Email from Windstar (3/10/20). “Our commitment to you during Covid-19”

[minidonuts85]

In case you haven’t received this..it also addresses upcoming Italy cruises.

 

 

“We recognize that we are all in uncharted territory, trying to make sense of multiple news sources and advisories on the threat and spread of coronavirus, and thinking about how we can protect ourselves, our families, our friends. We want to share with you what actions we are taking as a company to maximize the health and safety of our guests and crew in this ever-changing environment. We realize that this situation is causing widespread disruption to travel, and we are working to mitigate the negative effects on our guests.

 

Our team at Windstar is working diligently to plan ahead and keep you informed. Because the situation with the spread of the virus is fluid, we must be flexible, and as usual, resourceful. When the outbreak was first announced over a month ago, we immediately put into place a robust pre-cruise screening process for guests and crew to protect everyone onboard. We are not allowing anyone to board a ship who in the past 30 days has traveled from or through a country that is at “Level 3” as determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

We also made the decision that we will not visit a port subject to a CDC Level 3 travel advisory. Itineraries will be adjusted where possible and cruises cancelled if necessary.

 

We have implemented changes to our booking policies to give you confidence to book with us knowing that your hard-earned vacation dollars will not be lost. Please read details on our new Travel Assurance Policy where you can cancel up to 15 days before departure.

 

Destination Italy:

 

At this time, we are working on plans to address the outbreak in Italy. We are preparing to redeploy our yachts currently scheduled to sail out of Italian ports through mid-June and relocate them to other areas in the Mediterranean region that are not under a Level 3 or higher advisory. We will be communicating with all guests affected by the changes to our ship itineraries over the coming days.

 

We are not adjusting our 2020 Italy itineraries past June at this time because we believe the situation in Italy may improve over the next 90 days and the level of travel warning could go down once the coronavirus has run its course. We will keep our guests informed as our plans evolve.

 

Actions we are engaged in to promote safe travel:

 

On board our ships, we are reminding guests to take appropriate precautions to maintain a safe and healthy atmosphere, as follows:

Wash your hands with soap and hot water regularly for at least 20 seconds throughout the day, especially before eating and after using the restroom.

Use hand sanitizer immediately upon returning to the ship. You will find it placed near the point of embarkation for your convenience.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Working together, we will minimize the risk of any illness. Please read the attached FAQs to learn more about steps we’ve taken to ensure we continue to provide a healthy environment while sailing on our small yachts with fewer than 350 guests. For more information on COVID-19, please visit the websites of the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

We hope to welcome you aboard one of our beautiful small yachts for a signature Windstar experience this year”

 

 

 

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[quaraj0604]

So basically they figured out 2.5 weeks ago that the cruises through Italy were not happening as is and this is the first communication they have sent.  Nice.

[Doh15]

So the US State Dept has just issued a “global” level 3 advisory— basically saying Americans shouldn’t travel anywhere internationally. 
 

And Windstar has said they will not sail to any port under a level 3 advisory, nor allow anyone on board who has been in a country subject to a level 3 advisory in the last 30 days. 
 

should make for some interesting discussions

[minidonuts85]

Seems this would also be an issue for crew joining the Star Breeze in Palermo unless the advisory is lifted by May. Crew would have been in Italy within the past 30-days..


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[Doh15]

It seems to me if you read both the State Dept advisory and the Windstar policy to their letter then WS ships will not visit any non-US ports and will not allow anyone on board who has been outside the US in the previous 30 days. 

[ridethetide]

36 minutes ago, Doh15 said:

It seems to me if you read both the State Dept advisory and the Windstar policy to their letter then WS ships will not visit any non-US ports and will not allow anyone on board who has been outside the US in the previous 30 days. 

Windstar's policy does not forbid anyone who has been outside the US in the past 30 days to board unless they traveled from or through a country that is at “Level 3” as determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is currently limited to a few countries.

[Doh15]

My point is that the State Department recently issued a “global level 3 health advisory” which they seem to view as being a level 3 advisory for every country in the world

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/travel-advisory-alert-global-level-3-health-advisory-issue.html

[susiesan]

Very soon the US will be a level 3 globally. You know Europe will retaliate tit for tat to the ban on travel from Europeans to the US.