CDC to approve 7 days or longer cruises

[erinsmom03]

18 hours ago, exm said:

 

I'm looking forward to the day my kids are in college, or college aged and I can enjoy a cruise just with my wife...

 

Our daughter heads to college this fall... we've booked an adults only cruise with my cousin and her husband, in a 2 bedroom suite on Oasis. I have to say, I love traveling with our daughter. But... I am soooo excited to do this cruise, partially because we can bump it up a notch in the splurging because we are paying for 2 of us instead of 3! 😅

[erinsmom03]

21 minutes ago, jrapps said:

Oh sure, I've cruised without my kids and loved it. But About 95% of my cruises are with my kids. Summer cruises especially, it is family time. If I had a cruise booked with my kids and then they couldn't go because the line requires vaccines, I'm not just going to go and leave them behind, I will cancel and move to another time when we can all go.

 

If for some reason, kids can't sail, I don't think you will have this large group of people just decide to go and leave their kids behind.

 

 

 

We went to Florida for a conference my husband was attending one year... exactly a month before we took our daughter and my mom on a Universal/Disney Cruise trip. To this day, many years later, our daughter still talks about the time we went to Disney without her...mind you, the only thing Disney we did on that trip was Downtown Disney (Disney Springs) but that's how she remembers it 😂 

 

I could just imagine her reaction to being left behind while we went on a cruise without her.

[not-enough-cruising]

4 hours ago, orville99 said:

And yet it also appears on marketing emails for Serenade Alaska sailings. 

Yes, the whole situation is evolving rapidly. Now it appears to be for ALL North American itineraries. 

[not-enough-cruising]

2 hours ago, sandebeach said:

Do I need a COVID-19 vaccine to cruise? What documents count as proof of vaccination? How far in advance do I need to get my vaccine?

A

 

 

For Cruises Departing from the U.S. or The Bahamas

For sailings departing on or before August 1, all Royal Caribbean guests age 16 and older must complete all doses of their COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days before their sailing. For sailings departing after August 1, the age requirement for vaccination will change from 16 to 12 years of age. 

Guests under the age of this requirement don’t need to be vaccinated and will receive a SARS-Cov-2 test before boarding. If a guest younger than the age requirement happens to be fully vaccinated, they should bring their original vaccination record card to board, will not require a test, and should follow all vaccinated guest protocols throughout their vacation.

All guests must present proof of vaccination as well as all required travel documents upon arrival at the ship. Acceptable proof of vaccination must be in the form of the original vaccination record document issued by the country’s health authority or healthcare provider that administered the vaccination (e.g., U.S. CDC's Vaccination Record Card). The vaccination record submitted must show that the guest is fully vaccinated. This means that the guest has completed the full cycle of required doses for the vaccine administered (e.g., received the second dose in a two-dose series) and that the guest has received the final dose at least 14 days before arriving in The Bahamas or at their cruise departure terminal in the U.S.

 

Yes, the policy updated after my post. Everything is changing rapidly. 

[sandebeach]

13 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Yes, the policy updated after my post. Everything is changing rapidly. 

Yes, every day something new it seems. 

[not-enough-cruising]

1 minute ago, sandebeach said:

Yes, every day something new it seems. 

That has to be a positive development, I would hope. 🤞🏻

[jrapps]

I am waiting to hear they are resuming in FL and still requiring vaccines, then I will do my happy dance.

Edited May 22, 2021 by jrapps

[AKJonesy]

On 5/21/2021 at 6:40 AM, orville99 said:

Just received this from RCL this morning:

 

