Strategy for upcoming bookings in Caribbean?

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Update, vaccine trial re-started:

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/12/astrazeneca-coronavirus-vaccine-clinical-trials-resume-in-uk-after-pause-over-safety-concerns.html

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

And the good news keeps on coming:

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/13/coronavirus-pfizer-vaccine-could-be-given-to-americans-before-end-of-year-ceo-says.html

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

More good news on the vaccine front:

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/15/the-uae-approves-a-chinese-made-coronavirus-vaccine-for-emergency-use-.html

 

You won’t find any of this stuff on US mainstream news sites.  Seems only the CNBC foreign correspondants post good global vaccine news.

[JES4845]

55 minutes ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

More good news on the vaccine front:

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/15/the-uae-approves-a-chinese-made-coronavirus-vaccine-for-emergency-use-.html

 

You won’t find any of this stuff on US mainstream news sites.  Seems only the CNBC foreign correspondants post good global vaccine news.

 

Ragnar, please be advised this news is on the Wall Street Journal website based on a quick Internet search.  What one does with this news is up to each individual of course.

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

WSJ has a pay wall, and ol’ Ragnar too cheap to for that....  But glad they covered  the UAE news.  That news is especially interesting because it was a 30,000 person trial and it passed all of its pre-specified benchmarks.  And it was done outside of China, so removes the doubt that the results were politically motivated.

 

The vaccine ball is rolling and I think the world will be back on its feet sooner than people are expecting.

[JES4845]

9 minutes ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

WSJ has a pay wall, and ol’ Ragnar too cheap to for that....  But glad they covered  the UAE news.  That news is especially interesting because it was a 30,000 person trial and it passed all of its pre-specified benchmarks.  And it was done outside of China, so removes the doubt that the results were politically motivated.

 

The vaccine ball is rolling and I think the world will be back on its feet sooner than people are expecting.

 

Totally agree with you - and thanks for sharing this news - we will all jump for joy and jump back on SeaDream once a vaccine is widely available, safe and effective.

 

Per the WSJ story, which as you say is behind a pay wall (that drives me nuts too), a few tidbits of specific information:

 

1.  This vaccine approved by the UAE involves inactive virus and not the genetic engineering Western pharma companies are pursuing,  One wonders if the Western companies are making a mistake getting too cute with the new fancy but unproven technology they are developing as opposed to relying on the tried and true inactive virus approach for other diseases.

 

2.  The Chinese company that developed what UAE approved admits that for now this particular vaccine likely provides 1 to 2 years protection, not longer.   One assumes you could get a booster every few years, but that’s total speculation on my part.  Anybody know more?

 

3.  UAE approved this particular vaccine for front line health care workers, not the general population, if I understand the WSJ story correctly.  That said, China expects to start giving it to its general population as soon as this November.

 

4.  UAE is balancing its relationships with the USA and China as it routinely does as a matter of policy, hedging its bets.  While UAE announced the emergency use for medical workers, the tests in the UAE seem to have been done by the Chinese state-owned pharma company.  In an ironic twist, they needed volunteers foreign countries with diverse populations, such as the UAE,because there aren’t enough active COVID-19 cases in China to produce enough volunteers for the clinical trials.  Neither the UAE nor China released any details of the trials, such as data, etc.

 

5.  That said, we will all take any bit of good news for sure.  Those who preceded us got through the Spanish flu and despite all the tragic death and disease then eventually got beyond it to a better place.   We will as well ... just hoping sooner rather than later.

 

[Zimmy]

1 hour ago, JES4845 said:

 

1.  This vaccine approved by the UAE involves inactive virus and not the genetic engineering Western pharma companies are pursuing,  One wonders if the Western companies are making a mistake getting too cute with the new fancy but unproven technology they are developing as opposed to relying on the tried and true inactive virus approach for other diseases.

 

JES, it is Interesting that you say this. A doctor I know said that he would take a vaccine made in the traditional way as soon as it was available, but that should the approved vaccine be of the genetic engineering kind, he would not rush to be a frontrunner but would wait to see how it was affecting people. 

I know nothing about these things - I'm a financial person, not a scientist. Just repeating what was said to me.

