New CDC guidelines released 5/5/21

[SHIP TRAVELER]

I am remembering how the pool itself looks on a sea day.  A memory of people soup, elbow to elbow, dancing to the music with drinks in hand like Spring Break in the old days comes to mind.  I think it will be very hard to enforce social distancing in a small pool with a big crowd  but it appears the very future of cruising is going to require a lot of enforcement on the part of the cruise lines.  Not a job I would want to take on.  The fights that are breaking out over mask enforcement on airlines will seem like small tiffs compared to enforcing these guidelines.

[charliesdad63]

3 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Even with passengers behaving poorly with very poor manners the buffet concept does contribute to Covid spread.  The problem is with everyone violating social distancing guidelines as people congregate around the food.  Buffets on cruise ships are probably more crowded than land based buffets.  In addition to the crew serving passengers , I think there will be an effort to regulate the flow of people into the food stations.

It's good to be vegan. Not much of a crowd around the food I eat. 🙂

[Baron Barracuda]

3 hours ago, TeeRick said:

So has the CDC "banned" buffets in the US in restaurants or just on cruise ships?  What is the difference?

Las Vegas buffets allowed to re-open this week.  Those that have appear to be operating cafeteria style using servers.

[charliesdad63]

I like the upgraded shore excursions plan with arranged and socially distanced tours. Taxi hustlers cramming 10 people into an ancient van on the way up a winding curvy road is one pre-Covid thing I'm happy to live without.

Edited May 6, 2021 by charliesdad63

[Baron Barracuda]

On NCL earnings call today CEO Del Rio appeared angry and disappointed with latest CDC guidance.  Not confident sailing will resume in July.

 

 

(Reuters) - Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd(NCLH) said its plans for resuming mid-summer U.S. sailings could be in jeopardy, a day after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) laid out new technical instructions for the cruise industry.

The health agency, which recently said it was "committed" to the resumption of passenger operations, on Wednesday issued requirements for starting simulated trips and applying for a COVID-19 conditional sailing certificate to begin sailing with restricted passenger voyages.

The new guidance also includes CDC cruise ship inspections during simulated and restricted passenger voyages.

"Our team is working through the new guidance, but at first glance, however, it appears the path forward is a bit rockier and a bit steeper than originally expected," Norwegian Cruise Chief Executive Officer Frank Del Rio said on an earnings call on Thursday.

Norwegian Cruise's shares declined 5% after it said the lead time needed to ready its ships could delay the restart.

Truist Securities analysts have estimated it takes about 60 days to get a ship ready, noting a July U.S. restart is not a sure thing.

"We're perplexed. We're flabbergasted. We're outraged," CEO Del Rio said, when asked about CDC's treatment of the cruise industry.

The parent of Oceania Cruises, however, reiterated its plans to resume U.S. sailings in July.

[K.T.B.]

3 hours ago, TeeRick said:

So has the CDC "banned" buffets in the US in restaurants or just on cruise ships?  What is the difference?

Buffets on land are still banned as far as I know.  

 

LINK

Edited May 6, 2021 by K.T.B.

[harkinmr]

6 minutes ago, Baron Barracuda said:

On NCL earnings call today CEO Del Rio appeared angry and disappointed with latest CDC guidance.  Not confident sailing will resume in July.

 

 

(Reuters) - Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd(NCLH) said its plans for resuming mid-summer U.S. sailings could be in jeopardy, a day after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) laid out new technical instructions for the cruise industry.

The health agency, which recently said it was "committed" to the resumption of passenger operations, on Wednesday issued requirements for starting simulated trips and applying for a COVID-19 conditional sailing certificate to begin sailing with restricted passenger voyages.

The new guidance also includes CDC cruise ship inspections during simulated and restricted passenger voyages.

"Our team is working through the new guidance, but at first glance, however, it appears the path forward is a bit rockier and a bit steeper than originally expected," Norwegian Cruise Chief Executive Officer Frank Del Rio said on an earnings call on Thursday.

Norwegian Cruise's shares declined 5% after it said the lead time needed to ready its ships could delay the restart.

Truist Securities analysts have estimated it takes about 60 days to get a ship ready, noting a July U.S. restart is not a sure thing.

