I do have some answers since we recently (Jan 11) received an updated policy e-mail from SB.  But first, lets talk about what really happened on the Ovation last summer during the Greek Islands cruises.  Until mid-August, SB (in accordance with their agreement with the Greek Government) did not require passengers to wear masks aboard the Ovation (the crew was required to wear masks).  This policy was changed in August to a requirement that passengers where masks while indoors in public areas unless they were eating/drinking.  When we were on the Ovation (July-August) SB NEVER DISCOURAGED mask wearing but simply did not require the practice.  In August when the Ovation had a small outbreak of COVID cases those passengers (and their traveling partners) were debarked on Rhodes and quarantined in a local hotel (SB provided support and medical care).  This was done because it was the policy of the Greek Government.  One of those quarantined passengers did post periodic updates on a Facebook page and she said that the group received plenty of support from SB including phone calls and routine visits from local medical personnel.  Once they were able to leave quarantine, SB helped arrange their ongoing transportation.  I do not know what was done in terms of compensation but do recall that SB covered the cost of the quarantine hotel (according to the FB poster).

 

SB's latest policy (we got this in an e-mail from SB on Jan 11) says that if a passenger tests positive aboard they will be quarantined in their suite or an isolation suite (they have a corridor of isolation suites on one of the decks) and receive necessary medical services and other onboard services.  In some cases, if required by a port government of if a passenger needed medical services that could not be provided onboard, the passengers would be debarked and sent to the appropriate quarantine facility (i.e. designated hotel, hospital, etc).

 

And finally I will mention that we spent 14 days on the Ovation (July-Aug) and 14 days on the Odyssey (Oct) and were impressed by everything onboard.  The medical staff were very accessible (we chatted with the ship's physician many times as he moved around the ship) and would readily answer questions.  When we embarked on the Odyssey the passengers were all met (in the shore terminal area) by medical staff and briefly screened.  In our case we met the ship's physician who did inquire about our travel (to the ship) and pre-cruise time we spent on Barbados.  He was also politely inquisitive about our, then, health condition asking the usual questions about any symptoms, concerns, etc.  DW and I were quite impressed enough to book a future cruise (March).

 

Hank

[Heather White]

"In August when the Ovation had a small outbreak of COVID"

 

As someone on board the Ovation on the Greek island cruise during the small outbreak when a few passengers were disembarked in Rhodes, I second everything Hlitner writes except that it was at the beginning of October and not in August.

[Sunviking]

When I was on the Ovation in November I met a couple who were staying on for another couple of months. They are still on and were among those on the Ovation holiday cruise through the Panama Canal who contracted Covid.  They write a blog and posted about their experience.  I hope this link works because it is a summary they wrote when they were released from quarantine a couple of days ago.  I believe they are still on the ship.

 

https://russanddee.weebly.com/cruising-tips--news.html

[cjjersey]

We sailed on the Ovation from December 10th to January 11th. First section was Covid free as far as we were concerned. Another 200 guests and some new crew boarded in Miami, testing prior to boarding was no longer required and this seems to be where COVID on board began. 
We both tested positive on January 2nd and were quarantined in our own suite. We were able to order whatever we wanted to eat and drink. Clean linen etc was left at our door with bags to put the dirty stuff in. 
We were contacted daily by Jo and her wonderful band of staff, also by Kevin Hotel Manager and Tiaan Destinations Manager. Our suite girls always seemed to be there when we opened the door to wish us a cheery hello and did we need anything.
We were released on Monday 10th which gave us one last day to enjoy our favourite ship.

I don’t think they could have done much more to help us.

 

We are booked to sail on the Ovation in May, let’s hope we make it.

[sfvoyage]

9 minutes ago, cjjersey said:

We sailed on the Ovation from December 10th to January 11th. First section was Covid free as far as we were concerned. Another 200 guests and some new crew boarded in Miami, testing prior to boarding was no longer required and this seems to be where COVID on board began.

 

Not exactly.  Four of us were on the Ovation Dec 10-21 (with no testing done at the Miami pier on Dec 10, just the 2-day prior testing requirement), and a couple of days after we disembarked, my father-in-law developed mild symptoms and tested positive.  His partner had mild symptoms and tested negative.  The other 2 (myself included) had no symptoms and tested negative.

