***CDC gives RCI GO AHEAD to start test cruises in July***

[not-enough-cruising]

1 minute ago, SNJCruisers said:

Test cruises for the Alaska cruises are not needed if the crew are 98% vaccinated and cruisers are 95% vaccinated.

Far fewer kids on an Alaska cruise, 95% is much easier to achieve. 

[John&LaLa]

3 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

The CDC has stated that these are to be non-revenue generating cruises.  So theoretically that means no booze sales, no gambling, no shops open, and no specialty restaurants.  I wonder if that's why they're only 3 days...

 

It will be all Pinnacles with comped food and drink😉

[jrapps]

3 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Far fewer kids on an Alaska cruise, 95% is much easier to achieve. 

I don't think it has anything to do with if they can achieve it or not..I think it's more about do they even want to track it. Let's face it, Royal's IT department isn't all that savvy. How are they going to prevent parents with kids from booking. Do they monitor it and if it starts to approach 5%, then they prevent any new bookings with kids?

 

What happens if in the next 30 days, a bunch of people cancel because they don't meet the vaccine requirement, and those cancellations push the # of under-12 kids to over the 5% mark?

 

If Royal really wanted to guarantee a 95% sailing they would have just said "vaccines required" and families with kids under 12 were out of luck in the short term.

[zekekelso]

6 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Far fewer kids on an Alaska cruise, 95% is much easier to achieve. 

Dumb question: Can RCI just say “once kids = 5% of occupancy have booked, no more kids can book?”

[SNJCruisers]

28 minutes ago, Coralc said:

Except the test cruises are restricted to age 18+ . Which I find odd, because there will be no children onboard to test the protocols. (not that I have any.  )

What I meant is what is accomplished by doing the test cruises, being able to exceed the 5% unvaccinated limit.  Not about who is allowed on the test cruises

[Merion_Mom]

12 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

It will be all Pinnacles with comped food and drink😉

 

Let's face it:  If it sails from Florida and is limited to 10% capacity (that's just 378 people), it would be VERY easy to do a test cruise with just Pinnacles.  

 

I think that they'll just run it like a pre-inaugural "free" cruise.  Everything is included; only the casino is separate.  Maybe the CDC will weigh in on whether they can have the casino open or not.

 

In other words, RC has plenty of experience running "free" two day cruises.

[not-enough-cruising]

13 minutes ago, jrapps said:

I don't think it has anything to do with if they can achieve it or not..I think it's more about do they even want to track it. Let's face it, Royal's IT department isn't all that savvy. How are they going to prevent parents with kids from booking. Do they monitor it and if it starts to approach 5%, then they prevent any new bookings with kids?

 

What happens if in the next 30 days, a bunch of people cancel because they don't meet the vaccine requirement, and those cancellations push the # of under-12 kids to over the 5% mark?

 

If Royal really wanted to guarantee a 95% sailing they would have just said "vaccines required" and families with kids under 12 were out of luck in the short term.

Well if you are right then they better figure out how to do it, or plan on a Seattle test cruise. 

[zekekelso]

If there no booze, is it really a fair test? Sober folks are better rule followers than drunken idiots. 

[Merion_Mom]

2 minutes ago, zekekelso said:

If there no booze, is it really a fair test? Sober folks are better rule followers than drunken idiots. 

 

As I wrote above, RC runs free two night cruises all the time, as pre-inaugurals.  The booze is free.

[NJsharon]

Still not hearing anything about Baltimore.

Going July 1st on Enchantment, to Bermuda,  going to be cutting it close.  All vaccinated in our party already.

 

It's our 20th wedding anniversary that week, so praying it pans out.

[kath00]

Hi all,

 

We are looking at Ovation for Sept 2021 to Alaska.  I see the 12 and over vaccination requirement.  Which I am happy about since 2019 Ovation was PACKED with children to AK (although it was in July, not Sept).  Anyway, are they planning on sailing full capacity to Alaska?  Does anyone know?

 

Thank you for any and all info!  

[Biker19]

48 minutes ago, kath00 said:

Anyway, are they planning on sailing full capacity to Alaska? 

Unknown. First, one has to worry about the sailing taking place. No sign Ovation is leaving Asia, yet.

[A&L_Ont]

11 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Carnival says they hope to resume the horizon from miami in july. .. I'll believe it when I see a fully crewed up ship ready to get vaxxed. July sounds impossible to me. 

I agreed with you, especially I when they need to have vaccinated staff. August seems more feasible.

 

11 hours ago, mavo68 said:

Does anyone know how quick they can actually cruise from the ships that participated in the test cruises after they are completed?

The CDC will roll the dice to let the industry know. 😉

 

7 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

As I wrote above, RC runs free two night cruises all the time, as pre-inaugurals.  The booze is free.

