Bit of a Blog : B2B2B : SoA : embarking 20/01/22

[paulatsea]

Hi NN - Any flying fish yet ?

[NorbertsNiece]

Just now, paulatsea said:

Hi NN - Any flying fish yet ?

 

Hi  👋

Not by me certainly. Not had an Orca update for a few days.

[NorbertsNiece]

Notified this morning . We are close contacts to some guests who have tested positive and are asymptomatic. We will be tested daily for 6 days. Allowed to socialise. We were last tested negative the day before yesterday.

 

Edited March 2, 2022 by NorbertsNiece

[NorbertsNiece]

Current location 😃

 

[NorbertsNiece]

What a hoot Rustie Lee is! She exudes confidence and fun. Cooking, singing and story telling. Wonderful.

 

She prepared Caribbean chicken and a rum and Guinness cocktail made with evaporated and condensed milk!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[paulatsea]

fantastic 

[NorbertsNiece]

Mid crafting called for LFT .... negative..... phew!

 

Edited March 2, 2022 by NorbertsNiece

[paulatsea]

👍

[NorbertsNiece]

We have slowed to 10 knots from 15.7 knots. Waiting on midday update from captain.

[Windsurfboy]

4 hours ago, paulatsea said:

My view is that negative is negative regardless of who you may have been in close contact with - as it could well be more than just the driver and nobody would ever know - like if staying at a hotel the night before etc

- I’d hate to be denied boarding if I was negative and the driver wasn’t - we have a car booked for august - think I might change this.

 

I know several people who have been close contacts and didn’t test positive and others that did. 
 

 

 

4 hours ago, NorbertsNiece said:

Hi. Not really. Allowing a known close contact on board, potentially incubating, isn't the same as someone already on board; reducing potential cases has to be at the forefront of any policy. It was my prime concern when I arrived to embark after many hours on the road. I knew I'd be turned away if the driver tested positive.

 

I would disagree  allowing a close contact to wander round ship is no different to allowing a close contact on board the ship. Both have potential for spreading covid.

 

 

HOWEVER,  I think in both cases if you test negative and keep testing negative ok should not be forced to isolate and should be allowed on board. Remember no one tests positive in first few days so testing as you board only reduces chance of bringing covid on board it does not eliminate it.

 

Sorry to contaminate your lovely enjoyable positive  blog with this debate , but I thought it an inconcsistency worth noting

[paulatsea]

7 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

 

I would disagree  allowing a close contact to wander round ship is no different to allowing a close contact on board the ship. Both have potential for spreading covid.

 

 

HOWEVER,  I think in both cases if you test negative and keep testing negative ok should not be forced to isolate and should be allowed on board. Remember no one tests positive in first few days so testing as you board only reduces chance of bringing covid on board it does not eliminate it.

 

Sorry to contaminate your lovely enjoyable positive  blog with this debate , but I thought it an inconcsistency worth noting

Agree - seems logical to me.

[NorbertsNiece]

Captain's update.

 

21⁰c out on deck.

We're pretty much in the middle of the N Atlantic. Geography and geology info concerning the largest mountain chain on Earth. 

 

Covid : looked positive yesterday and following departure from the Azores. Traumatic morning. All crew and the vast majority of guests were tested this morning.

 

20 guests tested positive making 79 in total.

21 crew tested positive making 70 crew.... largest spike so far.

 

Our journey is in jeopardy. 

 

Discussion under way with the presidents of Saga PLC and Saga cruises weighing up the options; the safety and health of all on board to be considered if we are to continue to the Caribbean. 

 

Go and enjoy all the facilities and venues; back in a few hours with decision.

 

_________

 

From me : had some Bailey's with lunch. Constantly witnessing the lack of mask wearing and hand sanitising. This situation is caused by individuals having little regard for others. Deep sigh.

[Kohima]

I feel great sympathy for your situation, especially as you have already spent some of the voyage in isolation. I agree that a small minority of passengers think either the rules don’t apply to them or are in need of a lesson in how to wear a mask but in all fairness our Norway experience was that Saga wasn’t particularly consistent either. The track and trace system only applies on coaches, in the theatre or where people order food and drink. No one recorded with whom anyone sat for our included excursion lunch, there was no monitoring of the hundreds of people crammed on the ‘complimentary’ catamaran trips in Bergen, socialising in public areas without drinks is unrecorded. Thus the tracing system cannot be relied upon to establish close contacts as it is full of holes.
I hope you manage to maintain your spirit of resilient optimism, however this works out for you!

