Valiant Lady - Just had positive COVID test.

[prothed]

Returned yesterday from the 11 night cruise, UK - Canaries - UK.  I won't go into the operational issues here because I think they have been covered elsewhere.

I was surprised at the lack of COVID precautions by Virgin.  There was one self-administered lateral flow test at home  in advance of the cruise and... that was it.  No testing before boarding, no masks, no distancing, no testing on board, nothing.

Unfortunately I woke up this morning coughing and feeling rough and a COVID test was positive.  Oh great.

The only times I was not on board were on a tour bus or in the open air, so my finger is pointing at the management of the ship.

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by prothed

[Raiders4Life32]

11 minutes ago, prothed said:

Returned yesterday from the 11 night cruise, UK - Canaries - UK.  I won't go into the operational issues here because I think they have been covered elsewhere.

I was surprised at the lack of COVID precautions by Virgin.  There was one self-administered lateral flow test at home  in advance of the cruise and... that was it.  No testing before boarding, no masks, no distancing, no testing on board, nothing.

Unfortunately I woke up this morning coughing and feeling rough and a COVID test was positive.  Oh great.

The only times I was not on board were on a tour bus or in the open air, so my finger is pointing at the management of the ship.

 

Did you choose to wear an N95 mask for the entire cruise? 

[westguy99]

"No testing before boarding, no masks, no distancing, no testing on board, nothing."

 

Wow they wouldn't allow you to get tested before boarding? Wouldn't allow you to wear a mask? Prevented you from distancing? Would not allow you to bring your own test kits on board?  Must be some new rules. 

[prothed]

Just saying guys, just saying...  Your milage may vary.

 

[jon81uk]

It matches the rules within the UK in general, although they are also testing before boarding and checkin vaccination status. Therefore just those two measures make it safer than any other hotel, bar or nightclub in the UK at present.

Passengers were still encouraged to wear masks even if most choose not to. If you had concerns you could have worn an N95 mask in corridors/lifts and avoided nightclubs and other crowded places.

Most places are moving towards vaccinations being the main way of managing covid. I think  some of Europe is still using masks more than the UK, but restrictions on bars/nightclubs is mixed.

[Raiders4Life32]

I just don’t see how the finger should be pointed towards the management as the OP suggested. We all assume our own risk by traveling right now and need to practice self-preservation and common sense. I don’t hold VV to a higher standard than I do a public train, store or movie theater. If you are expecting a zero COVID scenario, maybe stay home another year before venturing out?

[prothed]

I know this was just bad luck and hopefully there were minimal cases on board.  This was the fourth cruise we have taken since lockdown restrictions ended and on-board precautions have varied from comprehensive (Viking) to essentially none (VV).  Yes, this cruise must have complied with current UK regulations though it was a bit of a shock to see that all the measures we accepted until now had suddenly gone away...

 

[Ladyshopper23]

We were on the maiden voyage, and a fair few people seemed to test positive when they got home. We picked up some kind of bug, but tested every day for a week and were negative.

 

Personally, I was disappointed that there was no-one at any of the eating places reminding people to sanitise their hands (didn't see any wash basins, but may have missed them). Not just from a Covid perspective, but in terms of general hygiene. There were sanitisers, but they weren't very prominantly placed, and I didn't see many people using them.

[Raiders4Life32]

3 hours ago, Ladyshopper23 said:

We were on the maiden voyage, and a fair few people seemed to test positive when they got home. We picked up some kind of bug, but tested every day for a week and were negative.

 

Personally, I was disappointed that there was no-one at any of the eating places reminding people to sanitise their hands (didn't see any wash basins, but may have missed them). Not just from a Covid perspective, but in terms of general hygiene. There were sanitisers, but they weren't very prominantly placed, and I didn't see many people using them.

There are no buffets on VV hence no “washie washie” people greeting you on your way in/out. It’s crazy to me that adults would need to be reminded to wash their own hands after a meal…especially during these COVID times. 

