Travel Weekly article regarding required vaccinations, Alaska and start dates

[irishgal432]

 

I happened upon this article in which The NCL President is quoted.  Since they are part of the healthy sail panel with Royal I thought it provided some interesting tidbits that haven't been said by the cruiselines.

 

1. Staff will be vaccinated

2. Early Alaska sailings questionable but then by Quarter 2 or 3.

3. March unlikely but possible

4. Europe opening in April/May

 

Much more info than Richard Fain's videos of hope.

 

 

 

https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Norwegian-is-looking-into-the-legality-of-vaccination-requirement

 

 

 

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) CEO Frank Del Rio said the cruise company is looking at whether or not being vaccinated can be required of cruisers. 

“It will certainly be a requirement for the crew,” he told John Lovell, president of Travel Leaders Group during a chat today on Zoom. “But it’s too early to tell whether we have the legal standing to mandate that you take a vaccine to come onboard -- lawyers are looking at it as we speak. But there is talk beginning to emerge from different corners of the travel industry, the airlines as well, of requiring some kind of immunity passport demonstrating that you’ve had the virus or been vaccinated, so that you are good to go.

“We have to build confidence in our customers and among ourselves that it’s safe to cruise,” he said.

Although cruising is canceled through the end of February at least for other NCLH brands and only some Norwegian ships are still on the calendar in March, Del Rio called those sailings a “long shot.” 

“We hope that the pandemic will ease and we can work out our differences with the CDC to start in mid to late March,” he said. “It’s a long shot, but I want to keep that possibility as long as I see a possibility.”

Del Rio said a more solid bet is the ships scheduled to sail in April in Europe, because the pandemic has always been about four to six weeks ahead there of where it’s been in the U.S.

“I think there is a good chance that Europe will be open to cruising in the April to May time frame,” he said. 

Early Alaska sailings are less certain, he said, because the state falls under the jurisdiction of both the CDC and Canada. “And Canada has been a tough country to deal with,” he said. 

Still, he said there “is a good chance we can begin to operate in Alaska and the Caribbean in Q2, and by Q3, based on what we know today … the world as we know it should be open to cruising.”

By the fourth quarter, Del Rio said, cruising should be “in a good gallop,” and by 2022, “the world’s fleets should be all up and running and us coming out of it.”

Del Rio’s timeline, he said, is based in part on vaccines, and as more people get vaccinated, which he said will happen in the second and third quarters of 2021, combined with the natural weakening of virus prevalence through herd immunity, “the prevalence of the virus has to drop. And it will. ”

That, combined with better drugs to treat Covid-19 and faster, cheaper and more accurate testing, will make the world “a whole lot safer for all of us, and that will help all of us in the travel business.”

[CatsinShow]

Canada is what's messing this up. Love the snowbirds who come down to FL and then return to Canada for healthcare when they get Covid. 

[Ourusualbeach]

14 hours ago, irishgal432 said:

 

I happened upon this article in which The NCL President is quoted.  Since they are part of the healthy sail panel with Royal I thought it provided some interesting tidbits that haven't been said by the cruiselines.

 

1. Staff will be vaccinated

2. Early Alaska sailings questionable but then by Quarter 2 or 3.

3. March unlikely but possible

4. Europe opening in April/May

 

Much more info than Richard Fain's videos of hope.

 

 

 

https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Norwegian-is-looking-into-the-legality-of-vaccination-requirement

 

 

 

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) CEO Frank Del Rio said the cruise company is looking at whether or not being vaccinated can be required of cruisers. 

“It will certainly be a requirement for the crew,” he told John Lovell, president of Travel Leaders Group during a chat today on Zoom. “But it’s too early to tell whether we have the legal standing to mandate that you take a vaccine to come onboard -- lawyers are looking at it as we speak. But there is talk beginning to emerge from different corners of the travel industry, the airlines as well, of requiring some kind of immunity passport demonstrating that you’ve had the virus or been vaccinated, so that you are good to go.

