Mandatory Masks indoors while onboard - Questions

[SunNFunCruzer]

I am reading conflicting posts about masks onboard indoors. Is there a different mask-wearing protocol for ships sailing in US waters vs. those sailing in international waters where travelers have to test to fly back to the US and ports can enforce rules on the cruise lines?  It seems that many on international sailings are reporting indoor mask mandates.

 

I am 100% supportive of mandating mask wearing indoors except when eating or drinking, and believe that that is one way to mitigate the spread of COVID, but how are the mask policies being enforced and how do cruisers know what the mask rules are on each cruise? Does the CD and Captain make daily announcements?  Do they leave literature in your stateroom?  Do staff remind passengers in hallways, theatres and gathering places to mask up?  

 

And for those on sailings who for sure have had mask mandates (or those who switched mid-cruise -- masked/unmasked)... how did it affect your cruise? Did you return COVID positive? Knowing what you know, are you supportive of fleet-wide mask mandates?  Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experiences.

 

[*Miss G*]

It appears the mandatory mask mandates are based on number of onboard Covid cases more than any other influence.  Our March cruise was mask-optional until the last couple of days when a note was slipped under everyone’s door and it was suddenly compulsory, ship-wide.  We had masked up everywhere we went, anyway, and no one in our party of four caught it.

[Florida_gal_50]

Masks were not mandatory but recommended on my March koningsdam cruise.  The captain thanked those of us that did wear them.  I will wear a mask no matter what for the near future.  I do it out of respect for the crew but also because I feel I want to do it to keep safer. I’m Canadian so I always needed to test to fly home.  This has since ended for Canadians.  I agree with the previous poster.  Seems to be driven by case numbers. 

Edited May 18, 2022 by Florida_gal_50

[SunNFunCruzer]

Well, someone currently on the Noordam, just posted this:  "Second, we were disappointed to find that masks are still required while indoors except when eating and drinking."

 

I would NOT be disappointed if masks were mandated, but I think it will be interesting to watch the Noordam and some other ships where Captains are either suggesting or mandating masks. Some Captains have their families on board with them, I'm sure they are trying to keep their family members and their crew as safe as possible. If the data shows that masks are reducing transmission, I expect that more ship by ship mask mandates will be rolled out.  And, I'd be 100% supportive of that.

Did anyone read about this new MonkeyPox? Yikes! I will plan to wear a mask for the foreseeable future. A lot of nasty stuff floating around out there.

 

[cowmilker]

1 hour ago, SunNFunCruzer said:

Did anyone read about this new MonkeyPox?

 

Well, it's not actually new.  It's the same old monkeypox that has been around forever. It just doesn't often show up in people.

Monkeypox, smallpox, and cowpox are all related.  THIS is what Dr. Jenner noticed way back in the day, that milkmaids had smooth skin.   In an era when nearly everyone had smallpox at some point, EVERYONE had scars on their faces as a result.  Except milkmaids. 

They'd all had cowpox at some point.   And that gave them immunity to smallpox.

So, a vaccine was born.  (It wasn't quite that simple, but you get the idea.)

Most of us old farts have been vaccinated for smallpox, and for that reason, monkeypox is probably not an issue.

[maui07]

The current policy is mask optional except for embark/debark and a few shared spaces like elevators. Hoping it stays that way, we will be sailing in a few weeks and won't be wearing masks. 

[ski ww]

I don't like wearing a mask but will do in order to stay healthy.

[Taters]

I am onboard Rotterdam, currently in Aarhus, Denmark, which is our last port on this 14 night Scandinavian cruise. We will disembark in Amsterdam on Sunday. 
 

There has been no talk of Covid on this cruise that I am aware of. The policy when we boarded on May 8th was that masks are recommended. Many people are not wearing them, but DH and I wear them all the time unless we’re sitting at a table by ourselves.  We have an appointment for our Covid tests for reentry into the US tomorrow morning. My fingers are crossed that we test negative and can fly home as scheduled on Sunday.

Edited May 20, 2022 by Taters

[quack2]

Indoor mask mandates are about reducing COVID risks.  There is a segment of the population that just can't figure that out.

[Seasick Sailor]

I think the author mentioned monkeypox due to the CDC monitoring 6 cases here in the US. 

[IPB4IGO]

15 hours ago, maui07 said:

The current policy is mask optional except for embark/debark and a few shared spaces like elevators. Hoping it stays that way, we will be sailing in a few weeks and won't be wearing masks. 

That's not the policy on the Noordam, where I am right now. Masks are required in all indoor spaces except when eating or drinking. This is s 7-day Vancouver to Whittier Inside Passage cruise.

