Ready to Sail? Here are the latest protocols...

[suzyluvs2cruise]

 

8 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

But RCI (or any business for that matter) can say "if you're not vaccinated, you're not doing business with us" (simplifying of course).  Businesses have said for years "no shirt, no shoes, no service".  How is this different? 

 

No comparison between wearing a shirt/shoes and getting a vaccine. Just like with the flu shot, the vaccine may not be medically recommended for everyone. 

 

Who Should/Shouldn't get the Flu Shot

 

Edited October 26, 2020 by suzyluvs2cruise

[loman]

Looks like i wont be cruising for a very long time .

I chose to wait until all restrictions are lifted .

[NthernLgts]

56 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

None of the ships sailing in Europe or Asia require a vaccine

 

There also IS no vaccine.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

48 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

 

No comparison between wearing a shirt/shoes and getting a vaccine. Just like with the flu shot, the vaccine may not be medically recommended for everyone. 

 

Who Should/Shouldn't get the Flu Shot

 

But businesses can limit who their customers are for any reason that is not protected (age, sex, religion, etc). 

[Ourusualbeach]

4 minutes ago, NthernLgts said:

 

There also IS no vaccine.

Correct, but they are sailing without one so we cannot assume that one will be required later

[NthernLgts]

1 minute ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Correct, but they are sailing without one so we cannot assume that one will be required later

 

Technically yes, but I'd take that bet all day long.  My way of thinking is that a cruise line's liability will rise significantly the longer they defer from requiring proof of vaccine as a prerequisite, especially if there is a measurable difference in infection rates between lines that required vaccination vs those that didn't.

[Baron Barracuda]

If someone displays symptoms and contact tracing reveals I ate dinner at the adjoining table the night before will I be quarantined for remainder of sailing?  If a waiter tests positive will everyone at his/her tables be isolated?  Same with cabin steward.  

[ace2542]

2 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

None of the ships sailing in Europe or Asia require a vaccine

Not yet but that could change on a port to port basis and in a hurry. And if one port requires it. You could make the argument that is ergo required for all ports on that route and ergo required to sail.

 

I can't see cruise lines accommodating passengers who don't wish to be vaccinating by letting them the vaccine need port for example Republic of Ireland needs it lets say and you don't want to get it so you leave ship in Belfast fly to Southampton and miss out Cobh (Cork) and get back onboard in Southampton. I don't see them doing that. I know people who can't get into USA for whatever reason and they can't do a caribbean cruise even one that doesn't touch Miami because they can't get into to San Juan.

[ace2542]

13 hours ago, fla gang said:

I wonder how they will fly you home if you test positive? airlines won't let you board so you are gonna be stuck someplace until you test negative. Good Blog though.

And if a positive test is against a foreign national sailing lets say for example the RCL T/A from Miami to Barcelona on Harmony in April 2022 for instance who did not have a return flight home. Since that non U.S Citizen has no flight home as they were cruising home are they then deported from the USA and banned for ten years from returning for being in violation of visa waiver admission?. I don't know the answer to that question.

[ace2542]

2 hours ago, loman said:

Looks like i wont be cruising for a very long time .

I chose to wait until all restrictions are lifted .

They will probably never be lifted.

 

The vaccine is the only path to lift restrictions. If everyone is vaccinated with vaccines that have a high amount of immunity plus protection against reinfection - and it seems like many of these offer both - it will be very hard for an outbreak to take hold. It is not that there might be an outbreak it is that they can't handle the seriously ill people. They probably have the ability to handle 5 icu patients maximum. Not 15 not 25 not 100.

[Ourusualbeach]

23 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

Not yet but that could change on a port to port basis and in a hurry. And if one port requires it. You could make the argument that is ergo required for all ports on that route and ergo required to sail.

 

I can't see cruise lines accommodating passengers who don't wish to be vaccinating by letting them the vaccine need port for example Republic of Ireland needs it lets say and you don't want to get it so you leave ship in Belfast fly to Southampton and miss out Cobh (Cork) and get back onboard in Southampton. I don't see them doing that. I know people who can't get into USA for whatever reason and they can't do a caribbean cruise even one that doesn't touch Miami because they can't get into to San Juan.

I’m just saying you seem to be talking in absolutes.  What you say could very well happen however it is not definite.  The problem is that the vaccine will be available however it will be prioritized as to who receives it....healthcare, emergency personal, elderly, at risk etc...it could be a long time before it reaches the majority of the general population.  Personally I feel that cruising will start up before we reach that point, just as they have done in a Europe. 

[Merion_Mom]

8 hours ago, ace2542 said:

I don't think a word of that is in my t&c for my cruise that was sold by agency back in April/May time depart late 2021 when vaccine will be available and insisted upon for entry to USA nevermind cruise I am sure leaving most of the above wording moot anyway. And I have not received any updated t&c's regarding any changes.

 

You don't have a "contract" with RCG until you make "check-in" online. THAT is when you agree to the contract.  And apparently this is what the contract says now.

[Hoopster95]

33 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

Not yet but that could change on a port to port basis and in a hurry.

