Covid outbreak on the Ruby

[geocruiser]

19 minutes ago, Joy_K said:

 

 

Last night was very stressful for those in quarantine to be able to place their dinner order as the dine line phone rang for over 2 hours with no one answering.  I called guest services twice to complain as my husband was texting me about being on hold for so long.  Finally at 9 pm I called guest services a 2nd time and got rude with them and demanded they do something to get food to my diabetic husband before they had an emergency on their hands.  They had me text him to hang up and someone called him to take his order and by 9:30 he finally got dinner.

 

The reason people for this:  when the mask mandate came back people panicked.  Everyone decided they wanted room service dinner yesterday and that overwhelmed them.  Also when the letter came out that the numbers were up people who had brought test kits with them started using them and asystemic people found put they had covid and 911 was overwhelmed with calls for hours.

 

 

Room service should be given a list of PAX/cabins of the people in quarantine.  And when a quarantine PAX calls room service they should be served first, above non-quarantine PAX.

[Rick&Jeannie]

I certainly feel for the passengers on the Ruby...but it was reported yesterday by several people on FaceBook that the Sky has about 650 cases on board right now.  They dock in Southampton tomorrow.

[brisalta]

1 hour ago, HappyInVan said:

 

Actually, the right comparison is this. SF has a population of 1 million, with 85 cases/day. Compare that to the situation on the Ruby with just 1600 pax and at least 100 cases during the voyage.

 

As the CDC has said, cruising can be a high risk situation.

 

According to the US Census the population of San Francisco is ~ 815,000

[K.T.B.]

48 minutes ago, Joy_K said:

I am staying onboard the Ruby for final leg of B2B2B with my husband.  There were 120 cases of Covid on the ship this morning when we arrived in San Francisco.  My husband has Covid and is in isolation on Deck 12.  I could not join him.  I have been going to medical every morning to test and will continue to do so for a total of 5 days as long as I stay negative.  I can go anywhere on the ship as long as I wear my KN95 mask but must eat in my room only to remove my mask until my 5 days are up.

 

Last night was very stressful for those in quarantine to be able to place their dinner order as the dine line phone rang for over 2 hours with no one answering.  I called guest services twice to complain as my husband was texting me about being on hold for so long.  Finally at 9 pm I called guest services a 2nd time and got rude with them and demanded they do something to get food to my diabetic husband before they had an emergency on their hands.  They had me text him to hang up and someone called him to take his order and by 9:30 he finally got dinner.

 

The reason people for this:  when the mask mandate came back people panicked.  Everyone decided they wanted room service dinner yesterday and that overwhelmed them.  Also when the letter came out that the numbers were up people who had brought test kits with them started using them and asystemic people found put they had covid and 911 was overwhelmed with calls for hours.

 

Some people think Princess should keep passengers updated daily to the number of cases onboard.  Imagine the panic if they did......just my opinion.

 

Dammit.  I hope your husband feels better soon.  It's a shame you're having to deal with all of this.  As wonderful as our cruise was (your first leg), it sounds like it's really gone to he'll.  😢

[azbirdmom]

1 hour ago, Joy_K said:

The reason people for this:  when the mask mandate came back people panicked.  Everyone decided they wanted room service dinner yesterday and that overwhelmed them.  Also when the letter came out that the numbers were up people who had brought test kits with them started using them and asystemic people found put they had covid and 911 was overwhelmed with calls for hours.

 

Sounds like your husband was lucky to have you on the outside to advocate for him.  They should definitely have a dedicated number for room service for those in isolation.  This really shouldn't be a surprise.  Maybe Princess assumed the worst was over and relaxed their protocols?  In any event I hope your husband returns to good health soon and that you continue to test negative so that you can both enjoy Hawaii.

[CalLuvsCrusingToo]

There is No more Cruise with Confidence cancellations..... are there?

 

My confidence is kinda shot.   Were suppose to cruise on Ruby mid-April. 

