8 Crew Test Positive on the Odyssey

[bdever]

1 hour ago, shof515 said:

Most crew member had issues getting the vaccine in their home country. the only way for the crew to get the vaccine quickly is by having the crew getting the shots here in the states (Florida/Texas). Chris Wong has a youtube video about this and he is suppose to be a crew member onboard the Odyssey

Yes I saw his vlog. But Royal originally had him scheduled for May then switched him to June. Since Odyssey was brought over so late in the game Royal should have scheduled bookings beyond the 2 week time frame of all crew being fully vaxxed. 

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, TNcruising02 said:

Thanks for the clarification. So, it looks like both Royal and Carnival figured out a way around the law in Texas.  However, I wonder why Royal is doing unvaccinated in Florida and Carnival is doing vaccinated.  It seems like they would both be on the same page with the same information, unless Carnival is bluffing.

Carnival has said they want cruisers to have a pleasant experience.

 

[firefly333]

18 minutes ago, bdever said:

Yes I saw his vlog. But Royal originally had him scheduled for May then switched him to June. Since Odyssey was brought over so late in the game Royal should have scheduled bookings beyond the 2 week time frame of all crew being fully vaxxed. 

You probably know but this ship was supposed to be the cruise ship from israel. They were so happy to get their own ship .. and then the bombs started and it couldnt come in. Dani on the thread what did you do today on rcl is from Israel..

 

Then it pulled into PC and stayed a couple of days, might have gotten the rest vaccinated then. Then left for miami. It was swapped with I think independence and wsnt scheduled at all originally. Brand new ship.,independent is being sent to Galveston while liberty does dry dock.

 

But since it was supposed to be in israel and never scheduled out of texas, just a last minute swap I can see why vaccines are behind.

 

They are vaxxed. By my math even the 2 week quarantine will be over this month.  Idk but maybe the extra time in July is to do a mock cruise. They cant do it now until crew is out of quarantine.. rcl posters saying this was a unlucky name. 

Edited June 16, 2021 by firefly333

[bdever]

13 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

You probably know but this ship was supposed to be the cruise ship from israel. They were so happy to get their own ship .. and then the bombs started and it couldnt come in. Dani on the thread what did you do today on rcl is from Israel..

 

Then it pulled into PC and stayed a couple of days, might have gotten the rest vaccinated then. Then left for miami. It was swapped with I think independence and wsnt scheduled at all originally. Brand new ship.,independent is being sent to Galveston while liberty does dry dock.

 

But since it was supposed to be in israel and never scheduled out of texas, just a last minute swap I can see why vaccines are behind.

 

They are vaxxed. By my math even the 2 week quarantine will be over this month.  Idk but maybe the extra time in July is to do a mock cruise. They cant do it now until crew is out of quarantine.. rcl posters saying this was a unlucky name. 

TBH I’m having a hard time keeping up. I feel like

 

[firefly333]

21 minutes ago, bdever said:

TBH I’m having a hard time keeping up. I feel like

 

Royal is the ship swapping cruiseline I ever saw. I've been swapped twice. Surely had to be a easier way than moved booked independence pax to oddessy, then liberty pax to indy, thru the end of sept, but this time doesnt affect me.

 

You watch bloggers, there is one forget his name, his wife is Jen, hes on adventure .. he put up a blog claiming oddessy went to PC to steal the thunder from mardi gras arrival the same day. Though rcl folks are dying to see the new ship odyssey, but this blogger said it blocked some cameras to see mardi gras arrival. He has some video from some other guy he played to prove oddessy went to PC to block the web cam from mardi gras lol.

 

I think some of them are funny. Anyway, I can see how they arent all vaccinated as the ship just came over to the usa same day as mardi gras.

[BlerkOne]

I think Odyssey may just be cursed. They had covid cases during sea trials. Didn't they dump a couple of covid crew members off during the Atlantic crossing? I might stay away from that ship.

[Moviela]

Time Out.

 

So 8 people out of a group of 1,400 that are more or less separated from the outside world. That is roughly 0.57%. People who have studied the the quick tests report in the case of asymptomatic individuals 99.4% test negative. The number of positives is well within the tiny sliver of false positive tests. Let's wait 10 days to see if symptoms present before dashing about with your hair on fire.

 

You may resume play.  

[BlerkOne]

14 minutes ago, Moviela said:

Time Out.

 

So 8 people out of a group of 1,400 that are more or less separated from the outside world. That is roughly 0.57%. People who have studied the the quick tests report in the case of asymptomatic individuals 99.4% test negative. The number of positives is well within the tiny sliver of false positive tests. Let's wait 10 days to see if symptoms present before dashing about with your hair on fire.

 

You may resume play.  

They already said most were asymptomatic. I think a couple with mild symptoms.

