Covid. Still Around?..

[cambriah]

Hi All:

We are two Seniors in our 80’s and love to cruise. Unfortunately, our last cruise was in 2019, and we haven’t cruised since due to the Covid situation.

We both have underlying health issues — diabetes, heart disease — but with that said, we would love to get in at least one more cruise while we are still able.

my question is this:

For those of you who have cruised RECENTLY, would you please let me me know if you observed or heard any good/ bad talk about Covid while on board your ship.

any information or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

We are ready to head out to sea, but would like to know if Covid is or is not still a Major issue on cruise ships.

 

Thanks in advance,

Cambriah

 

 

[crystalspin]

Hi Cambriah,

We are 75 and 64.Just retired, we had SIX cruises booked by February 2020... none of which happened.

 

We recently cruised (16-day Mexican Riviera B2B over the New Year on HAL Koningsdam) for the first time since the pandemic broke out. We did not contract COVID. We did mask with high-quality masks during checkin, while walking around the ship, on shore ex buses, any time but when eating or drinking. And that doesn't mean we rushed to buy a drink to be able to take of masks! We carefully selected our seats in the Lido and in lounges to be as distant from others as possible. Also we picked the cruises where we could drive to port. Surely a different experience from former days! But we still enjoyed ourselves.

 

Some staff masked. Few passengers. Never heard a conversation or any announcements about COVID at all. Appearances were that it was not a 'big thing' to most around us. Ever fewer ports are requiring vaccinations it seems. It is now up to individuals to do what they can to protect themselves.

[ymncruise]

Haven’t heard anyone talking about covid on my current 10 day cruise. But, I know people on land who have it, so it’s still around. 

[mouse1961]

Four cruises last year, last in November. Three were 14 days plus. I saw lots of cases the first half of the year but on my last one in November (a transatlantic) hardly any. Definitely think it’s improved. There are still some people wearing masks so if you wear one, no one cares. 

[CGinMTL]

My Friend is currently Quarantined on Serenade of the Seas. 

Still have to be careful and travel as per your comfort level

 

[shipgeeks]

We are 79 and 80, in good health for our age, but definitely not as hardy as we were 50 years ago.

When cruises resumed from the Port of Baltimore, our preferred departure port, we booked one of the first cruises, in February, 2022. We had to have vax, tests, and wear masks.  It was still a wonderful cruise, with no ill effects. We cruised again in June, with testing again required. No problems.  Sailed again in September, November, and March of this year, with no requirements, and no problems for us.

 

Overall, I think a ship is cleaner than many of the other public places we could go to.  That said, of course, the final decision is up to you.  We're really glad we jumped back in, and are booked for three more in the months to come.

I might add that we are not ready to fly yet, though, for reasons mostly unrelated to covid.

Edited May 5, 2023 by shipgeeks
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[cambriah]

Shipgeeks

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond.. Your thoughtful description of your recent cruise experiences gives us some hope that we once again will be planning another adventure on the high seas.

[shipgeeks]

Cambriah, I hope that whatever you decide makes you very happy.

I might mention that one of the things that worked out for us was deciding to take advantage of a bus company nearby that does cruise packages.  We have both given up our drivers licenses, and our car. The bus typically carries 20-30 people, on a bus that holds 60, so it is very comfortable, and nothing like the crush and the uncertainty of air travel.  We know they are absolutely reliable, with good backup systems.

You don't say where you live, or what it will take to get you to a cruise port.  If we had to fly every time we wanted to cruise, I'm sure we would not be doing as many.

[elkie20000]

It is still around. We are on Anthem of the Seas right now…and I am currently in quarantine with Covid. I heard there are a lot of people with it. Also cruised last summer and tested positive the day after I got home. However we went on two other cruises before that when masks were still required and we were fine. 

[Wayfairers]

It is still around on board just like at home.  We spent a month and a half on board last fall as part of a 3 month trip….caught covid on the plane flight home.  The first 18 days of that cruise was the last half of Voyage Of The Vikings and many passengers had covid.  We spent 3 weeks on board in the Caribbean this January and didn’t catch covid.  Follow normal practices to prevent colds and flu and hope for the best.  

[davvos]

We're recently (9 days) back from RCCL - first cruise since pandemic start. We're both in our 70s and also classified as immune compromised so we are able to get vaccinations as soon as they are approved by province (latest 1 month ago). Decided we were ready to start cruising again so booked 10 day Honolulu to Vancouver). Cruise was great but I got sick the second day after return, wife has been negative so far. We thought the handwashing and cleanliness protocols on board were good; most staff wore masks, few passengers. The ship had 4000+ passengers and 1600+ crew and we tried to be careful but the reality is that it is impossible with large groups and packed areas. Heard more than the occasional cough on disembarkation so confident that a number of people contracted something on the trip.

 

We were already talking about booking another cruise for Sept/Oct but are a little more hesitant now. (the Covid I've got isn't the "just a cold" variety - it's knocked me on my back for 3 days even with Paxlovid and still a way before I can be confident that I'll be ok and that my wife will dodge it.

 

All in all, think it comes down to your medical issues and personal risk profile. These days, the odds suggest you wouldn't contract Covid and even if you did , it probably wouldn't kill you - but - if you're severely compromised, even the latest milder versions can be debilitating and potentially very serious. If you're unlucky and caught it early in the cruise, it's a ruined vacation regardless.

 

Bottom line for us is that I think we'll still end up booking another cruise in the fall because we had such a good time on this one, but it's not going to an easy decision.

[Ferry_Watcher]

Folks were quarantined on our May 3 2023 cruise.

