HARMONY SAILING JUNE 19 - JUNE 26, COVID GOT SOME OF US

[orville99]

36 minutes ago, kpgibbs said:

I got Covid two weeks ago.  Dr gave me Paxlovid.  The only side affect I had was a metal taste in my mouth.

Agree that the metal taste was probably the most significant side effect. BTW DW rebounded positive again about 5 days after finishing the Pax course, and three days after testing negative. I didn't. Go figure...

[topnole]

1 hour ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

Thank you all very much for your comments, suggestions and insights. I started this thread because Covid happened to me and members of my family. We are not unique, and we realize the importance of personal experiences with shared ideas, opinions, recommendations and even disagreements. I do not consider this thread to be the wherewithal for all things Covid. I do consider it relevant to what everyone has been and will continue to be challenged with for years to come. Please continue to share your viewpoints, remarks and experiences. Because you have not experienced Covid in any form or variation does not mean that your participation on this thread will not be relevant. As I said in a previous post, for now I want to keep up with where this virus is going and what it is doing. I think it is that important and crucial to what our lives might be like in three to five years. Hopefully, not deja vu all over again.

Thanks for posting.  All experiences are a bit different.  Better to know more than less IMO.  

[Spif Barwunkel]

1 hour ago, mom23zs said:

Hope you're feeling better soon! We were on the Harmony sailing from June 12-19th. My husband ended up testing positive on the 21st. With that many people in close quarters, I knew it was inevitable. In the FB group for our sailing, ~200 of the 600 members reported having them or someone in their party test positive. 

Thank you for your good wishes. Wow!! one-third of your group sailing. Not good odds for the cruisers. Hope all is well with DH and those group members who were affected.

[shibby sails]

My recent experience with covid was better then the first. I got off a cruise last Thursday. The last night I went to bed and felt like I was getting a sore throat. Got home Thursday and home tested negative. Friday I was feeling tired and took another test and I was positive. I sailed solo so don't know about others on the ship but would assume with the lack or earlier protocols (not that that's a good or bad thing, no argument here) that others contracted it. Its going to happen. I am vaccinated and twice boosted with no underlying conditions. I have sailed 7 times since the restart and this is the first time getting covid from a cruise. I would have to say I was also slacking in being as careful as I was on other cruises. My first bout with covid was the original covid in November of 2020. Loss of taste and smell and had pneumonia. It was a rough month. My wife got it then also and still has not gotten her sense of smell back. Mine is only partially back. Hence my worry when I found out I was positive but was counting on the vaccine to do its thing. It did I was fine in a couple of days and wish I had the vaccine for my first bout. Maybe I was lucky, maybe I just had a mild case, if there is such a thing but I am happy for the vaccine. Cruising is a risk like a lot of things for catching covid but its a risk I accept and will just try and be more careful on my next one.

[ReneeFLL]

16 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

 

Are they still using deck 6 on the Allure for the covid people?

[bajathree]

19 hours ago, mpk said:

 

I guess the flu is different for everyone too.  I don't ever recall losing the sense of smell from the flu, nor have I heard anyone ever mention that flu symptom...?

Yes...agree....that is why was almost certain that she had COVID but all tests showed negative. Maybe since she had previously had COVID a year earlier the flu maybe triggered that loss of taste and smell again...no idea. But 2 home tests and a PCR test all showed negative COVID but flu positive....weird.

Edited June 30, 2022 by bajathree

[Itchy&Scratchy]

2 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

Are they still using deck 6 on the Allure for the covid people?

I don't know. We were on 8, and after the staff visit to assess - we heard them talking about their symptoms, we didn't see our neighbors for the rest of the cruise. I don't know if they had to move or quarantined in place.

We also didn't ask anyone.

I started feeling kind of "funny" on disembarkation day and developed symptoms the next day, so we didn't experience the reporting and quarantine procedures on the ship itself.

Edited June 30, 2022 by Itchy&Scratchy

[katiel53]

I sailed with my son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter on Allure June 9-19 and we stayed an extra day in Fl.  On Tuesday, June 21, I started having a sore throat, then a runny nose and off and on chills.  I thought I had developed a summer cold.

 

It continued and on Thursday, June 23, I took one of the home tests provided by the government.  It was positive for Covid.  I contacted my doctor and also decided to take a PCR test to be sure.  On my way to the PCR test my doctor's office called to tell me a script for Paxlovid had been called into a pharmacy.  It happened to be not the usual pharmacy I use, but the one where I was going for the PCR test.  

