50% Covid positive on River Cruise
FYI be warned--over estimated 50% of the 80 on the Blue Danube cruise tested positive just now. Some tested positive while on cruise and rest the Thursday and Friday for the 24 hour test requirement. Many had just one spouse but later upon return since rules of NO test just happened then tested positive. Frankly think because there is poor air circulation on common areas on boat where meet and where dine. There is NO outside air. It was total chaos and poor Tauck direction on cruise. No one really knew what to do. Find it hard to believe as they said that NO one on the previous cruise had tested positive. It is not just Tauck either--there are also 40% positive rates on Viking currently. The no test rule will now let people be positive unknowlngly and travel.
So time being would not recommend cruises.
Comments
Yep, if you're a couple traveling in three-seat across economy it's very possible the person sitting in the third seat may be positive. You don't want to put that person in the middle seat.
Of course, you could be the positive person in the middle seat.
In our Jordan-Egypt Nile Cruise we didn't have anyone tested Positive. It was an 11 people group + crew. I went last Sept.2021 , so everyone was still following Covid protocol.. which I think it's the problem, people are tire of wearing masks, they know that with the Vax. it will hit them lightly- more as a cold .. and now that PCR is not require to enter US , it's like Open Season to disregard any Covid precautions. Plus, it is impossible to keep boats as clean as they should be with bigger groups and there are always the people that mingle with locals on their pre/post tour days.. that may pick up and spread the love...
The air on the planes is the less likely to spread the virus, it's the surfaces touch by infected passengers that will and also those that get into the toilets and cough.. with masks off-
The middle seat ? inside the plane, it can be anyone.. middle, isle... anyone.. front, back, business, first class etc..
My Opinion...
mil - Not always the case. I know a medical assistant in her 30s, vaxxed, who got Covid a couple of months ago. She is suffering from brain fog. In chatting with her, it was obvious that there were times she had to pauses to think of the right words.
Our very fit 39 year old son, fully vaccinated and boosted contracted Covid last week, he had vert bad congestion, virtually lost his , voice, cough, headache etc. He was able to get Paxlovid. He is just started to feel better but is breathless walking up stairs and very tired. He works from home but has school age children, one fully vaccinated, the other had his first done two weeks before. We still wear masks in public
Scary transition times.We can only protect ourselves.We also wear masks in public.Intend to do the same if we go on our Danube cruise in late August.
BKMD Hello, I think you misunderstood what I'm saying..... There are People traveling..that are tire.. ,
tire of wearing masks, and they "THINK " that with the Vax. they are fully protected and if they get the virus it will be lightler - more like a cold .. which, I know it's not always the case....
I work in a medical facility.. and every day it's a battle about the masks etc.. I can assure you that it is not any better on any cruise.
The only and best thing to do is simply keep the "COVID PROTOCOL On" as we did in the beginning... we cannot let our guards down, not yet.
My opinion
Wow! 50% positive is scary. Taking the Douro cruise next month and having second thoughts. Curious the results of those who,have recently taken the same tour.
Use precautions and wear your mask and just go and enjoy. Simply put, life is extraordinary short. Many of us on this forum have already been on our glorious vacations; some of us have even taken a few. Who knows what the following years will bring.
Barbara there has also been tours where no one was positive. Unless you just stay in your home all the time you're likely exposed to covid and could just as easily get it at the grocery store. No guarantees but at least the U.S.test to return requirement is gone. Enjoy your cruise. I look forward to your review.
Barbara, I’ve been on 2 Tauck tours since November ‘21. The first to Egypt and the other to Italy. No one tested positive on either trip. Don’t cancel. It’s time to get back to life. Have a super time.
Barbara don't cancel.
Be carful and keep wearing your mask, it's all you can do, as Claudia S said your can get it anywhere..
Life goes on , just be careful.
We were on that Blue Danube cruise. Approximately 50% positive is accurate! Many of us stranded unable to return home until the rule was changed.
SeaLord, what do you have to say now?
I think one of the key questions is whether or not this (covid and the uncertain severity to vaxxed and boosted people) will ever get more under control than it is now. If the answer is no, then we each have to make decisions for ourselves as to how we want it to impact our lives going forward. I had a cold a few weeks ago that was pretty brutal for two solid weeks and I still have a small cough that's lingering. My cold symptoms were worse than (and lasted longer than) the symptoms of several vaxxed/boosted people I know who have tested positive for Omicron recently. I am not at all saying Omicron is always mild, I know it's not and that it can be severe for some, but my point is (for me anyway) at 62 years old am I willing to continue to put part of my life on a shelf and or let this thing keep me fearful.to where I wear a mask everywhere I go, avoid sitting inside in restaurants, or avoid traveling? That answer is no for me. That said, I know everyone has their own risk/reward factors and calculations, but unless someone can tell me this will be gone completely at some point, I have let it impact my plans enough.
I can believe that one tour might have zero cases and another half. We've probably all heard of people in the last year or so who have attended weddings, funerals or other such large group events. In some cases it's a super spreader event and in another no one gets it.
Well, it looks as if we are not going to look out of place wearing our masks on the Tauck Alaska Princess cruise next month, masks are coming back
Although it’s great that there is no longer testing required to re-enter the US, Canada still has strict ten day quarantining and we still have to be tested to get on the ship which occurs one week into the tour. We don’t want to be confined to our ship room or stay in an hotel room in Vancouver, so we are being careful
https://thepointsguy.com/news/alaska-cruise-ship-mask-requirement-returns/