SS Future Re-Open Plan: Timing, Testing Needs??!!

[TLCOhio]

12 hours ago, QueSeraSera said:

Yes, and this particular fact is starting to really bother me.  Somehow I just don't think the present situation is tenable (had to double check definition: able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection.}, particularly with the present holds on AZ and JnJ.    

 

Agree from these various comments and follow-ups that this current situation as to what vaccines work . . . OR NOT? . . . as a challenge that makes it so very much harder for cruise company officials to figure out their future re-opening hopes/plans.  

 

From the New York Times this morning, they had this attention-grabbing headline: “Johnson & Johnson ‘Pause’ Shakes Vaccinations Worldwide” with these highlights: “The 'pause' that U.S. health officials put in place on the use of the vaccine might now stay in place for seven to 10 days. It’s a decision with potentially painful consequences that could ripple worldwide. After considering whether to reinstate the vaccine, a panel of expert advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined on Wednesday that it needed more time to assess a possible link to a rare but serious blood-clotting disorder. In South Africa, health officials have stopped giving the Johnson & Johnson shot, two months after dropping another vaccine, from AstraZeneca. The European Union said it would not make any more purchases of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or of AstraZeneca’s, which has raised similar concerns. If the perception takes hold that rich countries are dumping second-rate shots on poorer nations, suspicions about the efficacy of the vaccines could harden, slowing the worldwide rollout of desperately needed doses.  Already, doctors say, the recent pauses have heartened vaccine skeptics and made many others feel duped.  Johnson & Johnson woes could erode public confidence. The vaccine is considered ideal for rural and underserved communities because it requires only one shot and is easier to store.”

 

Full story at:

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/04/15/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-cases

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Amazon River-Caribbean 2015 adventure live/blog starting in Barbados. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.).  Now at 68,301 views:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

[TLCOhio]

From former USA Today travel/cruise expert Gene Sloan just minutes ago this morning, there is this headline: “This major cruise line just announced plans to restart with more than half its fleet” with these highlights: “It looks like the comeback of cruising is kicking into high gear.  One of the world’s biggest cruise lines, MSC Cruises, announced on Thursday it would resume operations with more than half its fleet over the next three months.  The 18-ship brand already is operating sailings out of Italy with one ship, MSC Grandiosa. But, it now plans to have at least 10 ships sailing by 1 August.  For now, all 10 of the ships will operate in Europe, where government officials have been more open to a resumption of cruising in recent months than officials in some other regions of the world, including North America. The governments of both Canada and the United States continue to ban cruising due to worries about the spread of COVID-19.  The restart outlined by MSC Cruises — the world’s third-largest cruise line by passenger capacity — is by far the most comprehensive to date from any major cruise brand.  The world’s largest cruise line, Royal Caribbean, has mapped out definitive comeback plans for just a handful of its 25 ships. The world’s second-largest cruise brand, Carnival Cruise Line, hasn’t announced concrete comeback plans for any of its vessels.”

 

Full story at:

https://thepointsguy.co.uk/news/msc-cruises-restart/

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Fun, interesting visuals, plus travel details from this early 2016 live/blog. At 51,233 views. Featuring Cape Town, South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

[TLCOhio]

From Bloomberg News and MSN News two days ago, they had this interesting headline: “Singapore Has One-Third of Global Cruise Travelers” with these highlights: “Singapore now accounts for one-third of global cruise travelers, a testament to the nation’s ability to contain the coronavirus and resume operations at a time when many other countries are still struggling.  The city-state, which contains a population of 5.7 million on an island smaller than New York City, was able to achieve what it has because of its robust health safety framework, Singapore Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Keith Tan said.  Singapore began offering so-called cruises to nowhere last year after authorities introduced a CruiseSafe certification, which all operators have to obtain before they set sail. It spells out standards companies must achieve, including mandatory Covid testing prior to boarding, ensuring safe distancing and frequent cleaning and sanitizing.  To date, more than 120,000 residents of Singapore have taken a cruise -- many multiple times. Because of the overwhelming demand, heightened by the fact international travel remains largely off limits, the cruises have been extended until October. Two operators are offering the trips, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Genting Cruise Lines.”

 

Here is more from their reporting: "Singapore has done a stellar job getting the spread of the coronavirus under control. The country also plans to vaccinate its entire population by the end of the year.  While the vaccine roll out in the U.K. and the U.S. is also progressing well, virus cases are still surging in Europe and parts of South America. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. said cruise operations could start by mid-summer after the country’s largest operator, Carnival Corp., threatened to relocate ships to other markets."