 

The damage is done. To RCL reputation and to a new ship. Statistics aren't going to change the color of lipstick on the pig  

[firefly333]

19 minutes ago, Moviela said:

Time Out.

 

So 8 people out of a group of 1,400 that are more or less separated from the outside world. That is roughly 0.57%. People who have studied the the quick tests report in the case of asymptomatic individuals 99.4% test negative. The number of positives is well within the tiny sliver of false positive tests. Let's wait 10 days to see if symptoms present before dashing about with your hair on fire.

 

You may resume play.  

Yea so far so good with adventure. No paying cruises for rcl quite yet. Let's see how that plays out. Fingers crossed. Still getting crew onboard and vaccinated to be ready. 

 

Agree this was a non event. 

[amcankid]

3 hours ago, firefly333 said:

My finger wouldnt copy down far enough on the page but I did copy rcl policy out of Galveston.  Over age 12 must be vaccinated. 

 

Also note cruises out of florida ..unvaccinated must cover expenses on their own dime which are being finalised. Rcl .. 

 

_____

 

Royal Vaccine Policy Summarized: HERE

 

The vaccine policies, which are in line with local regulations, are currently the following: 

• Cruises from Seattle: Guests who are 16 years of age or older must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and those 12 or older as of Aug. 1
• Cruises from Florida: It is strongly recommended that guests set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible. Those who are unvaccinated or unable to verify vaccination will be required to undergo testing and follow other protocols at their own expense. These expenses are still being finalized. Based on our guest survey’s, we expect 90% of all our guests to be fully vaccinated
• Cruises from Texas: Guests who are 12 years of age or older must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19

That’s the answer then. Let the unvaccinated come. 
Oh, one small detail. The company we contracted with to perform the Covid tests charge 1,500 per test. And you’ll need to be tested before boarding and also when disembarking and re-embarking at each stop.

Thanks for your cooperation.

Welcome aboard.

 

[BoozinCroozin]

Just more fuel to the fire that vaccinated cruises are the only way to proceed for the near term. I think cruise lines would be wise to just announce it for 2021 and make the statement they will reassess in November. 

• Is there a potential for covid with fully vaccinated passengers? Yes, but it is easier managed, much lower chance for an outbreak, and severity mild at worse.
• Is there a potential for a mass outbreak in an unvaccinated cruise? Yes, with potential for a much larger outbreak, quarantine, and refusal to return to port. 

We are a working family. My wife and I both have jobs. We could not afford to be quarantined after a cruise. Our jobs would be in jeopardy. It is not selfish at all to want to be protected and the cruise lines taking the appropriate action of requiring vaccines to cruise. It is the smart play.

 

The other issue is whether people that were suppose to be on the ship can recover from their losses. Hopefully they have trip insurance or the cruise lines work on flight refunds, hotel refunds, etc.

Edited June 16, 2021 by BoozinCroozin

[ontheweb]

9 hours ago, firefly333 said:

My finger wouldnt copy down far enough on the page but I did copy rcl policy out of Galveston.  Over age 12 must be vaccinated. 

 

Also note cruises out of florida ..unvaccinated must cover expenses on their own dime which are being finalised. Rcl .. 

 

_____

• Cruises from Florida: It is strongly recommended that guests set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible. Those who are unvaccinated or unable to verify vaccination will be required to undergo testing and follow other protocols at their own expense. These expenses are still being finalized. Based on our guest survey’s, we expect 90% of all our guests to be fully vaccinated

At their own expense, without any definition of what that expense could amount to, that should scare a lot of unvaccinated people away as long as they are able to comprehend what that says.

[kdr69]

11 hours ago, bdever said:

Yes, my thoughts exactly. Someone mentioned in the comments that the crew had only received their first dose of Pfizer at this point so it’s not terribly surprising and just part of the process. Why did Royal wait so close to sail date to start the process though??? 

I just shake my head.  They should have kept the crew under lock and key and guarded more closely than the crown jewels until the were FULLY vaccinated.  Should have been no way possible for them to interact until such time.  

[harkinmr]

11 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Vaccinated should end as the CSO ends on November 1.

Debatable. The cruise lines may make the decision on their own to continue a vaccine requirement depending upon what happens with infections and variants on and off cruise ships worldwide. Some folks seem to think that once the CSO expires that it will be a free-for-all and all protocols will simply disappear. The cruise line execs are not stupid and the lines are not generally negligent. They will do what they need to do based on circumstances in the interest of their passengers and their business. It’s a wait and see. 

[BoozinCroozin]

As long as the cruise lines are making money and filling ships with vaccinated passengers, there is ABSOLUTELY NO need to have unvaccinated passengers ever. The biggest and only issue with vaccinated cruises right now are kids under 12. They don't have an option or choice yet. That should change in the next few months. 

