Mexico/swine flu discussions (merged)

[ASeaPrincess1]

For the Mariner of the Seas, how about San Diego, Catalina Island, 3 days at sea, and dock for 1 hour in Ensenada, just to be legal!;)

 

Rick

AWWWWW..........NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! :eek: Been there, done that, many times!!! I would rather have sea days. I can only hope this whole thing goes away as fast as it seems to have started. A lot can happen in two weeks.

BTW Rick, how are YOU feeling today?

[harlee3]

We are sailing out of San Diego on sunday. My ship sails to catalina then on to ensenada.They may not let us get off the ship. I will just keep watching the boards until sunday.I not worried yet, just concerned. i seemy doctor on Wed. and I will get advice from him.........:confused:

[Amagamma]

On our Jan cruise when Grand Cayman closed their port due to weather, we went

to Key West instead. Have also had ports cancelled and just got another sea

day. If things are re-schedule early enough, the better chance of another port

could be substituted. Depends on how crowded the ports are on those days.

Doubt that upgrades would be given, how could you upgrade the whole ship?

Everyone would want in on that perk. If it's not RCCL's fault for the change, they

really don't owe you anything extra. But we'll see what happens. We're on the

Enchantment 5/16, scheduled to dock in Cozumel. Will watch closely.

[caribbeanboy]

Shoving off for 7 day cruise last week of May. Saw all of the swine flu and read about the State Departments intention to issue a travel warning for all of Mexico later today so I thought I would give RC a call.

 

The agent told me that they are not cancelling the cruises and if things get worse they will just avoid mexican ports and will instead go to other ports?

 

Anyone have any idea what other ports they would visit?

 

Also-if they don't cancel the cruise and they don't dock were they are supposed to (as advertised), is this an opportunity to squeeze something out of RC like an upgrade or something?

 

Thanks from a first time cruiser!

 

You usually don't get an upgrade if it's something beyond their control!!

 

For the Western itinerary it won't be that difficult to substitute ports, but from the West Coast it's a different story.San Diego, San Fransisco, Seattle and more sea days

[CruisinManiac]

 

Also-if they don't cancel the cruise and they don't dock were they are supposed to (as advertised), is this an opportunity to squeeze something out of RC like an upgrade or something?

They also advertise that they have a right to change ports of call. You could end up with a bit of port tax credit, but you will not be able to "squeeze" an upgrade out of a cruiseline for a missed port. :rolleyes:

[coxswain]

Watching CNN - CDC to advise non-essential travel to Mexico.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

jj......

[Azhure]

I can imagine it will be hard for anyone to make a decision based on the different news we get depending on where we live and what we listen too.

If I was booked on a cruise that was visiting a Mexican port in the near future I really don't know what I would do.

You could say to yourself, I will just stay on board, but what about those who did get off and then come back. Is it really something to worry about, or something just to be aware of and take precautions?

I would not want to be the person in charge, who has to make these decisions! Kind of a damned if you do damned if you don't scenario.

[msett1]

We are on the 5/24 Mariner cruise to the Mexican Riviera. I am not too worried about it but I do wonder where the heck we would go if RCCL starts avoiding Mexico. There are not many options within 7 days reach of LA.

[CrusinAgain]

I know when they had a hurricane recently in the Riviera the ship went up to Canada - they have to stop at a foreign port - so they have San Francisco, Seattle, and Canada they could stop at. We are making a contingency plan and may change to an Alaska cruise and lose our deposit. We have 2 weeks to cancel. We aren't interested in seeing places on the West coast we live around.

[coxswain]

Scottish government just confirm 2 flu victims, both are are responding well to treatment.

 

 

 

 

 

jj.....

[sleepless]

 

is this an opportunity to squeeze something out of RC like an upgrade or something?

 

Thanks from a first time cruiser!

 

 

 

Why would you want to "squeeze something out of RC"?

[Lynnees]

Sounds like a lot of brou ha ha to allow certain 'government' agencies the ability to take advantage of a 'crisis' by implementing legislation allowing the 'government' health agencies to put people under quarantine without due process. Even giving them the authority to use 'maximum force' like in shooting you, if you don't comply.

 

I sympathize with countries without the sanitation or means to handle the flu, but I don't see any reason to get hysterical about it until there is reason to.

 

Sorry, but I see this as an excuse to usurp more of our freedoms.

 

A little paranoid are we?

