Enforced Disembarkation

[Definitas]

There have been several reports of passengers being forced to disembark mid cruise or between back to back cruises due to testing positive for Covid. There has been very little detail about whether there were co-morbidities which influenced the decision but it seems to be a potentially worrying trend. It is also unclear just how many passengers (out of thousands) have been affected. Are these just isolated incidents or is the problem becoming more widespread? Passengers find themselves having to disembark unexpectedly for all kinds of reasons and the reality here could be that numbers are small. Perhaps people who have been personally affected (no third party hearsay please) could let us know? 

[WonderMan3]

I’ve only seen it mentioned for one of the TAs that is currently in progress. I thought someone else disputed that report saying the disembarkation was not Covid related? But perhaps I misunderstood?

[hrhdhd]

The mandatory disembarkation on the Constellation's TA was not COVID related. It was related to another illness and the six consecutive sea days ahead.

[basenji56]

I spoke to woman on the Odyssey TA who said her husband tested positive for Covid in Valencia, Spain. He was not removed from the ship but was placed in five day quarantine and allowed to make the crossing. 

[JuliaMS]

2 hours ago, hrhdhd said:

The mandatory disembarkation on the Constellation's TA was not COVID related. It was related to another illness and the six consecutive sea days ahead.

I confirm that also

[Definitas]

Another subscriber quoted me in another thread saying they were on a a b2b Vancouver-Akaska-Vancouver-Australia on Eclipse and made to leave the ship in Vancouver so couldn’t join the voyage home to Australia. She said it was due to husband having covid and only mild symptoms 

[hrhdhd]

Just now, Definitas said:

Another subscriber quoted me in another thread saying they were on a a b2b Vancouver-Akaska-Vancouver-Australia on Eclipse and made to leave the ship in Vancouver so couldn’t join the voyage home to Australia. She said it was due to husband having covid and only mild symptoms 

Probably related to Australia's COVID rules. He would have needed a negative test to board in Vancouver.

Edited November 5, 2022 by hrhdhd

[Hlitner]

I cannot speak to Celebrity but can comment on the subject as it has applied to several cruises (all involving Europe) we have taken in the past 15 months.   Yes, forced debarkation does occur on some lines/itineraries.  On most of the cases of which we have personal knowledge, it happened because of local/national COVID requirements/restrictions.  So, for example, when we did a 2 week transatlantic on a Seabourn cruise, folks who got COVID within a few days of our arrival in Lisbon, were forcefully debarked in Lisbon to complete their 7 day quarantine at a decent local hotel.  Why? It had to do with the following port that would have not accepted the ship unless it had departed Lisbon "Covid free."  

 

In another case (which happened in Greece) several folks were forced to debark another Seabourn cruise on the island of Rhodes because of Greek regulations that required those with COVID to be in quarantine at an approved local hotel (this happened in Aug 2021).  There are numerous other examples of forced debarkation in European ports (MSC had quite a few cases in Italy).

 

The good news is that many of these local rules are now gone as of last spring/summer but some pockets of tough rules do remain.  It is a constantly changing situation so what exists today will likely be different tomorrow.

 

Hank

[prmssk]

6 hours ago, Definitas said:

There have been several reports of passengers being forced to disembark mid cruise or between back to back cruises due to testing positive for Covid. There has been very little detail about whether there were co-morbidities which influenced the decision but it seems to be a potentially worrying trend. It is also unclear just how many passengers (out of thousands) have been affected. Are these just isolated incidents or is the problem becoming more widespread? Passengers find themselves having to disembark unexpectedly for all kinds of reasons and the reality here could be that numbers are small. Perhaps people who have been personally affected (no third party hearsay please) could let us know? 

All the reports I have seen very recently have all been TAs or TPs headed to Australia where rules are still quite strict.   

[Definitas]

In the case of the man in Vancouver the next port would have been in Hawaii 

[hrhdhd]

Just now, Definitas said:

In the case of the man in Vancouver the next port would have been in Hawaii 

Doesn't matter. The end point was Australia.

 

Anyway, I'd rather be disembarked in Vancouver than in Hawaii.

[NutsAboutGolf]

6 hours ago, Definitas said:

There have been several reports of passengers being forced to disembark mid cruise or between back to back cruises due to testing positive for Covid. There has been very little detail about whether there were co-morbidities which influenced the decision but it seems to be a potentially worrying trend. It is also unclear just how many passengers (out of thousands) have been affected. Are these just isolated incidents or is the problem becoming more widespread? Passengers find themselves having to disembark unexpectedly for all kinds of reasons and the reality here could be that numbers are small. Perhaps people who have been personally affected (no third party hearsay please) could let us know? 