 

Full story at:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/topstories/singapore-has-one-third-of-global-cruise-travelers/ar-BB1fnu96?ocid=BingNewsSearch

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Kotor/Montenegro:  Exciting visual samples, tips, details, etc., for this scenic, historic location. Over 48,222 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439193

[brimary]

From our personal experience of several visits to Singapore with SS over many years it is easily the most efficiently managed country we have ever visited.Well worth spending at least 3 days there pre cruise if the opportunity arises.No surprise at the reports of Singapore having the Pandemic under control.Wish we had their Government!

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, TLCOhio said:

From Bloomberg News and MSN News two days ago, they had this interesting headline: “Singapore Has One-Third of Global Cruise Travelers”

Really good click bait. 

[TLCOhio]

6 hours ago, brimary said:

From our personal experience of several visits to Singapore with SS over many years it is easily the most efficiently managed country we have ever visited.  Well worth spending at least 3 days there pre cruise if the opportunity arises. No surprise at the reports of Singapore having the Pandemic under control.Wish we had their Government!

 

Also have heard very good things about Singapore and look forward to visiting there at a future date.  Have been considering either an early 2022 or 2023 Silversea cruise from Singapore to Mumbai with three days in Yangon, plus other interesting port stops.  BUT, many doubts and questions as to how Covid conditions and vaccines in India, etc., will evolve for that part of the world.  

 

From CNBC News this afternoon, they had this headline: “Pfizer CEO says third Covid vaccine dose likely needed within 12 months” with these highlights: “Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said people will 'likely' need a third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine within 12 months of getting fully vaccinated.  Bourla said it’s possible people will need to get vaccinated against the coronavirus annually.  'We need to see what would be the sequence, and for how often we need to do that, that remains to be seen,' he told CNBC’s Bertha Coombs during an event with CVS Health. 'A likely scenario is that there will be likely a need for a third dose, somewhere between six and 12 months and then from there, there will be an annual revaccination, but all of that needs to be confirmed. And again, the variants will play a key role.' ”

 

Full story at:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/15/pfizer-ceo-says-third-covid-vaccine-dose-likely-needed-within-12-months.html

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Dubrovnik!  Nice visual samples, tips, details, etc., for this super scenic and historic location. Over 47,847 views.    

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439227

[Stumblefoot]

32 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

Have been considering either an early 2022 or 2023 Silversea cruise from Singapore to Mumbai with three days in Yangon, plus other interesting port stops.  BUT, many doubts and questions as to how Covid conditions and vaccines in India, etc., will evolve for that part of the world.

This is the trip I’m presently planning at the moment.  Certainly realize Myanmar is in all likelihood going to be pulled off the Feb. 14 ‘22 voyage, but have no idea how SS will adjust since there is four sea days that bookends the stop in Yangon.

 

32 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

A likely scenario is that there will be likely a need for a third dose, somewhere between six and 12 months and then from there, there will be an annual revaccination, but all of that needs to be confirmed.

Thankfully, although there have been 5,900 breakthrough cases in the U.S., with 66,000,000 Americans now fully vaccinated the breakthrough rate is only 0.009%.  This is truly remarkable, especially in light of the exceptional original vaccine efficacy rates.

[Catlover54]

JP:  I appreciate your post.  You wrote:

"

Unfortunately for us, our hospital leadership just eats up the CDC recommendations like gospel. And they follow them to the letter, sometimes even more stringently. So even though we are fully vaccinated, and have been for months, if we were to travel to a non-contiguous state they would force us to COVID test prior to returning to work, and again at 5d after returning! And that is despite the fact that NY State has dropped this requirement completely. Argh. we are never going to be able to leave NY State again, it seems."

 

1.  Do you still work for the Veterans Administration, a federally run hospital system?  If so, I am not surprised that they interpret CDC (federal) recommendations as mandates, just as they do with many medical treatment "guidelines" and other dubious "expert" pronouncements, even if they do not make sense or are inconsistent.  Large entrenched bureaucracies move slowly and following the most "conservative" path is typical for them.  

 

2.  But I don't understand why you worry about ever leaving NY state.  Even if you want to stay at the VA for the long-term pension and other benefits, can you not still travel with a five-day quarantine and testing at Days 0 and 5 on return, as you described? Or is the beef that that would needlessly chew up too many of your paid annual leave days?

 

3.  Crystal just opened up five very expensive 10-day circumnavigations of Iceland this July and August on its new expedition ship, the Endeavor. As of March 18, unlike the EU and UK  Iceland welcomes vaccinated Americans. I remembered you had a nice Iceland cruise blog a couple years ago I want to reference, but I could not find it on CC.  Could you provide a link?

 

I retired to cruise and travel more a few months before Covid (and got 2.5 cruises in before the SHTF) and do not have time to waste!

 

Thank you.

 

 

[jpalbny]

2 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

Do you still work for the Veterans Administration, a federally run hospital system?  If so, I am not surprised that they interpret CDC (federal) recommendations as mandates, just as they do with many medical treatment "guidelines" and other dubious "expert" pronouncements, even if they do not make sense or are inconsistent.  Large entrenched bureaucracies move slowly and following the most "conservative" path is typical for them.  

