Coronavirus : general discussion focussed on the impact on the cruise industry

[Rod]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/bare-rooms-rotten-fruit-and-boredom-quarantine-life-on-infected-cruises/ar-AASz79q

[Rob Lightbody]

A slightly over-done article here in the Daily Mail.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10374877/Passengers-Queen-Mary-2-luxury-cruise-spend-days-locked-cabins-catching-Covid.html

[Chris Thompson]

From a personal standpoint I think it is very unwise to book a cruise until the Covid outbreak is over and done with!
Going on a cruise now one should almost expect a shipboard outbreak and the resulting consequences......

[Rob Lightbody]

[Lynda Bradford]

I have noticed posts on Facebook from people who had been booked to sail on Queen Victoria in April/May.  They have received communication from Cunard to say the ship will be staying in the Caribbean for longer than planned, then go into Dry Dock

The ship will go back to the planned itinerary on 5 June. 

I am sure this will be disappointing to those who had booked cruises but on the other hand if the ship is getting a deep clean and any refurbishment required it will be good for the ship and passengers. 

[Rob Lightbody]

Article here about carnival now expected to make another huge loss, when they had expected to turn to profit...  Shares down over 80% since before the pandemic

https://www.mailplus.co.uk/edition/money/city-finance/196785/carnival-sinks-as-it-sails-towards-a-750m-loss

[Rob Lightbody]

A personal update on myself, impacted finally by Covid.

After 2.5 years completely free of Covid, it finally caught me at the tail end of last week.  Don't know where from, but cases are absolutely rocketing here in Scotland and across the UK, but most people don't realise because nobody is testing... and the mainstream media are rather caught up in other things...

A 2 week Cunard cruise that we'd booked, had to be cancelled at short notice.  There is no refund at all, and no help given from Cunard, just lengthy phone queues and you're left in the laps of the insurance gods which so far has been a horrific experience.  We could be waiting quite a while for our money, and still have battles ahead I'm sure.  Its enough to make you blag your way on board even though you're positive... I'm certain some must do this.  We weren't even required to test before sailing so I'm sure we'd have got away with it.

I did a cheap (£379pp) 4 night cruise earlier in the summer and that was fine and I really enjoyed it.  I'd try that sort of thing again.  But I won't be trying anything longer again for a long time, my fingers are badly burned by the whole experience.

[Rod]

Get better soon Rob!

[Twynkle]

Hi Rob

Hoping you aren't feeling very unwell....and will soon be on the mend.
So sorry that you have double trouble - as if C19 isn't enough...then no help with 'finance' from (?) Cunard.
Full of survivors' guilt here - and maybe this will be less than helpful...
We feel both fortunate (5 jabs, negative tests)  and I still have remnants of Long Covid from Jan 2020 (!).
Rosie

[Chris Thompson]

After 2.5 years completely free of Covid, it finally caught me at the tail end of last week.  Don't know where from, but cases are absolutely rocketing here in Scotland and across the UK, but most people don't realise because nobody is testing... and the mainstream media are rather caught up in other things...

Hi Rob, hope you recover soon. Both me and the missus had the same thing a month ago, Covid free since the outbreak despite other family members getting it. We went for a weekend beach trip and Mr Covid hitched a ride home! Took a good three weeks to get over it but both fine now.

Definitely recommend to everyone the benefit of taking daily vitamin pills, we've been on them for years and manage to stay pretty cold-free.

[skilly56]

Hi Rob,

I wouldn't wish this virus on anybody - I hope you recover soon, & without any long-lasting effects!

I still haven't had it yet. I am hardly going out these days, as I have very little lung capacity left and getting Covid could put paid to all future plans. My wife is currently charging around Jordan & Cairo on a camel for 5 weeks, but I declined that invite as riding camels doesn't do my back any good at all (been there - done that). Their gait is just too weird! And being cooped up on numerous long-distance flights definitely doesn't appeal to me at the moment.

But we are hopefully joining QE in December or January for a jaunt around Australasia. Oddly enough, she is in Auckland for an all-nighter on New Year's Eve - I wonder how the safety officer arranged that?? 2 Days in his home port! He comes on leave tomorrow. I will quite enjoy going into ports I know, and be on deck for a change to see the views, instead of down in the MCR on St/By.

Like Scotland, our medical teams have now stopped all compulsory C-19 testing of travellers. Have just heard we now have a new version of the virus in NZ (not picked up at the borders, but from cases coming into the hospitals), and we had 60 deaths in the last month. It is almost like the PM has gone from being super-cautious to having a couldn't-care-less attitude now, so our total is approaching 2,000 dead. Her ratings in the polls are plummeting. Although Queen Elizabeth's funeral ceremonies were spectacular to watch (we had a live BBC feed to everything via Sky TV), I did wonder how many cases of Covid were transmitted during the events.

And the BBC's claims of 142 sailors pulling the gun carriage (had to do a correction there - the words came out as 'Gin Carriage'!) were blatantly incorrect, as half the sailors were actually behind the carriage, so how could they be pulling?

Anyway, stay inside, stay warm, and take care of yourself well! I hope you are over it soon.

Cheers,

Skilly

[Rob Lightbody]

Thanks Skilly.

Its been a nightmare, even though the virus itself hasn't made me too badly ill (thanks vaccines + vitamins) its impacted so many things.  I'm still testing positive today even though I feel better.  (I can still get free tests, due to being a carer for my Mum but what do other people do??).    I have my vaccine appointment in (first jag since this time last year) however it says you can't get it until 4 weeks after a positive infection so I've had to reschedule it.   

Hope you enjoy QE.  I'm at the point of throwing away anything that says Cunard or has a picture of a ship on it, its still too sore.  A test for Cunard will be to see if they have the sense to send out a nice letter - or reach out to us in some way just for some good PR.  If it was me in charge, i'd send out some chocolate, some lemsip (or something) and simply wish that we get better soon...

The refunds for some of the excursions have come back, so thats a start... still got an enormous way to go in terms of the travel insurance, which will determine if I *ever* book another cruise or not.


The 142 sailors were all "attached", and I suppose the ones behind would be pulling if it was going downhill, or braking to a stop?  They said they'd replaced horses that had been used up until Queen Victoria's funeral, when they had caused problems (Can you imagine if they'd all run off!?).   I also was wondering about covid spreading during the funeral and the large crowds in london.

[Rob Lightbody]

Hi Rob, hope you recover soon. Both me and the missus had the same thing a month ago, Covid free since the outbreak despite other family members getting it. We went for a weekend beach trip and Mr Covid hitched a ride home! Took a good three weeks to get over it but both fine now.

Definitely recommend to everyone the benefit of taking daily vitamin pills, we've been on them for years and manage to stay pretty cold-free.

Thanks Chris.  I only had 2 days where I felt properly bad (and would have had to stop working from home if I had been), the rest has felt more like a bad cold than anything else.  I can imagine it might take a while for me to feel 100% again.

[Rod]

Have to give her credit, but, Princess Anne was in Portsmouth thanking those that took part, both pulling and BRAKING teams.
She had insisted on seeing all of those who had not gone home on leave.
That was the day after the funeral.

[Lynda Bradford]

News reports this morning on the Majestic Princess Cruise ship, docking in Sydney with 800 passengers having tested positive for Covid 19 prior to disembarkation.  The story is that half way through the 12 night cruise passengers started testing positive.  There are around 4000 passengers and crew on the ship. One report says 4000 and another 4600.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-63605824

There is more details on this Australian web page plus lots more reports on the web.

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/health-safety/covid-outbreak-looms-on-majestic-princess-cruise-ship/news-story/86df1216b4b4909129d90d3c627be693