New updates as of 5/21

[kearney]

6 hours ago, bigdaddyyo said:

Reading all of the responses to this topic is hilarious.  Everyone on here has to realize that the State of Florida will not let a cruise ship require proof of vaccination.  It is a non-starter.  Cruise lines have stated that these rules will likely be gone by October.  What is the difference between July/August and October?? Absolutely nothing.  You all go to the grocery store, restaurants, church, etc with unvaccinated people but you won’t get on a cruise ship with them??  I’m trying to figure out what the heck you all do on cruise ships??  Do you get on the boat and immediately get in a complete stranger’s bubble?? The majority of you will get on a domestic flight to get to your cruise port and more than likely half the plane is unvaccinated.  Everyone has been so pissed off that the cruise industry has been treated differently then every other form of tourism, hotels, theme parks, etc and what do you want..  You want to treat the cruise differently for people not like you.. not as wise as you.. give me a break.  You got the vaccine, you are now invincible, why worry about anyone else, just worry about yourself and your family and make sure to stay out of everyone else’s bubble on your superhero cruise where you are traveling to ports where the majority are unvaccinated and you are allowed to roam freely.  This is all to say that your logic of wanting fully vaccinated cruises is a joke.

Personally, I really don't care if it is fully vaccinated or not. We are fully vaccinated and from everything I have read the people who need to be concerned..are the ones who are not vaccinated. BUT that said.. if I am spending thousands to get away... I don't want to be on a ship where masking is constantly required, reservations are needed for the reduced capacity theater... social distancing required during the Captains Cocktail hour.... so if that requires a 100% or so vaccinated cruise to do it... for the next few months or so... so be it...  We have been fairly open in GA for months and now even more so... so to go from being able to walk into a restaurant mask free... to a cruise where their are rules that force a more restricted life than I have at home... why go.  Now things are changing so ...if masking is only for unvaccinated... then go ahead with mixed crowd..   

[Denny01]

7 hours ago, bigdaddyyo said:

Reading all of the responses to this topic is hilarious.  Everyone on here has to realize that the State of Florida will not let a cruise ship require proof of vaccination.  It is a non-starter.  Cruise lines have stated that these rules will likely be gone by October.  What is the difference between July/August and October?? Absolutely nothing.  You all go to the grocery store, restaurants, church, etc with unvaccinated people but you won’t get on a cruise ship with them??  I’m trying to figure out what the heck you all do on cruise ships??  Do you get on the boat and immediately get in a complete stranger’s bubble?? The majority of you will get on a domestic flight to get to your cruise port and more than likely half the plane is unvaccinated.  Everyone has been so pissed off that the cruise industry has been treated differently then every other form of tourism, hotels, theme parks, etc and what do you want..  You want to treat the cruise differently for people not like you.. not as wise as you.. give me a break.  You got the vaccine, you are now invincible, why worry about anyone else, just worry about yourself and your family and make sure to stay out of everyone else’s bubble on your superhero cruise where you are traveling to ports where the majority are unvaccinated and you are allowed to roam freely.  This is all to say that your logic of wanting fully vaccinated cruises is a joke.

Welcome Bigdaddyyo and hope you enjoy the forum. Lots of good info and sharing. 

 

As to your points, I’ll disagree some.

 

Fla will not stop Cruise Lines from requiring vaccination documentation. there will be a lot of hew and cry and it will end up with the companies deciding what they are going to require. Always fun watching various Govt Org’s insisting how terrible it is that private companies are told what to do by other Govt Org’s and then do the same. Games. 

 

And yes, I’m fully vaccinated and realize I’m safe, but I want a fully vaccinated cruise ship experience, at least for an extended time. And yes, I go to the grocery store and  have flown, and will stay in a hotel once I start to travel. But unless the grocery store/airplane/hotel lock me in for a week with 1,000+ strangers, I think cruising is a bit different. And if anyone in that locked grocery/airplane/hotel come down with COVID, I don’t see the entire experience being cancelled, as it would be with a cruise. So yes, I’ll cruise If they set vaccine requirements.