 

Orange level is Not good, and this thread is an eyeopener!  UGH

 

Unless there's proactive Change in Masking protocols etc. right away?  I don't see us going.

 

If Princess thinks were going to take it, how its going now?  We won't.

 

HOW do those of us sailing in the near future suppose to Cancel Without Losing all our funds?

 

 

 

 

 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

3 minutes ago, CalLuvsCrusingToo said:

There is No more Cruise with Confidence cancellations..... are there?

 

My confidence is kinda shot.   Were suppose to cruise on Ruby mid-April. 

 

Orange level is Not good, and this thread is an eyeopener!  UGH

 

Unless there's proactive Change in Masking protocols etc. right away?  I don't see us going.

 

If Princess thinks were going to take it, how its going now?  We won't.

 

HOW do those of us sailing in the near future suppose to Cancel Without Losing all our funds?

 

 

 

 

 

From the Princess website. 
 

Book with Confidence

Giving you the flexibility to change your plans

/images/global/plan/cruise-with-confidence/cancellation-final-payment-policy/book-with-confidence/book-with-confidence-policy-snippet-200x160.png

We don't think finances should affect decisions about your health, so if you feel ill and need to change your plans, we'll protect your cruise investment. Under our temporary Book with Confidence policy, we’ve taken the worry out of booking your next cruise:

• Cancel up to 30 days before you sail, and get your cancellation fees back as a Future Cruise Credit (FCC).
  • Applies to voyages departing through September 30, 2022.
  • Applies to bookings made through March 31, 2022.
  • FCCs issued under the Book with Confidence policy are valid up to one year after their issue date.
• NEW: Within 30 days of your sail date, we've got you covered with our new COVID-19 Protection Program.

See Full Terms & Conditions

 

[azbirdmom]

3 minutes ago, CalLuvsCrusingToo said:

There is No more Cruise with Confidence cancellations..... are there?

 

My confidence is kinda shot.   Were suppose to cruise on Ruby mid-April. 

 

Orange level is Not good, and this thread is an eyeopener!  UGH

 

Unless there's proactive Change in Masking protocols etc. right away?  I don't see us going.

 

If Princess thinks were going to take it, how its going now?  We won't.

 

HOW do those of us sailing in the near future suppose to Cancel Without Losing all our funds?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cruise with Confidence is still in place - here's the current language:

 

We don't think finances should affect decisions about your health, so if you feel ill and need to change your plans, we'll protect your cruise investment. Under our temporary Book with Confidence policy, we’ve taken the worry out of booking your next cruise:

• Cancel up to 30 days before you sail, and get your cancellation fees back as a Future Cruise Credit (FCC).
  • Applies to voyages departing through September 30, 2022.
  • Applies to bookings made through March 31, 2022.
  • FCCs issued under the Book with Confidence policy are valid up to one year after their issue date.
• NEW: Within 30 days of your sail date, we've got you covered with our new COVID-19 Protection Program.

See Full Terms & Conditions

[sfaaa]

I am also having serious second thought about my upcoming cruise in April. Must decide by Tuesday. Man this sucks.

[c-boy]

12 minutes ago, CalLuvsCrusingToo said:

There is No more Cruise with Confidence cancellations..... are there?

 

My confidence is kinda shot.   Were suppose to cruise on Ruby mid-April. 

 

Orange level is Not good, and this thread is an eyeopener!  UGH

 

Unless there's proactive Change in Masking protocols etc. right away?  I don't see us going.

 

If Princess thinks were going to take it, how its going now?  We won't.

 

HOW do those of us sailing in the near future suppose to Cancel Without Losing all our funds?

 

 

 

 

 

Well it was good knowing for a short time.   Does this mean Disneyland is outta question ?

