Q219-Vancouver-Alaska Covid

[Craigrlewis]

With just 3 days to go I tested positive for covid this morning 

 

Since departing for this holiday I have lived in, slept in and wore my double mask all the time; sanitized away umpteen layers of skin from my hands and stayed out of crowded areas ; didn't attend any shows and froze my nadgers off by standing outside during the day at the glaciers rather that seeing it from inside etc etc so Im a tad annoyed that Ive now succumbed to it.

In the night I felt a bit blah (but thought it was because I had eaten more for dinner than strictly necessary at the Verandah last night) but this morning I was still blah so I took a lateral flow test and it was positive.My partners was negative though.

The nurse then came up and did a pcr test for me and another lateral flow for my partner. Again result was positive for me and negative for him

So off to one of the isolation floors (5 in our case) for remainder of cruise and then balance of Canadian 10 day quarantine in a hotel of the Governments choice

 

So far assistance from all Cunard staff has been great-they have confirmed that we embark last on Friday; they will transport us to hotel and then at the end sort out our flights (was booked via Cunard) then transport us to the airport

 

Britannia menu supplied and anything else you want call room service etc.  Think they must be struggling as room service seems really slow.

 

Only (major) criticism is the various paperwork we were given basically said they would investigate our ship movements to  ascertain any close contact we have had.  So far we have been asked nothing.

 

And a slight annoyance - bit silly to tell me “$100USD per day allowance in hotel for food etc” so pointed out that we are staying in Canada so whats that in $USD and reply was “oh don't know that”

 

So spent the last 2.5 years eating in; masking up; taking care and was covid free.
 

Now catching it on board I guess shows how easily spread and contagious it is as like I said I had double mask (one n95 certified and the other claims to be N95).

 

So making the best of it as sure the Vancouver hotel wont be to the same standards!

[lissie]

Its Omicron - its off the scale of infectious basically - I got it on a tropical island - where I never did anything inside for the 5 days prior to getting infected!  Our room was standalone - no shared corridors, maybe I got it on the 20 min bus ride we took one day - but they were single seats - not even sitting next to anyone! 

 

Frankly I've very happy to have had it  - because frankly if you haven't  had it than you're going to get it unless you stay home or camp solo up a mountain somewhere. 

 

They may well not need to ask you re ship movements as you will be able to tracked by the usage of your cruise card?  

 

Hope you've got lots of cough lozenges and panadol.  Do you get some sort of credit for the isolation period? BTW I totally lost my appetite for a couple of weeks - you may not need that much of a food allowance 

[Host Hattie]

Sorry to hear your cruise is ending this way but thanks for the update.

I hope you don't feel too ill and your partner stays negative.

[ace2542]

6 hours ago, Craigrlewis said:

With just 3 days to go I tested positive for covid this morning 

 

Since departing for this holiday I have lived in, slept in and wore my double mask all the time; sanitized away umpteen layers of skin from my hands and stayed out of crowded areas ; didn't attend any shows and froze my nadgers off by standing outside during the day at the glaciers rather that seeing it from inside etc etc so Im a tad annoyed that Ive now succumbed to it.

In the night I felt a bit blah (but thought it was because I had eaten more for dinner than strictly necessary at the Verandah last night) but this morning I was still blah so I took a lateral flow test and it was positive.My partners was negative though.

The nurse then came up and did a pcr test for me and another lateral flow for my partner. Again result was positive for me and negative for him

So off to one of the isolation floors (5 in our case) for remainder of cruise and then balance of Canadian 10 day quarantine in a hotel of the Governments choice

 

So far assistance from all Cunard staff has been great-they have confirmed that we embark last on Friday; they will transport us to hotel and then at the end sort out our flights (was booked via Cunard) then transport us to the airport

 

Britannia menu supplied and anything else you want call room service etc.  Think they must be struggling as room service seems really slow.

 

Only (major) criticism is the various paperwork we were given basically said they would investigate our ship movements to  ascertain any close contact we have had.  So far we have been asked nothing.

 

And a slight annoyance - bit silly to tell me “$100USD per day allowance in hotel for food etc” so pointed out that we are staying in Canada so whats that in $USD and reply was “oh don't know that”

 

So spent the last 2.5 years eating in; masking up; taking care and was covid free.
 

