Under 12 vaccine exemptions for July Galveston cruises

[ontheweb]

1 minute ago, Tapi said:

Thanks ontheweb! 
 

In retrospect, that last cruise right before the industry shut down felt like crossing a railroad  track with lights flashing right before a huge cargo train came barreling down at full speed! Barely made it. 😂
 

 

You're welcome.

 

How much were you aware on that cruise of what was happening outside that was about to affect the world in such an awful way?

[Tapi]

52 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

How much were you aware on that cruise of what was happening outside that was about to affect the world in such an awful way?

We booked this cruise about 6 months prior to our sailing, and at the time, Covid-19 hadn’t  even been identified and named. 
 

We sailed on February 16th, 2020, about 10 days after the outbreak on the Diamond Princess started making headlines. (In fact, we later watched that ongoing saga unfold from our stateroom when we cruised). 
 

Holland America started sending emails every couple of days prior to our cruise, first reassuring us that there was nothing to worry about, that this virus was far away from the US, and that our cruise would proceed as normal. 
 

Those emails were followed by communications letting us know that there would be some changes to boarding protocols which basically boiled down to an updated questionnaire asking if we’d visited a list of affected countries in Asia, and a temperature check at the cruise terminal, but still reassuring us that there was nothing to worry about. 
 

At the time, we briefly entertained the idea of canceling the cruise, but we chose to stick to our plans not realizing how close to home the virus truly was. There was so much conflicting and biased information from one news outlet to another, that we didn’t know what to believe. 
 

The actual cruise did operate as if nothing was happening. None of the protocols that we are now so familiar with (masks, social distancing, etc) had been established. But we did bring extra packs of antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer, and I remember making it a habit to grab the serving utensils at the buffet with a napkin. We just came up with our own sanitation protocols. 😂 We had a nagging feeling in the back of our head the entire time, but otherwise it felt like any other cruise.

 

We came home, and the crap truly hit the fan then. Cruise ship after cruise ship, and outbreak after outbreak kept making headlines. The whole industry shut down about two weeks later. We were as shocked as everybody else. 

 

Later on, a lot of friends and family members called us crazy for going on that cruise, but once again, at the time, we didn’t have all the facts and truly didn’t know what was going on yet. Very glad that we squeezed in a cruise in 2020, but at the same time very grateful that we were not one of those sailings with an outbreak that were stranded at sea for days!  

Edited June 14, 2021 by Tapi

[BrotherCraig]

We were booked on the first cruise that got cancelled - out of Galveston on the Freedom.  I had friends on the last cruise that went out of Galveston and they had a great time.  A lot of people cancelled or changed their cruise so they had a half full ship (so they said).  Talking about cutting it close.  

[TNcruising02]

We sailed on RCL the last cruise that went out in March.  The ship is huge, but did not look like it sailed at full capacity.  I had no concerns about covid.  The crew was amazing and constantly cleaning everything, including cabin doors and balconies.  They had crew serving the buffet items and also the ice cream.  Other than that, it was a normal cruise. 

 

While we were on the cruise, I was reading online about what was happening in the US.  It was like we were in a safe bubble on the cruise, not as if we were in a petri dish.  I read that TSA agents in Orlando were testing positive.  My concern was not on it the cruise, but was of flying home.  I sat next to a lady whose family had just been to Disney World, which to me was a much higher risk of covid infection.  

We made it home just fine and never got covid. But the world was different.  My DIL sent me photos of the local grocery stores and the empty shelves.  People talked about lockdowns and how you needed to leave your Amazon packages for days before you touched them and then disinfected them.  It took me about two months to realize that I was fine to go to the grocery store.  I did it for a year and never got covid.

Edited June 14, 2021 by TNcruising02

[Tapi]

24 minutes ago, TNcruising02 said:

We sailed on RCL the last cruise that went out in March.  

Wow! And I thought that I’d cut it close! 😂 Glad that everything went well with your cruise! 

[TNcruising02]

8 minutes ago, Tapi said:

Wow! And I thought that I’d cut it close! 😂 Glad that everything went well with your cruise! 

It was definitely like walking into a different world when we got off of the ship.  The cruise was great though.  People were washing their hands.  They had a crew member standing at the buffet line making sure everyone wash their hands with soap and water. The crew was cleaning everything.  I felt fine on the cruise.  Coming home made me nervous.

