Seabourn and the current issues surrounding the Corona Virus

[EMAW]

I requested clarification regarding “cohorts” from Seabourn and it appears that guests  specifically will not be allowed to share tables with other guests.  Not sure how this will work in bars, the Square, etc.          

 

“Cohorts currently refers to guests that are traveling together only.  Although this situation is very fluid, as of right now you will be unable to share a table with other guests. 

 

The current protocols may be found at our website at https://www.seabourn.com/en_US/news/travel-advisory.html . All guests with be advised of the protocols to sail in advance of their voyages. 

We hope the information above is helpful.  We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to navigate this global event that has impacted us all. “
 

[cruiseej]

Unless you're booked on and hoping to sail on a cruise early this summer, I don't think it's worth getting too concerned about the "cohorts" rules. Everything with the virus is so fluid, today's rules will undoubtedly evolve with passing months. I'm sure that the first couple months of cruising will impose some stringent rules so the cruise line can do its utmost to compile a track record of safe traveling. Over time, they will gain experience with what does and doesn't work, and how vaccines, testing, variants, etc. affect the risks. I'm pretty sure there will be differences between a cruise in July and a cruise in January, but we'll all have to wait and see how things develop. And if no hosted/shared tables is a deal-breaker, or not being able to wander on your own in a port is a deal-breaker, just don't book a cruise in the short-term future; wait to see how things evolve over time.

[Catlover54]

If full vaccines will be required as a condition for boarding, for both crew and pax, plus Covid nasal swabs will be done on boarding, query what scientific evidence there is as to the extra protection that would be gained by prohibiting pax from separate "cohorts" from dining at the same table?  People are stuffed into poorly ventilated domestic airplanes shoulder to shoulder without vaccine requirements and with leaky masks ( or no masks at all when drinking) ,since the middle seats are not blocked off anymore, and that is deemed good enough.

Sadly, if the prohibition on joint dining and a ban on independent touring remains *even when people on board are all vaccinated and tested*, ( on the *chance* someone is carrying a new unresponsive and undetectable lethal variant)  there will not likely be enough customers to sustain cruise lines.  Perhaps all those tens of thousands of  young and middle-aged people in port tourism industries and on ships better start looking for another line of work ( including those employed by CC -- you have to have cruises in order to critique them).   
 

On top of that, almost all of Europe still won't let Americans in for leisure travel  ( other than Iceland  as of March 17, which will let Americans in with vaccination proof, but there is no cruising to be had).  I will keep a look out for a cruise line daring enough to start circumnavigation of Iceland cruises for the vaccinated, but first DH must get vaccinated and there is still no availability for his age in CA where we are.  I, a little older, still await my second Moderna hit.  
Let's also hope that the vaccines will not need to be repeated every year to do any good, like flu shots are.  Otherwise many of us will have expired vaccines by the time cruising resumes.

 

My first year of retirement "to cruise more while healthy enough to do so" is definitely not going as planned!  But I know many, not on these luxury boards, who are truly suffering from lack of employment and/or loss of their businesses, so I try and keep it in perspective.

 

 

[crusinbanjo]

15 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

My first year of retirement "to cruise more while healthy enough to do so" is definitely not going as planned!  But I know many, not on these luxury boards, who are truly suffering from lack of employment and/or loss of their businesses, so I try and keep it in perspective.

Same here, first year in retirement hasn't gone as planned, but like you I am concerned about all the lost employment, so perspective is important.

 

[cruiseej]

On 3/21/2021 at 7:17 PM, Catlover54 said:

People are stuffed into poorly ventilated domestic airplanes...

 

Just noting on this point that that ventilation on airplanes is better than almost any other non-outdoor space. Air is completely replaced every 2-4 minutes while in flight (although less frequently while on the ground). Your biggest risk comes from the person sitting next to you; most other passenger pose significantly less risk because of how the air is circulated.