[IJustWantToGo36]

1 hour ago, Joy_K said:

 

 

The reason people for this:  when the mask mandate came back people panicked.  Everyone decided they wanted room service dinner yesterday and that overwhelmed them.  Also when the letter came out that the numbers were up people who had brought test kits with them started using them and asystemic people found put they had covid and 911 was overwhelmed with calls for hours.

 

Some people think Princess should keep passengers updated daily to the number of cases onboard.  Imagine the panic if they did......just my opinion.

One of the most ENLIGHTENING posts

THANK YOU

[broberts]

1 hour ago, Joy_K said:

I am staying onboard the Ruby for final leg of B2B2B with my husband.  There were 120 cases of Covid on the ship this morning when we arrived in San Francisco.  My husband has Covid and is in isolation on Deck 12.  I could not join him.  I have been going to medical every morning to test and will continue to do so for a total of 5 days as long as I stay negative.  I can go anywhere on the ship as long as I wear my KN95 mask but must eat in my room only to remove my mask until my 5 days are up.

 

Last night was very stressful for those in quarantine to be able to place their dinner order as the dine line phone rang for over 2 hours with no one answering.  I called guest services twice to complain as my husband was texting me about being on hold for so long.  Finally at 9 pm I called guest services a 2nd time and got rude with them and demanded they do something to get food to my diabetic husband before they had an emergency on their hands.  They had me text him to hang up and someone called him to take his order and by 9:30 he finally got dinner.

 

The reason people for this:  when the mask mandate came back people panicked.  Everyone decided they wanted room service dinner yesterday and that overwhelmed them.  Also when the letter came out that the numbers were up people who had brought test kits with them started using them and asystemic people found put they had covid and 911 was overwhelmed with calls for hours.

 

Some people think Princess should keep passengers updated daily to the number of cases onboard.  Imagine the panic if they did......just my opinion.

 

I would have thought food & beverage deliveries to quarantine would be prioritized. After all those passengers are unable to seek any alternatives.

 

I've always felt people deal better with routine. Hearing infection numbers every day establishes routine and gives the impression that the issue is being looked after. I suspect that surprising a group with an unexpected number is more likely to generate panic.

[PrincessLuver]

1 minute ago, broberts said:

 

I would have thought food & beverage deliveries to quarantine would be prioritized. After all those passengers are unable to seek any alternatives.

 

I've always felt people deal better with routine. Hearing infection numbers every day establishes routine and gives the impression that the issue is being looked after. I suspect that surprising a group with an unexpected number is more likely to generate panic.

Your assumption is that Princess cares and based on our recent past cruise experiences they are not walking their talk in terms of safe protocols for Covid.  I am sure they want their staff to have as little exposure to sick passengers as possible so I have a feeling many will continue to feel neglected by staff.

[caribill]

6 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

I would have thought food & beverage deliveries to quarantine would be prioritized. After all those passengers are unable to seek any alternatives.

 

 

 

It may or may not be prioritized once the order was in, but the main problem was there was not a special phone number to call for those in quarantine so they had to fight a busy signal for hours.

[tcdcruiser]

On board the Ruby for the last few hours. All seems totally normal except for crew being masked. 

[Redwing55]

3 hours ago, Ombud said:

Granted but on the ship it was 6.25%. And yes we had to mask up at the Philharmonic Friday even though we're at 1.4%

 

Anyway, sounds huge to me

Many locations had higher positivity rates than 6%.  And not that long ago.  Add in that most don't get tested, it's unknown what the actual rate is.  That's been the issue all along with numbers.  One can infer what they want, but the cohorts that the numbers are generated from are typically fairly different.  Because of that, comparing numbers may not be, and are typically not, valid.

Edited March 27, 2022 by Redwing55

[Ombud]

3 minutes ago, Redwing55 said:

Many locations had higher positivity rates than 6%.  And not that long ago.  Add in that most don't get tested, it's unknown what the actual rate is.  That's been the issue all along with numbers.  One can infer what they want, but the cohorts that the numbers are generated from are typically fairly different.  Because of that, comparing numbers may not, are are typically not, valid.

