pacific dawn quarantined (Merger of all swine flu threads)

[fishtaco]

OK,

Imagine traveling with 2 kids and an elderly couple on the very next cruise

Yes W916 Pacific Dawn.

You have saved for 4 years and booked 560days ago. Have already spent over $10,000 and a more on private tours, clothes, insurance and cameras etc. Then you are told that if one you have a flue symptom you all will be locked away in your cabin for at least a week and given drugs that are untested. Then after that if a different member gets the flue symptoms it will start over again. I hope this does not happen but on every cruise I have been on many people including us have had the flue.

 

I wish you were in our situation to understand how it has affected people.

 

If you were to take the time to read some information on why there are concerns for this flue you will have a better understanding of what can and most likely will happen.

It’s not my job to educate you.

 

I will say that people like you with a big mouth should use your brain first.

 

“To know the past is to know the future”

 

 

Geez why be so rude?

 

It was only an opinion on the flu and its hype!

 

People like to justify the large amount of money spent on a cruise that could turn out horribly wrong ,in different ways.

 

I think last news report i heard was 20 past PD passengers have been confirmed as positive,so you better cancel your cruise now because it is obvious that both P&O and Australian authorities don't care about you or anybody else or PD would have been in quarantine for 7 days including all passengers on board!

 

The infected passengers are now out in the public to make it even worse.

 

Now Swine flu is here,get a temperature or head cold like most of us have done while cruising and you will be locked down on a cruise just in case.

 

 

Not a good time to cruise given the large amount of infected people that got off "infected" the crew are sure to be spreading it around as we speak.

 

If 2% of passengers so far caught it then at least 2% of crew will also have it.

 

looks like it may be a "Cruisedemic"

[thied]

Geez why be so rude?

 

It was only an opinion on the flu and its hype!

 

People like to justify the large amount of money spent on a cruise that could turn out horribly wrong ,in different ways.

 

I think last news report i heard was 20 past PD passengers have been confirmed as positive,so you better cancel your cruise now because it is obvious that both P&O and Australian authorities don't care about you or anybody else or PD would have been in quarantine for 7 days including all passengers on board!

 

The infected passengers are now out in the public to make it even worse.

 

Now Swine flu is here,get a temperature or head cold like most of us have done while cruising and you will be locked down on a cruise just in case.

 

 

Not a good time to cruise given the large amount of infected people that got off "infected" the crew are sure to be spreading it around as we speak.

 

If 2% of passengers so far caught it then at least 2% of crew will also have it.

 

looks like it may be a "Cruisedemic"

i agree

[fishtaco]

P&O Cruises Changes Pacific Dawn Itinerary

 

http://www.pocruises.com.au/html/p-o-cruises-changes-pacific-dawn-itinerary.cfm

 

 

You have got to laugh at this one!

 

"Whit sundays are isolated"

 

God forbid any passengers set foot on them,could cost the touroist industry plenty!

 

Just put them off on the mainland,afteral Australian mainland isnt isolated neither is a cruise ship,is it?

[MrsWaldo]

well like it or not the ship should not have been allowed to sail..

 

and defo shouldn't be allowed to disembark anywhere for the next 7 days

 

NOT everyone has the ability to fight off some of these bugs and P&O are opening themselves up to litigattion if they are silly enought to think that somehow if they act int he iterests of $$ and not pax thye will escape any punishment..

[Star76]

I like everyone else am worried about swine flu but as cruiselover said, I would be more worried about meningococcal disease. All this talk of virus's and diseases is certainly enough to scare anyone out of cruising!

[chrisb74]

My understanding is that the issue is this - It's a new strain of Flu that people don't have immunity to. We've all be exposed to the various other strains of flu over the years, so our body is good at fighting it off. That means that people more easily get infected and it will spread quickly.

 

If you're healthy and normal adult, it's probably no worse than any other flu, but you're more likely to get it. Look at what happened to the Pacific Dawn, and the gastro outbreaks that are common on cruises.

 

So, what the health people need to try and do is stop is spreading so we don't end up with already sick or weak people dying due to it, or end up with a huge proportion of the population sick and off work, with the resulting panic and financial impact.

[OverTheTop]

Janet, you & your husband obviously did have the flu and not just a cold. I've always said it's amazing how many people say they have the flu when all they do have is a cold.

