Back to the High Seas
Posted on February 3, 2022 Posted by John Scalzi 13 Comments
Yes, I’m part of JoCo Cruise 2022. I’m very happy and excited about it.
And you say, but, Scalzi, haven’t you heard of this COVID thing going around? Well, in fact, I have, but aside from being vaxxed and boosted, as will be everyone on the cruise, we will all have to have negative COVID tests within 48 hours of departure and will have an additional COVID test administered just before we board, plus, there will be safety protocols on the ship.
Which is reassuring to me. I’ve attended several science fiction conventions since September, ranging in size from a few hundred to 40,000 people, all of which had vaccination/safety protocols in place, and all of which I’ve come back from safely, because of the vaccination/safety protocols in place. So I feel pretty comfortable with the idea that this cruise, with even more stringent protocols in place, is an acceptable risk. Also, Omicron is finally declining (rather significantly), even in Ohio, which helps too.
(Also, if we’re being blunt here, I might be safer on this cruise, on which everyone will be vaccinated and happily observing safety protocols, than I am at home, where, still, after all this fucking time, only 36.73% of the people in my county have gotten a full two-course vaccination, much less a booster, and safety protocols are seen as a sign of liberal weakness. So, uh, yeah.)
In any event, I’m looking forward to seeing friends and having warm sun in my face, especially today, when I’m socked in by snow and the ice weasels are scratching at the back door. Bring on the Caribbean! I am ready.
— JS
I used to live in Calcutta, India. I can imagine going back and trying to explain:
“Yes, you have a higher vaccination rate here than in rural America.”
“Oh, no, the vaccines are easily available. And free. And there’s enough for everyone.”
“Why is ours so low? Er – well, I need to be polite here…”
This is about the only cruise I’ve seen where I believe the participants might be at lower risk of catching COVID than on any random long distance plane flight. SF/F readers seem to understand that COVID is not a drill.
To be fair, I believe 63% of Americans have two shots. The 37.5 is those who haven’t?
Oh, I apologize, you said county, not country. By all means, cruise away!
I went on the Writing Excuses cruise this past September, where everyone was vaccinated (boosters weren’t out yet), and…yeah. It was lovely. Toward the end of the cruise, I started noticing more and more people who weren’t in our group being lax with masks, but they were easy enough to avoid. The ship was also only something like 1/3 full, and while I realize that’s probably not something that cruise lines can to in the long term and remain viable, I would just like to say that 1/3 the usual amount of people is the perfect amount of people. I never felt crowded, even in the cafeteria.
Eff. Now I want to go on another cruise.
Wonderful! I still can’t believe that a guy I knew 40 years ago is now a singer on a cruise line!
Awwwwww man, I’m not doing JoCo this year and I did not anticipate the FOMO I’m going to suffer watching everyone get ready to go enjoy the tropics 😆
Hey John! If you are feeling so fucked up about people not getting vaccinated in your county – what would suggested course of action be other than cribbing about it.
Karthik:
I don’t feel fucked up about it. It is, however, fucked up.
As to what the suggested course of action is: Well, obviously they should get vaccinated. However, it’s not my responsibility; I’m not all of Darke County’s dad. At this point, adults presumably know why they should get vaccinated; if they don’t, it’s on them.
Even the government can’t force people to get vaccinated.
enjoy the cruise… intellectually I can follow you assumptions but emotionally it’s a bit too much… not least due to lack of immediate medical support if more than a dozen passengers and/or crew demonstrate rapid onset…
I used to smirk when I heard Jerry Pournelle (or was it Larry Niven) quoted, “think of it as evolution in action”…
now?
now it’s grounds for weeping… by the end of the pandemic (2023? 2025? never?) the average IQ of red states will be up by 2.3%… but at the cost of a zillion people whose co-morbidities include diabetics, obesity, cancer, etc… not all of whom were un-vax…
I cannot imagine how it can get better unless folks change their philosophies… and now Canadian truckers are joining the batshit crazy alliance
Can’t wait to see you on the cruise! Soon™!
I’v3e never cruised on anything bigger than a sailboat, and am neither a cruise-type guy nor a tabletop gamer. That said, were I ever to go on any kind of big-ship cruise, this sounds like the one I’d choose.
The main reason I’d choose it, however, would be the chance to once again hear cellist Zoe Keating performing live. I exhort you all to make sure to hear her on the cruise. As a cellist myself, I continue to mourn that I never had the chance to approach her for lessons when she lived just a few minutes away from me in rural northern California. Now, for no doubt excellent reasons, she’s moved to Vermont. But…damn…