 

Not for me

[mom says]

Forced disembarkation  seems to be decreasing due to the gradual relaxation  of Covid  restrictions by different jurisdictions. Is this the trend that you say is worrying you?

[Boatharbour]

Australian cruise guidelines for the state of NSW are here for anyone interested. 
https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/travel/cruising-rules/advice-for-the-cruise-industry

 

Edited November 5, 2022 by Boatharbour

[Definitas]

2 hours ago, mom says said:

Forced disembarkation  seems to be decreasing due to the gradual relaxation  of Covid  restrictions by different jurisdictions. Is this the trend that you say is worrying you?

No, completely the opposite. I am concerned that rules may tighten up over the winter and that passengers may have to disembark to quarantine rather than doing it in their cabin

[Guindalf]

Why do people insist on using phrases like ‘worrying trends’ when no such ‘trends’ exist?

Why worry about something that is probably less likely to happen than being struck by lightning?

 

[Alakegirl]

And keep in mind that you are learning about a very small sample size. First you have to consider that not everyone who sells and Celebrity knows about Cruise Critic. Not everyone who knows about Cruise Critic posts on Cruise Critic. Not everyone who posts is currently cruising. Not everyone who is currently or recently Cruising knows of anyone who was disembarked because of illness. Not everyone who knows of a person who is disembarked comes here to post about it so you have a very small sample size, much too small to declare a “trend”.

[Definitas]

10 hours ago, Alakegirl said:

And keep in mind that you are learning about a very small sample size. First you have to consider that not everyone who sells and Celebrity knows about Cruise Critic. Not everyone who knows about Cruise Critic posts on Cruise Critic. Not everyone who posts is currently cruising. Not everyone who is currently or recently Cruising knows of anyone who was disembarked because of illness. Not everyone who knows of a person who is disembarked comes here to post about it so you have a very small sample size, much too small to declare a “trend”.

Which is why I asked the question and the lack of first hand responses is reassuring but it would be more reassuring to learn if the risk assessment for enforcing disembarkation was influenced more by other factors than by Covid. I’m still waiting on a response from the Australian couple (which they may not wish to make). We have until January before we need to make final payment for our B4B cruises so I will be keeping an eye on things to see if there is any indication of a trend

[Lastdance]

The disembarkation was Covid related and guests received a full refund.  If you lived in Europe that might have been a very good choice all things considered, as the weather for the upcoming days was not going to be calm with all those sea days.

 

I want to pass on an alert for Plaxlovid:  My DH was positive for Covid, so starting taking his subscription for Plaxlovid.  Since he is prone to cramping, he was a little wary of the medication, but it appeared to be okay.   Fast forward to day 3...severe reaction with instant cramping all over his body.  Even with his high tolerance for pain, this was no match for him at all. I immediately called medical.  Thank goodness they came quickly because his body was going crazy.  They rushed him down to medical and quickly gave him electrolytes and Diazepan.  He was out for about 45 minutes, but so thankful to be out of pain.  We thought Covid rebound might be an issue, but never, ever thought of this severe reaction.  If you get cramps normally, just be very, very careful of this drug.  Most likely my DH is in the very small percentage of people with this type of reaction, but he wants everyone to know.  

 

As for worrying about what may or may not happen on a cruise, you just do your best and enjoy what you can.  I tested negative for Covid, but they had me test a second day, this time going almost into my eyeballs; I was positive.  So just know that even without symptoms, even you can get quarantined.  We have been treated wonderfully onboard for this b2b.  Sometimes you have to pay the piper!   Life is short, so live it your way!  We would not have changed anything except for the Covid aspect.

 

[lara h]

On 11/6/2022 at 2:52 AM, prmssk said:

All the reports I have seen very recently have all been TAs or TPs headed to Australia where rules are still quite strict.   

Rules are basically no existent here in Australia now!

 

We were on Eclipse TP (Hawaii to Sydney). I tested positive about day 6, DH 2 days later. I had to attend hospital in Raiatea due to the need for a CT scan. There was no mention of "offloading".

 

Our quarantine was the full 10 days each, so in fact mine was 12 days!

