Can Cruise Lines meet new evacuation requirements?

[LMaxwell]

Part of the CDC directives that many people are overlooking are the new requirements should COVID outbreak happen or suspected onboard, that cruise lines not rely on the US Govt or US Coast Guard for evacuations, but rather find some commercial entity that they can hire to do that, and have to charter planes or transportation home for guests; the cruise lines can not disembark people and send them to their airport without a cruise line chartered flight.  If the requirement is to privatize rescue and repatriation, how will that work? What does that mean for the viability of smaller island ports? I am unsure if these requirements remain long term or not; but I do think the US Gov't is not going to allow cruiselines to operate how they did pre March-2020.  If the cruise lines can not meet these requirements can they still only offer me future credits with an expiration date? What good are they? 

[zekekelso]

The requirements may go away when covid-19 is no longer a worry (whatever that means). If not, the industry may have to all band together to build out that infrastructure... the industry was making $billions a year in profits it can afford to do so and survive.... though we all might be paying more for cruising. And we may even hit a worst case scenario where ships no longer sail to US ports. We all fly to Nassau or Cozumel to get on the ship.

[LMaxwell]

1 minute ago, zekekelso said:

We all fly to Nassau or Cozumel to get on the ship.

 

Neither of those ports have real passenger terminal infrastructure. 

[Milwaukee Eight]

15 minutes ago, zekekelso said:

The requirements may go away when covid-19 is no longer a worry (whatever that means). If not, the industry may have to all band together to build out that infrastructure... the industry was making $billions a year in profits it can afford to do so and survive.... though we all might be paying more for cruising. And we may even hit a worst case scenario where ships no longer sail to US ports. We all fly to Nassau or Cozumel to get on the ship.

A mutated crossover (animal to human) virus occurs in China live market every few years. Some worse than others. COVID19 is actually SARS-CoV-2. The second severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. There will be more. This one is bad because it primarily attacks the respiratory system. Cuts down on oxygen to other body organs and they begin to die (septa’s). 

[TravelerThom]

32 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

 

Neither of those ports have real passenger terminal infrastructure. 

Neither does Ensenada, Mexico, yet I have commenced a Celebrity voyage there in order to facilitate what would otherwise have been an illegal San Diego to Seattle repositioning. I’ll admit the boarding was less than smooth

[LMaxwell]

7 minutes ago, TravelerThom said:

Neither does Ensenada, Mexico, yet I have commenced a Celebrity voyage there in order to facilitate what would otherwise have been an illegal San Diego to Seattle repositioning. I’ll admit the boarding was less than smooth

 

Certainly doable for one ship or a unique itinerary but these ports could never operate like a Port Everglades or Port Miami turning over 8 +/- ships at a time in peak season. Hundreds of millions have been invested into the infrastructure.   

[zekekelso]

4 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

 

Certainly doable for one ship or a unique itinerary but these ports could never operate like a Port Everglades or Port Miami turning over 8 +/- ships at a time in peak season. Hundreds of millions have been invested into the infrastructure.   

 

If US ports are cut off and people still want to cruise, the industry will do want needs to be done. Either building the infrastructure or changing things to require less infrastructure. 

[John&LaLa]

Build passenger terminals in Freeport.

Use high speed ferrys to move people from Pt Everglades to Freeport

Stop in Pt Everglades to pick up provisions and luggage that night

Head to Coco Cay at 3am

Perfect Day😉