 

We'll see what the policy is on the Nieuw Amsterdam when we return south on 5/29.

[maui07]

3 hours ago, IPB4IGO said:

That's not the policy on the Noordam, where I am right now. Masks are required in all indoor spaces except when eating or drinking. This is s 7-day Vancouver to Whittier Inside Passage cruise.

 

We'll see what the policy is on the Nieuw Amsterdam when we return south on 5/29.

Well thats HAL's "official policy" on the website and what other ships are doing. 

[*Miss G*]

38 minutes ago, maui07 said:

Well thats HAL's "official policy" on the website and what other ships are doing. 

 

It’s the official policy until a ship reaches a specific threshold of positive cases and then it becomes a mask mandatory policy.

Edited May 21, 2022 by *Miss G*

[TheLizardHouse]

It is a problem that regardless of whatever ship policy is, there seems to be a lack of enforcement.  Just reading on another thread how ‘masks were required to be worn on the buses, but most people didn’t bother’, and people not masking in elevators etc. All the policy in the world means nothing, if there are no consequences.

Edited May 21, 2022 by TheLizardHouse

[maui07]

so how does that work when the mandate starts on day 1? Just crew sick? 

[ontheweb]

6 hours ago, TheLizardHouse said:

It is a problem that regardless of whatever ship policy is, there seems to be a lack of enforcement.  Just reading on another thread how ‘masks were required to be worn on the buses, but most people didn’t bother’, and people not masking in elevators etc. All the policy in the world means nothing, if there are no consequences.

I once had a college professor who said that the two worst laws ever were speeding and alternate side of the street parking. Since people violated both often with no consequences, the next laws became easier to be ignored. To me, this non-enforcement of protocols is another example of that.

[Hlitner]

We have been on 3 cruises in the past 8 months that had onboard mask mandates.  While not on HAL, they were on a line in the "HAL Group" and the actual practice is somewhat different than folks might expect.  The lines with mask mandates will usually specify indoor masking "except when eating or drinking."  (somehow the virus knows not to bother folks who are eating/drinking).  But in practice what happens is folks do wear masks when moving around the interior of the ship.  But once seated the masks generally come off (and stay off).  Some go through the motions of having a glass (full or empty) or a snack....but the reality is that most remove masks once seated (for whatever reason).

 

So does all this really stop the spread of COVID?  Darned if I know the answer, but one of our most recent cruises (where there was an indoor mask mandate) had more than a few COVID cases (those folks were quarantined for 7 days).  The only cruise we have taken in the past year that had no passenger mandates (it was on the Seabourn Ovation in Greece) turned out to be the only cruise we have taken where there were zero COVID cases (that ship did have a COVID problem about 3 weeks after we debarked).

 

I understand that many folks still have "COVID Phobia" while others have moved beyond COVID.  It is not about right or wrong but reality.   Cruising and travel does involve increased COVID risk and that is simply a fact.   Beyond being fully vaccinated,  travel/cruising means you either accept the risk or you will likely be miserable.  We have seen this on all of our recent cruises/trips.  We just returned (Monday) from a 7 week trip to Europe which involved a 27 day cruise and more than 3 weeks of Independent travel where we visited Monoco, France, Czech Republic, Germany and Poland.  We moved around Europe on a couple of domestic (EU) flights, with a rental car, taxis, and Uber. 

 

While the threat of COVID obviously existed everywhere there seemed to be little concern (or precautions) once we debarked our cruise.  Bottom line is that folks who are traveling (and most places are packed with travelers) have simply accepted the COVID risk and moved on with their lives.  When we were on the Ovation we spent hours every day at the crowded Observation Bar where we had a great time, met fantastic folks, and sometimes welcomed back a fellow passenger who had just "been let out of jail (quarantine)"  There were about 500 passengers on our ship (it holds 600) and we did notice one couple who apparently decided to keep themselves apart from everyone (i.e. COVID avoidance).  Since the Ovation is a spacious ship they were able to do this and we hope they enjoyed their "lonely" cruise.   We did sit at a table next to that couple during dinner (one evening) and had a chat and observed that the lovely young couple did seem somewhat miserable.   They made a point of telling us how unhappy they were that not everyone "followed the masking rules."  They also told me they did not understand how so many others could simply ignore the COVID risk (they were not aware that we spent a lot of time at the crowded bar).