Now catching it on board I guess shows how easily spread and contagious it is as like I said I had double mask (one n95 certified and the other claims to be N95).

 

So making the best of it as sure the Vancouver hotel wont be to the same standards!

Who will pay for your hotel quarantine and the altered flight home? Perhaps they will put you in the Dominion Hotel if is still open.

[mumoftwo]

We join the QE in LA in just over a months time......we are now all Covid positive (husband brought it home from work and he only goes in one day a week) and the rest of the family just tested positive today - I have no symptoms.....at least he can come out of prison now (I was getting a bit fed up of the texts with requests for various items from the rest of the house) and we can mix freely in the covid soup of our house.

 

If we were going to get it now seems like the perfect time......as clearly can not catch it again before the holiday or during.......hopefully this dose will last us to an Autumn Booster.

 

Do you have a view of how many cases on the QE currently?

[lissie]

59 minutes ago, mumoftwo said:

We join the QE in LA in just over a months time......we are now all Covid positive (husband brought it home from work and he only goes in one day a week) and the rest of the family just tested positive today - I have no symptoms.....at least he can come out of prison now (I was getting a bit fed up of the texts with requests for various items from the rest of the house) and we can mix freely in the covid soup of our house.

 

If we were going to get it now seems like the perfect time......as clearly can not catch it again before the holiday or during.......hopefully this dose will last us to an Autumn Booster.

 

Do you have a view of how many cases on the QE currently?

Perfect timing for you I'd say 

[ace2542]

1 hour ago, mumoftwo said:

We join the QE in LA in just over a months time......we are now all Covid positive (husband brought it home from work and he only goes in one day a week) and the rest of the family just tested positive today - I have no symptoms.....at least he can come out of prison now (I was getting a bit fed up of the texts with requests for various items from the rest of the house) and we can mix freely in the covid soup of our house.

 

If we were going to get it now seems like the perfect time......as clearly can not catch it again before the holiday or during.......hopefully this dose will last us to an Autumn Booster.

 

Do you have a view of how many cases on the QE currently?

You will be able to cruise without worrying about catching it again. That is a bonus.

[Alslc]

With Omicron unfortunately there is just so much you can do. Either you mask 24/7 with a N99/FFP3 (really FFP3, not the ones you get off the internet) or it just takes a little oversight to get it. You can catch it from someone at the restaurant next to you or from someone you are sitting with in the lounge.

Obviously being on a cruise where you are sailing through cold areas won’t help as lots of people will mingle indoor rather than outdoor and that helps the spread. 
 

Hope you get well soon and now you had it you can be way more relaxed for a while 🙂

[Craigrlewis]

Thanks for all your good wishes 😁

 

Today I feel no worse and my partner just lateral flowed and he is still negative.

 

An annoying tickle in my throat throat and a runny nose.

 

Managed to speak to my parents and reassure them all is well. My 53 year old brother sadly passed October last year (not covid) and its still very raw for my folks so this has I think got them all worried and concerned. 

 

Contacted my travel insurer who said and Im paraphrasing now that Cunard is responsible for basically sorting everything out and should they try to imply otherwise and that my travel insurer should be involved they (my travel insurer) would challenge Cunard.
 

However as Ive said Cunard seem to be taking that worry away by immediately confirming they will sort everything and not to worry.

 

My car is at Heathrow Sofitel so my insurer did say they would cover any additional charges there should Cunard say thats incidental.

 

The helpful man then added “focus on getting better, sit back for the next few days and let the Cunard wheels be put in motion then see whats what and if I then need any help to contact them”. So cant say fairer than that.

 

Lissie - Yes not sure if they can use the card to track or not. We assumed they would ask where we had been sitting etc and with whom.

 

Mumof2 - no idea how many cases. They were cagey when I asked

 

Ace2542 - Been told Cunard will sort it and pay for it. As flights booked via them also been told they will deal with rebooking etc. I told them as we paid for business class I expect that for the return trip even of they have to use a different airline. Response was “ I will ensure Southampton are aware”. So lets see.

Spoke 2 a lady 2 balconies away who was also quarantined yesterday. She did independent flight bookings but has been told Cunard will pay any charges to change  them so that seems good of them.  
She has been told to tentatively change them for Saturday 2nd July so IMHO that means quarantine is  10 calendar days ending midnight.