 

On that segment, nobody was tested during the cruise, except for in-transit passengers who were tested on Dec 19, 2 days prior to arrival in Miami to align with embarking passengers who would have been tested on the same or next day on land.  There was first-hand report of an in-transit passenger who tested positive on Dec 21st and she and her partner were offloaded in Miami on that day.

 

The virus was circulating on the ship during the Dec 10-21 segment; it's just that cases were not detected due to lack of testing until the end and only for in-transit passengers.

[marazul]

10 minutes ago, sfvoyage said:

 

Not exactly.  Four of us were on the Ovation Dec 10-21 (with no testing done at the Miami pier on Dec 10, just the 2-day prior testing requirement), and a couple of days after we disembarked, my father-in-law developed mild symptoms and tested positive. 

 

Sorry, but did you mean a couple of days after you embarked? I am not sure of the sequence.

[sfvoyage]

6 minutes ago, marazul said:

Sorry, but did you mean a couple of days after you embarked? I am not sure of the sequence.

My father-in-law tested positive a couple of days after we disembarked from the Ovation on Dec 21st, meaning he had been infected while on the ship, because we drove to his home in Florida from the dock and had been self quarantining during those couple of days.

 

He may have tested positive sooner than that, but as I said, no testing was done on the ship so we didn't know earlier.

Edited January 14, 2022 by sfvoyage

[ciaoYacht]

Is there any type of compensation offered if you have to quarantine while on the ship?  I have a cruise booked for May/June and understand a lot may change between now and then, but this is my first cruise/first time on Seabourn and I am not looking to spend $12k to be locked in a room for a week on a ship.  I'd much rather have the option to disembark and receive a credit for the unused portion of the cruise.  I don't want to sound arrogant but a working professional and time is precious and I don't want to take risks.  

 

Are they doing random tests on passengers on the ship?

[markham]

Here is what happened with testing etc on the Holiday Cruise of 21 days:

 

1- we turned up at the pier with our <2 day old negative antigen tests. But to my surprise there was no testing just prior to embarkation;

 

2- a couple of days later we were all antigen tested. Crew were tested regularly but I do not know the routine;

 

3- several days later we were all tested again;

 

4- anyone tested positive was sent to 5 deck for 10 days but they were tested and contacted periodically by medical staff in their quarantine cabins;

 

5- a couple of days before the cruise ended everyone was offered testing, useful especially for those who needed them for travel.

 

6- Seabourn's terms for the period offered compensation for each day in quarantine. And due to missed ports and other drawbacks the president gave us a rebate for a future cruise of 25% and a $1000 OBC. We were grateful for this marketing booster since we are all coping - Seabourn included from Management to shipboard staff - with an exhausting situation.

 

Would I have gone on this cruise had I known the pace of life on board and the amount of stress we would have? Probably not.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[SLSD]

55 minutes ago, markham said:

Here is what happened with testing etc on the Holiday Cruise of 21 days:

 

1- we turned up at the pier with our <2 day old negative antigen tests. But to my surprise there was no testing just prior to embarkation;

Markham, Was an explanation given for the lack of testing at embarkation?  Do you know if future cruisers can expect testing at embarkation or if this lack of testing could happen again?   Is there a Seabourn policy going forward that has been communicated?  

[markham]

SLSD,

 

No, I do not know why we were not tested nor do I know about the future. Of course, I approve 102% with mandatory vaccinations with boosters and pre-embarkation testing for all cruisers. That said, there are limits to what these tests can predict:

 

Our friends boarded with their negative tests from one or 2 days earlier. On day 2 of the cruise the husband had a throat tickle and volunteered for a test that came back positive. He was sent tom10 day quarantine on another deck. His wife tested negative and stayed in the cabin for the required 4 days and chose to stay in it another 2. Then she was tested and came out positive. What a shock! 
Then he was given a chance to reunite with her as he wanted to, and submitted to another several days with her in their cabin as a new isolation period. This shows that you can incubate the virus for several days before showing positivity. The excellent news is that neither had symptoms beyond his throat and her tiredness on 2 days.