 

I started taking the med on Friday and with the first dose I had a slight reaction.  I felt itchy on parts of my body.  The same thing happened with the second dose.   The third dose my lips began swelling and I itched from head to toe.

 

I was sent to urgent care by my doctor as his office was not open on Saturdays.  Urgent care gave me a few meds and the swelling of my lips began to go down.  My blood pressure was extremely high, so I had to sit at Urgent Care for over an hour and a half to see that it went down.

 

I went home and it took about a day for the Paxlovid to wear off.  I started feeling better and the "cold',,  which according to the PCR test as well, was positive, began to leave my body.  I just had a runny nose here and there with a slight cough on occasion.

 

I am now feeling fine and am ready to leave my house, albeit with a mask for a few more days.  I do believe I got Covid when we went to dinner on the debarkation day of the cruise.  The restaurant was packed and the tables were very close to each other.

 

No one else in my family got Covid on this trip.  I have had the two shots and two boosters.  I wouldn't be surprised if I get Covid again, but if it is as mild as this last time, I will be fine.

[mpk]

8 hours ago, katiel53 said:

No one else in my family got Covid on this trip.  I have had the two shots and two boosters.  I wouldn't be surprised if I get Covid again, but if it is as mild as this last time, I will be fine.

 

If you did get it again, would you skip the Paxlovid?

[exm]

On 6/29/2022 at 2:41 PM, Spif Barwunkel said:

Thank you all very much for your comments, suggestions and insights. I started this thread because Covid happened to me and members of my family. We are not unique, and we realize the importance of personal experiences with shared ideas, opinions, recommendations and even disagreements. I do not consider this thread to be the wherewithal for all things Covid. I do consider it relevant to what everyone has been and will continue to be challenged with for years to come. Please continue to share your viewpoints, remarks and experiences. Because you have not experienced Covid in any form or variation does not mean that your participation on this thread will not be relevant. As I said in a previous post, for now I want to keep up with where this virus is going and what it is doing. I think it is that important and crucial to what our lives might be like in three to five years. Hopefully, not deja vu all over again.

Was this your first time getting COVID?

[katiel53]

1 hour ago, mpk said:

 

If you did get it again, would you skip the Paxlovid?

Yes I would skip it because it appears I have an allergic reaction to something in the drug.   If I continued to take it, my reaction would get worse.  Additionally, I seem to be recovering even without it, although it may take longer.

 

[Spif Barwunkel]

1 hour ago, exm said:

Was this your first time getting COVID?

It is my first intimate relationship with COVID. We are fully vaxxed/boosted, and this cruise was our third since December 2021. My fifth day since the onset of symptoms and they remain fairly mild including occasional lethargy. I consider myself fortunate in that respect, but at the same time I do not like "ill-feelings" of any kind, mild or otherwise. I'm convinced that our due diligence and pragmatic lifestyle during these times is responsible. I am not sure whether or not Paxlovid is helping to mitigate more severe symptoms, but I have no side effects from the medication. So, for now I'm a Pax fan.

 

Although lucky - if you can call it that - I will not take for granted any future encounters with Covid. For me, it is just not the sensible thing to do.

[rudeney]

@Spif Barwunkel Did you get the Moderna or Pfizaerr vaccine, and if so did you get sick, like with the flu for a day or two?  If so, then it is highly likely that you had COVID prior to your vaccine and did not know it.  I saw a presentation by two researchers who pretty much proved that having COVID antibodies would result in a bad reaction to the mRNA vaccines.  Since I had COVID in 2020, my doctor suggested I take the J&J vaccine, which I did, and I had really no side-effects (a tiny bit of fatigue the night after). 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

10 hours ago, rudeney said:

@Spif Barwunkel Did you get the Moderna or Pfizaerr vaccine, and if so did you get sick, like with the flu for a day or two?  If so, then it is highly likely that you had COVID prior to your vaccine and did not know it.  I saw a presentation by two researchers who pretty much proved that having COVID antibodies would result in a bad reaction to the mRNA vaccines.  Since I had COVID in 2020, my doctor suggested I take the J&J vaccine, which I did, and I had really no side-effects (a tiny bit of fatigue the night after). 

both of my parents had the original covid in May 2020, but neither of them had any side effects from either the vaccinations or the booster. They had Moderna.

