Brits stranded abroad

[Gill W]

UPDATE

Just looked at Cruise Critic again, to see if I could find out anymore - they are now saying the quarantine has been lifted. It's unclear why this is

[barney]

Probably not true if it’s on CC.
A lot of postings on there are reactionary tosh.
I prefer to get my news sources from more reliable mediums.

[jacksparrow]

One would think that if you were stuck on a ship or other escorted tour it would be up to the operator to make arrangements to get folk home, unlike an individual tourist on land.

[Manoverboard]

One would think that if you were stuck on a ship or other escorted tour it would be up to the operator to make arrangements to get folk home, unlike an individual tourist on land.

I agree that it should be but it will only be the case if said passenger booked all their connecting flights with the operator. If not you are on your ownsome …. this was demonstrated to many tourists when we had the ash cloud.

[Gill W]

Probably not true if it’s on CC.
A lot of postings on there are reactionary tosh.
I prefer to get my news sources from more reliable mediums.

Other people might be interested, and do their own research, instead of being so dismissive

[Mervyn and Trish]

There's still cruise ships out there, particularly those on the world cruises. When they started in January, no one could have foreseen where we are now. Arcadia appears to be fortunate at the moment, as they look to be virus free and are en route to their next 'technical stop' in Tenerife.

I was just looking at the Cruise Critic forum. Looks like QM2 are the latest ship to have problems. It's been reported that they now have a passenger who has tested positive for CV. Durban are letting them in to drop off 6 South Africans, but after that, I wonder who will take them. Passengers have been confined to their cabins, and all normal ship services suspended. AS QM2 is an iconic ship, I reckon we'll be hearing more about this soon.

Last time I looked, the were 20 ships still out there. The one in the worst situation is Holland America's Zaandam. They have CV onboard and 4 people have died. I heard that the healthy people have been transferred to another ship, but they are still looking for a port. Even when they find a port, the British people on board will still have to find a way home.

I'm confused. I thought they'd abandoned the QM2 World Cruise and flown everyone home.

[Gill W]

Yes, it finished in Fremantle, but I recall reading at the time that QM2 that not all passengers flew home, whether due to medical reasons, fear of flying or just personal preference.

AS per CC, which Barney has already dismissed as unreliable, this was the notice sent to passengers

'Dear Guests,
As you know, we received confirmation from the South African authorities that confirmed a person on board Queen Mary 2 has been diagnosed with Coronavirus COVID-19.

It was immediately after this notification that I made my announcement asking you return to and remain in your stateroom. This is part of our established response procedures, and I sincerely thank you for your understanding and co-operation in this matter.

I fully appreciate this is unsettling for you and that you have many questions, so I’d like to give you further explanation as to why we have instructed you to stay in your stateroom.

Your wellbeing remains our utmost priority. Our medical experts on board and ashore are continuously monitoring the evolving and dynamic situation, working closely with the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and Public Health England to follow the latest information and ensure our own already established procedures are further enhanced to reflect the latest advice, or specific national requirements.

Our response procedures have been carefully developed to implement all reasonable measures to minimize the risk of any virus spread on board, whilst maintaining your comfort levels to as high a standard as possible.

Staying in your stateroom also allows my crew to focus on carrying out further investigations and checks, as well as commencing immediate deep cleaning and sanitizing of all public areas and facilities, which are currently closed until further notice.

In addition, it lets us plan for (and then facilitate) a food delivery service to your stateroom. Further details will be provided in due course.

While we have suspended all routine stateroom servicing for guests, we will supply you with cleaning products with instructions on how to use, as well as advice on laundry collection and changing of linens and towels. For guests with children we will also provide a pack containing age appropriate games and activities.

For those of you that smoke or vape, we will make exceptions to our normal smoking policy. However, please take extra special care to avoid any fire risk. Please feel free to smoke / vape on your stateroom balcony only. When smoking on balconies, please consider your neighbours and limit your smoking to the first 10 minutes of every hour. Ashtrays will be made available to you by contacting Reception on extension 22200.

As mentioned in my initial announcement, please continue to refrain from using the ship’s phone system at this time unless you have an urgent medical need or another necessary request. This helps us keep our phone channels open without overburdening the switchboard. I fully appreciate you may want to phone family and friends, so I will let you know as soon as possible when the phone system is available again. You are welcome to use your mobile phone if you have a connection.

Please do listen to the ship’s address system for all further updates from me - I will provide you with these as soon as I can. The Purser’s Desk will not have further information at this stage, so I would ask that you not telephone them to ask questions - please only call them if absolutely necessary or to request an ashtray.

In the meantime, thank you all again for your understanding and co-operation in this unexpected situation.

Yours Sincerely,



Captain Aseem A. Hashmi, MNM

Master - RMS Queen Mary 2'

I don't know about you, but that notice has the ring of truth about it.

However, someone later said it was a false positive, and the quarantine was lifted.

Yesterday afternoon, after posting my original messages on the forum, I messaged Cunard to ask for clarification..... they have not replied.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Thanks Gill. That does seem to clarify the situation.

[GillD46]

That reads as genuine.

[Gill W]

I had a reply from Cunard

'Hi Gill, we have been advised by the South African health authorities that all test results were negative. All guests on Queen Mary 2 are able to resume life as normal on board, and will continue to practice social distancing around the ship on their way back to Southampton.'

[Mervyn and Trish]

I've just discovered a friend's sister and her husband are on QM2. They've never cruised before but planned a major trip which included QM2 out to Singapore followed by an itinerary which included a land tour in China and another cruise on Diamond Princess. They certainly know how to pick them.

When Covid all kicked off they were able to stay on QM2 but the only available cabin was inside. Then the cruise was abandoned and the majority of passengers flew home. But as Gill says those who couldn't fly were allowed to stay on.

My brother's relatives can't fly for health reasons but are among those still aboard. As reported above they were confined to cabin for a while though fortunately moved back to a balcony when the majority of passengers left. They are allowed out again now. There are around 300 still aboard so social distancing is pretty easy on a ship as big as QM2. But of course it's endless sea days..

[Gill W]

It must be a really strange experience to be in a bubble, while the rest of the world around them has changed beyond recognition.

I like sea days as much as the next person, but it must grow monotonous, especially as ( I would imagine) entertainment must be fairly limited.

[Mervyn and Trish]

The last message our friend had was that there was no entertainment but I think that coincided with the period confined to cabins. They won't be able to fly guest artistes in an out so whatever they have will have to be the ship's team.

Yes really weird on so many fronts. When they left home the world had hardly heard of CV. When they get back we're likely to be at the peak, if the lockdown is working. It's like a Sci Fi film.