 

Had I known about all this stress I would not have taken the cruise. As it was I only had 2 MDR meals, few Obs Bar visits and only one Grand Lounge visit- on order to avoid others in close quarters. Our weather was terrific so most dinners were at Earth and Ocean and Colonnade outside. 
And since Ovation has a puny walking area on deck 5 and we had few ports, I did not get the exercise I would have liked to relieve stress. There was only the short loop above the (relatively small) pool. Nope, our next and all future Seabourn cruise will be on the Ody class ships.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[MJN1]

First, many thanks to Hlitner and everybody else for their factual (and unemotional) reports. Such objective discussion is rare these days and much appreciated!

Second, I was surprised about the lack of recent testing. Yes, the validity and time-spans of tests can again be debated (and infections can happen anytime in between tests on board or in port), but as we can't visit a concert here without a negative test result, the idea of hundreds of untested passengers boarding does bother me a bit.

Third, and that was an important learning, one needs to understand not only the procedures by the cruise line, but also to the ones pre-scribed by the countries you are in, like the debarkation requirement mentioned for Greece at that time.

Thanks again for the helpful responses!

[SLSD]

3 hours ago, markham said:

SLSD,

 

No, I do not know why we were not tested nor do I know about the future. Of course, I approve 102% with mandatory vaccinations with boosters and pre-embarkation testing for all cruisers. That said, there are limits to what these tests can predict:

Thank you for your report and your further explanation.  I am  aware of the shortcomings of testing--especially the antigen test as it is subject to false negatives. I also read that it doesn't always detect the Omicron variant.    And, of course, there is the pesky incubation period of various lengths.  

 

One other question--is the deck walking space on the Ody class ships significantly greater?

[markham]

My sense is the U walk on deck 5 of the Ody class is definitely wider and brighter with life boats higher above you than on Ovation. The Ovation’s narrow walking area is hindered by many bollards. Also, there is more space at the stern area of the Ody ships. The length of the walk may or may not be longer. Remember that the Encore class of ships is very slightly longer and wider but not higher than the Ody class but squeezes in one more deck and up to 150 more passengers. So the 5 deck walk on the Encore class is relatively claustrophobic, a compromise like the Club on on these 2 ships.

 

In my view, the only improvements of the Encore class is in the Obs Bar and the TK Grill with bar area.

 

Then there is the Silversea glamour trio of Muse, Moon and Dawn. Their top deck track IS a track with lanes, circular and with open ie uncovered great views, 8 times around for mile, as I recall. Just superb for sea days.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

 

 

[Mauzac]

Thank you to everyone for their reports.

 

@markham  Could I ask when your cruise was?  I've looked back but can't pinpoint when you were away. 

 

We are due on Ovation two weeks tomorrow.

 

All our cruises have been on the smaller ships, this one coming up is a first for us on the larger ships.  Can I also ask if there is the circle to walk round above the main pool and past the Sky Bar like on the smaller ships?  

 

Thank you in advance. 

[markham]

Mauzac,

 

We were on Ovation from 21 Dec through 11 Jan from Miami to LA. And yes, there is the same size and type of track above the pool. This is where I did my “power walks” in the late afternoons. From there we had many sightings of dolphins and even tuna, seals and humpbacks. The Mexico coast is a good feeding and migration area.
 

An idea: Keep your ears open for whatever changes Seabourn may make to their current 10 day isolation policy for positive tested passengers. If it comes down to six or so, that will obviously be an improvement, and I say this as someone who prefers safety first. The medical staff has and will test repeatedly before releasing anyone caught up. Further, I think that such a change plus related clarifications of quarantine rules by local authorities especially before disembarkation will encourage more passengers to get tested late in the cruise. For LA it was optional and I imagine that those who developed positivity late in the cruise may have gone home without knowing their status as of the day of test.

 

Happy and healthy cruising!

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, markham said:

 

 

In my view, the only improvements of the Encore class is in the Obs Bar and the TK Grill with bar area.