 

Trying to feed myself up with room service and eat well with lots of fruit, juice and vegetables as I have a nagging doubt that the food/selection in the hotel wont be as good or so much choice! 
 

Yesterday I spoke to the Dr about antivirals - Im a healthy person and never get colds but when i do they turn either into chest infections or pneumonia. Im also asthmatic and have sleep apnea.

So i expressed concerns about this infection.
He said they have them but as its a new drug no one yet knows long term side effects of use. The one they have is two parts-one attacks covid and the other part stops your kidneys purging the covid attacking element.

We ended up agreeing not to start them but should I get worse then the  call/decision to start them would be mine.

He said “we will monitor you closely due to your health issues”

I stated that was fine and “would he call me tonight to see how I am”

He agreed but I never got a call - but that said if had I felt worse I would have called him.

 

Reassuringly (?) he did say that no on currently in isolation has been that sick to warrant antivirals or any in depth medical treatment - its just so far the cold symptoms

 

 

 

 

Edited June 22, 2022 by Craigrlewis
Spelling

[Host Hattie]

Thanks for the update, it's good to hear that you are being well looked after so far. I hope it continues.

It's also good to hear that they have the anti-virals if required as I know the question has been asked on other boards.

[Desert Cruisers]

I tested positive on the QE sailing Fort Lauderdale to LA.  My husband tested negative including after being in isolation with me.

 

There were many passengers who tested positive and were disembarked in LA.

• Cunard arranged and paid for a hotel stay and room service.  Manage your expectations of the hotel quality and offerings. The room service menu was limited and did not change.  For the first 5 days, we could not leave our hotel room nor could anyone enter the room to clean, etc.
• We were doing a B2B and going on to Alaska.  Cunard refunded our fare.
• We had booked our own air.  The US authorities only required a 5-day isolation period but recommended that we not travel for 10 days.  Cunard could not force us to stay after day 5 so, being only an hour away by plane, we paid for our tickets home.

Edited June 22, 2022 by Desert Cruisers

[Victoria2]

Craigrlewis

First of all, thanks for your input and I'm so sorry you 'got caught'. I sincerely hope Cunard look after you properly with travel arrangements.

 

If possible, please could you find out what antivirals [named] the medical centre have onboard.

Thanks.

Edited June 22, 2022 by Victoria2
added named

[Craigrlewis]

Hi victoria2 aw thanks. he said they had Plaxlovid onboard

Hope that helps

 

Hi Desert Cruisers - yeagh Ive promised not to moan and complain (and have started eating as much quality food as I can!)

[Craigrlewis]

Not had any notification but checking the BA app now shows our flights rearranged to Saturday July 2nd (& thankfully still business class)

 

So things seem to be progressing

 

Had a sheet under the door telling us we will know our hotel the night before disembarkation and we can use the room phone to make free calls to our UK Insurer if we wish to. 

Focussing on how to date my symptoms are minor but now feel I just want to be home.

 

Ive a 4 night Scotland trip booked for August with my elderly parents that I paid the balance on the other day. When i get back Im going to try to throw myself on Cunards mercy and ask for cancellation (despite final balance being paid) as I just dont want to chance it again FTTB and especially with my elderly parents (my mother has been classed since day 1 as clinically vulnerable).  I couldnt have taken more care but I guess as said by many this is SO infectious/transmissable

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, Craigrlewis said:

Hi victoria2 aw thanks. he said they had Plaxlovid onboard

Hope that helps

 

Hi Desert Cruisers - yeagh Ive promised not to moan and complain (and have started eating as much quality food as I can!)

It does. Thanks

 

[david,Mississauga]

The captain has asked people in writing and twice on the tannoy to exercise precautions. Yes, we all know that no matter how careful we are some will catch the virus, but being careful reduces risk. I am shocked by the number of people who refuse to wear a mask even for walking about and riding the lifts. Perhaps if it was made mandatory there would be a higher degree of compliance. 

 

In her noon announcement today, the captain advised there has been an increase in the number of cases. 