 

Some of our friends also had covid prior to vaccination, and they had no side effects either. Definitely no flu like ones. Maybe, a sore spot for a day or two in the injection site, but that's all.

Edited July 1, 2022 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Junkhouse]

Well after nine cruises (this was the ninth) three airline trips, volunteering at airport twice a month, and numerous camping and casino road trips COVID officially found us. Awoke in the middle of Monday night with a very bad soar throat. My Covid line was very thick but DW was very faint. Been on Paxlovid since Tuesday with only symptom remaining is lethargy. But we did have a great cruise and can’t wait to sail Harmony from Galveston.

 

I say officially because  I think I caught it the 3rd day in Rome Dec’2019. I felt much worse then and sense of taste and smell were not working and I had a terrible upper chest congestion which took a month to shake off.

[mpk]

9 hours ago, Junkhouse said:

I say officially because  I think I caught it the 3rd day in Rome Dec’2019. I felt much worse then and sense of taste and smell were not working and I had a terrible upper chest congestion which took a month to shake off.

 

On hotels/land, or during a cruise?  I recall Rome being a very crowded place with locals and tourists alike. I haven't been back post pandemic, maybe it is different now.

[doppelganger2621]

 

On 6/30/2022 at 8:24 AM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I don't know. We were on 8, and after the staff visit to assess - we heard them talking about their symptoms, we didn't see our neighbors for the rest of the cruise. I don't know if they had to move or quarantined in place.

We also didn't ask anyone.

I started feeling kind of "funny" on disembarkation day and developed symptoms the next day, so we didn't experience the reporting and quarantine procedures on the ship itself.

Same exact thing with my wife. Felt a little iffy on disembarkation day (ironically also deck 8 on Allure) traveled home with an N95 mask and tested positive when we got home.

 

Me and my kids, though, have remained in close contact with her and never tested positive. I’ve slept in the same bed with her every night, sat next to her on the plane on the way home, and obviously we were all sharing a fairly small cabin together. We’ve each tested three times this past week and nothing.

This was our family’s first experience with COVID (we are all, including my 12 and 8 year old, vaxxed and boosted). Wife’s main symptom seems to be a fairly persistent cough, but it never rises to the level of being unable to catch her breath or anything. She also says everything tastes “chemically” right now and says she just feels “run down” but really doesn’t have any other symptoms. I think the length has been the biggest annoyance. 

 

FWIW my sailing’s facebook did a poll, and of the 400 members, 28% reported one or more persons in their travel party had tested positive in the first five days after disembarking.

Edited July 2, 2022 by doppelganger2621

[DntlGal]

We were on the May 15th cruise and the ship was almost at full capacity. They were basically treating the cruise like it was before Covid...no social distancing, not wearing masks, not limiting people in elevators, and self-serve in the buffet. One of the things I noticed was the server in the dining room was wearing gloves while he went from table to table picking up people's glasses, filling them, and putting them back down. He then went from table to table doing the same without changing gloves (can't see that happening). So basically, he's transferring everyone's germs from glass to glass. I actually said something to the head waiter and he said they do that so the ice doesn't fall into the glass and splash everyone. I would rather they don't pick my glass up after touching everyone's and take the risk of getting splashed rather than take the risk of getting Covid or Norovirus. They also are constantly moving your silverware around (again after touching everyone's with their contaminated hands from picking up everyone's used dishes and silverware, etc) which then you are putting in your mouth. This many not bother many people, but it is a way Covid and Norovirus can be spread. I know there were people on our cruise who got it. They had to cancel the Grease show as the cast got Covid. I heard people talking in the halls that they weren't feeling well and others said to them NOT to go to the infirmary as they would be quarantined. They just went around infecting others. This was our 45th cruise, 3rd since 2022 and we have 3 other's booked this year. It won't stop us from cruising but we also take precautions most people don't. I'm a healthcare worker so we are trained to pay more attention to disinfecting than others. 

[Spif Barwunkel]

On 6/29/2022 at 2:36 PM, topnole said:

I’ve read about the rebound issues

with paxlovid. If vaccinated and boosted, seems doctors would be really hard pressed to want to take this course of action unless they were really suffering.  I’m curious why they give it to folks with mild symptoms.  No idea how many get the rebound issue, perhaps it is just talked about loudly, but is rare?  Either way, I hope the OP has none of these rebound issues.  