"We're perplexed. We're flabbergasted. We're outraged," CEO Del Rio said, when asked about CDC's treatment of the cruise industry.

The parent of Oceania Cruises, however, reiterated its plans to resume U.S. sailings in July.

Meh.  FDR is perpetually "perplexed, flabbergasted and outraged".  First he wants technical instructions and guidance, then he gets it and he's not happy.  He wants vaccines to be incorporated into the restart.  They are and, again, he's not happy.  The cruise lines have known the basics of what is going to be required for months, they just weren't planning on the pandemic sticking around this long. They just want the CSO to go away.  It's not.  So now the ball is in their court.  Do something...anything...to demonstrate to your customers that you are getting cruising started.

[TeeRick]

7 minutes ago, K.T.B. said:

Buffets on land are still banned as far as I know.  

 

LINK

Banned by CDC?  Or local ordinances?  The link you referenced speaks to the struggles and closures of buffets due to financial reasons.  

[ECCruise]

21 minutes ago, harkinmr said:

Meh.  FDR is perpetually "perplexed, flabbergasted and outraged".  First he wants technical instructions and guidance, then he gets it and he's not happy.  He wants vaccines to be incorporated into the restart.  They are and, again, he's not happy.  The cruise lines have known the basics of what is going to be required for months, they just weren't planning on the pandemic sticking around this long. They just want the CSO to go away.  It's not.  So now the ball is in their court.  Do something...anything...to demonstrate to your customers that you are getting cruising started.

FDR is, and has been for years, a whiner and attention hog.

[cangelmd]

1 hour ago, DirtyDawg said:

Speak for yourself. I want to know about the millimeter thickness of the polypropylene life rafts and I'm just a silly sailing savourer (try saying that fast three times in a row).

 

Chenkp75's input here is like if Warren Buffett dropped into an investing bb while we were expressing our FEELINGS about the value Gamestop stock. (Yah, a little over-the-top but CC'ers will get the point)

 

 

LOL agree! And thankful his expertise and viewpoint, it is quite helpful and interesting.

 

He or she probably feels like it’s Warren Buffet teaching investing to kindergartners 

[jagoffee]

54 minutes ago, K.T.B. said:

Buffets on land are still banned as far as I know.  

 

LINK

I also live in the Chicago land area. I know for a fact that many fast food restaurants have reopened self service drink stations.  (New cup for refills).  As far as I know self serve buffets are also not banned in IL.  

[ChutChut]

57 minutes ago, K.T.B. said:

Buffets on land are still banned as far as I know.  

 

LINK

Not CDC - state and/or local orders.

[ChutChut]

5 hours ago, ATXBecky said:

CDC doesn't rule the world(though they think they do), just the US. These "rules" are only for ships departing the US or returning to the US

It's legally questionable whether the CDC has this level of authority over cruises....time and court proceedings will tell....

[Denny01]

2 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

I agree.  I rarely get off the ship in the Caribbean.  Those are the only types of cruises I am booking until we are free to do our own thing again.

Agree Happy Cruiser. On Caribbean itineraries, we maybe stick with a ship tour if it sounds as if it’s a new area of interest, but those cruises are for the ship experience. I always joke living here on the Fla Panhandle, we have better beaches (some islands DO have beautiful mountains around their bays), we have better restaurants (and in port when asked where is a great place to eat, I usually point back at the ship and say there is a great place and you can’t bet the price!) and I can buy Chinese stuff just as well at home!

 

we’d sometimes just step off to wander a bit, but not a big deal. Cruising Caribbean in Nov 2021 and next one is in May 2022 in the US/Canada followed by Alaska in July. So we’ll see how it all goes in over a year. If we still have these restrictions on this time next year….We Have a Continuing Major Pandemic that shrinks our ‘I want to cruise’ wishes. 

 

Happy, the only problem will be there will be a lot more people staying on board! 

 

Den

 

[WestLakeGirl]

Buffets are not banned where I live nor where my sister lives in Iowa

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Soup and salad buffets in my grocery store with detailed instructions on how to use them; gloves provided etc.

[logan25]

2 hours ago, K.T.B. said:

Buffets on land are still banned as far as I know.  

I can state with authority that the Golden Corral was operating their buffet thusly when I paid a visit two weeks ago.  Customers were allowed to self serve.  But that was in Texas; I cannot, of course, speak for your area.

