On the Zuiderdam, tested positive, booted off

[FlaMariner]

On 1/16/2022 at 8:52 AM, Sir PMP said:

Like I said before, hold off from cruising until this nonsense is over..

 

Please come back and post to all of us when you think this nonsense is over so we will know it is safe to cruise again.......

 

(I'm thinking this is the new reality and we need to just get on with it)

[Sir PMP]

1 minute ago, FlaMariner said:

 

Please come back and post to all of us when you think this nonsense is over so we will know it is safe to cruise again.......

 

(I'm thinking this is the new reality and we need to just get on with it)

Impossible, I don't do your size ships...

[FlaMariner]

3 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

Impossible, I don't do your size ships...

 

LOL!  Nice!

[iflyrc5]

17 minutes ago, IPB4IGO said:

Today, two days after we were disembarked, I was able to contact HAL's Family Assistance Department. It seems they were closed on Sunday and Monday.

I learned that we pay for the quarantine hotel, then submit the charge to HAL for reimbursement. We get a flat $100/day/person for meals. We will be contacted after we get home with the details of the reimbursement process.

After five days we can go home. 

We had booked our original pre- and post-cruise air travel through HAL. They gave me the number of the Flight Ease folks, and they booked our revised flights, departing Fort Lauderdale rather than San Diego. The flight booking number is the same as it was originally, but the old flights have been replaced with the old ones, with the same class of service. (We won't be in Row 39, X and Y, after all.)

It's good to know what's going to happen and when.

 

Thanks for the update.  Do you have to have a negative test before heading home?    

 

Have you been getting your meals from the hotel or calling the local restaurants and how is that working out? 

 

Have you been able to go out and walk around in the sunshine?

 

I am hoping that we all negative when we get tested for our B2B2B2B turnarounds - just really interested on how the process works in case we get a positive on one of those test.

 

Thanks so much for sharing.

[IPB4IGO]

42 minutes ago, iflyrc5 said:

Thanks for the update.  Do you have to have a negative test before heading home?    

 

Have you been getting your meals from the hotel or calling the local restaurants and how is that working out? 

 

Have you been able to go out and walk around in the sunshine?

 

I am hoping that we all negative when we get tested for our B2B2B2B turnarounds - just really interested on how the process works in case we get a positive on one of those test.

 

Thanks so much for sharing.

Since we will be flying domestically, we do not need a test before traveling.

 

We have been getting most of our meals from the hotel, some from local restaurants that deliver. We don't have much appetite, so we are accumulating leftovers already.

 

We could go outside and walk around if we chose to. So far, we don't have the enthusiasm for it. Maybe tomorrow. It's forecast to be in the upper 70s here.

[cccole]

I am still disappointed as to HAL's neglect, especially considering the incredible service HAL-Pals received.  The difference may be that they were put off in a foreign port.  But...not impressive.  Adding employees to the department that handles positive COVID cases should not be a new revelation to HAL.

 

I think you two are handling things really well.  Is there a pool at the hotel that you can take a book to and sit out side with a beverage for a bit?  Since you can leave the hotel I assume that nearby restaurants with outdoor seating might be good.  An hour from the pier sounds like HAL did not locate you in a particularly pleasant area.  Hopefully, at least, the windows in your room open so you can have some fresh air.  Again, I applaud you for how you are taking this "in stride."  Thank you for keeping us updated.  Cherie  

[KirkNC]

55 minutes ago, cccole said:

I am still disappointed as to HAL's neglect, especially considering the incredible service HAL-Pals received.  The difference may be that they were put off in a foreign port.  But...not impressive.  Adding employees to the department that handles positive COVID cases should not be a new revelation to HAL.

 

I think you two are handling things really well.  Is there a pool at the hotel that you can take a book to and sit out side with a beverage for a bit?  Since you can leave the hotel I assume that nearby restaurants with outdoor seating might be good.  An hour from the pier sounds like HAL did not locate you in a particularly pleasant area.  Hopefully, at least, the windows in your room open so you can have some fresh air.  Again, I applaud you for how you are taking this "in stride."  Thank you for keeping us updated.  Cherie  

I don’t think quarantine includes eating at restaurants even if you are outside 🙄.

[cccole]

🤨I understand, but they are letting the OP out of the hotel, and this is Florida.  Quarantine does not usually include being able to leave your room.  But this is Florida.  As previously posted, cruise passengers who tested positive have had no problem taking a flight.  Sometimes sitting outside at a restaurant, with diners distanced, can be o.k.    Cherie

Edited January 19, 2022 by cccole

[OHCruiser]

On 1/17/2022 at 8:43 AM, zelker said:

 

What’s keeping you from just flying home?  That’s what at least one couple did yesterday when they tested positive at embarkation in San Diego.  You can read about it on the January 16 Koningsdam roll call.