 

We are lucky we took this particular Alaska cruise - the second of the season. We had a long chat with a crew member we have known for many years. He said there were a lot of difficult passengers on the previous Alaska cruise, which was the extension of the Southampton - Vancouver trip. Some had to be threatened that they would be banned from the buffet.

[techteach]

The most likely places of transmission are areas where people are laughing or talking loudly as that increases the amount of virus in the air. What’s happening with masking in the theater? G32? Lounges? Any singalongs going on? @Craigrlewis do you think you could have caught it in one of these venues?

[Craigrlewis]

On 6/22/2022 at 5:48 PM, techteach said:

The most likely places of transmission are areas where people are laughing or talking loudly as that increases the amount of virus in the air. What’s happening with masking in the theater? G32? Lounges? Any singalongs going on? @Craigrlewis do you think you could have caught it in one of these venues?

Hi techteach - Im suspecting either Commodore Club or Britannia.

 

We double masked apart from in the commodore club (but didnt sit in the middle of people) and when eating in the Britannia. Our table was just inside the door so not in the heart of it all and we asked for table for 2 at breakfast in an isolated zone so again we were not sat at the heart of things.

 

Did venture into the buffet but masked until we ate and then left. Also in the Lido sat on the side that was always empty.

 

Didn’t go to any shows or lectures.

 

[Craigrlewis]

On 6/22/2022 at 5:28 PM, david,Mississauga said:

The captain has asked people in writing and twice on the tannoy to exercise precautions. Yes, we all know that no matter how careful we are some will catch the virus, but being careful reduces risk. I am shocked by the number of people who refuse to wear a mask even for walking about and riding the lifts. Perhaps if it was made mandatory there would be a higher degree of compliance. 

 

In her noon announcement today, the captain advised there has been an increase in the number of cases. 

 

We are lucky we took this particular Alaska cruise - the second of the season. We had a long chat with a crew member we have known for many years. He said there were a lot of difficult passengers on the previous Alaska cruise, which was the extension of the Southampton - Vancouver trip. Some had to be threatened that they would be banned from the buffet.

Hi David,

 

Yes without wishing to turn this thread into a mask debate I too was shocked how people were parading through public areas without a mask on. Climbing on communal tenders and shuttle buses laughing, shrieking and talking animatedly.

At the beginning of the cruise notices were in lift restricting to 4 people and we did ask some people who jumped in to jump back out as they made the total 6. They apologised and did.About 3 days into the cruise the notices were taken down.

 

I accept as another poster said on another thread that if people wear a mask to walk to their table then take it off to eat then the time spent maskless eating is far greater than the time walking through the restaurant.(NOT my opinion BTW just paraphrasing what was posted) However, surely every minute spent masked means putting less people at risk?

 

This was our first cruise since 2019 and we have 5 more booked.  Im now seriously thinking of cancelling them all or hopefully move to 2024 then decide again.  Life is too precious to endanger it by setting foot on a cruise ship right now IMHO.
 

Having not had covid due to my diligence I now feel like ive been a right chump and thrown all my hard efforts away by climbing onboard a living petri dish.  

[Jacqueline]

I just came back from Florida where my entire group caught Covid. I managed all these years in NY, Covid free, my usual lifestyle is outdoors and limited exposure.

 

i think the fact is that Omni is very different, and unavoidable if your day includes being around people unmasked. I think there is a pretty short window of exposure, mostly prior to symptoms.

I am 64 and had mild symptoms, scratchy throat, slightly runny nose, my siblings, the same, one person had a fever. The only good thing about omi seems to be those of us with recent boosters did fine, those with waning immunity had fevers,

and my husband despite close contact was never negative (recent booster).

I didn’t opt for paxlovid, given my mild symptoms.

best if luck to you fee,ign better soon. I am glad that Cunard is taking such good care of you!

[ace2542]

14 hours ago, Craigrlewis said:

Thanks for all your good wishes 😁

 

Today I feel no worse and my partner just lateral flowed and he is still negative.

 

An annoying tickle in my throat throat and a runny nose.

 

Managed to speak to my parents and reassure them all is well. My 53 year old brother sadly passed October last year (not covid) and its still very raw for my folks so this has I think got them all worried and concerned. 

 

Contacted my travel insurer who said and Im paraphrasing now that Cunard is responsible for basically sorting everything out and should they try to imply otherwise and that my travel insurer should be involved they (my travel insurer) would challenge Cunard.
 