Edited June 14, 2021 by TNcruising02

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, Tapi said:

We booked this cruise about 6 months prior to our sailing, and at the time, Covid-19 hadn’t  even been identified and named. 
 

We sailed on February 16th, 2020, about 10 days after the outbreak on the Diamond Princess started making headlines. (In fact, we later watched that ongoing saga unfold from our stateroom when we cruised). 
 

Holland America started sending emails every couple of days prior to our cruise, first reassuring us that there was nothing to worry about, that this virus was far away from the US, and that our cruise would proceed as normal. 
 

Those emails were followed by communications letting us know that there would be some changes to boarding protocols which basically boiled down to an updated questionnaire asking if we’d visited a list of affected countries in Asia, and a temperature check at the cruise terminal, but still reassuring us that there was nothing to worry about. 
 

At the time, we briefly entertained the idea of canceling the cruise, but we chose to stick to our plans not realizing how close to home the virus truly was. There was so much conflicting and biased information from one news outlet to another, that we didn’t know what to believe. 
 

The actual cruise did operate as if nothing was happening. None of the protocols that we are now so familiar with (masks, social distancing, etc) had been established. But we did bring extra packs of antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer, and I remember making it a habit to grab the serving utensils at the buffet with a napkin. We just came up with our own sanitation protocols. 😂 We had a nagging feeling in the back of our head the entire time, but otherwise it felt like any other cruise.

 

We came home, and the crap truly hit the fan then. Cruise ship after cruise ship, and outbreak after outbreak kept making headlines. The whole industry shut down about two weeks later. We were as shocked as everybody else. 

 

Later on, a lot of friends and family members called us crazy for going on that cruise, but once again, at the time, we didn’t have all the facts and truly didn’t know what was going on yet. Very glad that we squeezed in a cruise in 2020, but at the same time very grateful that we were not one of those sailings with an outbreak that were stranded at sea for days!  

If only there was an emoji (maybe there is and I am not familiar with it) for sigh of relief, it would be so appropriate for the tale of your cruise. Glad it all worked out.

[sailingships]

15 hours ago, TNcruising02 said:

This is part of the email they sent to some August cruisers.  I bolded and underlined the important part.

"We will be sending details next week about this exemption process, and additional protocols as they are finalized.  It’s important to note that the number of exemptions will be a very small subset, will largely be children under 12, and it will be less than 5 percent of guests to account for no shows and other operational matters.  And, we cannot begin to process these exemptions until after all final payments are received and we have certainty on the total number of guests on board – so that we can determine the number of exemptions.  But we are committed to moving as quickly as possible."

As Ive mentioned elsewhere Carnival wont know the number of 'no shows' until the actual first day of the cruise, so how are the passengers gong to know in time to go to the dock? Be there just in case they are picked? Do they get refunded if they arent ? There's too many variables. 

 

I guess by 'no shows' they mean among the fully vaccinated passengers. Do they mean none payment or not showing up at the terminal?  People who apply but fail to pay by the final payment date?

 

I'm interested if Carnival will compensate the people who arent picked or have to cancel due to the critical vaccination theory.  Someone has suggested they will be able to move their FCC and OBC from previous cancellations to a new booking. That was never an option for the virus cancellations. The FCFC/OBC applied to new bookings that were then cancelled was lost.

 

Personally I learnt last year not to apply my FCC/OBC to new bookings. I'm planning to apply them to my cruises right before I do the final payments. The largest FCC first. We have until Dec 31 this year to decide where to put them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kevin_p]

This is what we received last Friday notifying us an exemption wouldn’t be available for our 10 year old. 

[TNcruising02]

10 minutes ago, sailingships said:

As Ive mentioned elsewhere Carnival wont know the number of 'no shows' until the actual first day of the cruise, so how are the passengers gong to know in time to go to the dock? Be there just in case they are picked? Do they get refunded if they arent ? There's too many variables. 

 

I guess by 'no shows' they mean among the fully vaccinated passengers. Do they mean none payment or not showing up at the terminal?  People who apply but fail to pay by the final payment date?

