How to avoid catching COVID on a cruise

[islandwoman]

DH and I are booked on a Princess cruise out of Southampton followed by a Viking River cruise out of Budapest this coming fall.  These will be our first cruises since 2019.  I hear that some cruisers who are vaccinated and boosted are getting sick, even though their ships require vaccines and testing.  How do we avoid catching COVID on a cruise? 

[d9704011]

You can reduce the risk by being fully vaccinated, wearing a mask, steering clear of crowds/other people, washing your hands and staying away from enclosed spaces.

[islandwoman]

 

5 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

wearing a mask, steering clear of crowds/other people, ..... and staying away from enclosed spaces.

Would I have to avoid shows, the dining room, buffet, and specialty restaurants?  We could wear a mask in the shows, but it's physically impossible to eat while wearing one. That only leaves room service?

[d9704011]

17 minutes ago, islandwoman said:

 

Would I have to avoid shows, the dining room, buffet, and specialty restaurants?  We could wear a mask in the shows, but it's physically impossible to eat while wearing one. That only leaves room service?

Of course.  Sounds pretty ridiculous doesn't it?  Perhaps you should tamper down your request for advice on how to avoid catching Covid-19 on a cruise.

[islandwoman]

43 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

Perhaps you should tamper down your request for advice on how to avoid catching Covid-19 on a cruise.

I'm not sure what you mean.  Please explain.

I see that you live in Canada.  I live in the US where if you test positive for COVID while you're out of the country, you can't come home.  My sister and brother-in-law are right now stuck in Copenhagen because they tested positive after an NCL cruise. 

Also, I'm in my mid 70's, so although I'm fully vaccinated and boosted, I'm still at high-risk for a serious outcome in case I get COVID. 

That's why I'm concerned.  But I don't want to give up cruising.  So I am seriously looking for a way to sail without getting sick.

[d9704011]

Just now, islandwoman said:

So I am seriously looking for a way to sail without getting sick.

Yes, I get that.  I don't believe it's possible to guarantee a way of doing it, hence, reduce the risk by doing all the things your public health authorities (at least in most jurisdictions) have been telling you to do over the last couple of years.

[islandwoman]

2 hours ago, d9704011 said:

reduce the risk by doing all the things your public health authorities (at least in most jurisdictions) have been telling you to do over the last couple of years.

LOL.  I live in Florida.  I won't say more, less I run afoul of cruisecritic policy. 

[NSnJW]

Like others say, there are no guarantees but  you can reduce your exposure.  The new normal is probably masking in crowds and elevators.  That and washing hands frequently will reduce exposure to colds, flu and Covid.  

I have asthma and bad lungs. Flu often causes pneumonia for me but I have been on 8 cruises since last September.  So far, so good but I have 3 more cruises scheduled this year.  I do my best to reduce exposure.  Still I intend to cruise while the dirt cheap cruises are available.

My son and DIL home schools their 4 kids and they rarely go anywhere but still one of their kids got Covid.  

Stay clean, mask in crowds, get your boosters and hope for the best.

[islandwoman]

1 hour ago, NSnJW said:

I have asthma and bad lungs. Flu often causes pneumonia for me but I have been on 8 cruises since last September.  So far, so good but I have 3 more cruises scheduled this year.  I do my best to reduce exposure. 

 

What do you do about meals?

[NSnJW]

I eat at the buffet, deli, Blue Iguana and have dinner at the MDR.

I try to sit away from others and usually succeed.  In the MDR we are usually seated at a two person table so there is some separation.  I have been seated at the same table as others only once and even then there were empty seats between us and others.

[Cloud9 Bob]

On 5/22/2022 at 5:49 AM, NSnJW said:

Stay clean, mask in crowds, get your boosters and hope for the best.

 

The above mirrors my feelings exactly. I do worry about getting sick onboard ship too, but I miss cruising, so what is one to do? I have a weird analogy, but hear me out. In a way, covid is like terrorism. We all worry about it, but if we don't start getting out there and yes, possibly taking a calculated risk....then the terrorism  (and in this case...covid) wins. I plan to cruise very soon and don't want to worry too much about it or else my money will be wasted if I can't enjoy it, regardless if I get it or not.

[Ben2travel]

On 5/21/2022 at 5:43 PM, islandwoman said:

 

Also, I'm in my mid 70's, so although I'm fully vaccinated and boosted, I'm still at high-risk for a serious outcome in case I get COVID. 

That's why I'm concerned.  But I don't want to give up cruising.  So I am seriously looking for a way to sail without getting sick.