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, Baron Barracuda said:

On NCL earnings call today CEO Del Rio appeared angry and disappointed with latest CDC guidance.  Not confident sailing will resume in July.

 

 

(Reuters) - Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd(NCLH) said its plans for resuming mid-summer U.S. sailings could be in jeopardy, a day after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) laid out new technical instructions for the cruise industry.

The health agency, which recently said it was "committed" to the resumption of passenger operations, on Wednesday issued requirements for starting simulated trips and applying for a COVID-19 conditional sailing certificate to begin sailing with restricted passenger voyages.

The new guidance also includes CDC cruise ship inspections during simulated and restricted passenger voyages.

"Our team is working through the new guidance, but at first glance, however, it appears the path forward is a bit rockier and a bit steeper than originally expected," Norwegian Cruise Chief Executive Officer Frank Del Rio said on an earnings call on Thursday.

Norwegian Cruise's shares declined 5% after it said the lead time needed to ready its ships could delay the restart.

Truist Securities analysts have estimated it takes about 60 days to get a ship ready, noting a July U.S. restart is not a sure thing.

"We're perplexed. We're flabbergasted. We're outraged," CEO Del Rio said, when asked about CDC's treatment of the cruise industry.

The parent of Oceania Cruises, however, reiterated its plans to resume U.S. sailings in July.

My guess is FDR didn’t like it when he told folks a few days ago that NCL was not going to require folks to book one of their excursions and could do their own thing when cruising started back up this summer, and then CDC came out with their final set of rules which said yes you will if you want to sail out of a US port. 
 

https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Norwegian-Cruise-Line-guests-will-not-need-bubble-shore-tours

[K.T.B.]

4 minutes ago, logan25 said:

I can state with authority that the Golden Corral was operating their buffet thusly when I paid a visit two weeks ago.  Customers were allowed to self serve.  But that was in Texas; I cannot, of course, speak for your area.

 

Well, Texas is, shall we say, unique in how it handles thing...  

[logan25]

4 minutes ago, K.T.B. said:

 

Well, Texas is, shall we say, unique in how it handles thing...  

 

Illinois throwing some shade?.?  Don’t make me spit out my Coke.

[Jeremiah1212]

I'm more shocked people actually go to land buffets. 

[Jeremiah1212]

This point seem to have flown under the radar a bit:

 

• To reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, cruise ship operators must:
• Provide passengers and crew with information on how to properly wear, take off, and clean cloth masks.
• Remind passengers and crew not to touch their masks when wearing them.
• Position posters educating passengers on how to properly wear masks in high traffic areas throughout the ship
• Ensure bathers wear masks while congregating outside of recreational water facilities (RWFs) and while seated on the pool deck area. Masks do not need to be worn in the water, e.g., in RWFs or while swimming in the ocean. A wet cloth mask can make it difficult to breathe and likely will not work correctly. This means it is particularly important for bathers to maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet (2 meters) when in the water with others who are not traveling companions or part of the same family.

 

 

[El Crucero]

9 hours ago, Cruiser6270 said:

The self-guided tour ban makes sense to protect the ship community but the rest - for a ship that's fully vaccinated and tested - smacks of  over the top nonsense. 

 

The CDC guidelines for cruise lines continues to evolve.  There is still a threat from Covid variants.  The CDC will issue new relaxed guidelines as additional research shows that cruising is safe for those aboard as well as residents in countries visited.  Hardly "nonsense."

 

I don't understand why this is so difficult for some people to understand and accept.

[grandgeezer]

This shows how intimidated the CDC or Department of Health and Human Services, whoever makes the final decision is, when it comes to the lawsuits and any intervention by Washington. Not.

[JRG]

4 hours ago, DirtyDawg said:

Speak for yourself. I want to know about the millimeter thickness of the polypropylene life rafts and I'm just a silly sailing savourer (try saying that fast three times in a row).

 

That's fine but if I were you I would worry about going over the top and puncturing the liferaft with the micrometer while you were measuring the thickness (after it has been calibrated and certified of course).    

 

Speaking for myself,  of course,   I've never had any problems with the liferafts on my toyboat, toyboat, toyboat being too flimsy,  so I think that too,  is another non-sequitur for another day.