 

Quote

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 15, 2020 by Zimmy

[JES4845]

Zimmy, thanks much for sharing that info.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

The early bird gets the worm!   (Or maybe Guilliain-Barre syndrome...)

[Jim Avery]

3 minutes ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

The early bird gets the worm!   (Or maybe Guilliain-Barre syndrome...)

Early for you is Noonish, right.  You Left Coasters have it made.....  As long as you don't live in the forests.😱

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

I actually got a mild case of Guilliain-Barre syndrome after getting a tetnus booster 15 years ago.  My hands tingled for about 8 months.  Just annoying, but weird.

 

But I will still get any CV vaccine as soon as I can get it.  It is actually a patriotic duty to step up and do what one can to get the pandemic under control and get the US economy back on track.  China has already quashed the virus and their economy is back.  Since the US is not a totalitarian dictatorship (yet...), we can’t control the virus the way China did.  Control measures have to be done voluntarily.

 

Remember, we are not just fighting for the economy, we are fighting for champagne, on Jost Van Dyke!

[cabosal1]

I plan on being first in line for vaccine, too.  Here we come JVD, et al !! 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

On 9/16/2020 at 1:06 PM, cabosal1 said:

I plan on being first in line for vaccine, too.  Here we come JVD, et al !! 

Right on cabosal1!  (Yes, I’m on the tail of the hippie generation...)

 

I get a real laugh out of all the people saying they don’t trust the upcoming US CV vaccines because Trump will force them to be released without sufficient testing.  One has to have a severe case of TDS to believe that Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson, etc. are going to risk their reputations to help Trump.  What a bunch of gullible people....

 

And as soon as sane people like cabosal1 and I(?) get vaccinated and start going out, going on cruises, etc., FOMO will overwhelm the sheeps’ brainwashing and they will clamor to get the vaccines.

 

Sometimes I really wonder about people.

 

 

[JES4845]

Happy to play “Devil’s Advocate” since the success of one or more vaccines is so integrally tied to our ability to get back on SD soon and otherwise travel as we all enjoy so much.

 

1.  Agree that acceptance is likely to be higher if a vaccine comes from one of the well known big pharma companies you listed (several of whom I’ve put a few cents in over the years).

 

2.  It isn’t that those companies would do or not do anything to help a particular politician, but it is whether or not the FDA review and approval process has public confidence free from undue political interference one way or the other from anybody.  (I write this as one who did some FDA-related work many years ago).

 

3.  No matter the market cap or brand name of a given company, the FDA has a process including emergency early use when justified by the data, that serves the public health well.  Even if it is one of the companies you named, they don’t just skip the FDA and send out vaccines or drugs the lay person has no way of knowing are sufficiently safe and effective from a review independent of financial motivations.  We need the first ones available to be free of any hiccups so enough people get them quickly.

 

4.  Thankfully, thus far, the FDA and its independent advisory committees seem to be doing the professional job we expect of them, but it is simply a statement of fact they and other agencies traditionally seen as nonpartisan are being pressured in unprecedented ways.

 

5.  At the end of the day, if only several of us get the first vaccine it won’t do much good, including for travel.  Polling continues to show public cynicism, justified or not, across the political spectrum.  Ironically, supporters of the current Administration are the least likely to say they will get vaccinated.  It may be that once one is available, more people will accept it.  

 

6.  A key piece of data will be how quickly and how extensively people get the flu shot now that we are upon flu season.  A high flu shot vaccination rate would be a positive sign and a low one a negative sign.  Let us all hope for the former; time will tell.  Flu shots would also help keep the flu rate down, which is good for travel and stress on the health care system too.

 

Be safe and thanks for the opportunity to offer this perspective!

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

We are doing “drive-through” flu shots at our doctor’s office tomorrow.  I wonder if they will offer fries and a drink with that?

 

People with PhDs should not be involved in making decisions for the country about life and death matters in an emergency situation.  This is a responsibility of elected officials.  Having known and worked with many PhDs, I can tell you that their focus and knowledge are, generally, very narrow.  Their worldview would not allow a considered trade-off of the risks and benefits of vaccines, both at the national wellbeing level and the personal wellbeing level.  Remember Coventry.