 

Yes and your synopsis is spot on. 😀

 

2 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

But I don't understand why you worry about ever leaving NY state.  Even if you want to stay at the VA for the long-term pension and other benefits, can you not still travel with a five-day quarantine and testing at Days 0 and 5 on return, as you described? Or is the beef that that would needlessly chew up too many of your paid annual leave days?

 

That part was a bit of whining and a bit tongue in cheek. Yes we could leave NY state. Yes we could test as per their guidelines. It's just annoying since we are vaccinated and the risk of us spreading the virus is very low. It would take some of the fun out of travel. 

 

2 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

I remembered you had a nice Iceland cruise blog a couple years ago I want to reference, but I could not find it on CC.  Could you provide a link?

 

Here you go. Try this. 

 

 

Hopefully we can both get back to cruising! 

Edited April 16, 2021 by jpalbny

[QueSeraSera]

2 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

But I don't understand

 

Took me forever to compose this, JP has a great answer already.

 

Its not my place to jump in here, but I think JP was just venting.  This is a sanctioned place where you can vent 🙂, make bad jokes, reminisce about Mateus, or even babble after 3 or more glasses of wine as my friends here can attest I have done.

 

Sanctioned by who?  Um, I think by @mysty, but lately even by @Host Jazzbeau  I think, & the founders of this forum as well.

 

and I like the initialism SHTF @Catlover54 !   Since I haven't seen you post here before, I'll say welcome.  Like you, I was just getting started (2 cruises) when the SHTF.

Edited April 16, 2021 by QueSeraSera
new post

[Host Jazzbeau]

27 minutes ago, QueSeraSera said:

and I like the initialism SHTF @Catlover54 !   Since I haven't seen you post here before, I'll say welcome.  Like you, I was just getting started (2 cruises) when the SHTF.

Be aware:  if someone Reports a post because it contains this acronym it would probably be deleted.  Doesn't offend me; just sayin'...  [My last job was as the CFO/COO of a law school; in offering me the promotion the Dean made it clear that part of my duties was that whenever the above acronym was about to happen it was my job to stand between her and the fan...]

[Lois R]

Hey, is Terry lurking......the title of this thread was originally SS Future.......well, the future is NOW. (For me anyway)😃I booked a July cruise to Greece......I am sure it will be different but I don't care. I am so ready to get out of here! Going on The MOON.........new ship, Greece, even with protocols in place I plan on having a good time👍

[Catlover54]

Many thanks JP!

 

I just saw a Wall Street Journal article ( behind a pay wall) about the subset of 5800 known American patients who became Covid positive despite being vaxed ( Pfizer, Moderna, or JJ) two or more weeks earlier.  It illustrates the small  but non-zero risk of being hospitalized from Covid, and the even tinier risk of dying from it, despite getting vaxed. 
 

Paraphrasing roughly:

 

'Of over 77 million fully-vaccinated Americans authorities are tracking for breakthrough Covid , 74 so far contracted and died from COVID-19, .000096%.  There were also 396 hospitalizations for COVID-19 post-vaccination (40% of those people over 60, most but not all with major problems).Assuming the 74 who died were in that number, 0.00042% of those vaccinated ended up hospitalized but later recovered. This dying group is a subset of 5,800 vaccinated individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 post-vaccination, or 0.0075%.'

 

When you get so low, the numbers become inaccurate, but the point is that risk for an individual is tiny post- vax ( for now), and even less so if not very sick. More study is always needed, of course, especially with an uncertain variant future.

 

Of note is 29% of those 5800 who got infected despite vaxing  were asymptomatic, so there is theoretical concern that they could spread Covid to non-immune populations, e.g., while traveling ( IF they are even fit to travel, which many of the post-vax infected were not), even if they do not die. Cruisers could thus get tested on boarding, to further lower risk, as should crew.  The nonsense temperature taking and questions alone are too insensitive to pick up aymptomatic disease.

 

Risk/benefit assessments are tricky on a global level, especially if you ignore deaths and morbidity from economic or mental health consequences of shutdowns, of which cruising are just a small subset. And then there are also the risks of law suits despite low odds.

 

 

 

[Stumblefoot]

3 hours ago, QueSeraSera said:

I like the initialism SHTF

Me too!  I didn’t even have to ask Google what it means.

 

2 hours ago, Lois R said:

I booked a July cruise to Greece.

Look forward to reading your POV on the Moon during / after your voyage.  Have fun planning your trip!