Indeed, I did have rebound issues. I felt no ill-effects from the Paxlovid 5 - day regimen and I really do not know if it helped keep my covid symptoms fairly mild. The second bout hit me a bit harder. Although not debilitating, I did feel the effects of a harder punch.

 

Should I have another encounter with covid, I will forego another Paxlovid regimen.    

[Jimbo]

Has anyone have a symptom , of dizziness. Have heard that can sometimes happen too, Anyone have that?

[Tlbecker1]

On 6/30/2022 at 5:02 AM, bajathree said:

Yes...agree....that is why was almost certain that she had COVID but all tests showed negative. Maybe since she had previously had COVID a year earlier the flu maybe triggered that loss of taste and smell again...no idea. But 2 home tests and a PCR test all showed negative COVID but flu positive....weird.

I am sure that my DH also had COVID in May.  We were on 3 cruises and he tested a total of 6 times and all negative.  He still doesn’t have his sense of taste back. Hmmmm

[LizEsq]

On 7/2/2022 at 12:46 PM, DntlGal said:

We were on the May 15th cruise and the ship was almost at full capacity. They were basically treating the cruise like it was before Covid...no social distancing, not wearing masks, not limiting people in elevators, and self-serve in the buffet. One of the things I noticed was the server in the dining room was wearing gloves while he went from table to table picking up people's glasses, filling them, and putting them back down. He then went from table to table doing the same without changing gloves (can't see that happening). So basically, he's transferring everyone's germs from glass to glass. I actually said something to the head waiter and he said they do that so the ice doesn't fall into the glass and splash everyone. I would rather they don't pick my glass up after touching everyone's and take the risk of getting splashed rather than take the risk of getting Covid or Norovirus. They also are constantly moving your silverware around (again after touching everyone's with their contaminated hands from picking up everyone's used dishes and silverware, etc) which then you are putting in your mouth. This many not bother many people, but it is a way Covid and Norovirus can be spread. I know there were people on our cruise who got it. They had to cancel the Grease show as the cast got Covid. I heard people talking in the halls that they weren't feeling well and others said to them NOT to go to the infirmary as they would be quarantined. They just went around infecting others. This was our 45th cruise, 3rd since 2022 and we have 3 other's booked this year. It won't stop us from cruising but we also take precautions most people don't. I'm a healthcare worker so we are trained to pay more attention to disinfecting than others. 

I’m sailing on the Harmony on 7/24. Any recommendations regarding safer options to grab some food (I.e. avoiding self-serve buffets where passengers are all touching the serving utensils and possibly the food itself)? Is the MDR the best option in your opinion?

[Another_Critic]

59 minutes ago, LizEsq said:

I’m sailing on the Harmony on 7/24. Any recommendations regarding safer options to grab some food (I.e. avoiding self-serve buffets where passengers are all touching the serving utensils and possibly the food itself)? Is the MDR the best option in your opinion?

I've been on 5 cruises since restart, and the majority of them, the MDR tables were no more than a foot apart.

[ReneeFLL]

1 hour ago, LizEsq said:

I’m sailing on the Harmony on 7/24. Any recommendations regarding safer options to grab some food (I.e. avoiding self-serve buffets where passengers are all touching the serving utensils and possibly the food itself)? Is the MDR the best option in your opinion?

When self serving in the WJ use your right hand or dominant hand to get your food. If using your hands to eat bread or something use your other hand that did not touch any serving spoons. You can also bring hand sanitizer and use it after sitting down.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

11 hours ago, LizEsq said:

I’m sailing on the Harmony on 7/24. Any recommendations regarding safer options to grab some food (I.e. avoiding self-serve buffets where passengers are all touching the serving utensils and possibly the food itself)? Is the MDR the best option in your opinion?

it's not about the public utensils... We brought plastic food service gloves with us and used them in the buffet. 

However, you are sitting literally a foot away from other unmasked strangers in both the WJ and MDR. And during the shows as well.

We wore masks indoors at all times, unless actively eating - we got up from the table to get more food and put the masks and the gloves on, and we still got covid on the cruise (May 28 Allure sailing).

The waiters at MDR pulled down their masks to talk to us all the time. Same with our cabin asst. 

 

If you are willing to forgo eating at WJ and MDR and all the shows - you are good to go. Although, that would eliminate most of the joy we derive from cruising.

 

Good luck! I hope you don't get sick.