But not here recently. So that is high IMHO. But we already knew this:

https://www.ktvu.com/news/san-francisco-cruise-ship-docks-with-multiple-covid-cases

I'm still going in 27 days!!

 

[Cruise Raider]

12 minutes ago, tcdcruiser said:

On board the Ruby for the last few hours. All seems totally normal except for crew being masked. 

 

So, are there no requirement for masks for embarking passengers?  Interesting.  

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, CalLuvsCrusingToo said:

There is No more Cruise with Confidence cancellations..... are there?

 

My confidence is kinda shot.   Were suppose to cruise on Ruby mid-April. 

 

Orange level is Not good, and this thread is an eyeopener!  UGH

 

Unless there's proactive Change in Masking protocols etc. right away?  I don't see us going.

 

If Princess thinks were going to take it, how its going now?  We won't.

 

HOW do those of us sailing in the near future suppose to Cancel Without Losing all our funds?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unless we test positive during our pre-cruise test, we still plan on going in 2 weeks.  

 

If you've purchased this Princess Vacation Protection at the time of final payment:  

 

Cancel for any Reason¹

Cancellation Fee Waiver¹ (Non-insurance features provided by Princess Cruises)
Life is unpredictable… but you can rely on Princess Vacation Protection. If you need to cancel for specified reasons outlined in the Cancellation Fee Waiver section of the plan, you’ll receive a refund of your cancellation fees. If you need to cancel for any reason not listed in the plan, under the “Any Reason” Cancellation Enhancement feature, you’ll receive 75% of the cancellation fee amount in the form of future cruise credits under our Standard plan and 100% under the Platinum plan.

[ssbeagle]

Princess made a big mistake when the made masks optional and stopped all the covid testing.  We were on the Ruby for the Feb 10th to Hawaii and were tested 5 times in total and masks were mandatory. There were the occasional people who always took them off.  But we had no covid on board.  The next cruise on the 25th the mask wearing was optional after March 1st and many people didn’t wear them.  We did wear ours.  By the time we reached Fort Lauderdale there were about 8 people with covid.  It goes to show the protocols they were using prior to March 1st worked.

[cal56girl]

46 minutes ago, Ombud said:

But not here recently. So that is high IMHO. But we already knew this:

https://www.ktvu.com/news/san-francisco-cruise-ship-docks-with-multiple-covid-cases

I'm still going in 27 days!!

 

I was just going to share this! We will see if other news agencies in the SF Bay Area also report this.

 

[tcdcruiser]

48 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

So, are there no requirement for masks for embarking passengers?  Interesting.  

The cruise terminal is controlled by SF and CBP and masks are required. Just like airport terminals. 
 

Princess.com states mask are optional except in specifically designated areas. I have been aboard for 3 hours and Have not seen a mask required sign yet but sure I will.   Signage at elevators states masks are “suggested”, does not say required.  

 

 

 

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by tcdcruiser

[Ombud]

18 minutes ago, FirstIn71 said:

... You knew both you and hubby were exposed to Covid, possibly carrying it with you. 

Yet you decided to take BART ... shaking my damn head.

I take Bart and everyone is masked. Ok. There was 1 unmasked person Friday on Bart into SF but not out. So even if someone later tests positive, they are less likely to spread it. I actually forgot to bring mine and the WC station handed me one. 

 

[donswife]

The fact is, anyone who goes anywhere is potentially exposed or potentially infected.  We all need to take reasonable measures in accordance with our risk tolerance.  I feel far safer on a ship than I did at work before we got vaccines.

[pkster]

4 minutes ago, KLM3164 said:

Wow….shaking my head! 

 

4 hours ago, cvpends said:

He feels like he has a cold.  He started having some congestion yesterday.  

 

Yeah, but cvpends' husband wasn't asymptomatic when they got off the ship.