Ponant's Current 6-Month Vaccine Enforcement

[jonikal]

I have been researching whether Ponant's rule for passengers whose vaccine was given over 6 months prior to embarkation is a generally accepted protocol for denying boarding and decided to check whether other small, luxury cruise companies have a similar requirement.

 

Here are the results: 

 

AZAMARA - no info relating to this, says to keep checking back;

Lindblad Nat Geo: nothing related to the 6 month rule

CrystalCruises;  No PRC required, no mention of 6 month rule

Hurtigruten;  Bring vaccination documents with you, no mention of 6 month rule;

Oceania; All guests and crew to be fully vaccinated 14 days prior to embarkation, no 6 month rule;

Silversea; Nothing yet, keep checking site;

Windstar; Proof of vaccination within 14 days of embarkation, no mention of 6 months

Seaborn; General info, no mention of 6 month rule.

 

Since we fall into this category, hopefully they will reconsider as it seems rather draconian. 

 

The NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE states the "Moderna vaccine showed strong antibody response after 6 months."  Multiple other sources agree with this assessment.  Booster shots won't be available until September at the earliest, according to Moderna's CEO,  Stephane Bancel.

 

 

[ethan1171]

We are sailing with Ponant to Antartica in Feb '22 - I hope by then the policy/vaccine duration efficacy will be more clear - or we will have to schedule our booster vaccine in January. - which should not be a big deal.

 

--HAF

[jonikal]

Good news!  Just received the following email from Ponant re 6-month validity of their original Covid vaccine requirement:

 

I received notice today that we will remove the validation of the vaccine requirements. We will no longer require the 6 months period

[gogo65]

5 hours ago, jonikal said:

Good news!  Just received the following email from Ponant re 6-month validity of their original Covid vaccine requirement:

 

I received notice today that we will remove the validation of the vaccine requirements. We will no longer require the 6 months period

Good to hear, as usual everything is evolving, but good to hear they’ve updated their requirements formally.

[jonikal]

Beware that Ponant has not made any arrangements to date for PCR testing in Iceland.  We were led to believe they would have onboard testing which would have allowed us to travel directly from the ship to the airport for our flight back to the US. Not so.  Apparently they are trying to get a local lab to do the testing which means airline reservations will have to be changed as well as hotel arrangements made while we await the results of the tests.  This was a failure on the part of the Ponant agent we used to make our air reservations and who should have been informed enough to advise us accordingly.  

[AussieBoyTX]

Ponant has apparently eliminated the vaccine requirement completely.

 

https://us.ponant.com/sail-with-confidence

 

• Travel with peace of mind thanks to a rigorous health protocol reinforced by a a policy of recommending a pre-boarding vaccination*
   

  Whether on land or onboard, your safety is one of our absolute and primary concerns. By recommending vaccination before embarkation, PONANT optimises its already robust protocol integrating all the technological, human and material measures to ensure the provision and maintenance of a hermetic "Anti COVID" sanitary bubble. This reinforced protection is based on three “shields” designed to guarantee drastic on-board access conditions, strict on-board sanitary protocols, daily control and monitoring (guests, equipment, ships).

The "a a" error is theirs.

 

The FAQs are still not available.

Edited June 18, 2021 by AussieBoyTX

[jonikal]

Here's another bit of good news.

Visiting Iceland

Last updated: June 16, 2021

Can you visit Iceland? Yes. All travelers – regardless of origin – are welcome to visit Iceland if they can show either:

• certificate of full vaccination against COVID. Read what certificates are accepted on the official Directorate of Health page. 

Do you need a PCR test? No. If you hold an appropriate certificate, you do not need to have a PCR test to board your flight to Iceland.

 

From July 1, 2021, there is no longer a requirement for arrival testing for passengers vaccinated against COVID-19 or recovered from it.

[gogo65]

9 hours ago, AussieBoyTX said:

Ponant has apparently eliminated the vaccine requirement completely.

 

https://us.ponant.com/sail-with-confidence

 

• Travel with peace of mind thanks to a rigorous health protocol reinforced by a a policy of recommending a pre-boarding vaccination*
   

  Whether on land or onboard, your safety is one of our absolute and primary concerns. By recommending vaccination before embarkation, PONANT optimises its already robust protocol integrating all the technological, human and material measures to ensure the provision and maintenance of a hermetic "Anti COVID" sanitary bubble. This reinforced protection is based on three “shields” designed to guarantee drastic on-board access conditions, strict on-board sanitary protocols, daily control and monitoring (guests, equipment, ships).

The "a a" error is theirs.

 

The FAQs are still not available.

Well that just seems stupid. Maybe for cruises from Florida and Texas but anywhere else they should stick to requiring vaccines…

[AussieBoyTX]

I agree. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

They have been so proud of their Covid-free cruising record – this seems like an incredibly stupid thing to do.

 

I wonder if it could have anything to do with the situation that Grand Circle found themselves in, when a Captain and seven other crew members refused to be vaccinated and French labor law said they couldn't do anything about it?

 

[AussieBoyTX]

6 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

They have been so proud of their Covid-free cruising record – this seems like an incredibly stupid thing to do.

 

 

You're missing a /sarcasm tag, since their COVID bubble didn't work last year. The only thing different this year is the possibility that enough passengers & crew are vaccinated to create herd immunity.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5705/