 

 

Yes, THEY DID FLY HOME WITH AT LEAST ONE OF THEM BEING POSITIVE....and they've been dragged mercilessly for it.

THEY don't get it.

SOME of us do get it.

Conscientious, sensible, empathetic people DON'T DO THAT.

They accept the unforeseen consequences and DEAL WITH IT, just like the OP is doing.

I applaud the OP for being a decent human being.

[ON cruiser]

First to the original poster IPG, given you said you and your wife don't have much of an appetite, I hope you are not feeling poorly! The usual treatment for colds and mild flu applies: lots of liquid to stay hydrated, and perhaps some hot teas. Rest and sleep--"sleep" a movie or old TV show.  If you feel up to it and can be distanced, if there is a warm outdoor area to sit and relax, that may be nice. It is Florida, after all. Please let us know how you both are feeling.  

 

As to your treatment, $100 daily each for meals strikes me as quite fair. You can dine nicely on that.  From your description of the hotel, it sounds quite adequate, with good service.  

 

As to when to again cruise, brought up by Sir PMP and others, this is a personal choice. As for me, my concern is not feeling poorly for a few days, given spouse and I've been vaxed and boosted. We could ride that out, hopefully. What worries and bothers me are the quarantine rules, especially on board. In the past, if one got noro (luckily, I never did, perhaps because I kept enough liquid disinfectant, AKA Scotch, in my system), one stayed in the cabin for perhaps 48 hours...and that was it. Now, its 10 days, and one is moved into a smallish cabin (typically we book NS category on HAL). That simply does not appeal, nor does it appeal to be put off the ship, even in Europe in a nice hotel. Having read the threads of those in quarantine, I know myself, and my wife. This is not what we would want, and we would not do well.

 

A vacation after all is to be relaxing, not one when one is worrying and wondering, "what if". Don't need to spend my money for that. 

 

So, while Covid is likely here to stay, in hopefully a form with which we can all survive, until the rules evolve I don't see us doing any cruising. We have something booked for November (on another line) so we shall see how things go. 

 

Edited January 19, 2022 by ON cruiser
typo correction

[KruzPrincess]

On 1/16/2022 at 8:40 PM, Hlitner said:

I keep asking the same question regarding cruising and travel.  For those that say they will simply wait I wonder how many years they are prepared to wait?  Please understand that I do not question their decision but wonder about the commitment to wait for many years (if not forever) until things return to anything like the old norms.  I have lived long enough to have seen travel norms change and we have simply "rolled with the waves."  I believe we are now seeing another major change in norms and it has changed cruising forever!  The cruise lines have become very risk adverse (who can blame them) so rather then dealing with illness onboard it seems that many lines toss off the ill passengers at any port of convenience.  I have posted elsewhere that this is also an issue with River Cruises, land Tour Groups, etc.  About the only folks who keep some control our we independent land travelers but that also comes with its own challenges.

 

If a cruiser gets Omicron onboard a long cruise they might expect to simply be quarantined onboard for a few days until they are symptom-free and test negative on an antigen test (a PCR test might show them positive for several months).  But some lines prefer to avoid that situation by simply tossing those folks ashore (at the next port) where they are quarantined in a hotel.   Consider the long history of cruise lines and Norovirus!  How many of those folks were tossed off ships to quarantine at a local hotel?   Is Omicron more serious than Noro or Influenza? 

 

DW and I love cruising and have several future cruises on the horizon.  But I am starting to wonder if we should simply stick to independent land-trips.  We are comfortable flying to most places of the world, renting/leasing a car, and just doing our own thing.  As much as we love to cruise we are now starting to wonder whether it is worth the risk.  And I am not talking about the risk of COVID or getting sick but the risk of having to deal with the cruise lines and their constantly changing protocols.

 

Hank 

 

 

I was quite upset at the prospect of not cruising. I couldn’t imagine my life without cruising. It was depressing. Now, I have come to terms with the idea that I may never cruise again. I just need to accept it and think of other possibilities. I still have future cruises booked and I hope I can go again someday. I can’t live with the stress and worry of dealing with quarantines or being kicked off wherever. I wouldn’t enjoy the cruise if I was always anticipating bad test results and the consequences. It’s sad, but there are other things to enjoy in life. 

