Covid Vaccination Required on Regent

[jjs217]

So now, Regent has jumped on board (so to speak).  When will Seabourn do the same?

[wesport]

1 hour ago, jjs217 said:

So now, Regent has jumped on board (so to speak).  When will Seabourn do the same?

30 minutes ago they announced sailings from Athens on the Ovation for vaccinated guests. 

[SLSD]

30 minutes ago, wesport said:

30 minutes ago they announced sailings from Athens on the Ovation for vaccinated guests. 

I think that it is imperative for Seabourn to require vaccination for its guests and crew.  It's not hard to understand why.  Right now, we are only getting together with vaccinated friends and family. It would be the same for a cruise ship. 

[jjs217]

36 minutes ago, wesport said:

30 minutes ago they announced sailings from Athens on the Ovation for vaccinated guests. 

Good to know.  Thanks.

[Navis]

1 hour ago, wesport said:

30 minutes ago they announced sailings from Athens on the Ovation for vaccinated guests. 

I am wondering if this is a sign of cruise line mandated universal approach or is this itinerary dependent? I noted that vaccination requirement as well, but I also noticed that it mimics exactly the requirements Greece is applying to all visitors starting when they reopen their borders to all forms of foreign visitors.

 

If Seabourn were offering Caribbean cruises this summer in ports that only require negative PCR tests within 72 hours for entry would Seabourn be requiring vaccines for those cruises as well? I worry this is going to become an itinerary based standard that is going to be hard to navigate.

 

To be clear, I would prefer vaccine-only cruises not because I am worried about getting sick per se ... but because I think vaccines, together with reasonable on board practices, creates the lowest risk that people will contract COVID to a level that would require some sort of ship wide quarantine (a la Diamond Princess).
 

We’re not near retirement age yet and I have clients to take care of. I am fine taking the risk of getting ill while sailing (taking all mitigating actions I possibly can myself), but I am not comfortable risking indefinite quarantine because a critical mass of my sailing neighbors did not exercise the same diligence.

[MightyQuinn]

2 hours ago, SLSD said:

I think that it is imperative for Seabourn to require vaccination for its guests and crew. 

 

Excerpt from an email I received from Seabourn today in which they announce new Greece itineraries on board Ovation this summer:
 

On board, we have implemented enhanced health and safety measures guided by our team of medical experts. Seabourn Ovation has abundant space for our guests to comfortably enjoy the outdoors and indoors and have beautiful views of the ocean from nearly anywhere on the ship. All guests will require proof of vaccination to sail. Additionally, we plan to vaccinate our award-winning Seabourn team members on Seabourn Ovation.

[SLSD]

33 minutes ago, MightyQuinn said:

 

Excerpt from an email I received from Seabourn today in which they announce new Greece itineraries on board Ovation this summer:
 

On board, we have implemented enhanced health and safety measures guided by our team of medical experts. Seabourn Ovation has abundant space for our guests to comfortably enjoy the outdoors and indoors and have beautiful views of the ocean from nearly anywhere on the ship. All guests will require proof of vaccination to sail. Additionally, we plan to vaccinate our award-winning Seabourn team members on Seabourn Ovation.

I hope this will be a requirement across the board for Seabourn--on every cruise.  That is not apparent yet. 

 

[jenidallas]

I'm also hopeful that Seabourn will require vaccines for all guests and staff, not just for the July Greece sailings.

 

I just browsed the website and see that there are now more details on health/safety protocols.  

 

COVID-19 Guest Protocols | Seabourn

 

This section gives me pause:

We’re working with local authorities, destinations and tour operators so that the enhanced health and safety measures on board are maintained ashore. We will follow the health protocols for every port we visit. There may be a reduction in the capacity of excursions and tour vehicles. Only shore excursions that comply with our prescribed protocols will be permitted, with strict adherence required of all guests and denial of re-boarding for any guests who do not comply.

 

If we are required to take Seabourn's shore excursions in order to disembark in ports, we will not likely sail until that restriction is lifted.  One of the things we like about cruising is having the freedom to occasionally sleep in and explore the port at our leisure (enjoying a local lunch at a shoreside bistro, visiting shops that interest us) or to arrange our own specialty excursion that meets our personal interests (often a local food tour or cooking class).  We don't find the ship organized shore excursions to often be of interest to us - either they are too short or too structured for our liking.

This has been our concern all along for the initial return to cruising and we may sit things out until that eases if it is truly the case.

[Heather White]

Many of the small Greek ports are ideal for wandering around. If we weren't permitted to do this, we wouldn't be interested in these cruises.

[sfvoyage]

Silversea just announced today:

 

"In line with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations for safe international travel and in recognition of the importance of COVID-19 vaccinations in ensuring the safety of international travellers, Silversea Cruises will require all embarking crew and guests to have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19."