 

For those who are unable or unwilling to "move beyond COVID" I would pose the same question I have been asking here for more than a year.   What do you think is going to change in the next couple of years (or longer)?  Experts pretty much agree that COVID is likely here to stay and the risk will likely wax and wane with the phases of the moon (my spin).  I think if one wants to cruise with no COVID risk they will likely need to wait until their next lifetime.  As to masking, we think the world is gradually moving towards a new model (which we saw in Europe) where those who like masking will continue to wear masks and most others will dare to show their face.

 

Hank

[Horizon chaser 1957]

We were on the Zuiderdam April 27 - May 4. Masks were recommended but not mandatory. We wore masks indoors except when eating, drinking, or in our cabin. By the fourth day, very few passengers wore masks at all, and the hand sanitizer dispensers were almost completely ignored. We are both double vaxxed and boostered, and both came home with Covid. We both got sick for two days and tested positive. It was milder than some cases of Cruise Crud we’ve picked up on ships before. Since we drove to the cruise and back, there’s no question the ship was where we got it. 
This fall, we start a 220 day HAL journey, culminating with the World cruise. Oddly enough, after getting Covid on our Alaska cruise, I feel better about what may come. I EXPECT that at some point in 220 days, we will test positive and be ‘sent to our rooms’. I’m hoping they change the quarantine period from 10 days to 5 days, like it is on land, and we don’t miss one of our bucket list days. I’m not worried about the health repercussions, or about being off loaded at a foreign port.

Edited May 21, 2022 by Horizon chaser 1957

[albingirl]

I wear a mask when in public.  I also don't shake hands.  I believe in social distancing, not that that's anything new.  I think people are moving on with regard to travel and the risk of catching covid, but being cautious is the new norm.  Whether that really makes a difference is always debatable, esp. on this forum.  I think it's important to respect other people's need for safety.  

[Navybikermom]

My son and I were on the Nieuw Amsterdam in March and masks weren’t mandatory, except for embarkation/disembarkation, air planes, tours. We didn’t wear our masks where we didn’t have to. Never got Covid. We haven’t worn masks for over a year now, even in hospitals and doctor offices where we live, and still haven’t gotten Covid. Since I’m vaccinated and boosted, I’m not worried about getting it, since it is likely to be a mild case anyway. Stop picking on people who wear masks, and stop picking on those who don’t - where they aren’t mandated. 

[cowmilker]

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I think if one wants to cruise with no COVID risk they will likely need to wait until their next lifetime.

 

My concern doesn't have anything to do with actually catching Covid.  I am vaxxed X4. There's nothing more I can do about that at this point.  I'll get another booster if/when it's recommended.

What sort of keeps me anxious is the fact that we are booked on 4 back to backs in the fall.  It's a big, expensive trip. Flights are expensive. It's all expensive.

We debated and meditated and waited and thought about even doing this, but every year we delay is another year lost, and we don't have forever left to us.  So I booked the latter two cruises (Australia and New Zealand, a total of 85 days).

Then I decided that neither one of those cruises was really going to happen because Omicron, so I thought, "Hell, I'll just see what Noordam is doing before".  This is ALWAYS a mistake.  🙂 She's doing her last round up to Alaska and then a short cruise down the West Coast to San Diego.  I thought, "Well, those two might actually happen," so I booked them. This makes a total of 105 days.

My absolute nightmare is testing positive during the turn arounds, and getting left behind.  We would survive, but I would not be happy.  If I thought that all I'd have to deal with is just being quarantined for a few days, I'd be fine with that (I've done it before with the flu, albeit only for two days).

So, it's not "Covid phobia," rather, it's "being left behind in port in some godforsaken hotel while everyone else sails off into the sunset and then trying to figure out how to rejoin the ship --- phobia."

[Hlitner]

35 minutes ago, cowmilker said:

 

My concern doesn't have anything to do with actually catching Covid.  I am vaxxed X4. There's nothing more I can do about that at this point.  I'll get another booster if/when it's recommended.

What sort of keeps me anxious is the fact that we are booked on 4 back to backs in the fall.  It's a big, expensive trip. Flights are expensive. It's all expensive.

We debated and meditated and waited and thought about even doing this, but every year we delay is another year lost, and we don't have forever left to us.  So I booked the latter two cruises (Australia and New Zealand, a total of 85 days).

Then I decided that neither one of those cruises was really going to happen because Omicron, so I thought, "Hell, I'll just see what Noordam is doing before".  This is ALWAYS a mistake.  🙂 She's doing her last round up to Alaska and then a short cruise down the West Coast to San Diego.  I thought, "Well, those two might actually happen," so I booked them. This makes a total of 105 days.

My absolute nightmare is testing positive during the turn arounds, and getting left behind.  We would survive, but I would not be happy.  If I thought that all I'd have to deal with is just being quarantined for a few days, I'd be fine with that (I've done it before with the flu, albeit only for two days).