[Hlitner]

8 hours ago, KruzPrincess said:

I was quite upset at the prospect of not cruising. I couldn’t imagine my life without cruising. It was depressing. Now, I have come to terms with the idea that I may never cruise again. I just need to accept it and think of other possibilities. I still have future cruises booked and I hope I can go again someday. I can’t live with the stress and worry of dealing with quarantines or being kicked off wherever. I wouldn’t enjoy the cruise if I was always anticipating bad test results and the consequences. It’s sad, but there are other things to enjoy in life. 

This is quite sad but folks must do what they must do based on their own level of risk tolerance.  We recently saw the impact of risk tolerance when some of our best friends here in Puerto Vallarta (our winter home) decided they could not deal with the increased stress, due to COVID, and returned to their USA home several months early. 

 

When we returned to cruising last July (Seabourn in the Greek Islands) we wondered how well we could deal with our own fears and anxiety.  It turned out that we loved every moment of that trip and the 2 week cruise was among the best we have ever experienced (and we have been cruising for over 40 years).  Best of luck to you with whatever travel endeavors come your way :).

 

Hank   

[lilybay]

On 1/17/2022 at 2:47 PM, HAL-Pals said:

I too am sorry to hear about these  turn of events.

We are currently on the Koningsdam 17 day Circle Hawaii cruise, but I can answer your questions about HAL’s  COVID protocol once you test positive aboard ship.  We were on a 27 day transatlantic cruise  on the Eurodam from Venice to FLL (10/18-11/14) and I tested positive on the fifth day during mandatory at sea testing. I was the only  passenger out of 1150 and I was asymptomatic. My husband was negative. I was quickly moved to a COVID a isolation area of the ship with all my luggage while my husband remained quarantined in our veranda stateroom so he could continue to be tested over the next three days.  My new room was also a veranda stateroom just like we had.  I remained isolated there for three days until we got to Livorno, Italy.  I and the only crew member who tested positive but was also asymptomatic were taken (by ambulance haha…no flashing lights or sirens ) to a “COVID” hotel about 45 minutes from Florence. My husband arrived separately by taxi. We each were assigned separate rooms since he was negative but had to quarantine for three more days. After that he could come and go as he pleased.

 

my experience was a positive one, even though I had to remain isolated at the hotel for 19 more days — so a total of 22 days. (Italy has the strictest isolation policy in Europe.)  HAL was amazing in the support they provided: daily checkin calls from Seattles Family Assistance Dept.  All medical and hotel and food expenses fully covered  by HAL — both on the ship and at the hotel. 
 

Because  of the length of isolation ( I continued  to test positive 2 more times) we were not able to rejoin the ship in Barcelona or Lisbon.  So HAL arranged our flight back to San Diego and flew us Business Class from Florence.  Then they reimbursed us in FCCs for the 22 days of the cruise we missed. We did spend four lovely days in Florence before we flew back, but that part was at our own expense. 

 

I just wanted to share a firsthand experience because there seem to be a  lot of assumptions or misinformation or lack of knowledge about HALs policy.  Ours could not have been more positive. In fact , I made a 3 minute video about my experience and posted it on my YouTube travel channel (“mimi murray”). It is called “ Isolated in Italy”.  I invite you to view it.  
 

As for our current cruise on the Koningsdam, there have so many changes in the itinerary, we lost track of the notifications.  But who cares. We are enjoying an experience that is important to us.

 

HI there, Nice to hear the rest of the story. The TA was plagued by having to isolate crew members so restaurants were shut down and service was compromised but It was still an awesome cruise and great to get back to sea. We did miss the Azores but that was due to weather. We also missed you two. Hope to see you again sometime on a cruise. Lee says the taxi ride to the port in Venice was the best part of our trip! I wouldn't go quite so far but I am glad we made the effort to make it possible! It was great. 

[jabcruiser]

23 hours ago, IPB4IGO said:

Today, two days after we were disembarked, I was able to contact HAL's Family Assistance Department. It seems they were closed on Sunday and Monday.

I learned that we pay for the quarantine hotel, then submit the charge to HAL for reimbursement. We get a flat $100/day/person for meals. We will be contacted after we get home with the details of the reimbursement process.

After five days we can go home. 

 

 

So, they told you only 5 days then you can leave?  I was under the impression it was 10 days. 5 days way better than 10.  I wonder if they are still using 10 days on the actual ships when quarantined.  So glad you are taking this in stride and wish you many wonderful future cruises - COVID FREE.