 I share your concerns. We’re booked on a cruise in October and are very nervous about it. But we’ve already postponed it twice so we’re eager to make it work. I think there are some common sense things one to do to minimize risk, but it’s still a gamble. Good luck. Hope it goes well for you.

[riverotter]

On 5/21/2022 at 1:16 PM, islandwoman said:

DH and I are booked on a Princess cruise out of Southampton followed by a Viking River cruise out of Budapest this coming fall.  These will be our first cruises since 2019.  I hear that some cruisers who are vaccinated and boosted are getting sick, even though their ships require vaccines and testing.  How do we avoid catching COVID on a cruise? 

Omicron has changed all the rules of infection.  It's now as infectious as measles, and I'm sure you remember how infectious that was.  Indoors you can get infected simply from walking by somebody.  You can even get infected from someone who walked by an hour ago indoors.  You can get infected in an empty elevator from a previous passenger.  You can get infected outside, but not as easily.  Surgical masks are no longer protective of covid.  You will need an N95 or KN95.

 

And you are very on point to be afraid.  Studies just came out that show every one of us, old and young, even asymptomatic have a 60% higher risk of stroke or heart attack after covid for at least a year.  And I think we know most of the people who cruise are not starting from zero risk from either of those diseases.

 

Still, I think you could cruise safely.  There is an elastomeric mask now out, that kind with the big pink circles that make you look like an insect, but they have recently made one the same size as a regular mask that looks normal, but it will protect you even better than an N95.  It's called a GVS P100.  So you could wear that any time you are inside. 

 

But you are not going to be able to eat in any restaurant or drink inside at all.  Many, many people are getting covid from dining room and restaurant from eating without their mask.   You will have to wear the mask, get the food at the buffet and go in your room or outside, not close to other people or else get room service.  You will also need to at least get a balcony and when you go in your room wear the mask until the room is aired out in case your steward is sick.

 

Personally I'm too at risk to try it after struggling for two years with long covid.  All I can do is live vicariously through everyone else on cruise critic.

[islandwoman]

3 hours ago, riverotter said:

Omicron has changed all the rules of infection.  It's now as infectious as measles, and I'm sure you remember how infectious that was. 

 

Yes, I had measles.  There are two huge differences though.  Once you recover from measles, you don't get it again. Once you have the MMR shot, you don't get measles.   People have been known to get COVID multiple times.

I'm sorry to hear that you have been struggling with long COVID.  I hope you completely recover soon.

[Mary229]

On 5/28/2022 at 6:55 AM, islandwoman said:

again. Once you have the MMR shot, you don't get measles

Please provide sources for that.   To my knowledge no study indicated that  MMR gave 100% protection.  

[Mary229]

For any diseases remember to wash your face often too.   We are so obsessed with hand washing we often overlook washing our face 

[islandwoman]

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

Please provide sources for that.   To my knowledge no study indicated that  MMR gave 100% protection.  

I never said that the MMR vaccine gives 100% protection.  According to the CDC, "People who receive MMR vaccination according to the U.S. vaccination schedule are usually considered protected for life against measles and rubella."

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/mmr/public/index.html

[Mary229]

On 5/28/2022 at 6:55 AM, islandwoman said:

. Once you have the MMR shot, you don't get measles.

Pretty much this indicates 100% protection.  This is the great myth we are suffering under currently.  There is an urban myth that vaccines do 1. Protect 100%  2. There are no studies which have tested vaccinated individuals en masse for the disease as we have done in with coronavirus.   Many of us may be walking around with measles, flu, mumps, smallpox, etc… but being asymptomatic by virtue of our vaccination status we are considered 100% protected.  

[Mary loves to travel]

On 5/29/2022 at 1:02 PM, Mary229 said:

Pretty much this indicates 100% protection.  This is the great myth we are suffering under currently.  There is an urban myth that vaccines do 1. Protect 100%  2. There are no studies which have tested vaccinated individuals en masse for the disease as we have done in with coronavirus.   Many of us may be walking around with measles, flu, mumps, smallpox, etc… but being asymptomatic by virtue of our vaccination status we are considered 100% protected.  

I can see how one could think this.  But, if true we’d see a lot more measles in infants, transmitted to them by your asymptomatic measles carriers.   We don’t see this.  Infants too young to be vaccinated are protected by the 95%+ vaccination rate around them.   
 

sure, vaccines are rarely 100%, but we were able to develop a very effective measles vaccine *and* we have a very high vaccination rate.   
 

with Covid, the vaccine is not as highly effective, Covid keeps mutating, and at ~60%, we have a low vaccination rate.  