I've been off the forums for awhile, so I hope I posted this properly.  It looks like HAL for Alaska announced the vaccination requirement also, so I don't think that is much of a surprise.  My question is WHAT IS PROOF OF VACCINATION mean?  Like everyone, we got the CDC card.  I've been working as a volunteer at the vaccine clinics so that we had quicker access to the vaccine.  However, I was talking to my Borough vaccine clinic employees and asked where the actual vaccine records are record and was told through the state.  When I asked about getting confirmation through the state (vs the CDC cards), they told me that is unlikely for a number of reasons.  I guess I could understand why.  This means I would probably have to get some kind of letter from my doctor who could access the Vax Trac system and get a letter stating the dates of vaccination.  I don't know.  HAL said that they will send the vaccine requirement information out as the sailing gets closer, so I think since the cruises were just announced, they don't have all of their policies and procedures figured out yet.  It would be nice to know from other confirmed cruisers (if possible), if they received any confirmed information about the vaccine requirement other than the "announcement"...probably not, but I still wanted to put this out there as a question.  Thanks for your responses.  

[jrapps]

2 minutes ago, AKJonesy said:

I've been off the forums for awhile, so I hope I posted this properly.  It looks like HAL for Alaska announced the vaccination requirement also, so I don't think that is much of a surprise.  My question is WHAT IS PROOF OF VACCINATION mean?  Like everyone, we got the CDC card.  I've been working as a volunteer at the vaccine clinics so that we had quicker access to the vaccine.  However, I was talking to my Borough vaccine clinic employees and asked where the actual vaccine records are record and was told through the state.  When I asked about getting confirmation through the state (vs the CDC cards), they told me that is unlikely for a number of reasons.  I guess I could understand why.  This means I would probably have to get some kind of letter from my doctor who could access the Vax Trac system and get a letter stating the dates of vaccination.  I don't know.  HAL said that they will send the vaccine requirement information out as the sailing gets closer, so I think since the cruises were just announced, they don't have all of their policies and procedures figured out yet.  It would be nice to know from other confirmed cruisers (if possible), if they received any confirmed information about the vaccine requirement other than the "announcement"...probably not, but I still wanted to put this out there as a question.  Thanks for your responses.  

The card will be sufficient. Straight from RCCL's FAQ:

 

Acceptable proof of vaccination must be in the form of the original vaccination record document issued by the country’s health authority or healthcare provider that administered the vaccination (e.g., U.S. CDC's Vaccination Record Card). 

[shutterbug63]

On 5/21/2021 at 8:20 AM, PhillyFan33579 said:

It seems simple to me. The CDC should immediately allow cruises to resume for ships with crew members and passengers who are 100% vaccinated. If vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask per the CDC, there is no reason not to allow 100% vaccinated ships to resume operations. 

 

I agree. I think the only issue is how do you verify that?   All I have showing I am is a paper card with both of my doses on it.  I assume that would have to be shown, but how would they verify it's legit? That's the only thing that gives me pause.  There's enough resistance to this vaccine out there that it doesn't seem beyond the realm of possibility to me that someone would fake a card to sail. 

[DCGuy64]

On 5/22/2021 at 10:48 AM, jrapps said:

Oh sure, I've cruised without my kids and loved it. But About 95% of my cruises are with my kids. Summer cruises especially, it is family time. If I had a cruise booked with my kids and then they couldn't go because the line requires vaccines, I'm not just going to go and leave them behind, I will cancel and move to another time when we can all go.

 

If for some reason, kids can't sail, I don't think you will have this large group of people just decide to go and leave their kids behind.

 

 

Time will tell, I guess. Industry stats show that most passengers are not kids, but the good news is that vaccines are being tested on younger and younger kids, and cruise lines are lowering the minimum age all the time. I think it’s gone from 18+ down to 12+. Our NCL cruise is set for late September so kids will be back in school by then anyway and so it’s somewhat of a moot point. 

[AKJonesy]

On 5/22/2021 at 9:42 AM, shutterbug63 said:

 

I agree. I think the only issue is how do you verify that?   All I have showing I am is a paper card with both of my doses on it.  I assume that would have to be shown, but how would they verify it's legit? That's the only thing that gives me pause.  There's enough resistance to this vaccine out there that it doesn't seem beyond the realm of possibility to me that someone would fake a card to sail. 