 

Then there is the Silversea glamour trio of Muse, Moon and Dawn. Their top deck track IS a track with lanes, circular and with open ie uncovered great views, 8 times around for mile, as I recall. Just superb for sea days.

 

 

 

 

I agree with you that these are really the only two substantial pluses of the Encore  and Ovation.   I even prefer the smaller TK Grill on the Ody class, but do enjoy the attached bar to the TK Grill on Encore and Ovation.  We don't eat sushi so the addition of that restaurant on Encore and Ovation does not factor in for us.  

 

We've sailed on Silversea in the past,  but just would rather not.  Perhaps we WILL just to experience one of these newer Silversea ships and make another assessment.  

[Mauzac]

37 minutes ago, markham said:

Mauzac,

 

We were on Ovation from 21 Dec through 11 Jan from Miami to LA. And yes, there is the same size and type of track above the pool. This is where I did my “power walks” in the late afternoons. From there we had many sightings of dolphins and even tuna, seals and humpbacks. The Mexico coast is a good feeding and migration area.
 

An idea: Keep your ears open for whatever changes Seabourn may make to their current 10 day isolation policy for positive tested passengers. If it comes down to six or so, that will obviously be an improvement, and I say this as someone who prefers safety first. The medical staff has and will test repeatedly before releasing anyone caught up. Further, I think that such a change plus related clarifications of quarantine rules by local authorities especially before disembarkation will encourage more passengers to get tested late in the cruise. For LA it was optional and I imagine that those who developed positivity late in the cruise may have gone home without knowing their status as of the day of test.

 

Happy and healthy cruising!

 

Thank you, Markham, I really appreciate that.

 

We are cautious people and like you will do our very best to avoid those areas in close contact.  I have tracked the weather for where the ship is sailing, and it looks like we will have good weather and so we'll keep to outdoors when we can. 

 

It's going to be very different, that I know, I am just hoping it will be worth it!

[ciaoYacht]

On 1/15/2022 at 2:47 AM, markham said:

Here is what happened with testing etc on the Holiday Cruise of 21 days:

 

1- we turned up at the pier with our <2 day old negative antigen tests. But to my surprise there was no testing just prior to embarkation;

 

2- a couple of days later we were all antigen tested. Crew were tested regularly but I do not know the routine;

 

3- several days later we were all tested again;

 

4- anyone tested positive was sent to 5 deck for 10 days but they were tested and contacted periodically by medical staff in their quarantine cabins;

 

5- a couple of days before the cruise ended everyone was offered testing, useful especially for those who needed them for travel.

 

6- Seabourn's terms for the period offered compensation for each day in quarantine. And due to missed ports and other drawbacks the president gave us a rebate for a future cruise of 25% and a $1000 OBC. We were grateful for this marketing booster since we are all coping - Seabourn included from Management to shipboard staff - with an exhausting situation.

 

Would I have gone on this cruise had I known the pace of life on board and the amount of stress we would have? Probably not.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

 

Thanks for the feedback. Can you expand on the compensation received for each day in quarantine?  Was it just the OBC of $1000 + 25% off, or do you actually receive a refund for the days spent in quarantine? 

[markham]

I don't know precisely what quarantined guests received beyond what I received. They are covered though wth refund of the day's Seabourn calculates as quarantined and this is covered description-wise in the passenger contract. Our suite neighbours were focused on this text while they were isolated, and they seemed to me pleased enough considering the circumstances.

 

What I am waiting for now is to see when Seabourn will extend the terms of Covid-related refunds for cruises that are due to take place after April, 2022. Other cruise lines have extended and I would think that new bookers will hesitate to complete them until Seabourn gets more accommodating eg at least through  summer 2022.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[legal holiday]

Seabourn just extended worry free refund policy from April 30 to September 30 for bookings made by March 31.

[Dunnedg]

legal holiday.

For this new extention, when does FCC have to be used by?

 

[legal holiday]

It looks like it still needs to be used by year-end

[markham]

By year-end? That’s incredible and if true (pending adjustment by Seabourn) unsatisfactory. You cannot keep a customer happy who cancels in July due to Covid and then tells him there are no substitute cruises in the next few months. Customers need a policy out a year from the cancellation date to use their FCC, for sure.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!