 

Room service was appalling, and almost wished we were given the chance to "offload" when we reached Auckland (well, not really, but by then we were so over the bad service!)

 

Think we had about 3 wonderful days the entire cruise! 

 

But, we are feeling lucky to be able to tall the tale, unlike others we know who were not so lucky in the past prior to vaccines becoming available.

[NutsAboutGolf]

To the OP @Definitas Sounds like you only have 3 options...

1)  Email the execs, see if they agree with your mindset that this is indeed worrying

2)  Research every ports accommodations on your itineraries, have a hotel picked out in case you get forced off the ship

3)  Don't cruise until you're satisfied this is no longer a worrying trend

[Northern Aurora]

On 11/5/2022 at 6:08 AM, Definitas said:

Another subscriber quoted me in another thread saying they were on a a b2b Vancouver-Akaska-Vancouver-Australia on Eclipse and made to leave the ship in Vancouver so couldn’t join the voyage home to Australia. She said it was due to husband having covid and only mild symptoms 

 

There was a long thread at the time about the folks who were on the Eclipse B2B with an Alaska leg followed by the Vancouver to Honolulu leg.  Some had planned to stay on further legs.  At that time Canadian public health authorities mandated a negative Covid-19 test for all sailings departing Canada.  So folks were tested for the Alaska leg and then re-tested for the next leg from Vancouver to Hawaii.  A number of folks tested positive on that turnaround day so Celebrity could not allow them to continue due to the Canadian public health protocols in place at the time.  There was at least one poster on that thread who simply could not understand that the Canadian protocols take precedence the Celebrity protocols.  If my memory is correct she was one of the folks who had planned to take the  Eclipse home to Australia.  At least one Canadian poster tried to explain but that person simply could not understand.

 

We were B2B on the Eclipse on its first sailing in April 2022 (aka the "barnacle" cruise).  We boarded in Vancouver and would have a turnaround day in Honolulu before taking the ship back to Vancouver.  My husband tested positive on board during the first leg and was placed in quarantine.  I remained in our Suite.  We were given the option to remain on board until his isolation period was completed but decided to leave the ship in Honolulu to complete his period of isolation.

 

It is important to understand that individual countries have public health rules, and if you are not comfortable with those rules then you should not take the cruise.

[IslaSarah]

Am I the only one picturing enforced disembarkation as walking the plank? If they do it in a port instead of at sea you're already ahead of the game! 😉

[C4HCG]

7 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

To the OP @Definitas Sounds like you only have 3 options...

1)  Email the execs, see if they agree with your mindset that this is indeed worrying

2)  Research every ports accommodations on your itineraries, have a hotel picked out in case you get forced off the ship

3)  Don't cruise until you're satisfied this is no longer a worrying trend

I would suggest option 3, holidays should be free of worry, otherwise defeats the objective of relaxation.

[Definitas]

On 11/6/2022 at 10:24 AM, Lastdance said:

The disembarkation was Covid related and guests received a full refund.  If you lived in Europe that might have been a very good choice all things considered, as the weather for the upcoming days was not going to be calm with all those sea days.

 

I want to pass on an alert for Plaxlovid:  My DH was positive for Covid, so starting taking his subscription for Plaxlovid.  Since he is prone to cramping, he was a little wary of the medication, but it appeared to be okay.   Fast forward to day 3...severe reaction with instant cramping all over his body.  Even with his high tolerance for pain, this was no match for him at all. I immediately called medical.  Thank goodness they came quickly because his body was going crazy.  They rushed him down to medical and quickly gave him electrolytes and Diazepan.  He was out for about 45 minutes, but so thankful to be out of pain.  We thought Covid rebound might be an issue, but never, ever thought of this severe reaction.  If you get cramps normally, just be very, very careful of this drug.  Most likely my DH is in the very small percentage of people with this type of reaction, but he wants everyone to know.  

 

As for worrying about what may or may not happen on a cruise, you just do your best and enjoy what you can.  I tested negative for Covid, but they had me test a second day, this time going almost into my eyeballs; I was positive.  So just know that even without symptoms, even you can get quarantined.  We have been treated wonderfully onboard for this b2b.  Sometimes you have to pay the piper!   Life is short, so live it your way!  We would not have changed anything except for the Covid aspect.

 

Who prescribed the Paxlovid? We’re they aware of your husband’s issues?  Over here the guidelines say that there are potential issues and it should only be taken by people with co-morbidity such as suppressed immunity and only under medical supervision.