No mask Required at CocoCay

[HBCcruiser]

This is Great News!  Info: 

 

While Royal Caribbean has not revealed its full protocols for its summer cruises on Adventure of the Seas, face masks will not be necessary on its private island.

Edited May 12, 2021 by HBCcruiser

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

Good news, but not great news.  The only reason the CDC threw that "except in crowds" caveat in there was to protect the unvaccinated.

 

That still suggests you have to wear a mask poolside if you can't be 6 feet away.

I recently heard on local news channel that social distancing is being reduced to 3 feet as more people are vaccinated.     As more updates are provided sounds like we should be just fine at the pool / sun decks with no mask.

[jrapps]

5 minutes ago, mauraoel said:

Thank you sharing you opinion.   

LOL, I forgot we live in the age of alternative facts. Not sure how linking directly to official documents and websites is an opinion, but fine. It is my OPINION that there are no official and documented CDC orders, mandates, websites, printed declarations, anywhere that says you must wear masks between sips and bites on a cruise ship (or airplane for that matter). If someone would like to point me to such a CDC document in writing, then I will gladly change my opinion. It is my OPINION that the TSA has implemented such a directive on airplanes.

[Ourusualbeach]

11 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Perhaps that applies solely to full time residents of the island.

No.  It is exactly as I reported

Edited May 12, 2021 by Ourusualbeach

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

Womp womp womp.

 

I think a realistic interpretation of this is reduced capacity (i. e. 'not so crowded') will allow more elbow room. Loungers are to be spaced out more. Perhaps you have to wear a mask while ordering at a bar or getting food at an outdoor venue which is far from unreasonable. Of course...the cruise lines themselves do not have to allow this if they don't want to. 

 

 

The CDC Guidance for Restricted Voyages:

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/covid19-operations-manual-cso.html

 

Also...

 

Shore Excursions & Transportation Services

Participating in shore excursions and group transportation increases a person’s risk of getting and spreading COVID-19 by bringing people in close contact with others, often for prolonged periods. Additionally, participating in these activities in other communities and countries with high prevalence of COVID-19 further increases the risk of introduction of COVID-19 onto cruise ships.

 

Fully Vaccinated Travelers

• Cruise ship operators, at their discretion, may advise passengers and crew that—if they are fully vaccinated—they may engage in self-guided or independent exploration during port stops, if they wear a mask while indoors. The cruise ship operator is additionally advised that foreign jurisdictions may have their own requirements.

That is great news for excursions too!     There are lots of islands we love to explore on our own plus shop at the ports should be permitted by the time we get cruising.    

Love hearing no mask on CocoCay!    I'll be there in August on our b2b Vision sailings.      Looks like Bermuda is doing a great job with vaccinating their residents, so that should help too!

[jrapps]

My only hope here is that they make these mask rules VERY clear to everyone before they have to decide on final payment or cancellation penalties. Everyone here has a different limit as to how much masking they are willing to accept, but no one wants to get to the ship only to be surprised by a rule.

 

If they can't get crystal clear on the mask rules on and off the ship for any July or Aug cruises soon, there are going to be a lot of angry people on a cruise ship, and no one should EVER be angry on a cruise ship! 

 

I also hope the rules keep relaxing as cruising goes on.

[lenquixote66]

8 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

No.  It is exactly as I reported

It does not sound plausible to me

[sandebeach]

AS mentioned, this from a TSA letter, so it looks like they are using the CDC time period of 15 minutes?

 

D. The requirement to wear a mask does not apply under the following circumstances:

1. When necessary to temporarily remove the mask for identity verification purposes.

2. While eating, drinking, or taking oral medications for brief periods.4 Prolonged periods of mask removal are not permitted for eating or drinking; the mask must be worn between bites and sips.

3. While communicating with a person who is deaf or hard of hearing, when the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication.

4. If unconscious (for reasons other than sleeping), incapacitated, unable to be awakened, or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

4 The CDC has stated that brief periods of close contact without a mask should not exceed 15 minutes. See https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/public-health-recommendations.html

[Ourusualbeach]

2 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

It does not sound plausible to me

Well, regardless of what you think I would assume that the senior VP at Royal who announced this today knows a bit more than you.

 

We are talking sailings out of Nassau this summer that do not touch an American Port.  None of the CDC protocols apply...only common sense.

Edited May 12, 2021 by Ourusualbeach

[lenquixote66]

Just now, Ourusualbeach said:

Well, regardless of what you think I would assume that the senior VP at Royal who announced this today knows a bit more than you.

Possibly but to me it just does not sound right .

[Tree_skier]

1 hour ago, sandebeach said:

When we go out to eat at a restaurant in South Florida, we take our masks off as soon as we sit down, and they do not go back on until we are leaving. I plan to do the same on a cruise ship,!  

it is the same way in California and in every other state as far as I know.  This will be how it is on cruise ship once they sort the details out.