 

It is like I said, you have Freedom of Choice, but not Freedom from Consequences. If the cruise lines can pack their ships with vaccinated passengers, then they don't have to worry about the small percentage that refuse to get it. It will be no loss to them. As it is right now, they have no shortage of vaccinated bookings, just some families in limbo for under 12. 

[Buckeyefrank100]

I am not going to argue that the virus was initially overblown, because it was deadly in it's original form.  The various forms this virus has taken are mere shells of its former self.  The lethality of this virus has dropped through the floor and the current most common symptoms are sneezing, headache and runny nose.  OMG LET'S SHUT DOWN THE WORLD FOR A RUNNY NOSE!!!!

 

It's time to end the stupidity.

[jfunk138]

8 minutes ago, Buckeyefrank100 said:

It's time to end the stupidity.

Even here in The People's Republic of Maskachusetts, things have returned to normal faster than I ever thought possible.  I haven't worn a mask anywhere since April.

 

It's going to be increasingly difficult to justify pandemic theater at sea, when every attraction on land is open at 100% capacity with massive crowds.

 

Oh and there is probably 50/50 chance FDA pulls/modifies the EUA for under 18 on Friday.  Germany and UK have both said they are not vaccinating under 18 without pre-existing conditions.

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, kdr69 said:

I just shake my head.  They should have kept the crew under lock and key and guarded more closely than the crown jewels until the were FULLY vaccinated.  Should have been no way possible for them to interact until such time.  

Idk if you are joking or not. They couldnt go into Israel at the time to finish vaccinations so they sailed across the ocean to PC and florida to get vaccinations. There will be a few positives when cruising restarts. Anyone who thinks there wouldnt be positives is dreaming imo. And I mean that nicely, there will be some positives. 

 

[kdr69]

29 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Idk if you are joking or not. They couldnt go into Israel at the time to finish vaccinations so they sailed across the ocean to PC and florida to get vaccinations. There will be a few positives when cruising restarts. Anyone who thinks there wouldnt be positives is dreaming imo. And I mean that nicely, there will be some positives. 

 

The point is that they had one shot of Pfizer only.  Unless and Until they had the second shot to become fully vaccinated they should have had absolutely NO opportunity to interact with or be exposed to a NON Vaccinated individual.  They didnt spontaneously develop COVID so they had to have been exposed outside of the bubble that they should have been in so how did that happen if they remained on board at all times with everyone else who was vaccinated with one dose too??

[abby1257]

Oh dear....HERE WE GO AGAIN!

 

[abby1257]

13 hours ago, Lee Cruiser said:

I wonder if this will make them rethink their vaccine policy.

NO Vaccine....no cruise....

 

[firefly333]

10 minutes ago, kdr69 said:

The point is that they had one shot of Pfizer only.  Unless and Until they had the second shot to become fully vaccinated they should have had absolutely NO opportunity to interact with or be exposed to a NON Vaccinated individual.  They didnt spontaneously develop COVID so they had to have been exposed outside of the bubble that they should have been in so how did that happen if they remained on board at all times with everyone else who was vaccinated with one dose too??

So if they got their dose in port of Canaveral and went on shore, might be where they were exposed. 

 

I dont think you are being reasonable in your expectations. They dont give doses on the ship, crew has to come onshore. People will be interacting. Getting the crew vaccinated isnt overnight. 

 

Some people have unreasonable expectations while the ships hire crew and get them vaccinated. If you want them to only hire vaccinated..they probably cant be found so the cruiseline has to hire hundreds and thousands and get them vaccinated.  Perfection isnt going to happen. Good thing you are waiting. 

 

To me it's how cases are handled not that there is never a positive case. 

[Buckeyefrank100]

18 minutes ago, kdr69 said:

The point is that they had one shot of Pfizer only.  Unless and Until they had the second shot to become fully vaccinated they should have had absolutely NO opportunity to interact with or be exposed to a NON Vaccinated individual.  They didnt spontaneously develop COVID so they had to have been exposed outside of the bubble that they should have been in so how did that happen if they remained on board at all times with everyone else who was vaccinated with one dose too??

Honest question.   Are you OK if the crew had been given the J&J vaccine and would consider them fully vaccinated?

 

 

[Keys2Heaven]

I feel this is a big nothing burger. Bound to happen with bringing crew in from around the world who haven't been vaccinated. Good news is that they are quarantined, protocols are in place now to address and the crew will be 100% vaccinated in the near future.

I guess one could argue RCCL not acting quicker with vaccines but, as we've seen, all of this is still extremely fluid and we should expect the unexpected for awhile.

[Keys2Heaven]

2 minutes ago, Buckeyefrank100 said:

Honest question.   Are you OK if the crew had been given the J&J vaccine and would consider them fully vaccinated?

 

 

Absolutely.