Back to Back cruises

[BrandiGreg]

It seems to not make any logical sense that back to back cruises from US ports are not currently allowed booking, if each cruise is 7 days or less.  Why is a newly-arriving passenger safer than an in-transit passenger who submits to the exact same screening and testing requirements? (assuming the 1 hour rapid test is acceptable).The in-transit passenger's comings and goings are known during the first cruise, whereas new passengers have unknown exposures in unknown locations prior to boarding.  The CDC did not specifically ban back to backs....only that each cruise not exceed 7 days.  Back to backs are separately marketed cruises.  OK, my venting is over.

[CineGraphic]

9 minutes ago, BrandiGreg said:

(assuming the 1 hour rapid test is acceptable)

 

Because there's no guarantee that the 1 hour test will be available.

[BrandiGreg]

11 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

 

Because there's no guarantee that the 1 hour test will be available.

True. But currently,  they are readily available in all US embarkation ports.

[nini]

There is no logic applied during this crazy time.

OTOH, I get upset when people glaze over when I ask when they

received their other vaccines like pneumonia, diphtheria,

pertussis, and tuberculosis; all airborne and serious illnesses.

 

Covid has all of the attention.

[chengkp75]

Whether or not back to backs are marketed as separate cruises, the government, in the form of the CBP, considers them to be one voyage, since you remain with the same ship.  The reasoning behind the 7 day limit, and the prohibition on back to backs, is exposure time.  The CDC has studied infectious disease transmission on cruise ships for years, and realizes that at around the 7 day limit, if someone onboard is infected, that the chances of a person contracting the disease from that person, increases radically after 7 days.

[NavyVeteran]

It's similar to the rules for the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA). They also count a B2B as a single cruise for determining if the cruise is legal under the PVSA. For example, you cannot book a cruise from Seattle to Vancouver followed by a cruise from Vancouver to Los Angeles, because the Government considers that to be a cruise from one US port to another US port without a stop at a distant foreign port. The fact that Princess marketed the cruises as two separate cruises makes no difference.

[skynight]

The situation is very fluid and uncertain. Expect that the 7 day limit will remain in place until the current expiry date. It could also be extended. 

[40yearcruiser]

4 hours ago, BrandiGreg said:

It seems to not make any logical sense that back to back cruises from US ports are not currently allowed booking, if each cruise is 7 days or less.  

I'm with you. Most of the restrictions the CDC has placed on the cruise lines make no sense--very little basis in fact or real scientific evidence that cruises of 7 days or less decreases the chance of disease transmission. Or that "trial cruises" will have any effect on the safety of restarting the itineraries. They certainly can't blame the cruise lines for bringing new strains of the virus into the country, and yet there are virtually no restrictions on airlines now with passengers sitting shoulder to shoulder for hours. It seems our only hope for the CDC to let up on their assault on the cruise lines is getting enough people vaccinated for herd immunity. We can hope that happens soon both in the US and around the world. 

[nocl]

4 hours ago, 40yearcruiser said:

I'm with you. Most of the restrictions the CDC has placed on the cruise lines make no sense--very little basis in fact or real scientific evidence that cruises of 7 days or less decreases the chance of disease transmission. Or that "trial cruises" will have any effect on the safety of restarting the itineraries. They certainly can't blame the cruise lines for bringing new strains of the virus into the country, and yet there are virtually no restrictions on airlines now with passengers sitting shoulder to shoulder for hours. It seems our only hope for the CDC to let up on their assault on the cruise lines is getting enough people vaccinated for herd immunity. We can hope that happens soon both in the US and around the world. 

Upon what research are you basing your statement about very little basis in fact or real scientific evidence?  Have you seen what they are basing their conclusions on? 

 

They have data on all of the cruise ships that have been in US waters since the outbreak, including all of the infections that occurred among the crew (of which there have been many) after the passengers left.  They also have the data from the Diamond, the Grand, the Ruby and other ships that have had outbreaks.  Some of those outbreaks involved an ill passenger from a previous cruise being the main point of infection.

 

If you have access to such data that indicates that they do not have any evidence I would certainly like to see the data or a link to it.

 

I would also point out that if there is no evidence and that the length limit is arbitrary than why have those authorities in other parts of the world such as Europe and Singapore also established limits of the number of days for cruises that are similar to or shorter than those stated by the CDC.

Edited March 8, 2021 by nocl

[Bwana Tom]

23 hours ago, BrandiGreg said:

It seems to not make any logical sense that back to back cruises from US ports are not currently allowed booking, if each cruise is 7 days or less.  Why is a newly-arriving passenger safer than an in-transit passenger who submits to the exact same screening and testing requirements? (assuming the 1 hour rapid test is acceptable).The in-transit passenger's comings and goings are known during the first cruise, whereas new passengers have unknown exposures in unknown locations prior to boarding.  The CDC did not specifically ban back to backs....only that each cruise not exceed 7 days.  Back to backs are separately marketed cruises.  OK, my venting is over.

I agree whole-heartedly! But not a whole lot makes sense in this so called pandemic.