Jane

[KirkNC]

1 hour ago, jabcruiser said:

So, they told you only 5 days then you can leave?  I was under the impression it was 10 days. 5 days way better than 10.  I wonder if they are still using 10 days on the actual ships when quarantined.  So glad you are taking this in stride and wish you many wonderful future cruises - COVID FREE.

Jane

Having to go through this with my wife, current protocol is five days in isolation followed by five days in a high quality mask.

[smbt1]

1 hour ago, PSR said:

Oh Oh, don't mention anything about flying with COVID. You will not like the responses. 

What did you tell the airline when you checked in? On each of the 10 or so flights I have been on in the US for the last year or so they have asked about if you have tested positive within the previous 14 days.

[PSR]

1 hour ago, smbt1 said:

What did you tell the airline when you checked in? On each of the 10 or so flights I have been on in the US for the last year or so they have asked about if you have tested positive within the previous 14 days.

They have not asked us that on any of the flights we have been on in the last 2 years.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

I have not been asked that question either. But I check in online so don't see a real person other than TSA until I board.

[HAL-Pals]

11 hours ago, lilybay said:

HI there, Nice to hear the rest of the story. The TA was plagued by having to isolate crew members so restaurants were shut down and service was compromised but It was still an awesome cruise and great to get back to sea. We did miss the Azores but that was due to weather. We also missed you two. Hope to see you again sometime on a cruise. Lee says the taxi ride to the port in Venice was the best part of our trip! I wouldn't go quite so far but I am glad we made the effort to make it possible! It was great. 

Lilybay:  it was a nice surprise to read your post. (Loved your sisters comment about the water taxi.). We were in a 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise on Koningsdam last month  and now are on the 17 day Circle Hawaii.  We were tested two days prior…then at the cruise terminal…then in the ship today— the 3 rd day. This is the new normal. We are comfortable with it, at least as much as we can be.  Today we met with two couples who completed the Eurodam cruise we were all on last Oct/Nov,  so we were able to compare notes on both ends.  I hope we meet again.

[cccole]

In the last 9 months, before checking in on-line, we have had to complete a health questionnaire on Alaska, United, Southwest, Delta, and Hawaiian.  It's just part of the on=line check in process.  Our boarding passes are not available until completed.  Cherie   

[PSR]

6 hours ago, cccole said:

In the last 9 months, before checking in on-line, we have had to complete a health questionnaire on Alaska, United, Southwest, Delta, and Hawaiian.  It's just part of the on=line check in process.  Our boarding passes are not available until completed.  Cherie   

 

Strange...I have never seen that.

[lilybay]

11 hours ago, HAL-Pals said:

Lilybay:  it was a nice surprise to read your post. (Loved your sisters comment about the water taxi.). We were in a 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise on Koningsdam last month  and now are on the 17 day Circle Hawaii.  We were tested two days prior…then at the cruise terminal…then in the ship today— the 3 rd day. This is the new normal. We are comfortable with it, at least as much as we can be.  Today we met with two couples who completed the Eurodam cruise we were all on last Oct/Nov,  so we were able to compare notes on both ends.  I hope we meet again.

just signed up for the NS in Feb with my mother and step dad and sister for my moms 90th! Looking forward to it. 

[cruisemom42]

13 hours ago, PSR said:

They have not asked us that on any of the flights we have been on in the last 2 years.

 

11 hours ago, cccole said:

In the last 9 months, before checking in on-line, we have had to complete a health questionnaire on Alaska, United, Southwest, Delta, and Hawaiian.  It's just part of the on=line check in process.  Our boarding passes are not available until completed.  Cherie   

 

5 hours ago, PSR said:

 

Strange...I have never seen that.

 

Curious, what lines have you flown in the last two years?  (And particularly in the last year, once COVID protocols started becoming a bit more standardized.) Because airlines ARE asking that question.

 

Or did you just fudge it?

 

 

[IPB4IGO]

16 hours ago, jabcruiser said:

So, they told you only 5 days then you can leave?  I was under the impression it was 10 days. 5 days way better than 10.  I wonder if they are still using 10 days on the actual ships when quarantined.  So glad you are taking this in stride and wish you many wonderful future cruises - COVID FREE.

Jane

In the US the quarantine period is now five days. If they had let us stay aboard ship it would have been 10 days because international travel is involved.

[0106]

Thank you for doing the right thing by reporting your symptoms and following the quarantine rules.  Your actions keep us all safe.  I hope your symptoms have improved and you have a safe flight home. Please continue to keep us updated.