[Ladyshopper23]

Just now, Raiders4Life32 said:

There are no buffets on VV hence no “washie washie” people greeting you on your way in/out. It’s crazy to me that adults would need to be reminded to wash their own hands after a meal…especially during these COVID times. 

Oh yes, the not a buffet area!! I agree, whilst it isn't officially a buffet, there are elements on a lot of the counters where you can touch things (fruit at the grab and go is just one example). There is nowhere near the same level of touching as a standard buffet I admit, but people should still be mindful of hand hygiene to prevent things norovirus, never mind Covid etc.

 

And I definitely agree with you that it's adults need to be reminded. However, sadly, it's very obvious they do (and even sadder on other cruise lines that even when reminded, a lot don't do it. Gross!).

 

They should at least put the sanitisers right in the middle of the walkway so you have to purposefully avoid them, rather than how it was when we went on which was a little bit out the way!

[Raiders4Life32]

7 minutes ago, Ladyshopper23 said:

Oh yes, the not a buffet area!! I agree, whilst it isn't officially a buffet, there are elements on a lot of the counters where you can touch things (fruit at the grab and go is just one example). There is nowhere near the same level of touching as a standard buffet I admit, but people should still be mindful of hand hygiene to prevent things norovirus, never mind Covid etc.

 

And I definitely agree with you that it's adults need to be reminded. However, sadly, it's very obvious they do (and even sadder on other cruise lines that even when reminded, a lot don't do it. Gross!).

 

They should at least put the sanitisers right in the middle of the walkway so you have to purposefully avoid them, rather than how it was when we went on which was a little bit out the way!

Totally agree with you about norovirus. My wife and I are far more concerned with catching noro vs. COVID on a cruise ship. Especially when research has shown that COVID is not prominently spread through surface contamination.

[JohnScot]

Many people on this cruise have Covid, not surprising when most passengers chose not to wear masks. I wore one for the first few days but was getting looked at as though I was a clown. I decided not to wear one and yes I have Covid, I believe that this is my fault as I made a conscious decision not to wear a mask.

Virgin are far from blameless, I saw members of their crew pouring drink and then putting their hand on top of the glass, picking up with their five fingers on rim then place on a tray to be taken to the passenger. This happened multiple times.

Staff were sneezing and coughing behind masks and never changed them.

Virgin definitely have a more relaxed attitude with their staff which is good for them but it does mean that the staff are less bothered about making mistakes and pleasing customers. Maybe they have the correct balance.

[Raiders4Life32]

51 minutes ago, JohnScot said:

Many people on this cruise have Covid, not surprising when most passengers chose not to wear masks. I wore one for the first few days but was getting looked at as though I was a clown. I decided not to wear one and yes I have Covid, I believe that this is my fault as I made a conscious decision not to wear a mask.

Virgin are far from blameless, I saw members of their crew pouring drink and then putting their hand on top of the glass, picking up with their five fingers on rim then place on a tray to be taken to the passenger. This happened multiple times.

Staff were sneezing and coughing behind masks and never changed them.

Virgin definitely have a more relaxed attitude with their staff which is good for them but it does mean that the staff are less bothered about making mistakes and pleasing customers. Maybe they have the correct balance.

Hope you feel okay and don't have any severe symptoms.  It sucks to get sick on any sort of vacation, but this is the risk we all take as society has reopened.  Wishing you a speedy recovery!

[creativeroutes]

I have not heard the same of the Scarlet Lady - I wonder if it is because of the community levels of Covid in UK versus the US currently?  Keeping the cruise at half capacity or less is key as well!

Edited April 4, 2022 by creativeroutes

[jon81uk]

1 hour ago, JohnScot said:

Many people on this cruise have Covid, not surprising when most passengers chose not to wear masks. I wore one for the first few days but was getting looked at as though I was a clown. I decided not to wear one and yes I have Covid, I believe that this is my fault as I made a conscious decision not to wear a mask.