[Mrs_DMoNiC]

I'm on the May 31st departure to Mexico and we have heard that they could change the ports to Catalina, San Francisco, Seattle or possibly Victoria Canada. I'm really hoping this will be cleared up by the end of May though. I was hoping for a warm vacation. :cool:

[caribbeanboy]

Why would you want to "squeeze something out of RC"?

 

I was thinking the same...nice mentality!

[massfriends]

And now those poor folks in Mexico City have to deal with an earth quake that just hit the area....:eek:

[tropiclvrs]

And now those poor folks in Mexico City have to deal with an earth quake that just hit the area....:eek:

 

Ughhh...That's terrible! As they say..."When it rains it pours!"

[nlcentralchmps03]

And now those poor folks in Mexico City have to deal with an earth quake that just hit the area....:eek:

Wow. How unlucky can you get?

[Dem920]

I'm on a Mexican Riviera Cruise in July and am wondering the same thing. With all the ports being in Mexico, it might be difficult. Maybe they will switch us to Alaska or more North, although not really what I planned on, a cool vacation is better than no vacation at all. My guess is, that if they had to change all the ports on a cruise, you might be able to get your money back to use on a differenet cruise but not sure what I would do with my air fare. Oh, well, there are tons of other things to worry about right now. I will wait and see what happens, oh and I have insurance so I should be covered.

 

TD

[caribbeanboy]

In the contract they say clearly that they can substitue ports, so don't think they will give you your money back if you already paid in full.

[ovccruiser]

Two cases confirmed in Scotland although only mild. BBC news this evening. It is also in Spain http://news.uk.msn.com/special-reports/swine-flu.aspx

[39august]

Since Cabo is not so far south, I was kind of hoping for Cabo, Catalina and San Diego. We sail May10. When I called C&A I was told RCI is in constant touch with CDC on this (and all health issues) and that they are looking at other possible ports.

[sartracker]

Latest update: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentSwineFluMexico.aspx

 

2 Main messages in this update:

 

CDC Recommendations

CDC has NOT recommended that people avoid travel to Mexico at this time. If you are planning travel to Mexico, follow these recommendations to reduce your risk of infection and help you stay healthy. (Recommendations in the above link).

 

 

Antiviral Medications: Travelers from the US going to Mexico that are at high risk of severe illness from influenza (for example persons with chronic conditions such as diabetes, lung disease, heart disease, and the elderly) are recommended to take antiviral medications for prevention of swine influenza during travel. The recommended antiviral drugs for swine influenza are oseltamivir (brand name Tamiflu®) and zanamivir (brand name Relenza®). Both are prescription drugs that fight against swine flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. These drugs can prevent infection if taken as a preventative. Talk to your doctor about correct indications for using influenza antiviral medications. Always seek medical care if you are severely ill.

 

Antiviral chemoprophylaxis (pre-exposure or post-exposure) is recommended for the following individuals:

Household close contacts who are at high-risk for complications of influenza (persons with certain chronic medical conditions, elderly) of a confirmed or suspected case.

School children who are at high-risk for complications of influenza (persons with certain chronic medical conditions) who had close contact (face-to-face) with a confirmed or suspected case.

Travelers to Mexico who are at high-risk for complications of influenza (persons with certain chronic medical conditions, elderly).

 

Antiviral chemoprophylaxis can be considered for the following:

Non-high risk persons who are travelers to Mexico, first responders, or border workers who are working in areas with confirmed cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection.

 

That's actually good news that the CDC is pretty convinced there are 2 antiviral drugs that used either pre or post exposure can help prevent or at least mitigate some of the illness if you are exposed to it.

 

And the stockpile of these drugs is in the process of being shipped to states with known outbreaks and prepared for shipment to other places.

 

Monitor CDC for further updates!

[scotslizzy]

Just confirmed two cases in Scotland gatting a bit scary .

Two men now in Hospital

 

Scotslizzy

[Kurbanfan]

I know when they had a hurricane recently in the Riviera the ship went up to Canada - they have to stop at a foreign port - so they have San Francisco, Seattle, and Canada they could stop at. We are making a contingency plan and may change to an Alaska cruise and lose our deposit. We have 2 weeks to cancel. We aren't interested in seeing places on the West coast we live around.

 

Hopefully if that were the case they would also give us the option to cancel.........

[SherriZ366]

We're not sailing until Aug. 30 so hopefully the shape of this disease's progress should be better known.