 

But it doesn’t really matter, because in order for Cruise Lines Not to start off again and just one cruise get into COVID issues that will result in very bad press, Cruise Lines will protect themselves..by protecting all. 

 

And one last disagreement (just opinions, but personal or I think you are off base), if you live in Florida, there Is a Big difference between Oct and July/Aug!! We locals sit inside our homes away from the killer humidity and the crowded beaches in July/Aug (and most of Sept!) and then in Oct head out to our lovely empty(er) beaches!! But I did understand what you really meant. Just couldn’t keep from that silly comment.

 

But welcome and share. You are right, if we are vaccinated, we are safe (95 or 97 or 99%….whatever), but as the Pandemic wanes, ‘we’ still are concerned over how it can still impact our communities, including a cruise community at sea.

 

Den

 

[grandgeezer]

13 hours ago, nocl said:

During a normal year how many of those are Celebrity, Princess, HAL.  Pretty much zero.  Though Princess for the first time in years has 1 scheduled next year. NCL has 2 ships there.

 

Carnival and Royal does have a number of ships there, but compare your 102 cruises mostly from those two lines to the months of December, Jan, Feb for all of the lines.

Your point was very few ships sail the Caribbean in the summer, there is no mention of cruise line specific. I responded in such. FYI, there are 28 RCL cruises in that period. Dec. through Feb. doesn't appear in the post either.

[nocl]

7 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

Your point was very few ships sail the Caribbean in the summer, there is no mention of cruise line specific. I responded in such. FYI, there are 28 RCL cruises in that period. Dec. through Feb. doesn't appear in the post either.

I said

 

As far as the Caribbean goes, there are usually very few cruises to the Caribbean in the summer (miserably hot there during that time frame) It normally does not start to ramp up until October. 

 

So while I did not mention the other months specifically I did say normal ramp up in October so compare the summer number of cruises to the number that occurs when all of the cruises lines have ships there after October.  Note I did not say no ships, only very few. 

 

Also we are on a Celebrity board which normally has zero, the most similar lines are Princess which in the past has had zero (1 in 2022), and HAL which has zero during the summer months.

 

 

 

 

[bigdaddyyo]

CDC already said that if someone tests positive that the cruise keeps going.  They isolate the passenger(s) and then figure it out at the next port.  The CDC is definitely not concerned if you test positive because they’ve already said that once the boat returns to the US that passenger(s) can leave on their own free will.  If they drove, they can drive home, otherwise they can quarantine locally.  There are no plans to cancel the cruise.  That was something done 15 months ago because they had no idea what they are dealing with.  You are much more likely to catch something way more dangerous than COVID while in a port. Let’s just move on.

[Ken the cruiser]

13 minutes ago, bigdaddyyo said:

If they drove, they can drive home, otherwise they can quarantine locally.

In your opinion, who should have to pay for the post-cruise quarantee arrangements (e.g., transportation, housing, food, medical services, flight home, etc) of the ill unvaccinated passenger(s) as well their close (unvaccinated) contacts, if any?

 

Edited May 23, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[D C]

On 5/22/2021 at 9:29 AM, 39august said:

As far as I know, my state does not have a vaccination registry. So all we have is our CDC card. My doctor has notated in my file the dates of my vaccine, but that is only taking my word for it. We have no other way of proving vaccination. 

States vary, which makes a national database impossible.  I know of one person who was vaccinated without giving so much as an ID, so there is no record anywhere of their jab.  

 

If your state has an official record that they'll provide, great. Otherwise the CDC card is the best thing going. 

[finny2]

On 5/21/2021 at 6:02 PM, Fouremco said:

So, if Celebrity waits until a ship reaches international waters to ask for verification, no problem. But asking passengers as soon as they board violates Florida's (stupid) law.

So passengers are told ahead of time, that if they do not have proof of vaccination when they are required to so it (after reaching international waters) they will be confined to their cabin. No exceptions. How many unvaccinated would go knowing that.

[Fouremco]

4 minutes ago, finny2 said:

So passengers are told ahead of time, that if they do not have proof of vaccination when they are required to so it (after reaching international waters) they will be confined to their cabin. No exceptions. How many unvaccinated would go knowing that.