 

It drives me nuts too when people whine about the "flu" when they have a sniffle. I see both sides, the need to be cautious and the calm approach. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. When does the "flu" season officially end in Australia?

 

Angela

[badgerdee]

What a debacle. Why the ship was allowed to sail is beyond me. How could the past passengers be quaratined while the crew was not? The crew is the only constant.

 

If passengers are quarantined, logical progression has it that the crew must also suffer the same fate.

 

I feel for everyone on board.

[badgerdee]

Personally, I think swine flu is equivalent to Y2K, is equivalent to bird flu.

[badgerdee]

...crispy bacon.

 

On account of global warming.

[Ela 2]

well like it or not the ship should not have been allowed to sail.. and defo shouldn't be allowed to disembark anywhere for the next 7 days

NOT everyone has the ability to fight off some of these bugs and P&O are opening themselves up to litigattion if they are silly enought to think that somehow if they act int he iterests of $$ and not pax thye will escape any punishment..

Hi Mrs Waldo,

At the time the ship sailed there were no confirmed cases of swine flu on board. Maybe P & O could have turned all the incoming passengers away and disappointed a lot of people, but what if there hadn't been any cases of swine flu in the previous cruise?

 

Similarly, when the Pacific Sun arrived today there weren't any cases of swine flu. Should they have refused to let any more passengers board?

 

I don't agree with the assessments in the last paragraph. How would it look if P & O cancelled the Pacific Dawn and Pacific Sun cruises, and then it turned out it was a false alarm and there were no cases of swine flu. From announcements from NSW Health Dept, they believed the ill passengers had seasonal flu, and undoubtedly that is what they told P & O/Carnival. It is easy with hindsight to say what should have been done regarding the Pacific Dawn.

 

If you have a case to make, I suggest it should be with the NSW Health Department.

 

Evon.

[fishtaco]

well like it or not the ship should not have been allowed to sail..

 

and defo shouldn't be allowed to disembark anywhere for the next 7 days

 

NOT everyone has the ability to fight off some of these bugs and P&O are opening themselves up to litigattion if they are silly enought to think that somehow if they act int he iterests of $$ and not pax thye will escape any punishment..

 

 

I agree with-you fully but it doesn't stop at 7 days!

 

People may be infected at different times to others!

 

It is clear that in this case P&O have put dollars way ahead of the safety of passengers,past and present and in the process put all people in Australia at a greater risk than they were before.

 

How much would it have cost to keep everybody on board in quarantine,repay or reschedule the next passengers,extra port fees etc:eek:

 

I can see it costing a lot more in lost bookings and cancellations as Flu season as just started in Australia.

 

Yesterday I was in a different mind about it all but after working with two sick people today who were sent home,one from a recent international flight and one from a Melbourne flight, it gets you thinking.

 

 

I would rather be thinking about it in the comfort of my own home!

[thied]

Hi Mrs Waldo,

At the time the ship sailed there were no confirmed cases of swine flu on board. Maybe P & O could have turned all the incoming passengers away and disappointed a lot of people, but what if there hadn't been any cases of swine flu in the previous cruise?

 

Similarly, when the Pacific Sun arrived today there weren't any cases of swine flu. Should they have refused to let any more passengers board?

 

I don't agree with the assessments in the last paragraph. How would it look if P & O cancelled the Pacific Dawn and Pacific Sun cruises, and then it turned out it was a false alarm and there were no cases of swine flu. From announcements from NSW Health Dept, they believed the ill passengers had seasonal flu, and undoubtedly that is what they told P & O/Carnival. It is easy with hindsight to say what should have been done regarding the Pacific Dawn.

 

If you have a case to make, I suggest it should be with the NSW Health Department.

 

Evon.

I agree evonwith what you have said ,(and its not at you evon). it is easy to any thing in hindsight,

what do people think the goverment can do?

What do we do shut all doors in to this country?

lock every one up that coughs?

shut down every mode of transport?

shut down the hole holiday industry?

the cruise lines are only one industry,

shut the hole country down because thats what will happen, then we all will be complaining how bad it is with no jobs or money to go these cruises,

there are many, air lines can you think what it would be like if they chose to keep people on a plane at the air port for a couple of days or over night. You would have every John Laws hater out there jumping up and down ( THE DO GOODERS) i THINK that all P&O , air lines , the goverment, are doing all the right things that they can at the moment, they do have to be carfull as some one may sue them for something, thats my thoughs and my 10 seconds of fame and i dont care what any one thinks

[Skyrules]

Hi Mrs Waldo,

At the time the ship sailed there were no confirmed cases of swine flu on board. Maybe P & O could have turned all the incoming passengers away and disappointed a lot of people, but what if there hadn't been any cases of swine flu in the previous cruise?

