Comments on: Iona Cruise, New Travelogues, COVID, Travel Plans

By: Penelope Rice

Penelope Rice — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 10:18:19 +0000

Exactly. Two of the tests Lindblad can’t help; they’re mandated by the French Polynesian govt, but why the other two? Makes no sense. They also want us masked in all public spaces on board (even after we’ve been tested to death) and are issuing us neck gaiters to wear. Neck gaiters are like sieves–no protection at all against infection. And why mask up at all when we’re sharing air space, even in our cabins? The sheer absurdity of it all makes my head spin. I don’t know whether all cruise lines are like that. Hopefully, the infection theater will die down with time. I’d love to find a cruise line that is as well-run as Lindblad, goes where we want to go, and which doesn’t engage in these farcical displays.

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 08:06:15 +0000

In reply to Penelope Rice. Only had the COVID once each. So far. Government policy seems to be to just let it run through the population over and over again and to hell with any short-term or long-term effects. Those French Polynesian cruise requirements: ouch. Feels like they're setting it up for a ghost ship when it sails with all those chances for someone to fail a test.

By: Penelope Rice

Penelope Rice — Sun, 10 Apr 2022 12:07:46 +0000

Sorry to hear you got covid twice. That happened to a friend of mine too. She got delta and then omicron within 2 months. They say omicron is less severe, but my friend got super-sick; her sats dropped to 93, and she was just laid out. She was also vaxxed and boosted. Speaking of boosted, I’m eligible for a second booster, as I originally only got the J&J shot. Hubby is getting jab #4 also.

We’re leaving for our French Polynesia cruise the first week of May. We’re going to have to take 4 covid tests just to get on the boat: one 5 days in advance of departure from the US, one 24 h before we board the plane to Tahiti, one right after we deplane in Tahiti, and then another before we board the boat. We have to take yet another covid test before we can get on the plane to return to the US,. That’s 5 covid tests for one trip. We just got back from a week in Paris, and, for that trip, we only had to take the rapid antigen test to return. Two of the 4 covid tests for the FP cruise are required by the FP government, and the other two are required by Lindblad, the cruise line. Why Lindblad can’t drop one or both of the covid tests, given that we’re being tested twice by FP upon arrival anyway, is fucking beyond me. If we hadn’t already fully-paid for this cruise pre-covid, we wouldn’t be going, as I’m not looking forward to be jabbed in the nose four times.

Glad to see that y’all are out and about though. It does feel really good to be traveling again, even with all the swabs up the nose and masking. Got in a trip to Luxembourg while I was in Paris this time. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend it. Luxembourg City is gorgeous–clean, well-planned, and not crowded. Basse Ville is spectacular.