I like your way of thinking! 😊

[Denny01]

40 minutes ago, bigdaddyyo said:

CDC already said that if someone tests positive that the cruise keeps going.  They isolate the passenger(s) and then figure it out at the next port.  The CDC is definitely not concerned if you test positive because they’ve already said that once the boat returns to the US that passenger(s) can leave on their own free will.  If they drove, they can drive home, otherwise they can quarantine locally.  There are no plans to cancel the cruise.  That was something done 15 months ago because they had no idea what they are dealing with.  You are much more likely to catch something way more dangerous than COVID while in a port. Let’s just move on.

Please reference where you got the info that CDC said the cruise keeps going. Havent seen that. And your inference is if someone contracts COVID, they’d isolate and ‘figure it out’ at the next port. 

 

I have problems seeing how the CDC can ‘say’ a cruise can keep going since I don’t see the CDC has any jurisdiction in international waters or in foreign ports of call. And your statements seem to paint a picture that a COVID outbreak on a cruise would be handled like any other sickness that may be contagious. I have no insight into how various Caribbean ports/countries will react, but I doubt it will be handled like some Norovirus outbreak. ‘No big deal’. 

 

Yes, the ship won’t be quarantined and the passengers and crew wont be stuck on it for an extended time. But I don’t really see the ship continuing on it’s itinerary, pulling into varous ports, coming back to the States after a week and everyone just walks off. And the COVID person(s) can get off and drive home, if that is available. 

 

I could be all wet, but I think that is more than a rosy expectation. But I’v been wrong before….can’t remember when, but I’m sure its happened! 

 

Den 

[nocl]

52 minutes ago, bigdaddyyo said:

CDC already said that if someone tests positive that the cruise keeps going.  They isolate the passenger(s) and then figure it out at the next port.  The CDC is definitely not concerned if you test positive because they’ve already said that once the boat returns to the US that passenger(s) can leave on their own free will.  If they drove, they can drive home, otherwise they can quarantine locally.  There are no plans to cancel the cruise.  That was something done 15 months ago because they had no idea what they are dealing with.  You are much more likely to catch something way more dangerous than COVID while in a port. Let’s just move on.

Actually they said up until a threshold of cases is reached, at that point the cruise will terminate. That threshold is around 1 to 1.5% of the passengers.

 

Also keep in mind that other countries that the cruise ship visits may have different views on allowing a ship to port if there are positive cases on board. Considering that many of the Caribbean countries require negative tests prior to tourists arriving I doubt they will let a ship stop if there are positive cases on board.

[Denny01]

7 minutes ago, nocl said:

Actually they said up until a threshold of cases is reached, at that point the cruise will terminate. That threshold is around 1 to 1.5% of the passengers.

 

Also keep in mind that other countries that the cruise ship visits may have different views on allowing a ship to port if there are positive cases on board. Considering that many of the Caribbean countries require negative tests prior to tourists arriving I doubt they will let a ship stop if there are positive cases on board.

thats about 20 or so passengers. 

 

Den

[nocl]

4 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

thats about 20 or so passengers. 

 

Den

There is also the question that if there were infected individuals from one cruise would the next one leave on time.

[Denny01]

16 minutes ago, nocl said:

There is also the question that if there were infected individuals from one cruise would the next one leave on time.

Suffice to say that’s why 85% said they’d not cruise unless vaccines were required. 
 

enough for me. I cruise in Nov and hoping all tracks. 
 

den

[JFontaine]

Two weeks ago 8 members of the NY Yankees organization tested positive. All were vaccinated, one was vaccinated and previously had Covid. Reportedly only one was symptomatic.   What would it take for an unvaccinated passenger (adult or child) to pass it on to a crew member - and then, in their tight environment, it could spread as it did with the Yankees. Like with the Yankees the vaccine would do its job - you'd have mostly asymptomatic people,  and few if any seriously sick. But you could easily have dozens who test positive. Like others,  I'm not worried about getting sick, I'm worried about floating around while they figure it out. 

