Organised shore excursions only

[ORV]

20 hours ago, TravelguruDanville said:

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the quick response! Shucks...I thought I could just join your tours! As mentioned, we are booked for 9/2021. Looked on TA, and Spain day tours received great reviews. Unfortunately they don’t have tours identified for Gijon or Villagarcia de Arosa  If you have any info on those or other recommended tour companies in Portugal or Italy, that would be greatly appreciated and save me hours of research!Many thanks!

Gail

I've used Spain Day Tours on multiple cruises and have always been happy. The sizes range from small groups to a larger bus, so make sure you know what you're getting in to ahead of time. 

 

In Lisbon we used Top Ten Tours for a private tour as well as transport to the airport. I would highly recommend them. They were recommended to me by Mike Preisman that does great cruise reviews. You might have seen a few of them. 

[pinotlover]

20 hours ago, njhorseman said:

"The top" doesn't know right now. FDR himself doesn't know if your cruise is going to take place, what its exact itinerary will be if it does sail, how many passengers will be allowed on the sailing, what shore excursions will be operating, whether you can go ashore independently, etc. 

 

Because all that and more is unknown right now what they're really saying is "We can't tell you right now, so until we know just assume everything will operate normally."

Not exactly;

 

Oceania signed a contract with the Port of Astoria to dock the Regatta there “at least through” April. Monthly fee of $75K. The Regatta is allegedly on its way there now.

 

Pursuant to your above statement, FDR doesn’t know yet if the Regatta’s December 2020 -April 2021 cruises will sail yet. I call BS. I believe multiple decisions have already been made about which ships will sail when. I likewise believe many decisions have already been made on new protocols that will be utilized  aboard ship for at least the short term.

 

I do agree that actually visiting any port may be a day to day decision, but that is painfully true today. It will be just more so in the near future.

 

When will know that cruising is about to resume? When Oceania starts sending out detailed new instructions and protocols for upcoming cruises (ers). New boarding procedures, which I believe are already formulated, will be at the top of the page.

 

 

[njhorseman]

50 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Not exactly;

 

Oceania signed a contract with the Port of Astoria to dock the Regatta there “at least through” April. Monthly fee of $75K. The Regatta is allegedly on its way there now.

 

Pursuant to your above statement, FDR doesn’t know yet if the Regatta’s December 2020 -April 2021 cruises will sail yet. I call BS. I believe multiple decisions have already been made about which ships will sail when. I likewise believe many decisions have already been made on new protocols that will be utilized  aboard ship for at least the short term.

 

I do agree that actually visiting any port may be a day to day decision, but that is painfully true today. It will be just more so in the near future.

 

When will know that cruising is about to resume? When Oceania starts sending out detailed new instructions and protocols for upcoming cruises (ers). New boarding procedures, which I believe are already formulated, will be at the top of the page.

 

 

Huh?  I was responding to a question about whether a passenger could go ashore independently on a cruise from Amsterdam to Venice. A look at Oceania's itineraries suggests that is the September 20, 2021 cruise on the Marina.

 

What the Regatta's layup in Astoria at least through April has to do with  a European cruise on Marina in September is beyond me.

 

Do you really think that FDR has a crystal ball that tells him what's going to take place on a cruise 11 months from now?

 

Yes Oceania has plans for what it hopes will occur, but I can guarantee they have a lot of alternatives and contingency plans in their hip pocket recognizing the uncertainties of the situation.

[Hawaiidan]

19 hours ago, Shawnino said:

 

Yes, really.

Educate yourself, starting with HIPAA.

HIPPA  is just an advisory  not a law....   Here in California  employers are free to hire and fire at their discretion and businesses  free to refuse service  except for the reasons stated...    You can file all you want with  you health complaints but the Law is the law.  This is not Canada

[TravelguruDanville]

On 10/15/2020 at 11:58 AM, TravelguruDanville said:

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the quick response! Shucks...I thought I could just join your tours! As mentioned, we are booked for 9/2021. Looked on TA, and Spain day tours received great reviews. Unfortunately they don’t have tours identified for Gijon or Villagarcia de Arosa  If you have any info on those or other recommended tour companies in Portugal or Italy, that would be greatly appreciated and save me hours of research!Many thanks!