 

(Note: That Churchill knew about the raid beforehand is still in question, but the metaphor is germane.)

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Good article on Sanofi, who have been producing vaccines for more than 100 years!

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/24/-sanofi-ceo-paul-hudson-on-coroanvirus-vaccine-development-timeline.html

 

Feeling better and better about our June cruise (assuming we don’t get a doberman puppy before then....  (For those who have been IJ followers for a long time, the “pony” headed off to the great bark park in the sky in August 💔 😪).

 

Edited September 25, 2020 by Ragnar Danneskjold

[DWhit]

18 hours ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

 

Feeling better and better about our June cruise (assuming we don’t get a doberman puppy before then....  (For those who have been IJ followers for a long time, the “pony” headed off to the great bark park in the sky in August 💔 😪).

 

So sorry to hear about your dog, I know what a part of the family they can become.  

 

I also think by June things should be way more normal.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Thanks, he was a good dog, and lived a long, happy life.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Here’s some good news on the treatment front:

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/29/regeneron-says-its-covid-19-treatment-reduces-viral-levels-improves-symptoms.html

 

Treatments have a lower regulatory hurdle to jump than vaccines, since they are only given to sick people.  Lets hope this one fully pans out.

[TrulyBlonde]

On 9/24/2020 at 7:50 PM, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Good article on Sanofi, who have been producing vaccines for more than 100 years!

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/24/-sanofi-ceo-paul-hudson-on-coroanvirus-vaccine-development-timeline.html

 

Feeling better and better about our June cruise (assuming we don’t get a doberman puppy before then....  (For those who have been IJ followers for a long time, the “pony” headed off to the great bark park in the sky in August 💔 😪).

 

So sorry about the loss of your pony :((

[Mrs_Tiki]

A glimmer of hope?

 

Tiki_Man and I received an email from Sonesta resort in Saint Maarten with a link to updated entry requirements for the island.  (https://stmaartenehas.com/travel-requirements/)  Basically, the new news is that your must have negative COVID test result 120 hours prior to the departure of the last leg of your travel to Saint Maarten instead of 72 hours.  

 

This is pure speculation (and hope!) on our part, but might this pave the way for a return of SDII to the Caribbean this winter?  Would love to hear the thoughts of this group, particularly of those who are connected to SD. 😉

 

Even if this is a pie in the sky idea, it is nice to have hope of a return to the TOYB sooner rather than later!

[JES4845]

Interesting and hopeful thought for sure!  Last I read the French side is still closed including for USA visitors.  So while one can get into the Dutch side with the proper testing docs, that doesn’t get you into the French side from which SD has departed in the past when we did it.  Perhaps there are feasible options for SD to dock on the Dutch side?  There is one nonstop per day from Miami to St. Maarten on American Airlines, maybe other options?  Probably depends on what other nearby islands to St. Maarten would make up a worthy 7-day voyage.  Does anybody have more up to date info on access to other islands in the vicinity?  Curious as to how the Barbados voyage bookings are going.  Any info?

[Jim Avery]

Good to see some activity here.  I miss chatting about cruising and all the other stuff.  Cruise Critic is my only social media so I have missed y'all.  As to St. Maarten/Martin, we have boarded SD two times in Philipsburg and two times in Marigot.  Love the islands visited from there.  To be honest, we like the Dutch side better.  What do you expect from a Bama grad?   Well, except ROLL TIDE!!!   And we usually stay at the Maho Bay Resort.  Adults only property.  We live in Arizona so are surrounded by really nice gated resorts so don't particularly stay on the French side resorts.  We go to the Caribbean to be there, not at a resort.  Could do that here and avoid all the miserable airports/airplanes.  We also would love some SD II time out of St. Maarten but not until we get to Post-Testing, Post-Masks era.  I would suspect the Barbados bookings are going well with Europeans due to better flights but then that's just speculation.  

[laurelguy]

We paid final for Barbados 12/27 so we'll see! Plenty of cabins still avail according to website. 

 

[JES4845]

Like us, many of you no doubt also received a nicely done blast SeaDream email today touting the winter Barbados voyages.  The odd thing, at least to me, is that neither the email nor the links it takes you to ever mention the various testing requirements and travel restrictions (pre, post and during the voyages).