The President of HAL said on a live interview that the CDC card is what will be accepted, and the question was asked whether it was enough, and his response was the CDC card is what will be accepted.  If this gives anyone pause, then it becomes a personal choice.  Also, there are no guarantees.  The J&J vaccine reported by the CDC was 66% effective.  Other vaccines are higher.  Some people still got covid after the vaccine.  The cruise industry has gone well beyond other industries to protect their passengers and employees. 

[cruise wizard]

On 5/24/2021 at 7:54 AM, DCGuy64 said:

Time will tell, I guess. Industry stats show that most passengers are not kids, but the good news is that vaccines are being tested on younger and younger kids, and cruise lines are lowering the minimum age all the time. I think it’s gone from 18+ down to 12+. Our NCL cruise is set for late September so kids will be back in school by then anyway and so it’s somewhat of a moot point. 

 

More and more kids are being home schooled, so I have seen more kids cruising year around.

[ATG]

48 minutes ago, cruise wizard said:

 

More and more kids are being home schooled, so I have seen more kids cruising year around.

One of our cruises was mid-October.  I had assumed very few kids even if it was Oasis.  Boy, was I wrong!  In addition to homeschooling, many schools are on year round schedules and have breaks at non-standard times.

[cruise wizard]

32 minutes ago, ATG said:

One of our cruises was mid-October.  I had assumed very few kids even if it was Oasis.  Boy, was I wrong!  In addition to homeschooling, many schools are on year round schedules and have breaks at non-standard times.

 

You are right.............and parents take kids out of school for "immersive" study.

[GJustice]

Back to the original topic of >7 day cruises reopening 🙂

 

Still waiting for word on our 9 night out of Galveston September 8th. There's still a gap in the Explorer OTS itineraries for the dates, but ours still isn't open on the website OR talking to them on the phone.

 

Final payment isn't due until 6/10, so hoping to snag an upgrade.

[njkruzer]

2 hours ago, GJustice said:

Back to the original topic of >7 day cruises reopening 🙂

 

Still waiting for word on our 9 night out of Galveston September 8th. There's still a gap in the Explorer OTS itineraries for the dates, but ours still isn't open on the website OR talking to them on the phone.

 

Final payment isn't due until 6/10, so hoping to snag an upgrade.

We have a 10 nt TA from Southampton booked following our 11 nt Canary islands cruise, all on the Anthem.   About to book our flight to London but not sure how we're getting back to the states...ship or plane?  The TA is totally missing, not even on port schedules.   

[cruise wizard]

2 minutes ago, njkruzer said:

We have a 10 nt TA from Southampton booked following our 11 nt Canary islands cruise, all on the Anthem.   About to book our flight to London but not sure how we're getting back to the states...ship or plane?  The TA is totally missing, not even on port schedules.   

 

I hope that it all works out for you. We are not booking any cruises that aren't from US ports until 2023 - by then hopefully cruising will be more stable.

[njkruzer]

1 minute ago, cruise wizard said:

 

I hope that it all works out for you. We are not booking any cruises that aren't from US ports until 2023 - by then hopefully cruising will be more stable.

Not sure exactly when I booked these, probably when we cancelled the ones scheduled for November 2020, and then when they cancelled our Jewel cruises because they moved the ship to Amsterdam.   Have had cruises cancelled because of Pandemic and moving ships.   Kept moving deposits. 

[cruise wizard]

12 minutes ago, njkruzer said:

Not sure exactly when I booked these, probably when we cancelled the ones scheduled for November 2020, and then when they cancelled our Jewel cruises because they moved the ship to Amsterdam.   Have had cruises cancelled because of Pandemic and moving ships.   Kept moving deposits. 

 

Us too - you almost have to be a CPA to keep track of FCC's and deposit refunds. Our TA has had difficulty applying FCC's on Royal Caribbean cruises - he says that other lines are easy to apply them but not RCCL.

 

We are hoping that our Celebrity Edge cruises sail in June.................we booked them for our anniversary and was excited to be back cruising again. I hope that I don't have to get FCC's from "X" too.