However as Ive said Cunard seem to be taking that worry away by immediately confirming they will sort everything and not to worry.

 

My car is at Heathrow Sofitel so my insurer did say they would cover any additional charges there should Cunard say thats incidental.

 

The helpful man then added “focus on getting better, sit back for the next few days and let the Cunard wheels be put in motion then see whats what and if I then need any help to contact them”. So cant say fairer than that.

 

Lissie - Yes not sure if they can use the card to track or not. We assumed they would ask where we had been sitting etc and with whom.

 

Mumof2 - no idea how many cases. They were cagey when I asked

 

Ace2542 - Been told Cunard will sort it and pay for it. As flights booked via them also been told they will deal with rebooking etc. I told them as we paid for business class I expect that for the return trip even of they have to use a different airline. Response was “ I will ensure Southampton are aware”. So lets see.

Spoke 2 a lady 2 balconies away who was also quarantined yesterday. She did independent flight bookings but has been told Cunard will pay any charges to change  them so that seems good of them.  
She has been told to tentatively change them for Saturday 2nd July so IMHO that means quarantine is  10 calendar days ending midnight.

 

Trying to feed myself up with room service and eat well with lots of fruit, juice and vegetables as I have a nagging doubt that the food/selection in the hotel wont be as good or so much choice! 
 

Yesterday I spoke to the Dr about antivirals - Im a healthy person and never get colds but when i do they turn either into chest infections or pneumonia. Im also asthmatic and have sleep apnea.

So i expressed concerns about this infection.
He said they have them but as its a new drug no one yet knows long term side effects of use. The one they have is two parts-one attacks covid and the other part stops your kidneys purging the covid attacking element.

We ended up agreeing not to start them but should I get worse then the  call/decision to start them would be mine.

He said “we will monitor you closely due to your health issues”

I stated that was fine and “would he call me tonight to see how I am”

He agreed but I never got a call - but that said if had I felt worse I would have called him.

 

Reassuringly (?) he did say that no on currently in isolation has been that sick to warrant antivirals or any in depth medical treatment - its just so far the cold symptoms

 

 

 

 

That good to hear btw the Dominion hotel is the one from the Sliders tv series back in the 90s when they filmed it Vancouver. Though a lot of the cruise at least the agencies seem to use the Georgian Court or so I have been told

[Alslc]

6 hours ago, Craigrlewis said:

Hi David,

 

Yes without wishing to turn this thread into a mask debate I too was shocked how people were parading through public areas without a mask on. Climbing on communal tenders and shuttle buses laughing, shrieking and talking animatedly.

At the beginning of the cruise notices were in lift restricting to 4 people and we did ask some people who jumped in to jump back out as they made the total 6. They apologised and did.About 3 days into the cruise the notices were taken down.

 

I accept as another poster said on another thread that if people wear a mask to walk to their table then take it off to eat then the time spent maskless eating is far greater than the time walking through the restaurant.(NOT my opinion BTW just paraphrasing what was posted) However, surely every minute spent masked means putting less people at risk?

 

This was our first cruise since 2019 and we have 5 more booked.  Im now seriously thinking of cancelling them all or hopefully move to 2024 then decide again.  Life is too precious to endanger it by setting foot on a cruise ship right now IMHO.
 

Having not had covid due to my diligence I now feel like ive been a right chump and thrown all my hard efforts away by climbing onboard a living petri dish.  

oh please ! Petri dish is a bit dramatic. There are plenty of people still cruising and not catching covid. Cancelling all cruises until 2024? Your choice, but if we don’t get our lives back, we’ll be loosing precious moments.
 
I absolutely agree with you and I currently keep masking indoor. I avoided it two years and then got it by briefly removing a mask whilst sitting next to a positive friend. This is Omicron, whatever precaution you took in the past few years will hardly work now unless you are REALLY meticulous and I was really panicking for 2 years and try not to catch it. Big Venues such as the Britannia Restaurant at peak times and the commodore club where there is no airflow are the best places for Omicron to spread and yes unless you were continuously wearing your FFP3 (mind that double masking might decrease the grip of the other mask, hence being less effective) you might have got it from a fellow traveler. Are you saying to me that during the whole cruise you didn’t share any table or seating area with anyone outside of your bubble ? You have never shared a shuttle bus or tender with fellow passengers ?
 