[Mary229]

1 minute ago, Mary loves to travel said:

I can see how one could think this.  But, if true we’d see a lot more measles in infants, transmitted to them by your asymptomatic measles carriers.   We don’t see this.  Infants too young to be vaccinated are protected by the 95%+ vaccination rate around them.   
 

sure, vaccines are rarely 100%, but we were able to develop a very effective measles vaccine *and* we have a very high vaccination rate.   
 

with Covid, the vaccine is not as highly effective, Covid keeps mutating, and at ~60%, we have a low vaccination rate.  

Read the stats.  Lots of “cases” very low hospitalizations and extremely low deaths.  There is more to say but not on this forum. 

[Mum2Mercury]

Be nice, Folks.  It's a legitimate question.  All of us should be concerned with this.  Let's change the wording:  How can we walk the fine line between having a great time and keeping safe from Covid?   No one is saying stay home, but how to make smart choices.  Things that come to my mind: 

 

- I feel pretty good about everyone on the ship being vaxxed and having to pass a Covid test just before boarding.  That's more assurance than we have in our own hometowns. 

- It's smart to wash your hands frequently and carry hand sanitizer.  

- It's smart to bring a box of disposable masks to wear in crowded situations.  The check-in terminal and disembarkation for island stops, for example.  Those are crowded places, and protecting yourself with a mask is low-effort.  On the other hand, you're safe outside, even near the pool area.  

- Don't skip activities, but consider how you can prevent being smushed up with a bunch of people:  Don't try to be first off the ship at an island; wait an hour so the crowd is dissipated.  When you go to the shows, choose a seat apart from others.  Go to the gym at off-hours.  If you love to dance, go early or late, and leave when the place gets good and crowded.  In my limited experience, the buffet is crowded at breakfast and lunch, but relatively empty at dinner -- and the opposite is true of the MDR -- so consider eating where fewer people are. 

- Take the steps instead of crowding into an elevator.  (Also good for the waistline.) 

- Bring a box of Covid tests so that if you develop a sniffle you can -- in the privacy of your own room, without "outing yourselves" to the Medical Staff -- know with certainty whether you need to quarantine.  

 

For what it's worth, you can get Covid even if you're fully vaxxed and boosted -- I did.  I kept myself safe for a year and a half, even crowded in my classroom with 35 students who weren't always good about wearing their masks and constantly whined, "I'm dyyyyying."  The week after we went mask-optional at school -- yep -- I caught Covid.  HOWEVER, my illness was short and mild; I credit the vaccination for keeping me away from the "full strength" illness.  The worst part for me was the mild-but-lingering symptoms that dogged me for weeks.  WEEKS, People!  Weeks!  That's worth some effort to avoid.  

 

[Mary229]

6 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Be nice, Folks.  It's a legitimate question

If you are concerned about Covid beyond the established guidelines it is a question between you and your personal physician.   And if it is a no from your physician there is nothing we can say to change that.  
 

We asked, the physician tested our immunity levels and said yes.  That is how it is done

[Mary loves to travel]

52 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

If you are concerned about Covid beyond the established guidelines it is a question between you and your personal physician.   And if it is a no from your physician there is nothing we can say to change that.  
 

We asked, the physician tested our immunity levels and said yes.  That is how it is done

Is it ok with you if some of us continue to share ways to avoid catching COVID on a cruise?   I think that's the subject of this thread.

 

Best,

Mary

 

 

[Mary229]

Just now, Mary loves to travel said:

Is it ok with you if some of us continue to share ways to avoid catching COVID on a cruise?   I think that's the subject of this thread.

 

Best,

Mary

 

 

It seems these threads devolve into folklore, speculation and battles.  

[SargassoPirate]

On 5/21/2022 at 4:16 PM, islandwoman said:

DH and I are booked on a Princess cruise out of Southampton followed by a Viking River cruise out of Budapest this coming fall.  These will be our first cruises since 2019.  I hear that some cruisers who are vaccinated and boosted are getting sick, even though their ships require vaccines and testing.  How do we avoid catching COVID on a cruise? 

 

Most likely what you are hearing is that people are testing positive, identified as a "case", and then being quarantined/removed from the ship.  That's what happens with wholesale testing of people who are not sick.  HAL has announced that pre-cruise testing is not required on some selected sailings this summer.  I suspect that it's an experiment to see if their "case" numbers go down since they will only track those who are actually sick. 

 

I wouldn't hesitate, and haven't hesitated, to board any ship and sail anywhere. I am vaxxed and boosted.

 

Anyone who is at risk or fearful should either stay home or wear a mask to protect themselves - and with an N95 mask, not a face diaper.

 

Edited July 1, 2022 by SargassoPirate