Airedaleamiga

We are headed to South America on March 10 for a 21-day cruise to Peru, Chile and Argentina. I am concerned about the Corona Virus crossing over to those countries and being on a cruise ship. Anyone else traveling on cruise in March with the same concerns? We would lose 100% of the cruise payment at this point.

crellston

I am not a medical expert but would have no hesitation to travel to Peru, Chile and Argentina. I would however not go on a cruise ship anyway, just not my thing. They do seem to be hotbeds for virus transmission, I have seen numerous accounts of norovirus outbreaks etc. on cruise ships over the years. I suppose what is most important is not where you are going but where your fellow passengers have been?

look at the statistics. If you are from the US or Western Europe, the chances are that there are more cases in your own country than in South America. If you are young the likelihood of death or serious illness are minimal. If you are elderly or in any way have a compromised immune system, the likelihood of serious complications is much higher. Apparently 26 million people in the US contracted influenza this last year and of those, 16 thousand died as a result. Does that raise any concerns?

People do seem to be throwing logic out of the window and panicking, mainly i feel because of the largely irresponsible coverage in the media and by some governments. Panic seems to be spreading faster than the actual virus.

Would you enjoy the cruise if you are constantly worrying about a virus, or can you forget about it?, if the worst did happen, how would you cope with being quarantined on a ship or elsewhere?

I truly hope that you do manage to arrive at a decision that is good for you.

mlgb

In my experience, cruise ships tend to be places where respiratory illness can spread easily (people coughing everywhere, not washing their hands, etc). Even worse than norovirus. I've been on cruises where you hear the cruise cough increasing throughout the journey. And this time of year is bad in the northern hemisphere for colds and flu anyways. A friend who we met doing a Cape Horn cruise several years ago (who had been a lecturer on that route for something like 45 trips) said the coughs get passed back and forth between passenger and crew for the entire season.

I'd be more worried about catching something from another passenger/crew member on board. Or on the plane if you happen to sit near someone who has already got the flu or a cold (actually has happened to me or a travel partner twice!) People pay all of that money and then won't stay home if they are sick.

I wouldn't be concerned much that those countries would have any greater incidence of coronavirus than anywhere in Europe, for example. (Maybe Buenos Aires would be the higher risk one, but that would be after the cruise is over).

If I had already paid and would lose a ton of money by cancelling, I'd probably go. Bring a mini-medicine chest with you...Tylenol, cough drops, tea bags, immodium, Benadryl, whatever you usually take for coughs and colds. While they have sick bay on ships, they are expensive!

I try to avoid taking the elevators and have learned to watch the lectures when they are replayed on the cabin tv. Try to sit in the back row if you're in the theatre and leave if there is too much coughing. Also do walkoff disembarkation with your own luggage at the earliest time slot possible. I made it through a 21 day cruise last November without getting sick despite there being quite a lot of illness on board, and then caught "the cough" standing in a one-hour line at immigration in NYC!