[Ourusualbeach]

18 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Possibly but to me it just does not sound right .

I added to my post.  This is for Adventure sailings out of Nassau so none of the CDC restrictions apply

[kearney]

1 hour ago, mauraoel said:

Yes itis as I said in a recent post.  It was included in the safety briefing on my flight yesterday. "You must replace you mask after every bit of food or sip of drink."

I have noted before that the issue is with interpretation... if the protocol is vague then it is up to the waiter to make a determination... so training is required... and if the CDC simply says "extended"... I suggest Royal ask their health panel if the usual time allotted for dinner... about an hour and 15 minutes would be normal and reasonable or extended... if the health panel feels dinner is not extended.. then simply train waiter to ask passengers sitting beyond that time to use their mask... that might help speed up change over to the next diner..:) 

[kearney]

1 minute ago, Ourusualbeach said:

I added to my post.  This is for Adventure sailings out of Nassau so none of the CDC restrictions apply

Boy I hope so. Note that saying no masks on Coco Cay... does not say..you need to put it on when you get close to other people... it is just no masks period... so it does appear that they have modified the guidelines...taking full advantage of the phrasing "cruise line discretion" and not sailing out of US port. Now I hope what I was told when I booked Nassau...that you didn't need to wear masks inside unless you approached another group of people....vs all the time

[Ourusualbeach]

2 minutes ago, kearney said:

Boy I hope so. Note that saying no masks on Coco Cay... does not say..you need to put it on when you get close to other people... it is just no masks period... so it does appear that they have modified the guidelines...taking full advantage of the phrasing "cruise line discretion" and not sailing out of US port. Now I hope what I was told when I booked Nassau...that you didn't need to wear masks inside unless you approached another group of people....vs all the time

It is no masks.  Crew vaccinated, island staff vaccinated, passengers vaccinated...no masks required.

[kearney]

1 minute ago, Ourusualbeach said:

It is no masks.  Crew vaccinated, island staff vaccinated, passengers vaccinated...no masks required.

Are you talking indoors on the ship? If so... have you seen that someplace... cause when I booked the all vaccine (except kids) cruise... there were some mask requirements noted at the time... but also subject to change

[Jimbo]

1 hour ago, bucfan2 said:

 

Cool...wear your mask.  We consider the MDR meals exactly like eating at McDonalds, so we won't be wearing ours (if they're leaving it to customer's to discern the rules lol)

Not sure where you live, but no one is eating in McDonalds where I live.

[Tree_skier]

6 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Not sure where you live, but no one is eating in McDonalds where I live.

In California it is only McDonalds that hasn't gone back to inside dining.  I've eaten inside at In n Out, Jack in the Box and Wendy's. I think McD's discovered they are more profitable doing drive thru only and are going to stick with it for a while.

[Jimbo]

1 minute ago, Tree_skier said:

In California it is only McDonalds that hasn't gone back to inside dining.  I've eaten inside at In n Out, Jack in the Box and Wendy's. I think McD's discovered they are more profitable doing drive thru only and are going to stick with it for a while.

All the fast food places here in Virginia are still Drive thru Only.

[molly361]

1 minute ago, Jimbo said:

All the fast food places here in Virginia are still Drive thru Only.

Not in Florida  Indoor dining in McDonald's is happening

[Sunshine3601]

45 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Possibly but to me it just does not sound right .

If you go to a beach in NJ you don't have to wear a mask and that is a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated people so if you are on a private island where everyone is fully vaccinated why would you need to wear a mask?

[Ourusualbeach]

17 minutes ago, kearney said:

Are you talking indoors on the ship? If so... have you seen that someplace... cause when I booked the all vaccine (except kids) cruise... there were some mask requirements noted at the time... but also subject to change

No, on CocoCay which was the topic of the thread

[sandebeach]

3 minutes ago, molly361 said:

Not in Florida  Indoor dining in McDonald's is happening

Yes, I can't think of any fast food place in South Florida that does not have inside dining open. We have done fast-food for lunch on occasion and sometimes sit inside when it is just too hot to sit outside. 

[SidneyHuff1950]

Not sure if this lady is right, but if we look at the CDC cso, they require masks on the private island.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/ti-simulated-voyages-cso.html

 

Private-island shore excursions if any are planned during restricted passenger voyages. The following measures must be observed on the private island:

• Only one ship can port at the island at any one time.
• A routine screening testing protocol must be implemented for island staff who are expected to interact with volunteer passengers or crew.
• Mask use and social distancing must be observed on the island.

 

Sidney

[jrapps]

Just now, Ourusualbeach said:

No, on CocoCay which was the topic of the thread

It will be interesting to see if the CDC requires masks on private islands, how is CocoCay going to be handled? When a cruise from Nassau arrives, no masks, but a cruise from the US docks, and everyone including the locals have to put them on?