blueship

We were just on the Symphony of the Seas last week out of Miami. The ship was full. No health questionnaires to fill and no screening of any kind. I have to say I was a bit nervous throughout because a lot of people were coughing ( including me ) since the east coast is in full swing cold and flu season. My nightmare scenario was what happened to the Westerdam or the other ship that had a suspected case and were being denied ports. I don’t think being QT on a ship is no big deal. When you see what the folks on the Princess Diamond went through and those on the Westerdam it was awful. Add that to the stress of not knowing what lies ahead ... I think it was also terrible that the crews were made to work even though they should also be considered potential patients. Add the logistical nightmare of disembarking ( the ship in Oakland ) and being taken to a military base .... none of it sounds good. If you feel comfortable with the possibility of this happening then that is certainly your personal decision but it is very possible that no country will want to take responsibility for thousands of potential patients / carriers after what happened in Japan. It is possible that the cruise industry might have to take a hiatus if any more ships have cases.

What are the chances that among 4500plus People one person has the flu? this has been my worry all along people are way overreacting and the panic will be worse than the disease. I wonder what the cruise protocols will be in a situation like this. Do places refuse docking when there are noro virus cases. Will they return to Miami, stay out at sea for the duration? Im willing to bet now that Cozumel will not allow them to dock either.

The quarantine on the Princess in Japan was a total disaster. The crew was in even more danger than the passengers yet they kept working I wonder if in addition to a refund on their trip those with insurance are covered for costs like not being able to come back for those who didn't take the flight back with the sick patients. I also wonder what is happening with the Westerdam passengers. Are some of them still stuck in Phonm Pehn? No airline or country wants to allow them to fly. And now that they are saying that the incubation time might be as long as 27 days where does that put the effectiveness of the quarantine. It is still not our of control here in the US but it will no doubt get here and cause panic. I think whats worse than the disease is the panic it causes. People behave unreasonably when they are afraid. The death rate so far is at 2% which is much higher than the flu's .01 but still not as bad as SARS or MERS, but it does seem to spread quite quickly. I hope we can all stay level headed but seeing what is going on in Italy it seems like the horse has left the barn. Hopefully by the time it reaches us we will be more sensible about it now that we have a bit more information. It disproportionatly affects the old and those with underlying conditions. Children somehow are not as vulnerable and they have not had many cases of severe illness in children and preganant women I just heard on NPR 80% of those affected have a mild case of it with few symptoms Call me crazy but I'm taking some extra food with me for my cruise next week! Just in case we end up in quarantine because one person slipped through those cracks. Like I said I am more worried about the panic and overreaction than the actual disease.

Can anyone recommend good cruise insurance ? I have bookings this summer who knows how many months this will last and now Europe is affected. Looks like this virus spreads like wildfire. I would need to get the cancel for any reason insurance but I want a company that can be trusted. i went to insuremytrip.com but most reviews sound like plants or are from folks who never actually had to make a claim.

Thank you Please keep us posted if you notice anything out of the norm.

I have been feeling a bit anxious about our upcoming cruise in a couple weeks. we are departing from Miami on Symphony. Have any recent cruisers noticed less crowded ships than they expected? I wonder how many people have cancelled or have been denied boarding for some reason. I currently live in the east coast which has been having tons of regular flu cases so chances are not so low that people boarding will have the regular flu... so if you have the sniffles will you be flagged ? on some other interesting ship news have you all heard that one passenger from the Holland America Westerdam which was allowed to dock in Cambodia has tested positive for the Corona virus ? The ship that was supposedly virus free. So given what happened to the Princess ship now docked in Japan there is a good chance that more on the Westerdam ship have also been infected and now they have all been let go. SO when these folks are flying back from Malaysia , Japan , Vietnam etc, I wonder what is happening ? Clearly it is very difficult for the CDC and homeland security to all be on he same page... Just wondering if others who will be boarding soon have some of my same misgivings. at the end of the day it seems like it is impossible to contain this virus which is a bit deadlier than the seasonal flu and it is just part of the world we live in and the risks that are associated with that.... I do feel a ton of sympathy for all those folks that are still stuck on the Princess ship in Japan. My nightmare is that one person falls through the cracks or just on person causes a false alarm and because of an abundance of caution we are all stuck being denied entry back to any port.