Having said that, you had it, you had it mild and your other half didn’t even test positive. Look forward to more relaxed trips and more “freedom” for the next few months! Take care and don’t blame yourself 🙂

Edited June 23, 2022 by Alslc

[david,Mississauga]

Craig, you have our sympathy especially because you have done everything possible to keep safe. There have been reports from others on previous voyages on this ship and the QM2. It seems there is no more they could have done to be safe. I suppose there is a lot of luck involved.

 

I caught a mild case of COVID in Toronto about 2 1/2 months ago. We have obeyed the rules and recommendations but probably caught it in a restaurant. I guess I was lucky not to have caught it earlier before the full vaccination plus booster jab. My doctor will not let me have the second booster yet because her respirologist colleague said having caught it acts as a booster for at least three months.

 

We have a Quebec-NY voyage on the QM2  booked in the autumn. I hope we can get the further booster by then. I know it is no guarantee but it lowers the risk considerably. I am concerned about being put in quarantine in a foreign country, but it appears we will take a chance. The last interim port of call on that voyage will be Halifax. If one of us catches it we could disembark there, although the law regarding passenger traffic between Canadian ports by a foreign-registered ship that does not call at another country could be an issue.

 

Best of luck, Craig, for your  continued quarantine both on the QE and in Vancouver.

[Craigrlewis]

On 6/23/2022 at 9:38 AM, david,Mississauga said:

Craig, you have our sympathy especially because you have done everything possible to keep safe. There have been reports from others on previous voyages on this ship and the QM2. It seems there is no more they could have done to be safe. I suppose there is a lot of luck involved.

 

I caught a mild case of COVID in Toronto about 2 1/2 months ago. We have obeyed the rules and recommendations but probably caught it in a restaurant. I guess I was lucky not to have caught it earlier before the full vaccination plus booster jab. My doctor will not let me have the second booster yet because her respirologist colleague said having caught it acts as a booster for at least three months.

 

We have a Quebec-NY voyage on the QM2  booked in the autumn. I hope we can get the further booster by then. I know it is no guarantee but it lowers the risk considerably. I am concerned about being put in quarantine in a foreign country, but it appears we will take a chance. The last interim port of call on that voyage will be Halifax. If one of us catches it we could disembark there, although the law regarding passenger traffic between Canadian ports by a foreign-registered ship that does not call at another country could be an issue.

 

Best of luck, Craig, for your  continued quarantine both on the QE and in Vancouver.

Thanks david

[Craigrlewis]

Now found out going to the Sheraton Vancouver Airport tomorrow.

 

Looking on the bright side it has some good reviews and toes, fingers and anything I can cross is crossed that we get a balcony room so we can at least sit outside.  Their website shows balconies.

 

Realized my asthma spray runs put Sunday. Discussed with the medical team who dont carry it (a green inhaler) so they started inferring I should speak to the shore agent. I was a bit firm and said No as I felt they should make arrangements for it to be sorted out.  Then told will need to speak to the ships dr in all likelihood that will be a chargeable appointment. I expressed surprise at this but let it drop. I cant be bothered. My travel insurer can sort it out when I get back.  So no ideal what they will or wont sort out,.

 

Had luggage labels for tomorrow and we have to leave our bags outside as normal this evening but collect them from connextions 2 (but assistance will be there apparently - I hope so as I dont travel light 😂)

Had a letter from Cunard confirming I have been isolated since 21/6 to 24/6 and a copy of a positive test result.

 

So didn't sleep well last night and feel a bit coldy today.  Few aches and pains here and there.  Still feel very lethargic.

 

Medical Team did ring last night asking for details of my movements round the ship for last 48 hours before testing positive. She said they now will trace who was sat around me in each venue (that explains why we were constantly asked our room numbers in the public venues I guess)

 

Call back from Voyage Sales and they will allow me to cancel the QV cruise I had recently paid final balance on for August 2022.  They will allow full refund.

 

So Im obviously not glad I caught covid but in fairness to Cunard they have handled things, to date, very professionally and helpfully. I hope their shore agents are as diligent.