I wonder if it will be RC staff, family members and shore side agents VS true guests. They would like the best result while dealing with the CDC.  Who knows as only time will tell. It will be interesting to follow along. 

[Sunshine3601]

9 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

Correction to my prior post. According to this bullet, the simulated cruise would have to dock at both (or all) US ports if they had entered an agreement with one ship using multiple ports. Since this cruise is only two nights long that seems highly unlikely.

 

Requirements Relating to the General Components of a Simulation and Simulated Activities

• If the cruise ship operator has entered into a Phase 2A agreement with the port or local health authority of more than one port and the cruise ship operator intends for the ship to dock at more than one U.S. port during restricted passenger voyages, then the simulated voyage(s) must include each U.S. port.

That makes sense as i believe part of the test cruise is to test protocols when embarking/disembarking at a port and the handling of the cruise terminal, luggage handlers, etc etc.

[Sunshine3601]

5 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Unknown. First, one has to worry about the sailing taking place. No sign Ovation is leaving Asia, yet.

If the test cruise is going to be done for each ship and each port then Ovation would need to do their test cruises out of the ports for those sailings.  Is that right?

I'll be excited when I see ships doing test cruises out of cape liberty and baltimore.

Still wish they hadn't cancelled the vision sailings out of bermuda.

[Sunshine3601]

9 hours ago, jndsilver31 said:

rci has said alaska cruises are vaxed cruises only. no vaccine, no cruise

If that's true then they dont have to do test cruises.  

[Sunshine3601]

8 hours ago, jrapps said:

I don't think it has anything to do with if they can achieve it or not..I think it's more about do they even want to track it. Let's face it, Royal's IT department isn't all that savvy. How are they going to prevent parents with kids from booking. Do they monitor it and if it starts to approach 5%, then they prevent any new bookings with kids?

 

What happens if in the next 30 days, a bunch of people cancel because they don't meet the vaccine requirement, and those cancellations push the # of under-12 kids to over the 5% mark?

 

If Royal really wanted to guarantee a 95% sailing they would have just said "vaccines required" and families with kids under 12 were out of luck in the short term.

Let's not forget that 5% rule was not only for children but for adults with medical and religious exceptions that prevent them from getting vaccinated.

How many anti vaxxers are going to claim religious belief and how are they going to make sure the unvaccinated people mask up, if needed?

 

They really should have just started with fully vaccinated cruises only for short term, it would be so much easier to get them going this summer.

 

Who knows they could still change their mind depending on hoops for the test cruises.

[Biker19]

10 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Is that right?

I think most folks here assume Ovation will take the vaccinated cruise route (vs test cruises). Again, that assumes the sailings will happen.

[ramja96]

12 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

The CDC has stated that these are to be non-revenue generating cruises.  So theoretically that means no booze sales, no gambling, no shops open, and no specialty restaurants.  I wonder if that's why they're only 3 days...

 

The key here is in the phrase "no booze SALES" - maybe it will be open bar!!! What could go wrong? 😁

[jndsilver31]

37 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

If that's true then they dont have to do test cruises.  

unlike florida and texas, the cruise lines can ask people if they have been vaccinated. the test cruises are designed so that the cruise lines can sail without the 98/95% rule.

[jndsilver31]

Just now, jndsilver31 said:

unlike florida and texas, the cruise lines can ask people if they have been vaccinated. the test cruises are designed so that the cruise lines can sail without the 98/95% rule.

in washington state

[not-enough-cruising]

12 minutes ago, jndsilver31 said:

unlike florida and texas, the cruise lines can ask people if they have been vaccinated. the test cruises are designed so that the cruise lines can sail without the 98/95% rule.

There is nothing preventing them from asking for vaccine status in TX

[BSocial]

Wonder if Explorer will be the ship for initial test cruise from Galveston?

 

Liberty is scheduled (supposedly)  for Cadiz technical dry dock in July; wouldn’t make sense to schedule her for a test cruise until she returns. 
 

 

 

Edited May 26, 2021 by BSocial
Added

[JsMom2]

9 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

It will be all Pinnacles with comped food and drink😉

More likely travel agents, since they are the ones who the cruise lines need to fill the ships!  And maybe some travel bloggers.  Like a pre-inaugural….

[Sunshine3601]

33 minutes ago, jndsilver31 said:

unlike florida and texas, the cruise lines can ask people if they have been vaccinated. the test cruises are designed so that the cruise lines can sail without the 98/95% rule.

Yes, I understand that.  I am wondering if royal will do some ports, other than FL, with the 95/98 rule, essentially everyone vaccinated except kids under 12 that are not yet eligible for vaccine in US.

Based on the video by R. Fain the royal brand was doing test cruises to allow more families to sail he did not state that was just for FL and TX.