Dear TA’s,

I have been thinking about cruises and reading a lot about this, and I agree with CLIA’s statement from last week below:

“The decision by the CDC to raise the travel level for cruise is particularly perplexing considering that cases identified on cruise ships consistently make up a very slim minority of the total population onboard — far fewer than on land — and the majority of those cases are asymptomatic or mild in nature, posing little to no burden on medical resources onboard or onshore.”

We have all seen that since December 30^th, the CDC is screaming that cruises should be avoided: 

On December 30, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention increased the risk level for cruise ship travel to its highest level and said it should be avoided, regardless of vaccination status. The move “reflects increases in cases onboard cruise ships since identification of the Omicron variant.”

My friends have asked me if I will book my cruises and travel anyway, since travel is so important. I tell them that for me travel is like oxygen for my brain, it is therapy for my anxiety, and re-energizes me body and soul. IF I feel anxious or nervous about traveling or unsafe, I would rather stay home.

I would prefer to travel on cruise ships with fewer people, and check that the rules state 100% vaccination rate for passengers and crew. I will wear N95 and KN95 in the places I feel it is necessary. I don’t mind. I don’t believe that cloth or surgical masks offer as much in terms of effectiveness. This is what I BELIEVE based on science.  (For those who think differently, let’s agree to disagree and respect each other’s opinion. 😉)

I think that cruises are still the safest way to travel but it will depend on people’s behavior. Every time I have traveled on a cruise ship prior to COVID (about 3 times a year) I only saw a lot of people when I went for dinner or to a show. At other times I barely saw anyone. Why? We used the stairs to go up and down. We had private tours, so there was no need to leave together with the crowd. We had breakfast in the room and lunch outside or in other places, but never at the buffet. I used the gym very early in the morning or power walked outside on the last floor. I always take a nice nap before dinner.  Almost 95% (or more) of the time the weather was perfect, so I was able to avoid being inside with crowds. Now, I will wear my N95 inside the ship. The good thing is I won’t need to worry about having to reapply my lipstick!

See you on a nice cruise! Cheers!

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