[Windsurfboy]

Sorry to hear about this, hope the cruise goes ahead even if you miss some ports, a sunshine cruise to nowhere could still be fun.

 

Don't think the health of the passengers is really at issue, as looking at UK data so very very few people are really ill. The vast majority have just mild symptoms.  However Saga management  must be worried that if the ship  can only call at a very few ports. Then people could have a cruise and also demand money back.

[Kohima]

Surely the health and well being of the passengers must be paramount, especially as Saga possibly has more vulnerable and elderly passengers than most cruise lines. Having just had Covid as a parting gift from the Norway cruise, I was glad to be with my home comforts rather than cooped up in a cabin for a week. 

[NorbertsNiece]

1500

Looks like a decision has been made, back from crafting and we're turning. Check the course numbers.

 

 

 

 

Announcement from Captain 1510.

 

We've turned around.

28 guests tested positive today = 84 guests

21 crew tested positive today = 74 crew

So 158 in total 

We will not be able to operate in the Caribbean. 

 

The health and safety of guests and crew #1 priority.

 

Currently heading back to the Azores, berth and timings to be advised.

Next 36 hours hopefully a decision will be made.... Canaries.... W Coast Europe.... if not favourable then UK.

 

Operational adjustments on board have been made. Resources being reshuffled. 

 

Our patience and understanding has been exemplary and is appreciated.

 

Edited March 2, 2022 by NorbertsNiece

[NorbertsNiece]

In order to keep my morale up and optimism intact I have turned to cake. Lots of it.

 

 

[LandC]

That’s exactly what I would do!

[Lady Meer]

Hi Linda

 

Sorry to hear your current problems, but am liking your cake ‘comforter’. It seems strange that the first leg of your cruise (which we were on too) was totally negative.

 

I applaud your positivity and hope the pastry chef doesn’t get quarantined 🤭!

 

Brenda

[lincslady]

Rotten luck - hopefully nobody will be really ill, and maybe more important, you will get money back or credit for a future cruise, or at least some decent form of compensation for the disappointment.

[paulatsea]

59 minutes ago, NorbertsNiece said:

1500

Looks like a decision has been made, back from crafting and we're turning. Check the course numbers.

 

 

 

 

Announcement from Captain 1510.

 

We've turned around.

28 guests tested positive today = 84 guests

21 crew tested positive today = 74 crew

So 158 in total 

We will not be able to operate in the Caribbean. 

 

The health and safety of guests and crew #1 priority.

 

Currently heading back to the Azores, berth and timings to be advised.

Next 36 hours hopefully a decision will be made.... Canaries.... W Coast Europe.... if not favourable then UK.

 

Operational adjustments on board have been made. Resources being reshuffled. 

 

Our patience and understanding has been exemplary and is appreciated.

 

Hope you can salvage something - given the Caribbean rules at the moment perhaps it was a bit ambitious. Best wishes and enjoy the cake and baileys
 

 

Edited March 2, 2022 by paulatsea

[sleepingcat]

oh! I am so sorry for you and everyone on board that you will not be getting to Caribbean after all.  Agree that maybe it was always going to be a risk.  At least the ship is still lovely and the temperatures a lot more pleasant than here in the UK at present.  

Increasingly we feel how lucky we were to have chosen the 20th January canaries cruise , as almost everything went so well at that stage. Best to everyone on board...

[NorbertsNiece]

1 hour ago, Lady Meer said:

Hi Linda

 

Sorry to hear your current problems, but am liking your cake ‘comforter’. It seems strange that the first leg of your cruise (which we were on too) was totally negative.

 

I applaud your positivity and hope the pastry chef doesn’t get quarantined 🤭!

 

Brenda

 

Between you and me ok? Pastry chef tested positive. Exec chef Raj has been making pastry!

[Lady Meer]

2 minutes ago, NorbertsNiece said:

 

Between you and me ok? Pastry chef tested positive. Exec chef Raj has been making pastry!

Oh no but thank goodness for Raj!

[NorbertsNiece]

Thanks everyone. Thinking Horta, take on fuel, then home. Although a stop in Vigo en route would go down well here! Can't see what alternate itinerary would meet guest approval. Currently guests seem to be on side. Captain Darin needs to continue his regular updates, he's been making his physical presence known out and about.

 

Orca have updated their page. 

 

.