 

Similarly, when the Pacific Sun arrived today there weren't any cases of swine flu. Should they have refused to let any more passengers board?

 

I don't agree with the assessments in the last paragraph. How would it look if P & O cancelled the Pacific Dawn and Pacific Sun cruises, and then it turned out it was a false alarm and there were no cases of swine flu. From announcements from NSW Health Dept, they believed the ill passengers had seasonal flu, and undoubtedly that is what they told P & O/Carnival. It is easy with hindsight to say what should have been done regarding the Pacific Dawn.

 

If you have a case to make, I suggest it should be with the NSW Health Department.

 

Evon.

 

 

NSW Health certainly handled Pacific Dawns turn around in Sydney on Monday badly. Having said that, it has to be remembered that unlike Dawn Princess which had been to a high risk country (America) - Pacific Dawn hadn't been to anywhere that had previously been identifed with Swine Flu, and there was a justified belief that the cases that were reported to them by the medical staff on board, as required, at least 3 days prior to PD's arrival back in Sydney were 'seasonal' influenza and nothing more.

 

At all times P&O would have been operating under the guidance of NSW Health.

[decco]

I ( THE DO GOODERS) i THINK that all P&O , air lines , the goverment, are doing all the right things that they can at the moment, they do have to be carfull as some one may sue them for something, thats my thoughs and my 10 seconds of fame and i dont care what any one thinks

 

What does Pearl think? :rolleyes:

[Skyrules]

Half of it is media hype, Here in NZ we had just the same hype, when it was first announced that NZ had Swine Flu, NZ media went in my option loopy over it, but give it a week or two (maybe less if another big storm hits Australia or another big story happens) and it will get less press.

 

Yes, we need some more footy team bonding activities to distract the media attention :)

[tassie cruiser]

How many people die every year of influenza (the flu) and how many people have died from swine flu???? Do we see headlines in paper or on news "death from influenza" NO..... if you know what I mean:rolleyes:

[thied]

What does Pearl think? :rolleyes:

all can say lol i dont now as she is not here yet ask late next yr.( pacific pearl i think you mean.)

[Skyrules]

You want to talk to the people who are suffering from swine flu especially the couple from the Sunshine Coast who described their symptoms, and now worrying about giving it to their children. I am sure there are people who will be stuck on board the Dawn off Willis Island wish they had cancelled their cruise.

 

 

As another poster has said, if that couple were REALLY suffering from the flu, the wouldn't be sitting out in their gardens giving interviews to any media organisation that turns up on their door step.

[thied]

PM - Wednesday, 27 May , 2009 18:14:00

 

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2008/s2582489.htm

[tassie cruiser]

As another poster has said, if that couple were REALLY suffering from the flu, the wouldn't be sitting out in their gardens giving interviews to any media organisation that turns up on their door step.

 

 

So true, well said :D

[Skyrules]

My understanding is that the issue is this - It's a new strain of Flu that people don't have immunity to. We've all be exposed to the various other strains of flu over the years, so our body is good at fighting it off. That means that people more easily get infected and it will spread quickly.

 

In actual fact, a large slice of the population do have immunity to it, which is one the things that's making this years influenza outbreak different to previous years. A strain very similar to the current swine flu strain was around in the 1950s which is why, unlike most influenza 'outbreaks' this current one seems to be targeting a younger population, because the the usually susceptible poplulation - the older generation - has a level of immunity to it from contact with it the first time around.

[thied]

http://www.healthemergency.gov.au/internet/healthemergency/publishing.nsf/Content/health-swine_influenza-index.htm#27may1

[Skyrules]

It drives me nuts too when people whine about the "flu" when they have a sniffle. I see both sides, the need to be cautious and the calm approach. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. When does the "flu" season officially end in Australia?

 

Angela

 

A traditional flu seasson normally goes through to about September.

[Skyrules]

So true, well said :D

 

I had a chuckle this morning... On both the 6 & 6.30 radio news the lead story was this couple saying how 'flithy' they were with P&O about the cruise. The first advert after both news reports was an ad for P&O Cruises!