[wrk2cruise]

That's the point of the Phase 2A port agreements.  That everyone has a plan and CDC will make sure it's followed so you aren't floating around while they figure it out.

 

[kearney]

11 hours ago, JFontaine said:

Two weeks ago 8 members of the NY Yankees organization tested positive. All were vaccinated, one was vaccinated and previously had Covid. Reportedly only one was symptomatic.   What would it take for an unvaccinated passenger (adult or child) to pass it on to a crew member - and then, in their tight environment, it could spread as it did with the Yankees. Like with the Yankees the vaccine would do its job - you'd have mostly asymptomatic people,  and few if any seriously sick. But you could easily have dozens who test positive. Like others,  I'm not worried about getting sick, I'm worried about floating around while they figure it out. 

I wouldn't be concerned about this... I found this great explanation of the Yankee situation which might help.https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/05/what-really-happened-with-that-weird-yankees-covid-outbreak.html

[JFontaine]

6 hours ago, kearney said:

I wouldn't be concerned about this... I found this great explanation of the Yankee situation which might help.https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/05/what-really-happened-with-that-weird-yankees-covid-outbreak.html

Thanks for posting. I think this interview points out why I see the correlation: vaccine - Johnson (both Yankees and crew) frequent testing (both Yankees and crew),  and close quarters (Yankees and the crew) and add many seniors to the mix.  As the interview said, the vaccine will largely prevent symptomatic cases,  but it won't prevent positive tests,  and the unknown if it happens on a cruise ship. The Yankees isolated all their positive cases for 14 days, whether or not they had a viral load that would cause a problem for others - a costly move by them. 

[Ken the cruiser]

A very positive update posted by RCG CEO Richard Fain. 😎

 

https://fb.watch/5HLT2a8iJd/

 

[wrk2cruise]

Some interesting information.   He seemed to confirm that Celebrity and SilverSeas will be 95% vaccinated where RCL will allow a higher percentage of non vaccinated children but will still require people of age eligible for vaccine to be vaccinated baring medical/religious exceptions.  I expect RCL will have to do test cruises due to this.   This makes perfect sense to me given the different demographics between the lines.

Edited May 24, 2021 by wrk2cruise

[Jeremiah1212]

Very useful information! I'm glad he provided some info on the difference in vaccine expectations between Royal and Celebrity/Silversea. 

[kearney]

Glad to see the company pursing an adult focused strategy for Celebrity and a family one for Royal.. the Celebrity sailings we have been on have had fewer than 20 kids on them except for an Easter cruise which was closer to 100. While there are things for kids...nothing like the slides etc on Royal ships.

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 minutes ago, kearney said:

Glad to see the company pursing an adult focused strategy for Celebrity and a family one for Royal.. the Celebrity sailings we have been on have had fewer than 20 kids on them except for an Easter cruise which was closer to 100. While there are things for kids...nothing like the slides etc on Royal ships.

This should make sure that it's even more so (all families gravitating to Royal) for the next few months...

[D C]

20 hours ago, kearney said:

Glad to see the company pursing an adult focused strategy for Celebrity and a family one for Royal.. the Celebrity sailings we have been on have had fewer than 20 kids on them except for an Easter cruise which was closer to 100. While there are things for kids...nothing like the slides etc on Royal ships.

Ironically, it puts a damper on their new marketing shift towards families for Celebrity, but it make sense right now. 

[kearney]

53 minutes ago, D C said:

Ironically, it puts a damper on their new marketing shift towards families for Celebrity, but it make sense right now. 

Candidly, while I don't mind kids... I really like Celebrity's adult feel. The most children we have had on a cruise were 100 during an Easter 2 week cruise. Most of the children were from Great Britain.. I assume they get more of a break than US kids. Usually there are less than a dozen..but we sail in the fall most of the time.

I love sailing Royal too...but there was a serenity on Celebrity that I did not experience on Royal... but sometimes I feel like the excitement of a Royal ship and others the peacefulness of Celebrity. Celebrity can easily go back and focus on families with children..once the pandemic is passed... but this way it is a bit like a test market... It will be interesting to watch... in the meantime I will enjoy the peace