“We have to build confidence in our customers and among ourselves that it’s safe to cruise,” he said.

Although cruising is canceled through the end of February at least for other NCLH brands and only some Norwegian ships are still on the calendar in March, Del Rio called those sailings a “long shot.” 

“We hope that the pandemic will ease and we can work out our differences with the CDC to start in mid to late March,” he said. “It’s a long shot, but I want to keep that possibility as long as I see a possibility.”

Del Rio said a more solid bet is the ships scheduled to sail in April in Europe, because the pandemic has always been about four to six weeks ahead there of where it’s been in the U.S.

“I think there is a good chance that Europe will be open to cruising in the April to May time frame,” he said. 

Early Alaska sailings are less certain, he said, because the state falls under the jurisdiction of both the CDC and Canada. “And Canada has been a tough country to deal with,” he said. 

Still, he said there “is a good chance we can begin to operate in Alaska and the Caribbean in Q2, and by Q3, based on what we know today … the world as we know it should be open to cruising.”

By the fourth quarter, Del Rio said, cruising should be “in a good gallop,” and by 2022, “the world’s fleets should be all up and running and us coming out of it.”

Del Rio’s timeline, he said, is based in part on vaccines, and as more people get vaccinated, which he said will happen in the second and third quarters of 2021, combined with the natural weakening of virus prevalence through herd immunity, “the prevalence of the virus has to drop. And it will. ”

That, combined with better drugs to treat Covid-19 and faster, cheaper and more accurate testing, will make the world “a whole lot safer for all of us, and that will help all of us in the travel business.”

Let’s hope he’s right.  Looking forward to August.

[firefly333]

My cruise is the very end of april, which he doesnt really address april out of the usa, just out of europe. 

[yogimax]

Good to see a little more realistic info than we are receiving from RCCL.

[ONECRUISER]

2 hours ago, yogimax said:

Good to see a little more realistic info than we are receiving from RCCL.

Not really any new info. Alaska/Canada out his and others control. Most Cruises/Lines are down until March(or much later). He's talking possible 2nd quarter, April: Early Alaska sailings are less certain, he said, because the state falls under the jurisdiction of both the CDC and Canada. “And Canada has been a tough country to deal with,” he said. 

Still, he said there “is a good chance we can begin to operate in Alaska and the Caribbean in Q2, and by Q3, based on what we know today … the world as we know it should be open to cruising.”

[LXA350]

We are going to have a hopefully last tuff winter ahead of us, hence until the COVID situation will get under conrrol and cases drastically to go down I estimate Europe could maybe be in a position in May earliest with trial cruises to begin and as of June maybe a partial summer season.

 

For the US it will depend a lot on how things will be handled as of January if cruising can begin in Q2 earliest or only later.

[Biker19]

24 minutes ago, LXA350 said:

We are going to have a hopefully last tuff winter ahead of us, hence until the COVID situation will get under conrrol and cases drastically to go down I estimate Europe could maybe be in a position in May earliest with trial cruises to begin and as of June maybe a partial summer season.

That may be true for RCI, but others will likely keep on sailing (except in Italy over holidays).

[Mapleleafforever]

13 hours ago, CatsinShow said:

Canada is what's messing this up. Love the snowbirds who come down to FL and then return to Canada for healthcare when they get Covid. 

Here's to hoping that we continue to be a tough Country to deal with. 

[denatravels]

14 hours ago, CatsinShow said:

Canada is what's messing this up. Love the snowbirds who come down to FL and then return to Canada for healthcare when they get Covid. 

No— Americans are what’s messing this up. If people would follow some basic guidelines, the daily death toll wouldn’t be above 3000

[CatsinShow]

2 hours ago, Mapleleafforever said:

Here's to hoping that we continue to be a tough Country to deal with. 

so what you  are  saying is that you don't   think the Canadians who come here who catch it have spread it to any Americans simply due to being Canadian? 