Gail

Thanks for all of your recommendations Paul!! I’ve just reached out to the two you recommended. Just hoping this cruise will come to be! 

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, TravelguruDanville said:

Thanks for all of your recommendations Paul!! I’ve just reached out to the two you recommended. Just hoping this cruise will come to be! 

You are welcome.

I hope things work out for you all around - cruise & tours.🙂

[drkitkat123]

it's of course course your decision to take or not just as it's my decision not to travel on cruises that do not require compulsory vaccination

[cruisemom42]

4 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

HIPPA  is just an advisory  not a law....   

 

That's odd. The CDC would beg to differ. From the link below, "The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that required the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient’s consent or knowledge."

 

https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/topic/hipaa.html#:~:text=The%20Health%20Insurance%20Portability%20and,the%20patient's%20consent%20or%20knowledge.

[njhorseman]

On 10/15/2020 at 7:00 PM, Shawnino said:

 

Yes, really.

Educate yourself, starting with HIPAA.

 

4 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

HIPPA  is just an advisory  not a law....   Here in California  employers are free to hire and fire at their discretion and businesses  free to refuse service  except for the reasons stated...    You can file all you want with  you health complaints but the Law is the law.  This is not Canada

 

HIPAA is most certainly a law...a US law so it has nothing to do with Canada. 

 

HIPAA is the acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which was signed into law in 1996. Its Privacy Rule protects how your health information is used. However there are 12 "national priority purposes" that permit use and disclosure of protected health information:

When required by law

Public health activities

Victims of abuse or neglect or domestic violence

Health oversight activities

Judicial and administrative proceedings

Law enforcement

Functions (such as identification) concerning deceased persons

Cadaveric organ, eye, or tissue donation

Research, under certain conditions

To prevent or lessen a serious threat to health or safety

Essential government functions

Workers compensation

 

It's not totally inconceivable that an officially declared national health emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic could be used to require someone to disclose if they had been vaccinated against the disease, under the  "to prevent or lessen a serious threat to health or safety" exception...but I suspect that an attempt to do that would be the subject of litigation.

 

Edit: Cruisemom42's post hit the board while I was typing this...sorry for any duplication.

Edited October 16, 2020 by njhorseman

[pinotlover]

13 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

That's odd. The CDC would beg to differ. From the link below, "The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that required the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient’s consent or knowledge."

 

https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/topic/hipaa.html#:~:text=The%20Health%20Insurance%20Portability%20and,the%20patient's%20consent%20or%20knowledge.

Did you by chance read under the title “ permitted uses and disclosures item #10?
 

the one about health and safety threats!

 

Might I also add that once one walks away from American soil HIPAA , ADA,, etc are moot points! Try explaining HIPAA to that Argentinian Judge, when you’re denied boarding in that country.

 

If you don’t believe that cruise companies share “ no cruise” lists, I want what you’re smoking! 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 16, 2020 by pinotlover

[njhorseman]

26 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Did you by chance read under the title “ permitted uses and disclosures item #10?
 

the one about health and safety threats!

 

Might I also add that once one walks away from American soil HIPAA , ADA,, etc are moot points! Try explaining HIPAA to that Argentinian Judge, when you’re denied boarding in that country.

 

If you don’t believe that cruise companies share “ no cruise” lists, I want what you’re smoking! 

 

 

 

 

The discussion has nothing to do with denied boarding status on a cruise, or anything having to do with another country. It arose from your own post in which you said a "wine buddy" physician told you that being vaccinated was going to be an employment condition at the hospital.  Hawaiidan was the one who brought up the Canada red herring, not anyone else discussing this.

 

But I certainly agree that item #10 could be the key to requiring vaccination. In fact the Johns Hopkins medical system since 2012-2013 has required its employees who work in patient care areas  to be vaccinated against the flu .

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/mandatory_flu_vaccination/faq.html#:~:text=The mandatory influenza vaccination program,care or clinical care areas%2C

 

 

 

Edited October 16, 2020 by njhorseman