Virgin are far from blameless, I saw members of their crew pouring drink and then putting their hand on top of the glass, picking up with their five fingers on rim then place on a tray to be taken to the passenger. This happened multiple times.

Staff were sneezing and coughing behind masks and never changed them.

Virgin definitely have a more relaxed attitude with their staff which is good for them but it does mean that the staff are less bothered about making mistakes and pleasing customers. Maybe they have the correct balance.

Covid doesn't travel via touch so don't be concerned about that with touching glasses.

More likely to get Salmonella, E. Coli or Norovirus from that sort of thing so you hope that bar tenders and waiting staff are washing hands regularly anyway. But that sort of practice and risk is the same now as it was 10/20 years ago really.

[benjaminnicholas]

On 4/2/2022 at 1:47 PM, prothed said:

Returned yesterday from the 11 night cruise, UK - Canaries - UK.  I won't go into the operational issues here because I think they have been covered elsewhere.

I was surprised at the lack of COVID precautions by Virgin.  There was one self-administered lateral flow test at home  in advance of the cruise and... that was it.  No testing before boarding, no masks, no distancing, no testing on board, nothing.

Unfortunately I woke up this morning coughing and feeling rough and a COVID test was positive.  Oh great.

The only times I was not on board were on a tour bus or in the open air, so my finger is pointing at the management of the ship.

 

 

It's up to YOU to handle YOUR health.  The blame is on you, not management.

[prothed]

Ooo...  SHOUTING...  Always good.   One of the previous posters made the very good point that you are statistically safer on a cruise ship than in a theatre, restaurant, etc. ashore - but there is a difference in that that normally you are with a group of strangers for a relatively short period whereas on ship you are all together for an extended time.  Anyway, I do feel that the cruise lines have a responsibility for health on board and I have seen that demonstrated on all my previous cruises this year - just not so much on Virgin unfortunately.

As far as my health being entirely MY responsibility, I'm afraid that is unrealistic in a shared environment.  It would be entertaining to see me in the bar wearing a hazmat suit and life jacket but it would hardly be practical. (Joke...)

 

[Jasukkie]

It's a shame they got rid of the testing at boarding process. They had the logistics down on my sailing from Miami, very impressive. I know that someone could still get through who caught it on the plane before they would test positive, but it's still better than testing 2-3 days earlier. Cautionary reminder that our numbers in the US could spike again like so many other parts of the world now. I hope you fully recover soon.

[prothed]

Thank you.  Currently just feeling like mild flu. (But you know how much more men suffer...  😁)

 

[axelskater]

On 4/4/2022 at 9:43 AM, Raiders4Life32 said:

Totally agree with you about norovirus. My wife and I are far more concerned with catching noro vs. COVID on a cruise ship. Especially when research has shown that COVID is not prominently spread through surface contamination.

I had Noro after a Cunard voyage. I will take Covid any day of the week over the horrible feeling of Norovirus - especially in a foreign country. My bout with Covid (Delta variant)  was nothing since I got mAB & early treatment, and my bout with Omicron over New Years was nothing more than a very mild cold with a very low fever for less than 24hours (I got early treatment then too), With Noro I thought I was going to just die and we had just left the ship; it was the sickest I have ever been...in the dead of winter in a drafty castle LOL. The malaise from that one was 4 days or so. But I never blamed management or anyone else for it. Virus gonna virus, you just have to accept that if you want to travel and vacation.  

[Raiders4Life32]

I have had Noro twice in my life as well.  One time after eating at a cheap Vegas $10 buffet while in college and the other on board a Holland America cruise in my 20's.  Completely agree with your assessment....miserable feeling for several days and couldn't eat anything solid for about a week each time.  

[axelskater]

You know, I do not think you can count the college buffet experience. I mean, we all did crazy things back then so at least you made it through 😁