Edited December 12, 2020 by CatsinShow

[CatsinShow]

1 hour ago, denatravels said:

No— Americans are what’s messing this up. If people would follow some basic guidelines, the daily death toll wouldn’t be above 3000

Tell that to people in India and Mexico too =/ Hell even Italy is having  a surge after they had really progressive ways to limit exposure but again America is the problem like always.

Edited December 12, 2020 by CatsinShow

[Ashland]

4 hours ago, CatsinShow said:

Tell that to people in India and Mexico too =/ Hell even Italy is having  a surge after they had really progressive ways to limit exposure but again America is the problem like always.

Being the "problem" is new to us Americans...we should have done better...maybe we will soon.

[firstsailor]

Hoping to be on our early July cruise out of Rome, this makes it sound hopeful IF we can get our son vaccinated by then...... Hubby and I are both educators so we SHOULD be able to get it in Q1, but our 16 year old will likely have to wait which might mess up our timeline. 

[Coralc]

14 hours ago, CatsinShow said:

so what you  are  saying is that you don't   think the Canadians who come here who catch it have spread it to any Americans simply due to being Canadian? 

 

Stop it. The US is spreading this within our country entirely on its own irresponsibility. 

[Mapleleafforever]

17 hours ago, CatsinShow said:

so what you  are  saying is that you don't   think the Canadians who come here who catch it have spread it to any Americans simply due to being Canadian? 

How you extrapolate that from my one sentence is beyond me. The borders should stay closed until this virus is more under control bottom line. 

[LXA350]

19 hours ago, denatravels said:

No— Americans are what’s messing this up. If people would follow some basic guidelines, the daily death toll wouldn’t be above 3000

 

Unfortunately this is the bitter reality, I hope with the changes to come in January which will be a much better example on how to handle the COVID situation, this new leadership at least in this field will also get to the people and have them take those so important basic guideliness serious.

[A&L_Ont]

Cruise travel to Canada could very well be the last thing to open up in this country.  
 

As for regular vacation travel the Prime Minister said the borders won’t open until “all” across the country have been vaccinated. It’s reported that regular citizens won’t begin vaccinations until March/April so cruises including Canada in Q2/Q3 seem highly unlikely if not impossible at this point. Reports to when vaccinations will be completed here vary from September to December 2021. Del Rio is being overly optimistic IMO on time frames. 

Edited December 13, 2020 by A&L_Ont

[A&L_Ont]

duplicate

Edited December 13, 2020 by A&L_Ont

[A&L_Ont]

2 hours ago, Mapleleafforever said:

How you extrapolate that from my one sentence is beyond me. The borders should stay closed until this virus is more under control bottom line. 

At least they didn’t blame Canada for filling up all their hospitals too. 😉

[ilovetotravel1977]

On 12/11/2020 at 11:08 PM, CatsinShow said:

Canada is what's messing this up. Love the snowbirds who come down to FL and then return to Canada for healthcare when they get Covid. 

 

I live in Halifax, my office is smack dab on the waterfront. You don't think port cities/town need or want cruising back asap? We aren't holding out to pi$$ cruisers off. Geesh!

[cruisequeen4ever]

Interesting info; thank you for sharing. I really hope the AK season  happens! 

[Ashland]

9 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

Cruise travel to Canada could very well be the last thing to open up in this country.  
 

As for regular vacation travel the Prime Minister said the borders won’t open until “all” across the country have been vaccinated. It’s reported that regular citizens won’t begin vaccinations until March/April so cruises including Canada in Q2/Q3 seem highly unlikely if not impossible at this point. Reports to when vaccinations will be completed here vary from September to December 2021. Del Rio is being overly optimistic IMO on time frames. 

I have been hopeful my Oct 14, 2021 Canada/New England will sail ... but will certainly understand if it doesn't.

[Missusdubbya]

11 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

Cruise travel to Canada could very well be the last thing to open up in this country.  

same in Australia

[Missusdubbya]

On 12/12/2020 at 1:08 PM, CatsinShow said:

Canada is what's messing this up. Love the snowbirds who come down to FL and then return to Canada for healthcare when they get Covid. 

Good grief