 

Inevitable that things "will change" ... not "if change"

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=italy+cpvid&rlz=1C1SQJL_enCA881CA881&oq=italy+cpvid&aqs=chrome..69i57.3118j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-italy-plans-further-covid-19-restrictions-as-cases-hit-new-record/

 

 

[spunks]

our issue is not the pain in the butt stuff at boarding or what will be required. Our problem is wondering about what will be allowed in port? If one HAS to be on ship excursions or no getting off, then what? We dont mind just staying on board at every port, but what would we do from 8 until 5?...day in and day out.Sea days will be fine, but the port days when everything on the ship is closed down will be terrible.

 

Doug

[beerman2]

1 hour ago, spunks said:

our issue is not the pain in the butt stuff at boarding or what will be required. Our problem is wondering about what will be allowed in port? If one HAS to be on ship excursions or no getting off, then what? We dont mind just staying on board at every port, but what would we do from 8 until 5?...day in and day out.Sea days will be fine, but the port days when everything on the ship is closed down will be terrible.

 

Doug

And that will be another change , cruise lines will " need" to keep things open on ship when in port. You will see more and more pax staying on board if not allowed to just roam around in port.

[Merion_Mom]

2 hours ago, beerman2 said:

And that will be another change , cruise lines will " need" to keep things open on ship when in port. You will see more and more pax staying on board if not allowed to just roam around in port.

 

+1

 

The "joy" of having an almost empty ship to oneself will be gone.  😞 

[Hollysmokes]

12 hours ago, NthernLgts said:

 

The parts that stuck with me are:

 

1) Limiting the elevators to a max of 4 people.  That's going to be a Royal (pun intended) mess.

2) I'm not sure I'm willing to have a mask on for the entire cruise unless we are in our stateroom or having something to eat (or swimming/exercising).  I get the reasoning, but for an entire week or longer I'd have to take a pass.

3) On the good side, I really like what they are doing with the air filtration/exchange systems.  Cleaning protocols too, if they stick with it.

I will be on this cruise and wanted to comment on the first two points. Those of us that live here in Singapore have these rules in our day-to-day lives anyway, so we're already used to living life this way - particularly the masks. 

 

I do agree that the 4 people rule in the elevator is going to cause issues for those people who can't walk up and down the stairs easily. 

[ReneeFLL]

18 hours ago, ace2542 said:

.........All of this having been said it could be very hard to legally enforce on previously sold cruises as surely they cannot change the terms and conditions after sale. Be interesting to see how that plays out

Sure they can and they have. It's in the small print of the contract.

[ace2542]

13 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

I’m just saying you seem to be talking in absolutes.  What you say could very well happen however it is not definite.  The problem is that the vaccine will be available however it will be prioritized as to who receives it....healthcare, emergency personal, elderly, at risk etc...it could be a long time before it reaches the majority of the general population.  Personally I feel that cruising will start up before we reach that point, just as they have done in a Europe. 

And only a Sith deals in absolutes 😮 🤣

 

I am sure by this time next year it will be in the general population and I am sure in America money will talk as it always does.  I  am sure cruising will restart in some fashion before that but will not go back to normal before that vaccine hits the general population. Any many people won't cruise without it anyway I suspect.

[ace2542]

17 hours ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

But RCI (or any business for that matter) can say "if you're not vaccinated, you're not doing business with us" (simplifying of course).  Businesses have said for years "no shirt, no shoes, no service".  How is this different? 

It is not different just like clubs maybe not letting in groups of guys without doing bottle service or being on the guest list. Though I wonder if vaccine requirement would stand up to a supreme court challenge. I don't think any guys have ever tried to a gender lawsuit to the supreme court over nightclubs.

[kjacruiser]

well guess we won't be sailing....not going to be wear a mask .....have fun all

 

[bearette]

If it is 50% capacity I think you will see less people on the elevator (high risk?), also the more able bodied of us will resort to walking the stairs, before waiting forever for an elevator.

[ThirstyCruiser]

The stairs, lets all take the stairs. The stairwells crowded with 10x or 20x the people they normally see, with people trying to take more flights than they normally would. People who haven't taken more than 1 flight of stairs in the last decade. Huffing and puffing, c'mon, only 5 more flights to go!

 

Crowded stairwells with out of shape people breathing hard. Yeah, sounds great with a disease spread via aerosols and  droplets. Riiiight, everyone will be wearing masks (correctly) as they gasp for air trying to make that last flight.

 

Pass.

 

[PTAngel]

I need to use the elevators due to difficulty walking (sometimes using a cane).  I cannot use the stairs.  I can manage 1 flight slowly holding on to the railing to pull myself up but that is tops.  I hope there is some kind of line to get on the elevator.  So many times my husband (who uses a scooter) & I have waited for an elevator only to have someone jump in front of us & take up the space we need for the scooter.  Some people can be so rude!  Will a line prevent someone from jumping in front of us?  DH is not going on the next cruise but I still need to use the elevator. I wonder what the process will be for the elevators going forward.

 

Edited October 29, 2020 by PTAngel