 

I'm interested if Carnival will compensate the people who arent picked or have to cancel due to the critical vaccination theory.  Someone has suggested they will be able to move their FCC and OBC from previous cancellations to a new booking. That was never an option for the virus cancellations. The FCFC/OBC applied to new bookings that were then cancelled was lost.

 

Personally I learnt last year not to apply my FCC/OBC to new bookings. I'm planning to apply them to my cruises right before I do the final payments. The largest FCC first. We have until Dec 31 this year to decide where to put them.

 

 

 

The entire process is not a risk I would take if I was not vaccinated or had children 12 or under.  Cruises involve too much time and money to take the risk and then have a bunch of restrictions.

[TNcruising02]

1 minute ago, kevin_p said:

This is what we received last Friday notifying us an exemption wouldn’t be available for our 10 year old. 

I am so sorry about that.  The only positive is that you didn't find out at the port.

[BlerkOne]

https://www.carnival.com/Legal/covid-19-legal-notices/covid-19-guest-protocols.aspx#texas

 

PROTOCOLS FOR JULY 2021 SAILINGS FROM TEXAS

Cruises from Galveston are available for guests who have received their final dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to the beginning of the cruise and have proof of vaccination. Accordingly, the following applies only to these specific itineraries from Galveston:

• All guests, including children who are age-eligible for vaccines, will need to show proof of vaccination.
• This means, that regrettably, guests who are not vaccinated, including children who are not yet eligible for a vaccine, will not be permitted to sail.*

Our Have Fun. Be Safe. guidelines for cruises from Galveston incorporate guidance from the CDC and Texas officials:

• All guests will be asked to confirm their status as fully vaccinated for COVID-19 during check-in and provide proof of vaccination in advance of boarding. (As a reminder, “fully vaccinated” means the final dose of the vaccine was administered 14 days prior to embarkation.)
• It’s important for guests to come prepared, as those who arrive at the embarkation terminal without the proper proof of vaccination will not be able to cruise, and no refund will be issued.
• Face masks for all forms of transportation are still required by the CDC; however, protocols are evolving and as changes are announced, we will share more information as soon as possible.
• While guests will be vaccinated, we will follow protocols and requirements for each destination while ashore. Remember, these restrictions are under the control of local government and are subject to change without advance notice, so we encourage guests to come prepared for potential mask requirements ashore.

Please note that these guidelines are subject to change.

* With certain exemptions, including those required by law

[stellarose]

so still face masks on board.  interesting. 

[deweytrader]

1 hour ago, kevin_p said:

This is what we received last Friday notifying us an exemption wouldn’t be available for our 10 year old. 

I have not received any notification from Carnival yet.  I did complete the exemption request form within 5 minutes of receipt and was already paid in full for the 7/24 Breeze sailing.

[BlerkOne]

17 minutes ago, stellarose said:

so still face masks on board.  interesting. 

I don't think so much on board as in the terminal and possible in port.

[Cammyho]

4 hours ago, kevin_p said:

This is what we received last Friday notifying us an exemption wouldn’t be available for our 10 year old. 

 

I'm booked in September on the Mardi Gras with a 2 year old and this is the only thing I'm worried about. What was the offer they sent you if you don't mind me asking?

[kevin_p]

44 minutes ago, Cammyho said:

 

I'm booked in September on the Mardi Gras with a 2 year old and this is the only thing I'm worried about. What was the offer they sent you if you don't mind me asking?

I have been checking and still haven’t seen any offer that looks like it is related to that email.  I called and tried to see if they would honor our rate for this cruise on any of the same cruise itineraries for next summer, and even after getting transferred to the resolution team and then to the executive resolution team, they wouldn’t budge.  “The rate you see online is the rate we can offer.”  None were less than double the price we paid for this one.   They had zero info on how the exceptions were processed other than saying it was a different department.  No onboard credit to roll over our funds to a future cruise either.  

He did say that we had until July 21st to decide whether to cancel or not and still get a full refund for our 3 rooms, but that conflicts with what we have in writing saying that today is the deadline.  When I asked him to send me an email confirming the 21st as the deadline, he wouldn’t even do that.
 

A total waste of 2 hours and 40 minutes on the phone.  

Edited June 14, 2021 by kevin_p