 

This rule is global but does not apply to Australian embarkations, whose protocol is still under evaluation.  (Apparently few Australians have yet been vaccinated due in part to their low rate of infection.) 

Edited April 8, 2021 by sfvoyage

[sfvoyage]

1 minute ago, sfvoyage said:

Below is a duplicate post; please ignore.

 

Silversea just announced today:

 

"In line with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations for safe international travel and in recognition of the importance of COVID-19 vaccinations in ensuring the safety of international travellers, Silversea Cruises will require all embarking crew and guests to have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19."

 

This rule is global but does not apply to Australian embarkations, whose protocol is still under evaluation.  (Apparently few Australians have yet been vaccinated due in part to their low rate of infection.) 

 

Edited April 8, 2021 by sfvoyage

[frantic36]

5 hours ago, sfvoyage said:

(Apparently few Australians have yet been vaccinated due in part to their low rate of infection.) 

 Our vaccination program has been slow start  and not helped by the EU not "authorising" 3.1 million doses of AstraZeneca that was due to arrive here in March. They claim they didn't block our supply but they have to authorise to allow it to be sent and didn't.

 

Our local manufacturer is increasing production and our vaccination rate will hopefully get quicker soon. 

 

I hope Seabourn or Silversea doesn't see this slow roll out as a reason to think that vaccinations aren't necessary here. No Australian I know would willingly go away on a holiday and then want to have to quarantine for two weeks at our own expense in a hotel after our vacation..

[Mr Luxury]

Vaccine rollout has been very good in the UK.

It's a good thing that we are not in the EU now as it would have been a very different story 

[Robisan]

Carnival corporate hedging, bobbing and weaving:

 

Carnival Corp., which oversees Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America, Princess Cruises, Cunard and other lines, would make the call for whether or not it would require vaccines in the U.S.  

 

“We are not taking a position on mandating vaccines at this time,” reads a statement from Carnival Corp. “We continue to closely monitor the evolving situation with vaccines globally and the issue has many complexities – including issues such as who has access to vaccines; children and vaccines; varying degrees of vaccine protection; vaccine efficacy against the emerging variants; legal and individual rights issues; and, when combined with other mitigation practices, what percent of a given population needs to be vaccinated to effect adequate protection for a group. As the situation continues to evolve, our decisions will be informed by our global medical and science experts and the requirements of the places we visit.” (reported April 7)

 

Hard to see Seabourn establish policy before Carnival corporate sorts itself out first.

[markham]

This is just another piece of news from some puzzle that press people make. Of course time will tell...

 

Obviously the consumer public will help drive the decision as to who among would-be passengers and crew will join these ships. And if Seabourn expects their ships to visit ports globally, nations well aware as to how Covid spreads, the local authorities will also be driving policy.

 

My bet is that crew and passengers will all have to be vaccinated and have evidence to show it, and that passegers will be obliged to prove they have a mandated amount of medical and repatriation insurance coverage. Starting with the Ovation's July cruises in Greece. Or there won't be any bookings.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[SLSD]

15 hours ago, markham said:

 

 

My bet is that crew and passengers will all have to be vaccinated and have evidence to show it, and that passegers will be obliged to prove they have a mandated amount of medical and repatriation insurance coverage. Starting with the Ovation's July cruises in Greece. Or there won't be any bookings.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

I hope you are right Markham.  Mr. SLSD and I are wary of booking any cruise line that is not requiring a vaccine for all passengers and crew.  Right now, we are thinking we may not cruise until toward the end of 2022.  We would love to cruise sooner if we felt it was safe.  Have you booked an upcoming cruise yet?  I know you stay on top of things and I would like to know your viewpoint.  

[markham]

SLSD,

 

I always read your posts to see how you and Mr SLSD are doing. For sure, we live in interesting times!

On that note, today I did book the Ovation for its first 2 weeks, in my mind a “maiden voyage” of sorts. The booking includes air, and I have since booked a TK dinner!

While I don’t know much about preconditions, we will have in hand evidence of vaccinations and a pre-boarding Covid test to enter Greece, and we expect conditions on board to be changed. Ok, no buffets, but on the positive side I am sure capacity will be very restricted for safety. As far as excursions or just visiting the ports on our own etc, I will go with the flow, although I am not/never was all that keen on group tours.

When I have more to share will post ideas etc on the existing thread about this particular cruise.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

 

 

 

[SLSD]

6 hours ago, markham said:

SLSD,

 

I always read your posts to see how you and Mr SLSD are doing. For sure, we live in interesting times!

On that note, today I did book the Ovation for its first 2 weeks, in my mind a “maiden voyage” of sorts. The booking includes air, and I have since booked a TK dinner!

 

 

 

 

I was hoping you would be on one of the earliest sailings so that we can read your detailed report.  