 

To your broader point: I expect some of the earliest cruises will still have strict rules -- overkill in some ways, perhaps -- in order to maximize safety as cruise lines try to relaunch cruising without COVID outbreaks. The initial rules will be relaxed reasonably quickly if they are successful. But none of the cruise lines can risk a troubled re-launch that shuts them down again. For those who don't want to travel under "those conditions" -- whatever they will ultimately be -- the answer is to wait and book travel later, not to expect the cruise lines to have less stringent rules at the outset.

[purpleally]

Not booked until end of November. Our “cohorts” are our cruising friends. The four of us travel in a pack so a non issue. Wouldn’t be crazy about doing only seabourn excursions since we like to get off the ship and walk to a local bar

its eight more months, we shall see....

[jenidallas]

Florida’s governor my be putting the cruise industry in a tough position by trying to make it impossible for businesses to discriminate against non-vaccinated people.

 

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/948351?src=mkm_covid_update_210330_MSCPEDIT&uac=267013ET&impID=3281862&faf=1

 

I’m with others who don’t see how we can safely (and economically) return to cruising without requiring vaccines for passengers/crew.  

[cruiseman58]

We hope all is well by 25 April 2022.  We are booked on the transatlantic Miami-Barcelona. We are encouraged to hope it will happen!!

[wesport]

On 3/31/2021 at 10:20 AM, jenidallas said:

Florida’s governor my be putting the cruise industry in a tough position by trying to make it impossible for businesses to discriminate against non-vaccinated people.

 

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/948351?src=mkm_covid_update_210330_MSCPEDIT&uac=267013ET&impID=3281862&faf=1

 

I’m with others who don’t see how we can safely (and economically) return to cruising without requiring vaccines for passengers/crew.  

Good Point. I cancelled a July 3rd Princess out of Fort Lauderdale before final. Wasn’t going to happen anyway. Now we are flying to St. Maarten in July to take a Windstar on the Star Breeze. Windstar is restarting June 19th.  Will have to do PCR test(Windstar), Rapid Antigen Test(St Maarten), and be vaccinated (done). No problem doing any of those. Plus its and old Seabourn ship that has been redone. Fingers crossed. Might be the first cruise since 2019. By protecting its customers , they will get my business. 

[Etta1213]

On 3/31/2021 at 9:20 AM, jenidallas said:

Florida’s governor my be putting the cruise industry in a tough position by trying to make it impossible for businesses to discriminate against non-vaccinated people.

I don't think the FL governor has any authority over what the cruise lines require. My understanding (maybe flawed) is that he won't allow FL businesses to require vaccinations of customers. I'm assuming it would violate hippa laws to require vaccination proof to, for example, go into a restaurant or hair salon. Anybody that could clarify?

Edited April 2, 2021 by Etta1213

[zelker]

A glimmer of hope .....

 

Vaccines will prompt CDC to change cruise guidelines 'shortly,' mayor says: Travel Weekly

[Catlover54]

The latest CDC muddle of instructions, especially regarding port medical care and quarantine hotel requirements, is not looking good for getting to sea anytime soon out of the U.S.  

 

 

https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Fine-print-with-a-huge-impact-Ports-struggle-with-CDC-terms

 

The bottomline to me seems to be that no one wants to risk the liability American tort lawyers would seize upon exploiting if anything, even one case with damages,  were to go wrong, especially since the tearful CDC chairperson Wolensky recently expressed feelings of " impending doom"

 

https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/cdc-director-scared-of-covid-19-trajectory-has-feeling-of-impending-doom

And yet two days later she declared 'permission' for the vaccinated to travel.  Apparently she just means by car and plane ( which in case she hasn't noticed, people  have already been doing for quite some time, with or without vaxes   -- I have rarely seen such crowded Easter week traffic on the coast north of San Francisco).

 

There are no adults in the control room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[zelker]

Now THIS look promising!!  CDC Says Cruises Possible by Mid-Summer as Tensions Boil Over (msn.com)