So, it's not "Covid phobia," rather, it's "being left behind in port in some godforsaken hotel while everyone else sails off into the sunset and then trying to figure out how to rejoin the ship --- phobia."

With this we agree :(.  Your concerns are not only valid but also too darn realistic.  And there are no good solutions as the risks are real.  In fact, on our recent 27 day Seabourn cruise (which was actually a back to back with the changeover port being Lisbon) we knew one couple that tested positive towards the end of the first cruise, did not have enough time to serve out their 7 day quarantine, and were kicked off the ship at Lisbon (they had been booked on the 2nd cruise from Lisbon to Monte Carlo).  As far as we know Seabourn took care of them, put them up at the luxury Intercontinental Hotel to finish their quarantine and we assume took care of later flying them back home (a Seabourn guarantee).

 

We also had some minor anxiety about a similar situation but felt pretty confident that Seabourn would take care of us and our financial loss would have been minimal (at the very least we would have been given a future cruise credit if we missed part or all of that 2nd cruise).   Since we had plans to travel to travel (independently) in Europe for over 3 weeks we made sure that nearly all of our arrangements (rental car and hotels) were fully refundable.  Our only financial risk was a relatively inexpensive flight from Nice to Prague on KLM.  And even this would have likely been refunded by Chase under our credit card trip interruption coverage.  This past Sunday morning DW and I laid around our Prague hotel room as we went through the online proctoring process for our necessary Antigen tests needed to fly back to the USA.  We joked that if we tested positive we could simply fly to Canada and later enter the USA without any testing.  or We could have flown to Mexico, walked illegally across the border and perhaps our government would have quietly flown us home in the middle of the night (they do this for others).

 

The risks you site are real not only for COVID but for any other significant health event.   If you are not comfortable with the guarantees (if any) from the cruise line than you might want to consider purchasing decent insurance to cover most or all of your situation.  For this we would suggest using a decent travel insurance broker (such as Steve Dasseos...who is often featured on CC as an expert).

 

You can never eliminate all the risk (even if there was no COVID) but you can plan to minimize the financial impact.  This is just the nature of travel and those that love to travel and cruise generally learn how to live with and minimize the risk.  DW and I have managed to keep traveling throughout the pandemic because we simply love to travel.  We have done our best to minimize (not eliminate our risk) but also continued to have fun, socialize, and choose our moments when increased risk seemed reasonable.  In short, we decided to live our lives.  As seniors we are aware that we only have a limited amount of time to continue our travel hobby and we have not been willing to give up a few remaining years out of fear of COVID.  There are some mornings when I wake up and say, "we made it!"  But putting ourselves into some kind of COVID avoidance prison is just not an option.

 

On this past Monday afternoon when our Lufthansa flight took off from Prague (to Newark) I smiled at DW, breathed a sigh of relief, and said "we made it."   We had prepared for the worst, hoped for the best, and somehow achieved the latter (with some additional grief caused by multiple flight cancellations inside the USA).  Now we sit at home planning the next adventure.  To be very honest, COVID is not even part of our thinking or calculations for that trip.  Our only COVID related thought is when we should get another booster :).

 

Hank

[Kamfish642]

On 5/20/2022 at 11:21 AM, quack2 said:

Indoor mask mandates are about reducing COVID risks.  There is a segment of the population that just can't figure that out.

Not against masks and definitely COVID testing; however, tt just seems illogical when you are seated at a crowded restaurant or at one of the music venues which provides a venue for COVID spread and no one wears masks, yet wearing in hallways.  Just doesn't make sense and appears to be simply for show.

[quack2]

3 hours ago, Kamfish642 said:

Not against masks and definitely COVID testing; however, tt just seems illogical when you are seated at a crowded restaurant or at one of the music venues which provides a venue for COVID spread and no one wears masks, yet wearing in hallways.  Just doesn't make sense and appears to be simply for show.

No.  Masking is about minimizing risk, not eliminating it entirely.

[TheLizardHouse]

16 hours ago, Hlitner said:

 

I understand that many folks still have "COVID Phobia" while others have moved beyond COVID.  It is not about right or wrong but reality.   Cruising and travel does involve increased COVID risk and that is simply a fact.   

This has already been covered, I know, but Hank I want to point out, that cruising now involves the very real risk of not even getting on the ship in the first place! This is my greatest concern. After a 14 hour flight, many thousands of dollars spent, and many hours of planning, if that second line comes up on the pre cruise rat test, then it’s all for nothing.