Copernicus
Industrial Grade Linguist
My wife and I had booked a cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore on the Crystal Symphony. It departs on February 15. The cruise and flights were paid for in advance. Then the Wuhan coronavirus emerged bringing a wave of hysterical reaction around the world. Don't get me wrong. This flu virus is really serious. It causes pneumonia, and most of the deaths have been elderly people in my age group, albeit mostly in Wuhan itself. It is scary and needs to be taken seriously. Although, to put it in perspective, influenza kills thousands of people every year. I caught it a few years ago and was hospitalized for pneumonia. So I know the dangers. The problem with this virus is that it can remain asymptomatic for at least two weeks while still being contagious. Hence, checking people's temperatures is no guarantee that they are free of the virus.
So now what do we do? We still plan to go on the cruise, which has most of its stops in Vietnam, with one in Thailand and one in Cambodia. The flu seems to be spreading globally, but the worst will likely come when flu season starts in Autumn. Right now, existing strains of flu are probably causing more deaths than this coronavirus. In any case, the captain of the Symphony did not want to take chances, so he cancelled Hong Kong. Our ship now embarks on February 15 and departs on the 16th at 4 am. So we must scramble to get to Taipei, but the cruise line will have major problems in dealing with disgruntled passengers and staff. It will need to reschedule deliveries and shore maintenance issues. We will then head for Halong Bay (Hanoi area) and not have any direct stops in China. The ship itself will end up in Singapore, where we plan to spend two nights before returning home.
I'll use this thread to keep people updated on our situation. Right now, we are thinking to arrive in Hong Kong on our regularly scheduled flight and then catch a flight from there to Taipei. We have face masks, which are of questionable value in preventing infection, but we know to keep washing our hands at every opportunity. Beyond that, there isn't much that can be done.
So now what do we do? We still plan to go on the cruise, which has most of its stops in Vietnam, with one in Thailand and one in Cambodia. The flu seems to be spreading globally, but the worst will likely come when flu season starts in Autumn. Right now, existing strains of flu are probably causing more deaths than this coronavirus. In any case, the captain of the Symphony did not want to take chances, so he cancelled Hong Kong. Our ship now embarks on February 15 and departs on the 16th at 4 am. So we must scramble to get to Taipei, but the cruise line will have major problems in dealing with disgruntled passengers and staff. It will need to reschedule deliveries and shore maintenance issues. We will then head for Halong Bay (Hanoi area) and not have any direct stops in China. The ship itself will end up in Singapore, where we plan to spend two nights before returning home.
I'll use this thread to keep people updated on our situation. Right now, we are thinking to arrive in Hong Kong on our regularly scheduled flight and then catch a flight from there to Taipei. We have face masks, which are of questionable value in preventing infection, but we know to keep washing our hands at every opportunity. Beyond that, there isn't much that can be done.