[Oakman58]

Covid is still around but don't wait until something happens and you can no longer travel, tomorrow is guaranteed to no one.  Go on a cruise but take precautions such as getting a bivalent booster shot, hand sanitizer, face masks, and sanitizing spray.

 

Those are the precautions we took for our 16-day roundtrip Hawaiian cruise from San Diego this past January.  That cruise saw so many Covid cases that the Captain recommended everyone begin wearing face masks and face masks were made available to everyone.  There were a lot of Covid cases onboard including the cabin next to us being in quarantine.  Even so, we came off the ship Covid free.  BTW we are both in our 70's with health issues.

 

My wife and I are going on a Alaskan cruise next month and last week we got our 5th booster shot as a precaution.

[Belgian fry]

I'd say if you're comfortable being out and about where you live, then you're probably at no higher risk on a cruise ship.

 

By coincidence, my husband tested positive this morning. No idea where he picked it up but he has been in the office, to shops, to the restaurant

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

There is Covid out there. 

[Rothko1]

It's not going away.  But most people now are considering it to be similar to a flu.  You take your flu vaccine each year, you take Tamiflu if you get the flu or you just suck it up and be sick for a week.  But you don't worry much about it, and you don't stop going out to restaurants or shops or whatever.  Unless you have an immunity issue; then that's a different story - more precautions needed.

 

I think that most people are dealing with Covid now the same.

[new_cruiser]

I was on an Alaska cruise with 5 family members a week ago. All vaccinated and boosted. All except me tested positive on the cruise or the day after. All recovered fairly quickly, one was asymptomatic. I had mild symptoms but never tested positive despite testing multiple times. As a senior, I'd had multiple boosters, the last one a few weeks ago and that immunity may have kept the viral count too low to test positive.

[carol louise]

Returned from June 19-27 Caribbean cruise on Carnival Venezia out of NY. It was the many-times postponed and rebooked cruise originally planned for 2020. No flight necessary. We are in our mid 70’s and my husband has diabetes, otherwise we’re in good health. We’ve had every vaccination and booster available, including the latest updated booster—just 3 weeks before embarkation to maximize its effectiveness.

 

We wore KN95 masks for embarkation but decided once on board to just social distance as much as possible and trust the vaccine. We saw just a few masks on board, some crew and passengers, and did not hear of any Covid cases.

[Rothko1]

According to a recent study by the CDC, 97% of Americans have Covid antibodies from either the vaccine, an infection, or both.  

 

There's also going to be a new Covid booster in the fall, based on the latest variant going around.  But I imagine the number of people getting the new booster will be in the range of the number of people who get flu vaccines every year.

[Mum2Mercury]

We're young retirees (I'm mid-50s and my husband will turn 60 in October).  Not sure that really matters.  Anyway, here's what I can say: 

 

- I heard on the TV news just yesterday that Covid is still "out there", but the people who catch serious cases /are hospitalized /die are almost 100% non-vaxxed.  So if you're vaccinated, your chances of a serious case of Covid are small -- even with other medical conditions.  

- As the virus has mutated, it has become weaker.  This is what typically happens with viruses.  

- I worked part-time as a substitute teacher last spring semester, and I didn't have a single case of Covid among my students, nor did I hear of a single case in my school.  When Covid was in full swing, our principal sent us lists every day of students who were out with Covid, and we had a special Covid-support team to help those students keep up with their studies.  

- We've cruised a couple times recently, and few people -- passengers or crew -- were masked.  Covid was not a topic of conversation.  

- We have been packing Covid tests to take on board.  When my husband developed a cold on our "first cruise back", it was good to be able to verify it was NOT Covid.  

 

In conclusion, when Covid was at its peak, my family was very serious about prevention /protection, but we have given enough of our lives to this pandemic.  It's time to "call it" and go on with our lives.  We are fully vaxxed, and if more vaccinations become available, we'll take them.  But we felt perfectly safe cruising and have two more cruises "on the books" for fall.  

[celebrityxxo]

  We  Cruised as soon as we could upon restart.. the offers were just too good to pass up &  Capacity was anywhere between 24 and 38%.. .. we never got covid.

WELL,  just came off the Caribbean princess on Saturday July 15th 2023 tested positive nxt day.

  Corona virus and Noro virus will always be around ..Bring your lysol wipes & wipe down everything in your cabin ..buttons on the slot machines, wash your hands and bring your hand sanitizer everywhere.. good luck!

[SargassoPirate]

Is Covid still around?  Yes.

 

So is influenza, the common cold, malaria, zika, dengue fever, typhoid, chikungunya, hepatitis, cholera, ebola, marburg, Montezuma's revenge, and a host of others just waiting for the unvaccinated and lackadaisical traveler.

 

I'm not staying home under the covers for any of these, so why stay home for covid?

[Rothko1]

Well, that Montezuma was a crafty fellow.  Scares the crap out of me.

[LabMom57]

Hubby and I cruised around French Polynesia in April and both came back with COVID. Both of us are fully vaxxed.

 

Still heading on another cruise this month! We will just be more careful to mask up in crowded conditions in the future (think airport in Tahiti where social distancing was not observed).

[SargassoPirate]

15 hours ago, LabMom57 said:

Hubby and I cruised around French Polynesia in April and both came back with COVID. Both of us are fully vaxxed.

 

Still heading on another cruise this month! We will just be more careful to mask up in crowded conditions in the future (think airport in Tahiti where social distancing was not observed).

You came back with covid, but how serious was it?

 

Despite the early misinformation, the vaccine doesn't prevent you from getting covid, it just prevents you from getting seriously ill from it.  That's why some folks have had covid and never knew it, or test positive when they are symptom free.  

 

I plan to get the Fall booster, along with a flu shot, just as soon as they are available.