[worldtraveller99]

Lucky you Lois! Our TA asked us if we wanted to go on that Greece trip, but we are waiting for Alaska in 2022!xx  

 

Just Googled "One person dies every 36 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease". Of course by now she is fed up with doing this! But my point is you have to die of something, so if more vaccination leads to genuinely tiny numbers of COVID deaths, when are we going to be able to take this in our stride and let people in the entertainment, travel etc industries go back to enjoying making everyone happy again?

 

[QueSeraSera]

2 hours ago, worldtraveller99 said:

Of course by now she is fed up with doing this!

Took me a full minute, but I get this now 😄

[Lois R]

8 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Me too!  I didn’t even have to ask Google what it means.

 

Look forward to reading your POV on the Moon during / after your voyage.  Have fun planning your trip!

Thank you🙂

[tosteve1]

We seem to “tolerate”(without shutting down the economy) 30-50000 deaths/year from the flu in the US. About 140/day but not  evenly distributed through the year, of course.  Still a way to go for Covid...

[kimanjo]

2 hours ago, tosteve1 said:

We seem to “tolerate”(without shutting down the economy) 30-50000 deaths/year from the flu in the US. About 140/day but not  evenly distributed through the year, of course.  Still a way to go for Covid...

 

I've been saying this for a while...  And, the flu vaccine, has maybe 40-50% participation, and maybe 50 % effectiveness in any given year.  AND,  ( big AND) the Covid vaccine appears to stop transmission by the vaccinated person. Is this true with the flu vaccine??

 

 I think we deserve a hard, firm number of what the number goal is for deaths and hospitaliztions from Covid.

Edited April 16, 2021 by kimanjo

[A Tucson Guy]

3 hours ago, kimanjo said:

 

I've been saying this for a while...  And, the flu vaccine, has maybe 40-50% participation, and maybe 50 % effectiveness in any given year.  AND,  ( big AND) the Covid vaccine appears to stop transmission by the vaccinated person. Is this true with the flu vaccine??

 

 I think we deserve a hard, firm number of what the number goal is for deaths and hospitaliztions from Covid.

I was under the impression that having had both my shots, I could still get covid with no symptoms and pass it on the somebody else. Can somebody in the know chime in?

[Randyk47]

28 minutes ago, A Tucson Guy said:

I was under the impression that having had both my shots, I could still get covid with no symptoms and pass it on the somebody else. Can somebody in the know chime in?

I don’t think they know for sure one way or the other.   There have been less than 6,000 people out of 70 million who have gotten Covid after the complete round of vaccination and that’s actually good news.   I haven’t heard or read anything about their ability to pass on Covid. 

[TLCOhio]

20 hours ago, Lois R said:

the future is NOW. (For me anyway)😃I booked a July cruise to Greece......I am sure it will be different but I don't care. I am so ready to get out of here! Going on The MOON.........new ship, Greece, even with protocols in place I plan on having a good time👍

 

Great that Lois is booked for a Greek cruise this summer.  YES!!  We want you  to share ALL of the details, etc.  Maybe do a live blog and answer questions as you travel on this nice, new ship??  Hint, hint!!  What will be your sailing date and the islands will you visit?

 

From the Washington Post this afternoon, they had this headline: “New global coronavirus cases nearly double in two months” with these highlights: “The number of new coronavirus cases around the globe has almost doubled over the past two months, an alarming increase that the World Health Organization said Friday was nearing the pandemic’s peak infection rate.  Around the world, 'covid-19 cases and deaths are continuing to increase at worrying rates,' WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a briefing Friday.  'This is approaching the highest rate of infection that we have seen so far during the pandemic,' he said. 'Some countries that had previously avoided widespread covid-19 transmission are now seeing steep increases in infections.'  Case numbers have spiked in nearly all regions, with larger outbreaks gripping Brazil, India, Poland, Turkey and some other countries. In the seven days ending April 11, global cases rose by 11 percent compared to the previous week, according to the WHO.”

 

Not good news, sadly, for many, many countries around the world and those of us hoping for a return to some form of "normal". 

 

Full story at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/04/16/global-coronavirus-cases-surge-who/

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Athens & Greece: Many visuals, details from two visits in a city with great history, culture and architecture.  Now at 38,210 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

[Lois R]

Hi Terry🙂,  I am not a Blogger.......never have been.  I don't even want to promise anything about doing a "Live From".   The best I can do is say "I can try".   I don't bring electronics with me. Well, my phone but it stays in the cabin. 

I am sailing on July 8th (hopefully).

Itinerary....sailing from Athen with stops in:

Syros

Paros

Patmos

Mykonos

Rhodes

Limassol

Heraklion

There are 2 sea days in the middle.......it is a 10 night cruise.

 

I have only been to Rhodes and Mykonos previously but that was 9 years ago............

So all the other places are new to me🙂

 

 

 

[QueSeraSera]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Itinerary....sailing

We're all going to be rooting for you R Lois 🙂

[Lois R]

Thank you😃