 

Mr. SLSD and I have weathered these interesting times fairly well.  We have managed to get fully vaccinated and have just spent the last 12+ months either at home in Dallas or at our farm 85 miles away, feeling very fortunate for the change of venue.   The ONLY silver lining in this pandemic for us is Mr. SLSD's commitment to cruise longer and more often when we finally start cruising again.  Before the pandemic, he was convinced that there could be too much of a good thing.  Now, he realizes that we may only have 10 more years to cruise--if we are fortunate and our health is good.  

 

Back to the cruises--have you read that the  number of passengers will be limited?  I will be most interested in the changes onboard that you observe.  I know that the Ovation is not your favorite ship.  

[Philandher]

With regards to numbers, our agent informed us that they are restricting capacity to 50% on the Ovation sailings.

[markham]

I have heard capacity will be between 50-60% but remain unclear. A limit is a limit, right?

 

I am open-minded about the Ovation that I have not sailed. After the Encore launch cruise, I was overall not as impressed as I had hoped, and so have since chosen only the Odyssey class ships, Odyssey, Sojourn and Quest. It helped that their itineraries were just what I wanted then, too.

 

About the Encore, one observation I had was it had many more passengers- up to 150 - in a ship that is really only one deck larger and a tad wider than the Ody ships. That will obviously fall away when the Ovation sails at less than 60% capacity. And I hear good things about the TK bar area which is unique to that ship. Plus some other "second build" refinements. Looking forward to it SO MUCH!

 

Take care.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[Flamin_June]

It is good to know about the passenger number adjustments. It is something I thought might happen as a result of COVID. It certainly makes the option of taking an Ovation sailing much more enticing. Although I have not been on Encore nor Ovation I have heard and seen enough to know that their full capacity configuration holds little appeal to me. 

I wonder how long this numbers adjustment will be maintained? And will something similar apply to Odyssey class ships?

I enjoy your posts, Markham, and along with SLSD will look forward to reading about your experiences.

*

While I am here, this is probably as good a place as any to offer SLSD an apology. Back when all this COVID nightmare was just starting in China, you posted about your extreme concerns. I along with a few others was quick to reply that a sense of proportion was required and that it was all likely to be a flash in the pan. Boy, was I wrong.

[frantic36]

35 minutes ago, Flamin_June said:

While I am here, this is probably as good a place as any to offer SLSD an apology. Back when all this COVID nightmare was just starting in China, you posted about your extreme concerns. I along with a few others was quick to reply that a sense of proportion was required and that it was all likely to be a flash in the pan. Boy, was I wrong.

 

I understand Flamin_June as I also had to apologise to SLSD as I initially thought the concern was over hyped. Thankfully SLSD was very kind and gracious, I am sure she will do the same for you.🙂

 

Markham I know you will be flat out on your cruise soaking up the atmosphere but those of us, especially in Australia where we might be safe but are worried about vaccine rollout, we need to enjoy your cruise vicariously.

 

[SLSD]

9 hours ago, markham said:

I have heard capacity will be between 50-60% but remain unclear. A limit is a limit, right?

 

I am open-minded about the Ovation that I have not sailed. After the Encore launch cruise, I was overall not as impressed as I had hoped, and so have since chosen only the Odyssey class ships, Odyssey, Sojourn and Quest. It helped that their itineraries were just what I wanted then, too.

 

We have sailed on both the Encore and the Ovation and thoroughly enjoyed both of them.  We simply did not  feel  the presence   of the additional   passengers in our overall experience.  I know that others were bothered by this. The TK Bar is our favorite bar on any of the ships.  I hope you have a great experience and will report back.    

[SLSD]

3 hours ago, Flamin_June said:

 

While I am here, this is probably as good a place as any to offer SLSD an apology. Back when all this COVID nightmare was just starting in China, you posted about your extreme concerns. I along with a few others was quick to reply that a sense of proportion was required and that it was all likely to be a flash in the pan. Boy, was I wrong.

Your kind apology is accepted.  I do tend toward extreme cautiousness.  Mr. SLSD calls it always expecting the worst case scenario, while  I call it being risk averse and looking at all possible outcomes.  

[SLSD]

2 hours ago, frantic36 said:

 

I understand Flamin_June as I also had to apologise to SLSD as I initially thought the concern was over hyped. Thankfully SLSD was very kind and gracious, I am sure she will do the same for you.🙂

 

 

I don't know if I explained at the onset of my concerns  that I had some real time, on the ground in China information.  One of our daughters in law  is Chinese and grew up close to Shanghai.  She was in constant communication with family members and friends  in China and relayed to us the serious nature of the virus and how it was spreading.  Our daughter in law is a  neuroscientist and had particular concerns about how the virus was affecting brain.